Morrow's phone rang. She wasn't doing anything special but seeing who called, she didn't feel like picking up. Nathalie. She sighed relieved when the phone went silent.

And rang again.

'Geez.' She picked up. 'What?'

'Wow, you sound like a real sunray.'

'Shut up. Why did you call me?'

Nathalie laughed. 'I'm with Stephanie, Abi, and Inez. We want the whole gang back together, come too!'

Morrow thought it over for a minute. I wouldn't be bad and to be honest, she could use some socialization. 'Fine. I'll come over.'

'Cool! See in a few!' Hanging out with friends was almost always a good idea. She packed her stuff and said goodbye to her mom. Her dad wasn't home yet but he would come home somewhere this evening. Not that she was super stoked to see him, but still. It was good if he was home. She didn't learn how to drive a car yet, so it was a ten-minute walk.

Arriving at Stephanie's house, she felt a pinch of jealousy. Her house was almost a replica of the white house. Of course, it was white, had big pillars and the garden was kept neat and tidy. Stephanie was rich, and sometimes a bit arrogant but deep down she was nice. Or so she heard.

Morrow rang the doorbell. It sounded clear and royal-like (if that's even possible with a doorbell). A butler opened the door. He was new but she thought his name must be "James". He looked like one.

'Yes? Can I help you?' He asked. His voice was polite but had a hint of arrogance.

'Yeah, I'm here for Stephanie. I'm Morrow, one of her friends.'

'Ah, yes. Come in.' He opened to door further and she stepped inside. Morrow had been inside Stephanie's house before, but each time it amazed her how awesome it looked. Morrow was rich, but she seemed like a beggar in comparison with Stephanie. Big plants, chandeliers lit up every corner of the immense hallway. Not to mention the Persian tapestries. There was no one those weren't real.

The butler guided her through the hall, to the living room where she could hear the laughter and chatter of the girls.

'Miss Stephanie? You have a visitor.' With that, he bowed and left the room.

Stephanie and the other looked up and now that everyone's attention was on Morrow, suddenly she felt kind of shy. It had been a while since someone showed their undivided attention to her.

'Morrow! You made it!' Stephanie squealed and ran towards her to hug her. 'It's been so long! We thought you were dead or something.'

'Well, that's not true, but we truly were a bit worried,' Inez said. She was the softest one out of everyone. Like a mother hen with her excited chickens.

Stephanie let her go and brought her to the big couch they were all on. She sat down and Nathalie poured some drink in for her.

'Guys, don't worry about me. I'm fine, really.'

'Well, I wouldn't be if my dad suddenly said he changed jobs, without consulting with us and also decided we were going to live on the other side of the country,' Abi said sipping her drink. Her real name was Abigail, but she hated that name, so Abi it was. 'Truly, what your dad did is just shitty.'

Morrow took a sip from her drink. It was some kind of mixed drink. Gin and something else. 'Truly girls. I'm fine. I get to hang out with you in real-time now, so that's a plus.' Before this, they had done get-togethers, but she would be on facetime. Sometimes it was difficult to keep meeting them because of the different timezones they were in.

And one other thing, she had never told them about being in a dark place before. If it were up to her, and it was, they would never find out. They just joked about her being potentially dead, but they had no idea how close she came to that. It didn't matter anyway, she was still here, happy at that.

They spent the afternoon like that. Drinking, catching up, making silly jokes, and talking about how unfair it was that they as girls needed to shave, while guys didn't have to. This was Abigail's input. She was the truest feminist of them all and always spoke her mind, whether you liked it or not. One time, Abigail and Stephanie had a huge fight. It was about this guy that Stephanie liked and she wanted our opinion. Abigail had said that he was a player and Stephanie would be an idiot to date someone like that.

Stephanie dated him. Out of spite, and ended up crying because he cheated on her. Everyone was furious but Abigail said 'I told you so.' And she had, but right after she hugged her and asked if she needed help covering up a murder. All jokes of course but the fight between them was resolved.

All five of them were a mess, but they were the best friends Morrow could ever hope for.

----

It was the weekend. Felix worked at the local café to help and support his mother with money. A little extra money could always come in handy when Ethan needed new clothes or new things for school. He knew his mother didn't like it, but she didn't have the luxury to turn down his money.

Felix just finished stocking the different types of coffee (why there were so many different kinds he still didn't know) when his coworker, Vincent, told him he was going on a lunch break. Not that his coworker was going anywhere (they had a spot in the back where you could eat your lunch), but Felix needed to take his place behind the register.

Together with two other coworkers, they needed to serve a lot of customers. Felix had promised to himself, that if he ever switched his job, he wouldn't choose one where he had to work on the weekends. It was always busy and crowded, and the people were ruder than the people who came in on a weekday.

Felix walked up to the register and was ready to say his line (hello, welcome. What can I get started for you?) when he recognized the first customer.

Oliver.

Felix's heart seemed to skip a beat, maybe even two, and his hands started shaking. He hated this feeling. The nerves shot up his throat, and Felix needed to swallow a few times when he was able to at least appear calm.

Oliver seemed to recognize Felix but didn't show it. He was alone, thankfully.

Felix figured a long time ago that the two minions alone aren't really a threat.

