Three: The Years Passed

Chapter 03 | The Years Passed

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|AVA SANDERS|

“AV! Come on! The sun's peeking already! Get up!” 

I lazily opened my eyes as I set my mind to what was happening around me. My Mom was shouting behind my door and knocking on it like there was someone chasing her in the woods. My ears were already near to exploding if she didn't stop knocking. 

“Mom! I'm awake! Stop it, will you?” I argued back and rolled on my bed unti I was on its edge. I don’t know why I rolled again, causing me to fall in the wooden floor. I hissed when my right shoulder hits the floor first. 

I sat up straight and loudly sighed as if I had it worst again. Same old times. My Mom would wake me in the morning and I would be rolling in my bed until my body hits the floor hard for me to really wake my brain off my sleepiness. I puffed air causing my baby hairs in front to flew upwards. 

Time to get up. 

"Av, eat your breakfast first!" 

I halted from running towards our main door when my Mom's thunder voice reached my ears. 

I was actually running out of time because my schedule for today was earlier than usual. I just remembered it after I slipped on the bathroom and my head hits the wall. It got me remember all that I should. 

"But Mom, I'm running late!" I attempted to run again when a hand grabbed the hem of my hood at the back and pulled me towards our mini kitchen. 

"Mom!" I shouted in frustration. I glanced on my not-so-new wristwatch and it was alreay striking at seven! I need to be there in thirty! 

"Mom!" I stubbornly refused again. Knowing my mother, she won't let me go until I swallow all the food that she wanted me to eat. I bit my lower lips and sighed. 

"Stop whining, my daughter. You're so thin! Look at you, Av!" My eyes widened as I looked at her in disbelief. My mouth was already wide open as I couldn't registered her words into my mind. 

What? 

"I am not thin!" I shrieked as I looked down on my figure. I still have my favorite figure of my body. I wasn't thin nor chubby. I was in the middle! 

Oh, my God! 

I looked at my mother and she was already covering her mouth, stopping the laugh that was about to slipped in her tongue. 

"Mom!" I whined but a smile was already trying to slipped from my mouth. 

"You're so annoying," I said while pouting my lips. I rolled my eyes and reached the egg sandwiches on her hands that she was giving me. 

"Eat those on your way. Remember, breakfast is still the most important intake of food in life. Go," my eyes got teary-eyed but I shook my head causing a little of my hair strand to cover my eyes a little bit. 

I don't know. I was a bit hurt, realizing that I missed this kind of time with my Mom since I stopped preparing for school. 

I missed those times. But I was trying to be okay. Every day. 

"Thanks, Mom. I love you," I pulled her as I hugged her as if it was my last time to do that to her. My eyes stung but I bit my lower lip for me to stop shedding a single tear. 

First thing in the morning and I was already this emotional. This is not good. 

"I love you, my daughter. Always, hmm?" 

I STOPPED walking, not far from our house. I slowly turned around and looked intently at our house. From my distance, I saw my Mom carrying a mini-basket that I'm always carrying after drying our clothes at the back of the house and pin it on the thin wire in our backyard, letting it dry more with the help of the sunrays.  I don't know why seeing her that way was so painful. 

I was trying so hard to make our lives lived without worries. Without her, making those chores because I should do that instead of her but I couldn't. I needed money. I needed to work on that while she had to do it because I wasn't there. 

Gulping the lump in my throat, I blinked my eyes and sighed. 

I was only staring at the blurry scene outside the window beside me as the air coming from the outside was swaying my shoulder length hair. For the past three years, I didn't let it grew beyond shoulder level. I always made sure that it would be on shoulder level. 

"Thank you," I bowed my head a bit at the direction of the bus driver that I rode at and get myself out of the bus. 

Using my hands, I gripped at the strap of my small shoulder bag and glanced at the familiar coffee shop in front of me. 

It was the shop Mira and I got in last three years ago. 

"Good morning, Ava!" 

A smile went into my lips as I looked at my left and saw Shida, the one who instructed us years ago. She became our friend as the shop grew bigger. It has branches all around the town and luckily, we were permanently have to work here and didn't transfer to the other branch. 

"Morning Shi!" I greeted her and walked towards the counter. 

I became the cashier of the shop for two years now. Mira and I was a waitress in our first day of work until she was promoted to become the assistant cook in the kitchen, making pastries and all as I was told to became a cashier after that. 

