Chapter 1
Chapter 1 (Ava)
She had heard the front door unlock, the clang of metal keys hitting the granite surface, the long drawn-out sigh of an overworked Mary. It was that sigh that had Ava flying out of her bed that morning. Ava let out soft hiss of profanities that would send a nun into hospital.
Ava heard the scuff of feet in the kitchen as Mary slowly turned around to face the bang on the wooden floor, “Are you not meant to be- “
“At work? Yes, I am aware thanks.”
“Did you know you were gonna be late today or did you just forget to take the weed ridden clothes off last night?” Mary raises an eyebrow in question, but her tone laced with sarcasm.
Ava glanced down to see that in fact she had slept in her personal mix of weed and sweat. She had gotten in late that morning, JC had called a late night meet. Which went from late to the early hours of the morning. Ava could feel the effect of little sleep begin to catch up on her.
“I need some coffee.” She groaned into the space above her as she noticed how awful she looked and started to feel. Her mouth was dry as hell, the back of her throat scratched against itself at the slightest movement. All Ava wanted to do was cough and supply some spit for her mouth, but the attempt was useless as it felt like blades in her throat and the saliva being non-existent, “Remind me never to go to bed without liquid.”
Mary rolled her eyes and let out a small chuckle, “That’ll teach you, wont it? Get a shower, you smell like shit. Sweat and weed is not a recommended smell if you’re still looking at that perfume shit.”
Ava mustered her reply in the form of her middle finger as she walked towards the bathroom. She really did stink.
The shower was appreciated, to an extent. The hot water made her feel like a musty swamp, but experience taught her that if she wanted to seem somewhat put together, hot was the only way to wash away the weed stench. As she thoroughly scrubbed across her body, she noticed the bangs and scraps she picked up from that night. JC had swayed her to try out a Crooked Grind, he was convinced that it was a piece of cake, but her board said otherwise.
Fuck… Her board, it was trashed. Snapped in half across the railing as she managed to land on the thin metal bar. It snapped right in half, like polystyrene, with the pure force of the land. She knew her board wasn’t up to it, it was old and weathered, cracks formed along the laminated sheets of wood due to years of reckless use. It was a gift from her mother, her first board, the board that started this obsession, the board that lead her to this very moment. The board that held the last pieces of her mother.
As the memories begun to pour through her mind, the more she wanted to scream. She knew her board was not strong enough, she knew its limits and what it was capable of, and so did JC. He fucking knew, she knew, they both did. The more Ava settled with the fact that another piece of her mother was cracked and broken, taken from her: it was no longer just the shower water that travelled across her cheeks, but soft tears tracked their way down to her chin and dropped with each gentle sob Ava let out.
She had fucked up again.
She all but whispered into her chest, “I’m sorry mom.” Ava quietly broke down for only the steam to witness and the drum of water on the floor to deafen.
Five minutes had passed when Ava immerged from her bedroom, dressed and in a semi-pleasant mood, coffee would take the edge off. It was a hot morning, even for a California summer. Ava knew if she wore her standard clothing that morning, her shower would have proven useless, as she would have pitched to work drenched in sweat. She threw on her short-cut overalls and white t-shirt that she vaguely read had something to do with angels, and whatever pair of converses had not been thrown in the shoe cupboard by Mary.
Ava practically drooled at the smell of freshly roasted coffee, Mary was in a good mood and Ava was not going to complain about it, not with the benefits that were included. Striding into the kitchen, she briefly saw Mary smile at her phone. Oh yeah, good mood for sure.
“Who has got Miss Shotgun smiling like a love-swept teen?” Ava says, throwing a cheeky smile in Mary’s direction over her mug.
“Well look who found the deodorant. Oh my… is your hair wet? It showers, its evolving!” Mary quips back.
Ava paused her drinking as her jaw fell slightly in disbelief, “You are such a bitch.”
Mary laughs in response, “And you are certainly no angel.”
“You know, I was enjoying Shannon, she’s brining out this brighter colour in you, but now I think I’m reconsidering it, roast coffee and all.”
“Bitchless behavior, Ava.” She murmurs as she focuses her attention back to her phone, where her girlfriend is.
Ava was single, but she was thriving. She was not focusing on relationships, not right now. She had school, skating, and a shitty café job. A relationship was the last of things on her list, and that was okay. She did not need the distraction, she was happy being by herself, and relying on herself. She wasn’t ‘bitchless’, she was just self-prioritizing. Or that’s what she tells herself whenever she sees Mary smiling at her phone like that.
“Bitchless or not Mary, I am thriving. Anyway, I’m out, I’ll see you when I get back later.” Ava waved her goodbyes as she grabbed her denim cap and spare skateboard. As she pulled her hair under her cap, she did hear a brief “Bye” from Mary, but Ava was already making her way to the fire escape stairs.
***
Ava raced through the pedestrians, earning multiple shouts and grumbles as she wove her way around each. She was already late by her standards, and knew that she had landed herself in shit with her boss, Hans. Ava was use to pushing his buttons (he held a somewhat soft spot for her), but even Hans’ generosity wasn’t large enough to take her excuse this morning. She knew that she’d have to work overtime at some point, and if Hans happened to be in a less than bright mood, she’d be working into her university class period, which was an issue in itself.
She skidded into the cafés perimeters and halted just before the red steps that led to the entrance. The clank of her board and panting of adrenaline perked the attention of the few customers that had been seated outside, casually enjoying a coffee and eggs.
Ava shortly afterwards heard the thick German accent of her boss tumbled through the open café doors, “You’re late Ava!” His patience clearly wearing thinner by the second.
She kicked up her board and hastily placed it in the spot just behind the café doors that she had wordlessly snagged as hers a few months back. Ava had heard how pissed Hans was, but the look that he carried further emphasized just how late she was. Hans wore a drained expression, despite it only being 10 in the morning, “Busy morning I see…” Ava let out a nervous chuckle and a half-hearted smirk, “I’m sorry, I swear I’ll make it up to you. Promise.”
Hans only stared her down, but eventually gave in with a soft, drawn out sigh. Ava approached the till, and Hans threw her apron into her chest, albeit aggressive for her liking, “Yeah whatever, just get to work. You’ll be staying later.”
Ava started to fight back in protest, but Hans waved his hand at her dismissively, finalizing his statement, “You put me behind the eight-ball, so now I’ll put you behind it too. Fair?”
Ava grumbles and small “Fair” and gets behind the counter to start what looks to be a very fucking long and frustrating day. But she had no one else to blame except herself.