(I thought that a coffee-shop AU would be a ton of fun, so here we are. And I have a hella good story for you. My mom used to be the manager of the Starbucks here, and she was at a coffee tasting with a bunch of other people in the region. The region manager was there, and apparently everyone hates him and refuses to hug him. So he goes up to my mom and asks her to hug her. So she does. And she has a coffee cup in her hand. And it spills all over him. He wasn't mad, though. Anyway, read on and enjoy, and please leave reviews.)
A lanky, blue-haired girl walks into the shop, angrily wiping at her eyes. I stand up straighter, my eyebrows furrowing together in worry. She makes her way to the counter, sniffling.
"Um, hi. Welcome to Arcadia Bay Cafè. A-are you okay?" I ask. The girl wipes a few tears away from her cheeks, nodding slightly. "What's wrong? And, um, what do you want to drink?"
She clears her throat. "Yeah, hey. Just a cup of coffee. Black, please." She brushes a strand of her blue hair out of her face. "I'm fine. Just... My step-dad is a fucking douche-bag. And... And my motherfucking cheater of a girlfriend broke up with me."
I glance down. "I'm sorry. What did she do? I mean, if you don't mind me asking." To be honest, she's really, really pretty. Even though that's a little bit inappropriate right now, what with the breakup and everything. And she's also pretty interesting. I like her.
The girl sighs, shoving her hands into her jacket pockets. "It turns out that she was fucking some drug dealer dude. And she's been doing this ever since we started dating. Fuck it anyway." She closes her eyes, her shoulders slumping. "I'm Chloe, by the way."
I clear my throat. "I'll be right back with your coffee, Chloe. I'm Max." I walk away, pouring her a cup of coffee. I write her name on the cup, then my phone number underneath that.
A moment later, I walk back to Chloe and hand her the warm cup. "Here you go. Call me if you need to talk about anything, okay?" I smile reassuringly at her. She hands me some money, dropping a dollar in the tip jar.
"Yeah, Max. Will do. Thank you a ton for listening to my hella shitty story." She smiles softly, taking her cup and walking to one of the couches. I watch her for a minute to make sure that she's okay. I turn to the next customer, smiling and taking his order.
It's the next day, and I'm sitting on a stool at the front counter. I'm reading a textbook that my photography teacher, Mr. Jefferson gave us. The bell on the door rings as someone pushes it open and walks in.
I look up as Chloe walks up to me, grinning. Wow, she looks so much happier than yesterday. I wonder why?
"Hey, Max! What's up?" She places her hands on the counter, leaning closer.
"Um, studying. I go to Blackwell, by the way." I put the book away, standing up. "What do you want to drink, Chloe?" I smile back at her.
She looks down at the book, reading the title. "So you're in Jefferson's class. I used to go to Blackwell, but I got kicked out for being a little shit." She shrugs. "Anyway, same as yesterday. Black coffee, please."
I pour her coffee and write 'Chloe' on the cup before returning her. Chloe pulls a few dollars out of her jacket, giving some to me and shoving the rest of it in the tip jar.
"So, I see that you're feeling better today." I smile at Chloe, sitting back down. She grabs the cup and takes a sip of it, looking back down at my book.
The tall girl nods, idly flipping through the textbook. "Yeah. I mean, Rachel was important to me, but I realized that if she was sleeping with that dude for so long, she couldn't have loved me all that much. And I guess it's better to know that she didn't care about me, rather than just still dating her and believing lies." She shrugs.
"Yeah, that's a good way to look at it. I hope that you find someone good, Chloe." I smile at her, patting the blue-haired girl's arm. She smiles back at me, going and sitting on a couch again.
I watch her again, looking away when a customer walks up to the counter and places her order.
Chloe soon becomes a regular, always ordering a black coffee. She chats with me at the shop and texts me sometimes after I get off of work. I'm really starting to like this bold, trouble-making pretty girl.
She saunters in, waving at me. "Hey, Caulfield. What's shaking in Max-land?" I smile, pouring some coffee into a cup for her. She pays and gives me a tip, taking the cup.
"Not much. I have some quizzes soon, so I've been pulling a ton of all-nighters so I can cram." I groan, rolling my eyes. Chloe grins, sipping her coffee.