'What can I get for you today?' His business smile was up, but Felix had to lay his hands on the counter for them to stop shaking. His voice was slightly trembling, and he could only hope Oliver wouldn't notice.

'Just some coffee.'

He went to put in the order, but then Oliver goes: 'You know what? Get me an iced coffee with caramel.' His voice wasn't even that demanding, but Felix's breath quickened nonetheless.

'Sure thing.'

Felix's hands didn't stop shaking when he put in the order. He put the payment out, and while Oliver searches for his card, Felix goes and makes the coffee. His hands still haven't been able to calm down, so it took a long time for him to make it. The line starts piling up, and he could hear some rumored voices. Felix tries to shut it out and finishes the order.

'Here you go...'

'Thanks.' Then everything goes too fast. Felix can clearly see the lid is on properly, but Oliver brushes his finger accidentally (really?) alongside the edge of the lid, and makes it a bit lose while taking the drink. Before Felix can say anything, the coffee is being tipped over.

The drink spills over Oliver's shirt, over the floor, and the whole line of customers is looking. It's his only nightmare. Everyone is looking, and he could feel his cheeks starting to heat up.

'Dude! Watch it!' Felix can just feel the stares of the customers and the other staff. The pity, the annoyance, the disturbance.

'I-I'm sorry, I thought the lid was on properly...'

'Well, I guess not! If this drink was hot, I could've gotten hurt!' Oliver angrily tries to dry his hands, and Felix knows he must do something. Felix has to apologize and get a mop. He also needs to replace the coffee. He knows he has to do something. But for some reason, he stands frozen.

Until Oliver sighs and says: 'Can I at least get something to clean my shirt and maybe a replacement?'

As if Felix starts to wake up from a foggy dream, he stares at him.

'What?' Oliver raises an eyebrow.

"Can't you just leave me alone?" Felix is still trembling but not just from the fear.

'What did you say?'

'Why can't you leave me alone?' The anger, the embarrassment from yesterday is still there. Lingering under his business facade and now slowly getting to the surface.

Oliver looks at him weirdly. Almost like he feels pity, but that can't be it. Acting like this at the café but acts totally different when he is with the other two.

'Dude, I don't know what you're talking about. But looks like you got some anger issues. Better get rid of that before working in customer service.'

Felix's anger comes rising, and when he is ready to burst, Vincent ruins everything. It would have felt good to give him a piece of his mind or his fist in his face. Whichever came first.

'I'm sorry. We'll clean up this mess. Felix, please get a mop and a bucket, alright?' Although he phrases it as a question, it should be taken as an order, and Felix does as he is told. Luckily, Oliver keeps his mouth shut and doesn't make the situation any worse.

As in a daze, Felix gets the mop while his coworkers handle the situation.

Later that day, when Felix's shift was almost over, Vincent calls him in the back.

'Felix. What happened today? You're always so calm.'

Felix doesn't want to tell him who that person was. Who Oliver is and what he and the other two are doing.

'I'm sorry. I should've handled the situation differently. I'll try to'

His coworker interrupts him. 'Dude. I didn't ask for a formal apology. I asked what was wrong.'

If Felix wasn't taken aback by the word "dude" he was by Vincent's statement.

Vincent sighed. 'Clearly, something is going on. Whether it's personal or something, I don't know since you don't want to tell me. However, you can't act that way towards a customer. It'll not only give us a bad reputation but you as well. What will we do if the boss finds out about all this?'

He paused. Maybe he was waiting for Felix to answer his question. When that didn't happen, he continued. 'We'll have to fire you. Believe me, no one wants that. So, in the future, when you come across a similar situation, just remember that they come with money. Once they're out the door, they are no longer your problem, okay?'

Felix nodded.

'Alright.' Vincent sighed and released the tension from his neck. 'You can go home, and take tomorrow off to relax a little.

Felix nodded again, and Vincent waved him goodbye.

When Felix was finally home that night and Ethan was put to sleep, he was finally alone with his thoughts. His mother wasn't home since she had to work overtime. That usually meant: her chatting up the big and influential people. He pretended not to know, but he couldn't think too long about what that actually meant.

The anger from that afternoon had left him a long time ago. Now all that remained is the fear. His stupid brain started going into overdrive at night. He hated it and he hated the three the most. God, how he hated them. His eyes started to heat up, and his hands started shaking. He managed to get up from the couch, into his bed, but after that, he completely froze up. He clenched his chest and held a hand in front of his mouth to not wake up Ethan with his crying.

He had to calm down. He needed to calm down. His mother could come home anytime now, and she couldn't see him like this. Ever. Felix forced himself to sit up, on his bed, hoping a change of position would distract him. He took deep breaths. In and out. In and out. In... and... out...

Eventually, it worked. Or it worked enough that he could fall sideways, onto his bed and he mustered enough energy to crawl under the covers. At last, he was asleep. He couldn't hear anything anymore, didn't feel the nerves anymore.

He also couldn't hear his mother coming home that night, a little later than usual. He didn't smell the alcohol on her when she entered his room to give him a good night kiss. He also didn't hear her muffled cries. Maybe it was for the best he was asleep. Tomorrow would come another day, full of challenges.