Chapter 1: [Hozier]

The professor dismissed the class. "That's all for today."

I packed my stuff like I was in a survival game and rushed out of the lecture hall.

I brushed past the sea of students heading to their last class or making their way home. Me? I was rushing back to my bike so I could get the hell out of here before the unknown caught up with me.

"Hozier!" I knew that voice.

I don't know if I should call him my best friend. We met during freshman year, and although we aren't particularly close, he's the only person on this entire campus who hasn't given me the cold shoulder.

So... maybe friends?

"Hozier!" he called again.

I ignored him and picked up my pace. You might think I'm selfish for doing that, but I just don't want him getting caught up in my problems.

The moment I reached the exit doors, I hurried toward the back of the parking lot, where my bike was parked. My usual spot. The one nobody else wanted.

I stopped when I saw three familiar faces standing beside it.

Andrew, Killian, and Hunter.

Great. Just what I needed.

Andrew, their leader, smirked before kicking my bike.

"Careful," I said, walking toward him. "You might break something you can't afford to replace."

He laughed.

Before I could reach my bike, Hunter drove a fist into my abdomen. I stumbled backward and hit the ground, clutching my stomach.

"Still got that mouth, huh?" Killian laughed.

I tried to get up, but Hunter grabbed my shirt and pulled me forward. My glasses fell off in the struggle.

Fuck.

I scrambled around on the pavement, searching for them. Without my glasses, everything was a blur, and they knew it.

One of them kicked my glasses farther away.

"Look at him," Andrew said. "The son of a murderer can't even defend himself."

A boot connected with my ribs.

I curled up, trying to protect myself from the next hit. Their laughter was getting on my nerves more than the pain.

This had been my daily reality ever since Dad was arrested eleven years ago for a murder I knew he didn't commit.

Don't ask about my mother. I have no idea who she is. Dad raised me on his own, and now he's behind bars.

"Give me back my glasses," I managed.

Andrew picked them up and shoved them against my chest. "Here. Wouldn't want you losing your way."

I snatched them, wiped the lenses against my shirt, and put them on. Once the world stopped looking like a badly painted picture, I looked at Hunter and kicked him hard in the shin.

He hopped backward, clutching his leg.

Killian burst out laughing. "Dude! Did he just kick you?"

"Are you three not tired of pulling the same pathetic shit every day?" I asked.

"Why would we be?" Andrew replied. "It's entertaining."

I forced a smile. "I could share your latest exam results with your parents. I'm sure they'd love to know how much money they're wasting on you."

Andrew's expression changed.

The School Council had recently asked me to tutor the three of them after their parents got involved. I only agreed because I needed the money. Apparently, they hadn't forgotten that little detail.

"Let's go," Andrew muttered.

Hunter kicked my bike once more before following them.

I bent over, resting my hands on my knees. My ribs hurt, my lip was bleeding, and my head felt strangely light.

"Hozier!" Caleb's voice came from somewhere behind me.

I tried to straighten up, but my legs weren't cooperating. "Shit!"

His arms caught me before I hit the pavement. "Look at me. Hozier, can you hear me?"

"I'm fine," I mumbled.

He stared at my face. "You look like you've been dragged behind a car."

"That's a bit dramatic."

"You're bleeding."

I touched my lip and looked at the blood on my fingers. "It's not that bad."

Caleb let out a frustrated breath. He was always doing this, worrying about things I preferred to ignore.

"Can you stand?"

"Obviously." I tried. My knees nearly gave out again.

"Yeah, very convincing."

He helped me sit on the low concrete wall beside the parking area and picked up my backpack.  "Where's your bike key?"

I pointed toward my pocket.

He took it out and looked at me. "You're not riding anywhere like this."

"I have work."

"Hozier..."

"Caleb, I can't miss my shift."

He stared at me for a moment before shaking his head. "Fine. I'll drive you. But you're getting something to eat before you start arguing with me again."

I wanted to protest, but I knew he wouldn't listen.

Caleb was one of the few people who never made me explain why I couldn't afford to rest. He didn't ask questions when I turned down lunch or made excuses to avoid going out. He just kept showing up with food and checking whether I was still alive.

It was annoying, very annoying. But I appreciated it more than I knew how to say.

By the time we reached the coffee shop, I had managed to clean the blood from my lip and convince Caleb that I wasn't about to die.

He parked outside and handed me my backpack. "Call me if you start feeling worse."

"Yes, Dad."

He gave me a flat look. "I'm serious."

"I know. Thank you for the ride."

He nodded, finally satisfied enough to let me go.