"Well, shit. We should totally hang out when you're off work. I think that it would be hella fun." She gives me puppy dog eyes, which is the most adorable thing that I've ever seen.
I roll my eyes, laughing at her expression. "Yes, Che. How could I say no to that face?" She punches the air, celebrating. "I get off of work in, like, an hour and a half. Stick around until then, keep me some company."
She nods vigorously, bouncing up and down excitedly. "Fuck yeah! When you get off we should totally go to my house. Yeah?" She looks so fucking hopeful and excited. It would be literally impossible to say no to her.
"Of course, Chloe. Hey, come back here and sit down." I grab another stool and pull it up next to mine. Her eyes widen, and she looks hella curious. She walks back behind the counter, looking around at everything as if she's a kid in an unsupervised candy shop.
I laugh at her curiosity. "Chloe, you're so adorable. So, tell me what's up with your step-dad. From how you talk about him, he seems like he's a complete douch-bag." I play with the wristbands on my arm, watching her adorable face.
She frowns, rolling her blue eyes. "Yeah, he's a fucking douche-in-a-box. He totally has this surveillance fetish. And he's hella paranoid. I think that he has cameras set up all throughout my house. That creep." Holy shit. That is creepy. I feel bad that Chloe has to live with him. "And even better, he's the fucking head of security at Blackwell. He wants to put cameras all up around campus. Fucking creepy, man. Rambo still thinks that he's collecting enemy intel."
"That is some creepy shit, Chloe. I'm sorry that you have to live with that dude. He totally harasses a ton of the kids at Blackwell, especially this girl called Kate Marsh. I've seen him taking pictures and shit of her." Even the thought of David Madsen makes me shudder. "For cereal, he hides in the bushes with a camera and takes pictures of kids. He scares me a little bit."
Chloe scowls. "Yeah, never trust a man whose hair goes at a right angle. By the way, is Kate that girl with the really fancy hair that always wears a cross and shit?" I nod. "Well, shit. I've think that I've seen pictures of her when I was nosing around in step-fuehrer's garage."
I sigh softly, glancing at the clock on the wall. Only about an hour before we can finally leave. "Let's stop talking about this creepy shit. What're we gonna do when we get to your house?"
She shrugs, sipping at her coffee. "Um, I'm gonna introduce you to my mom. I think that you'll like her a lot. And then after that we're just gonna go to my room and talk."
I nod, studying her face. And the longer I look, the more I realize that Chloe is truly beautiful. We talk about a bunch of stuff, and I just stare at Chloe's adorable face the entire time.
And apparently I spaced out for a little while. Chloe waves her hand in front of my face. "Yo, Earth to Max. Anyone home up there?" I smile sheepishly, snapping back to reality.
"Yeah, I'm sorry. Is it time to go yet?" I look at the clock, standing up and grabbing my bag. Finally. Chloe nods, also standing. She stretches out, walking out from behind the counter.
"Yep. Anyway, is it always this slow here? Literally no one came in after me." She looks around at the empty store.
I shrug. "Sometimes it's super slow and sometimes it's super busy. Give me a few minutes to lock everything up, okay?" I go around the store and clean some stuff up, and lock all of the stuff up. Chloe and I walk out of the store. I lock the front door.
After I shove the keys into my pocket, I look up and scan the parking lot. My eyes land on this old, rusty truck that looks like it's about to fall apart if it goes above ten miles an hour.
"Um, Chloe? Is that truck yours?" I point at it. I mean, it must be. It's the only car in the parking lot, and I ride the bus everywhere. She looks over at me, raising one eyebrow.
"Yeah, why?" My face pales a little bit. I'm kinda scared of Chloe's death trap. Chloe rolls her eyes. "Cool it, Maxy. It's perfectly safe. I promise. I'm not gonna let you get hurt. You're too cute."
She smiles at me, playfully pushing my shoulder. "Now, come on, you huge dork." She grabs my hand and pulls me towards the rust bucket. I look down at our hands, blushing a little bit.
My chest gets that weird feeling, like when there's been something missing for a long time, and it's finally been filled. That happy, warm feeling that makes you act giddy and silly. And I swear, it's the best feeling in the world.
