chapter one

Success doesn't come easy. Success requires hard work. That was the last sentence of the book I was reading. I was so hooked on the book that I forgot someone was waiting for me.

"Cara, hurry up! Your dad is waiting for you," my mom shouted. I hurriedly picked up my book and went downstairs. I grabbed a sandwich and an orange juice and went inside the car.

 "Where's Carlon?" my father asked me as soon as I entered the car.

 "He's coming, "I told him, and I saw carlon running down the stairs.

"Why are we in a hurry, dad? My class is at 9 am. It's not even 8 in the morning, "Carlon asked my dad while my dad started to run the car.

"I need to talk to a client. They're planning to withdraw their huge orders from us. I can't let that happen. Our employees started working on their orders we will lose a lot of money if that happens since it's customized," Dad told us furiously.

"Did they tell you what's the reason for them to pull out their orders?"I asked him.

"They can't give me a proper reason." He said, looking so disappointed.

"It says right there on the first page of our website that once you place an order, there's no cancellation. Our supplies aren't cheap. It's pricey. We will surely lose money," he added.

 "What can I do, dad?"I asked him calmly, thinking how I could help.

"Don't worry, I'll handle it," he said to me.

My parents have a business of ready-to-wear clothes. This particular buyer ordered 250 pieces of polo shirts with their company name and the personal name of their employees. Our fabrics aren't cheap. We make sure our products are high quality. I hope they won't pull out their orders once Dad talks to them. This business is our only source of income. We get all our expenses here, so I'm worried.

Once I arrived at school, I went straight to class. My friends are there waiting for me.

"Cara, can I copy your assignments?" Julia asked me.

"Sure, "I told her then, grabbed my notebook to give her. They were busy copying my assignments when Mr. Smith sat beside me. I looked at him with my annoyed face.

 "What do you need?" I asked him.

 "Nothing, I'm just sitting beside you. Is there any problem with that?" He said, smirking at me.

Mr. Smith, let's call him Austin. Have been very irritating since the semester started. He's been following me around the campus to annoy me.

"Don't annoy me today, please. I'm not in the mood to argue with you," I said, not looking.

"What's wrong?" He asked as he tried to look at my face. I didn't answer him. "Hey, what happened?" He asked again.

"Dad has a problem in our business. I hope it ends well." I finally turned to him.

"Is it that bad?" He frowned.

"I don't know but based on my father's reaction earlier. It seems like it could end up bad." I said, recalling his reaction when I asked him in the car.

"Whatever happens, always remember you have us. You can tell us everything, and you can always ask us for help, whether it's financial or support." He said, looking serious. I laughed at him.

"Why are you laughing?" He asked, but he was smiling already.

"Thank you for being so thoughtful, Austin. I know I have you guys. That's why I'm so thankful for you and Julia," I told him sincerely.

"Hey! What are you talking about? Are you dating now?" Julia said, teasing us again.

"How many times do I have to tell you that Austin didn't like me. He just loves to annoy me, nothing more. We're just friends." I have to tell this to Julia every time she teases me with Austin. It seems like she's not used to Austin when in fact, we're always like this every day.

"Are you done with the assignment?" I asked him.

"We have assignments?" He asked me back with his wide eyes.

"We do. Oh my gosh, Austin! Our professor will come in any minute now." Austin is unbelievable. He's always like this. This man didn't pay attention in class. So, I gave him my notes so he could copy them.

I am a very diligent person. I love reading and learning new things. Not only that, but I want to graduate with flying colors and also make my parents proud. I have always been interested in starting a business. I have many ideas in my head, but I honestly don't know where to start, so I decided to finish my degree in entrepreneur first before I engage in a real business, but my problem is I am afraid to take a risk.

My morning classes were over, so I went to the cafeteria with Julia. We bought some snacks to eat.

 "You have been very active in class lately," Julia said while we sat at an empty table.

"I'm trying my best to have a high GPA. I want to be consistent in the dean's list." I said while eating some chips and scanning my notes.

"Have some fun too, "Julia smiled at me.

"I'm having fun, Julia! We hang out a lot every weekend. " I said to her.

She just laughed at what I said. Some of our friends joined us at the table, eating and laughing while waiting for our next subject. I browsed my social media then what I saw shocked me. Our shop's name is gaining a lot of attention right now. I would be happy if its a positive reaction, but it wasn't. A random guy posted negatively about our shop. His post about us wasn't even correct. He even dragged our family name into the issue. I immediately excused myself from my friends and went home.

I don't mind waiting for the bus in scorching hot weather. I want to go home and know what happened.

"It was a misunderstanding," my mom told me.

 "They ruined our reputation, "I told them anxiously.

"What do you mean, Cara?" My dad asked me with a furrowed brow.

 I showed them the post that was gaining a lot of attention. They were concerned about our business right now.

I told my parents to sue the person who posted, but I don't know if they will listen to me.