I hurried inside, tied my apron around my waist, and went straight to the counter.

Mia was arranging cups behind the machine when she spotted me. "You're late."

"Good afternoon to you too."

She narrowed her eyes on my face. "What happened?"

"Nothing."

"Hozier."

"I walked into something."

"With your face?"

I gave her a small smile. "You're asking too many questions today, Mia.”

She shook her head and handed me a cloth. "Go clean the tables. Daniel is already in a mood."

I glanced toward the back office. "Wonderful."

The shift was busy, which was good because it kept me occupied. I took orders, wiped tables, carried trays, and did everything I could to avoid thinking about the ache in my ribs.

By the time the afternoon crowd began thinning out, I was already looking forward to going home.

I was restocking the counter when Daniel called from the back.

"Hozier, can you check the storage room for towels?” 

"Sure."

I put down the cups and headed toward the storage room. I had barely taken a few steps when I noticed a strange smell. I stopped and looked toward the door.

A thin line of smoke was slipping out from underneath it. I moved closer, but before I could reach the handle, the alarm started blaring.

"Fire!" someone screamed.

Everything went to hell.

Smoke poured out from the storage room, spreading across the floor while customers began shouting and rushing toward the exit.

"Everyone, get outside!" Daniel yelled.

I grabbed the nearest fire extinguisher, but the flames were already climbing too fast.

"Move! Get out!" I shouted, waving people toward the front door.

A woman near the counter was struggling to get her little boy away from the crowd. He was crying and clinging to her leg while she tried to pull him toward the exit.

"Ma'am, give him to me!"

She looked at me like she hadn't understood.

"Go. I'll get him out."

I crouched down and scooped the boy into my arms before the smoke got any thicker.

"It's okay," I told him, even though my own heart was pounding like crazy. "We're getting out."

I pushed through the crowd with him in my arms, coughing as smoke scratched the back of my throat. Someone bumped into my shoulder, nearly making me lose my balance, but I tightened my grip and kept moving.

The moment we got outside, I handed the boy back to his mother.

"Thank you," she gasped.

I nodded, still trying to catch my breath. "Mia!" I spun around, searching through the crowd.

"Mia!"

"I'm here!"

I spotted her near the sidewalk, coughing into the sleeve of her shirt. "You okay?"

She nodded quickly. "Yeah. You?"

"I'm fine."

Daniel came stumbling out a few seconds later, his face covered in soot.

"Is everyone out?" he asked.

"I think so," Mia replied.

Daniel turned toward the building just as a fire truck came racing down the street, sirens blaring. Another one followed right behind it.

Firefighters jumped out and rushed toward the building while people moved farther away from the smoke.

I stood there in my apron, watching them disappear inside.

My hands were shaking, so I shoved them into my pockets because I couldn't afford to panic.

The firefighters worked quickly, dragging hoses across the pavement while thick smoke continued pouring from the windows. People stood around the street watching, some filming with their phones, others talking in frightened voices.

I barely heard any of them. My eyes were fixed on the coffee shop. My coffee shop.

Not really mine, obviously. But I'd spent enough months in there that it had started to feel like one of the few places where I belonged. And now it was burning.

This wasn't just a building, it was my job. My biggest source of income.

Everything I'd been carefully balancing for months suddenly felt like it had been knocked off the table.

How much money did I have left?

Rent was due soon. My tuition payment was coming up. I still had transportation expenses, food, and the money I needed whenever I visited Dad.

I stared at the flames behind the windows.

Fuck!

After what felt like forever, the firefighters finally got the fire under control and the crowd slowly began to settle down.

One of the firefighters spoke with Daniel for a while before leaving. Daniel stood there silently, staring at the blackened windows.

I waited a few minutes before walking over. "So..."

Daniel rubbed a hand over his face. "We're not opening anytime soon."

My stomach sank, even though I already knew. "How long?"

He looked back at the building. "Weeks, at least. Maybe months. There's too much damage."

I looked down at my apron, not knowing what to say.

Daniel sighed. "I'll let everyone know when we have more information. If the owner decides to reopen somewhere else, I'll call you."

I nodded. "Okay."

Mia stepped closer and touched my arm. "Hozier..."

"I'm okay."

She gave me a look.

"I'm okay, really."

I wasn't. Not even a little bit. But what was I supposed to do? Cry in the middle of the street? That wasn't going to put the coffee shop back together.

I untied my apron and folded it before handing it to Daniel.

"I'll see you."

He looked like he wanted to say something, but I turned away before he could.

I had to figure something out. Somehow.