To be fair, Chloe was right. Her truck isn't actually dangerous, it just looks like it'll turn into a fireball the second the engine is turned on.
Anyway, Chloe's house is nice. It feels cozy and nice. The sounds of pots and pans clanking in the kitchen fill the house as Chloe leads me in. I look around, studying some pictures. There are a few of Chloe, who had long blonde hair then.
There are two wedding photos hanging on the wall. One of Joyce, who's Chloe's mom, with a tall, handsome man. They look so happy and adorable together... It must be William
Chloe had told me about him. William is her father, but he died in a car crash when Chloe was 14. She was upset and mad for a long time, and Rachel was the only person that could make her feel normal and happy.
She leads me into the kitchen, where her mother is cooking. "Hey, Mom. I'm home. And I brought Max. You know, that girl from the coffee shop.
The bonde woman looks up, smiling at her daughter and me. "The same girl that you keep goin' on and on about? Well, it's nice to finally meet you. I'm Joyce." She shoots glance at Chloe, who's blushing bright red.
"Chloe, you talk about me? That's actually really really sweet, Che." I look up at her, giggling because of how flustered she looks.
"Shut up, Max." Chloe mumbles, punching my shoulder lightly. Joyce watches the two of us, obviously amused.
She wipes her hands on a kitchen towel, placing her hands on her hips afterwards. "Max, sweetheart, will you be staying for dinner?"
I glance up at Chloe. She nods, reaching down and grabbing my hand again. Her skin touching mine makes me get that warm feeling again.
"Yeah, I think so. Thank you, Joyce." I call over my shoulder as Chloe starts to drag me away upstairs to her bedroom.
Chloe pulls me into her room, shutting the door behind us. Not to be mean or anything, but Chloe's room is an absolute disaster. Actually, I like it. Her room is messy, but it feels like her.
There are posters and graffiti all over the walls. Her desk has papers strewn all over it, along with her laptop and an ash tray and who knows what else. Chloe picks something up from the floor and throws it into her closet.
"Sorry about the complete mess, Max-a-million. I hope you don't mind too much." She sounds slightly nervous when she says the last part. I laugh softy, walking up to Chloe and wrapping my arm around her waist.
"No, Che. I like your room." She smiles, throwing her arm around my shoulders.
She pulls away and walks to her desk, pushing her window open. "We should totally go out onto the roof. And just sit there, talking." She turns back to me, grinning. Chloe holds her hand out. "Don't worry, Max. I won't let you fall."
I bite my lip, but take her hand. She smiles, climbing through the window and onto the roof. I follow her, holding tight onto her hand. We both sit, and Chloe wraps her arm back around my shoulders.
"Max Caulfield the risk taker." Chloe plays with my hair. I slide my hand along the roof, the rough shingles gently scraping against my palm.
"It's not that bad up here. Besides, you're here too. And I know that you're not going to let me get hurt, so... I'm not scared." I rest my head on her shoulder, looking out over the neighborhood. It's actually kind of pretty up here.
I pull my camera out of my bag and take a picture of the scene. Chloe looks over at me, grabbing my camera. She takes a picture of us, then hands it back.
"Didn't you say that you went to Blackwell too?" I put my camera and the two pictures away in my bag.
She nods, sighing softly. "Yeah, but not for, like, photography. I was in art. But, y'know, then I got myself kicked out." Chloe shrugs. We sit out here for a while longer, in a comfortable silence.
A car pulls up into the driveway and a tall man steps out. David.
Chloe groans and stands up. "Come on, let's go back inside. It's kinda starting to get chilly anyway." We climb back into her room, then we walk downstairs. Joyce is setting the table, and David is in the entryway, hanging up his jacket.
We sit at the table, next to each. David walks into the room, kissing Joyce's cheek before sitting at the table. "Chloe, yesterday I got a call from the police station. Officer Berry said that you were hanging around the junkyard again. Now, I've ordered... Told you to stay away from that place. You have no idea what kind of people are around there."
Chloe glares daggers at him. "David, shut the hell up. Yeah, I was at the junkyard again. But, David, I'm fucking 19. I am an adult. You can't boss me around anymore."