Months have passed, I thought everything was okay, not until my mom admitted to me that since that day we barely received orders, and since we have a few workers, some of them need to leave us as we cannot afford to pay for their salary, we also have a large debt to pay. I didn't know about this, but it started when my dad needed to have an immediate operation for his heart. Mom borrowed a large amount of money which we haven't settled yet. We ran out of money to operate the business. My dad decided to work at a bank while my mom stayed home.

"Cara, is there any food left? I'm hungry," Carlon asked me. He's sweating so bad while still holding a ball.

 "Did you play basketball again?"I asked him

"Yeah. I'm playing with your friend Austin and Jim," he told me, breathing heavily.

"Here." I gave him a glass of water and made him sandwiches

 "Since when did I have a friend named Austin?" I asked him. Austin is a friend, and I was just joking with Carlon.

"C'mon. Austin definitely likes you," He chuckled.

"Shut up! Don't ever say that again, "I said, looking disgusted.

"It's too obvious, Cara! You're too blind to see it." He said, smirking at me.

"I don't want to think about that. We're friends. I don't want to feel awkward with him."

"Can't you feel anything? Like butterflies?" He said, obviously teasing me.

"Stop it! I'm getting goosebumps," I said, avoiding eye contact with him.

Carlon laughed then went to the bathroom to take a bath.

 I went upstairs to look for my mom. I saw her holding a check.

"What's that?"I asked her

"We sold our sewing machines." my mom said, looking at the floor.

"What? Why? How about our business? Is it closing?"I asked her worriedly.

"We don't have a choice. We need money for you and your brother's tuition fee," she said. My mom looks so sad, and it's breaking my heart.

"I will work. I'll find a job, mom. " I said sternly.

 "You don't have to, Cara. We will find ways, okay? It'll be okay soon," she said. "No, mom. I'll help you and dad, "I told her.

"How about your studies? You want to graduate, right?" she asked me, looking worried.

 "I will work and study. I can do it, " Mom sighed and hugged me. After we talked, I went straight to Julia's home.

 "Julia, do you know any work I can apply to?" I asked her. She looked at me with confusion.

 "Why? Do you need work?" She asked me.

"I need to work. I want to help my parents. Our business is closing, "I said.

"Really?! I can't believe that one post from someone can make your business fail. Your parents are probably so sad right now. They work so hard for that business to grow, "Julia is shocked too.

 "Don't worry. I'll help you find a job. It'll be okay," Julia added.

 "I hope this is just a joke, but it wasn't. Here's our reality now," I sighed, looking so worried.

"What kind of work do you want?" she asked.

"Anything, "I said.

"Okay, I'll ask my mom if she knew any vacant job," She said, smiling at me. "Anyway, my mom and I baked banana bread. Try this, and tell me how it is," she added. I tasted the bread, and it was good, not too sweet. I ate more, and she noticed that I liked it. " You don't have to tell me if it's good. I can tell right now that you liked it," she laughed.

I am very thankful to Julia for helping me in our current situation.

I can really count on her. She's the best.

Later that night, I received a text message from her, telling me that a convenience store was looking for a cashier. I immediately tell her that I'll be applying for that job.

The next day, I went to the store with Julia. I talked to the owner, and he allowed me to work part-time. I will be working in the store at night after my class.

 "I'll join you at night when I don't have anything to do at home, so you won't be alone here," Julia said.

 "Don't worry about me, Julia. I'll befriend the security guard so that I won't be lonely here, "I said, smiling at her.

"Oh! I remember!" she said and went to the owner and asked him. "Is Roman still the guard here at night?"

"Yes, he is. How did you know him?" The owner asked her.

"I used to be here at night last summer. He's always welcoming and kind to us, "I looked at her.

What is she doing here late at night? I asked myself. She turned to me and said, "Last summer, I learned how to drink alcohol." she laughed, remembering the silly things she did.

"I remember staying here until we're sober. Roman is very kind to us. We became friends because of that," she said.

 I was a bit relieved to be working with a nice person. I hope we get along.

 I went home and found my Dad cooking.

"Honey, you don't have to work. Your mom and I can manage our expenses, just focus on studying," he said as soon as I entered the house.

 "I know you, Dad. You'll overwork again. We can't afford it if you get sick again. Don't worry about it, I will not be neglecting my studies. I promise you, I'll still be on the dean's list this semester," I assure him.

"I don't think I can change your mind, "He sighed as I hugged him.

"I'm sorry if you have to do this, Cara. I promised once I saved enough money, we'll open our business again," He said. I got teary-eyed.

"Tonight is my first day at the convenience store. The owner will be teaching me how to use the machine, so I will go there a little early tonight," I told dad.

"Call me anytime you need me. Okay?" Dad said. I nodded at him.

Sadness is all over me. We had that business for a long time. I didn't know it would close like that, and I'm afraid of my studies. I'm scared to stop going to school because I have a lot of dreams for my family and myself. But whatever happens, I will still chase my dreams. I will be a successful businesswoman!