"Where's Mira?" 

I asked her while I fixed all the necessary things on the table in front of me. The computer was neatly fixed in the middle and many more that I usually used whenever people asked for their bills and if they pay for a take-out. 

"Oh, come on! As if you don't know," my brows furrowed and looked at her on my right side. 

Shida was half-japanese and half-spanish. Her brunette hair was swaying elegantly every time she walks or nod her head. She has thick eyebrows that I usually fixed in our break time, a kissable lips that was complimenting her slim high pointed nose and sharp jaw. Despite her looking like a princess, she has a small face causing her to look more of a doll rather than the latter. 

"I know today is her day-off but where is she? Normally she would be here first thing in the morning," I told her and wipe off the dust that I saw at the side of the counter. It was already near eight in the morning and I was glad I made it on time. 

I could go check on Mira earlier but I only remembered her after I hopped in inside the bus. 

"She's with her hottie boyfriend!" My eyed widened and looked around if there were people who heard her shrieked like she was a pig getting cooked in a shell. 

Oh, my gosh! She was crazy! 

"Tone down your voice, Shida. You're a fine woman yet you shriek like a pig!" I whined and continued wiping the counter even if there wasn't any dust to wipe off. 

"Hey! I will accept that I'm a fine woman but a pig?" her rounded pair of eyes looked at me in disbelief but I just looked at her with my brows, arched. 

I crossed my arms and wait for her next words but she was just looking at me with her disbelief expression. 

"What?" 

I raised my left eyebrow and took a seat on the high tool chair behind me. I turned it to Shida's direction. She was already resting her hands on her small waist and was still looking at me, watching my every moves. 

"Again, what?" I playfully darted her a look and stood up when the wind chimes on the door made a sound, indicating that a person entered the shop. 

"You're really pretty, Ava. It was like you're a model!" I creased formed in my forehead when I heard her say that. 

Where was the connection? 

"Wh–," I wasn't able to continue what I was saying when she was already greeting the customers. 

"Good day Ma'am, Sir! Welcome!" 

My head slowly turned to the direction of the people in front of the counter, looking at the menu above. I was a bit at the far end but I clearly saw my bitchy friend, Mira. My brows were already furrowing when her eyes met mine. I raised a brow and tilted my head once, asking her what was she doing with a group of students. 

Yes, those people were students and as I looked intently on their left chest, where their school logo was, they were studying at the school in front of the shop. Hardent Academy. 

I looked at them. Mira was with three guys and three girls. They were all looking neat and clean. Probably because they were representing their school, very disciplined and high-quality school. 

As I was observing them, one guy caught my sharp eyes. 

He was the only guy who was cooly standing behind his friends, silently looking for his orders, probably. His friends were loud and in chaos, contradicting their suffocating aura when they entered. I think, Mira already spread her virus that was why they were chaotic. But he remained cool and silent. 

He was also wearing a specs and I think my eyes were already shining brightly, with stars around it because of that. 

I love guys with specs and cool, as a bookworm though. 

"Hey!" 

I was snapped out of my fantasy when Mira's cursed voice reached my ears. I abruptly looked in front of me where Mira was and I couldn't stop my eyes, darting her a glare. 

"What?" I asked, annoyed. 

"You didn't wait for me!" I rolled my eyes and get my pen and a paper as I sat on my chair. 

"Well, blame the bus driver." I nonchalantly told her as I write anything nonsense on the paper while rolling my eyes. 

I heard her grunted in annoyance and a smile slipped on my lips. She really got a short temper. 

"But oh, well. It was a blessing in disguise because my boyfriend fetched me!" she shrieked and even slammed the counter table that caused me to jump on my seat a little. 

"Mira, I told you to tone down your voice. And boyfriend who?" I asked and looked at her. 

"The one that I was telling you who's been courting me for a year now! Look, he's over there." I followed the direction where she was pointing at.

"The guy who's wearing a bonnet! That's him!" 

Despite her energetic voice, my eyes roamed around the circle of friends that she was with earlier. Instead of looking at the guy she was pointing at, my eyes darted straight into the same gu

y I stared at before Mira approached me. 

I bit my lower as my heart took a leap. I think I'm doomed. 

Did I got a love at first sight on him?