David shakes his head slowly. "As long as you live under my roof, you have to follow my rules. I am sick and tired of this punk shit of yours. So if you don't want to listen to me anymore, then pack your shit and move out."
Joyce walks into the room, setting a pot down on the table. "David, this is my house. But he's right, Chloe. If you don't want to follow our rules, you should find an apartment or something."
Chloe crosses her arms, glaring down at the table. Joyce sits down, and we eat dinner in an awkward, tense silence. Great.
After dinner Chloe and I go outside and sit on the front lawn, just to get out of there and be alone together. Chloe sighs, pulling her jacket tighter around her.
I sigh softly, standing up. "I have to go back to Blackwell soon. Will I see you tomorrow at the shop?"
She nods, also standing. "Yeah, of course. I'll miss you, Max. Will you text me when you get back there?" I nod, hugging Chloe. She hugs me back.
"Of course I will." I lean up and kiss her cheek, before pulling away and starting to walk down the street to the nearest bus stop.
The next day Chloe bursts into the shop. "Max! Max, I wanna apply here. I need a job and it would be so hella amazing to work with you, so I wanna apply. Are there any openings or anything?"
I smile at her adorable enthusiasm. "Maybe, Che. Let me go ask. I'll be right back." I walk to the back, where my boss is working on some paperwork. "Hi, Mr. Harris. Um, there's a girl that wants to apply."
He looks up, taking his glasses off. "We could use another barista. Alright, bring her a form." He shuffles a few papers around before handing me an application form and a pen. "You would have to show her the ropes, Max."
"I would be glad to. I'll be back once she fills it out." I walk back out and to Chloe, who's excitedly bouncing up and down. "Here you go, Chloe. Just fill everything out and give it back to me, okay? I'm sure that you'll get the job." I smile at her, handing her the form.
"Okay, Maxy. I will be right back." She goes and sits on a couch, starting to fill out the application. I take orders and fill them, waiting for Chloe to finish.
About fifteen minutes later Chloe jumps up and walks back to the counter. She hands it to me, grinning happily. I look over it, making sure she filled everything out.
"Alright, Che. You'll hear the results in a few days, okay?" She nods excitedly. I walk to the back and hand the application to Mr. Harris. "Chloe is really awesome, Mr. Harris. And she's really excited, so please consider her."
He nods, reading through her application. I return to Chloe, who goes on and on about how amazing it would be to work with me.
It's a few months later. Chloe had gotten the job and learned everything within the first few days. She absolutely loves it, and apparently she's saving up money to rent an apartment.
She invited me to come hang out after work, so right now we're in the rust bucket, driving to the house.
"So, what do you want to do?" I ask Chloe. She shrugs, glancing over at me.
"I dunno. We should just talk and do whatever happens." She smiles at me, pulling into the driveway. We walk into the house and up to her room. Chloe puts some music on, and lays back on her bed.
I sit next to Chloe, taking her hand. "You're really pretty, did you know that?"
Chloe raises one eyebrow. "Are you hitting on me, Max-a-roon?" She sits up, lacing her fingers with mine.
I shrug. "Would you like it if I was?" I sorta am. I really like Chloe. She's so nice and sweet and hella hot.
"Yeah, actually. I would hella like it if you were hitting on me. So you're really pretty too." I look down at her lips, which look so soft and kissable... Chloe smirks. "Max, I dare you to kiss me."
I blush slightly, looking back up at her blue eyes. "What? R-really?"
She nods, leaning closer. "Yeah. I double dare you. Kiss me now." I lean forward and kiss Chloe, placing one hand on her cheek. I close my eyes, my heart racing a little bit.
Chloe pulls away, her cheeks turning red. "Holy shit, Max. Y-you're hardcore. I didn't think that you would actually do it." She gently touches her lips.
I press my forehead against Chloe's. "Just shut up and kiss me again, Chloe."
She presses her lips against mine, tangling her hands into my hair.
(Aaaaand we're done. Surprisingly, this didn't take a ton of time to write. I was actually watching Jacksepticeye play LiS while writing this, which makes it like the 5th time I've watched his playthrough. At the moment this is a one-shot, but I might add more chapters in the future. Anyway, thank you for reading. Please leave reviews and all that shit.)