Perched on the corner of her neatly made bed, Noah still couldn't comprehend what had just happened.  Never in a million years had she thought that her best friend would betray her like that and ask her out.  It's not like she didn't have a thing for Mark - he was a cutie and incredibly sweet.  He always listened and respected what she had to say, qualities that would make him the perfect boyfriend for her.  Why she didn't tell him 'yes' was beyond her.  Of course that's what she wanted, but in the moment, she was too afraid and felt betrayed.  In reality, she was just scared of things changing between them.

Noah and Mark had a very complicated relationship.  In fact, Mark's first words to her was "I love you and I think you're the girl of my dreams."  They were five years old back then and Noah had been disgusted by that remark, so they distanced themselves from one another.  However, by first grade, they were the best of friends and had remained so ever since then.  Once high school hit, their feelings began to override and they openly kissed each other and romanticized with one another, even while they were dating other people.  Neither them even cared if they would get caught during their intimate moments, since it made them happy.

Noah knew that she should have just agreed to his proposition and be his girlfriend.  Would he even understand why she was so quick to say otherwise and run away?  Fear and guilt would always be her worst enemies.  They were bound to somehow make her unhappy for the rest of her life.  She fell backwards onto the mattress, pulling out her phone, in an attempt to conquer her unhappiness.  She messaged Mark, asking him to visit her for a moment.  He replied saying that he was on his way, making her heart flutter.

Tonight is the night that things begin to change, she promised herself, looking in the mirror.  Her nerves began fluttering, but she was determined to keep the under control, at least for the time being.  Noah waited for Mark's visit by playing with games on her phone, nothing that really appealed to her, but it helped waste time and distract her.

He arrived within ten minutes, standing in her doorway with a smirk on his face.  "Changed your mind?"

She sighed, closing the door behind him.  Pressing herself against the door to help support herself, Noah took a deep breath before telling all.  "No, my mind is the same and my answer is 'Yes'.  That's what I wanted to say back there, but I guess that I was just... not prepared for that.  Mark, I really like you, but I don't want things to become awkward between us, you know?"

"I get it, Noah.  It's a big change for us to decide on," he said, shaking his head.

"But I want it.  I want to be your girlfriend, Mark, more than anything."

He gave her a wide smile and swooped her up in his arms.  "Well then, happy summer, my love!"  He leaned in for a kiss and as she felt his lips touching hers, she felt herself transported to some magical place.  Somewhere that she could never be hurt or upset.  Tossing her arms around his neck, everything felt alright and secure.

****

Arms linked together, matching black aprons and caps on with the K. B. F. logo printed on it, Sara and Noah emerged from the back room of the restaurant to approach the owner.  "Ready for work, sir!" they reported with far too enthusiastic of a smile on their face.

He smiled.  "Lovely!  So, here's the thing - Sara will work serving orders to the people, while Noah will be trained as a cashier by our own, Destery.  Tomorrow, you will switch roles.  After this week, we will have a schedule mapped out for you guys.  You won't be working here at the same time and will both become cashiers, okay?  We just want you to get a feel for it this week."

The girls exchanged sad eyes and separated to go to their individual jobs.  Noah recognized Destery as being the moody cashier that she had encountered before exams, the one who had appointed them their jobs.  She found it odd how he had so much power as to just hire them without asking anyone first.  It wasn't like he was manager or anything.

His jet black hair looked like it was styled with a bunch of grease, but there was no grease anywhere to be seen.  In fact, it had this fluffy texture to it.  Noah stared up at it, trying to figure out the strange combination.  Guys' hair could be so confusing sometimes.

Forgetting the manner of his hair, she walked over to him with a forced smile plastered on her face.  She wasn't too excited to be working and trained by some moody employee, but she had to make the best of it.  After all, he was the one who got the job for her.  She extended her hand to him.  "Hi, you must be Destery!  I'm Noah - the new girl that you'll be training today."

He glanced down at her hand like it was filled with disease.  "Well, I'm glad that you can read name tags at least," he said sarcastically.

She bit down on her bottom lip, not appreciating his attitude.  Make the best of it, she told herself.  Trying to force her smile anymore, she began to inquire about the job.  "So how does this... work?"

He audibly sighed and gave her an annoyed glance.  "Just watch what I do for these next few people and if you have any questions, then ask.  Just watch and observe.  Can you do that?"

Noah wanted to curse him off, but she needed the job, so she only nodded with a small smile.  Her eyes darted to see Sara serving food to some table.  Their eyes met and Sara rolled hers, annoyed with how Destery was treating her.  She returned her gaze to Destery, watching to see how it was done.

"Hi, can I take your order?" he asked with a groan.

Noah rolled her eyes.  This was not how it should be done.  He needed to add a smile and some perkiness, if he wanted to keep his job.  Who knows?  Noah might just steal his position, permanently.  Oh, how she would love to see the satisfaction of him crying when he saw that he was replaced.  It would be worth even putting up with him today.

"Now, do you have any questions?" he addressed her, bringing her back to reality.  Her face flushed as she realized that she hadn't been paying attention to anything he just said.

Needing this job, she only nodded.  "I'm good!"

"Great," he said with a smirk on his face, obviously not believing her.  "Then you take the next customer."  He stepped aside, prepared to watch her fail.  She felt her face burn, but what could she do?  She stepped up to the cashier and prepared herself for the worst.

"Hello and welcome to K. B. F.!  May I take your order?"  She gave the family a huge smile and they smiled back.

The lady, who Noah assumed was the mother, returned her smile.  "Glad to see some good service now!  Unlike Mr. Moody behind you."  Destery growled and Noah felt a bit bad for him.  Sure, he was pretty rude, but it was rude of her to say that when he was standing right there.

"I'll have a Veggie Burger Deluxe with a super-sized chocolate and panda paws milkshake," the father said with a chuckle at his wife's comment.  The lady and the son also ordered, but they spoke far too fast for Noah to comprehend.

She shut her eyes and sighed.  "I'm sorry, this is my first time at the cash register.  Would you mind repeating your order?"

Destery grabbed the pad from her hands and scribbled down something onto it.  "Never mind, I've got it."  He sent the order to the kitchen and rang up the bill, completing the order.

The lady scoffed.  "Although your enthusiasm is welcomed, I prefer the moody guy.  At least he is efficient."

"Don't talk to her like that!  This is her first day and her first time at the register!" Destery barked at the rude customers.

The father nodded.  "Hmm... She's going to need a few more days."  The family walked away laughing, while Destery stood there with a scowl on his face.

"It took me a while to get a hang of it, don't worry," he said gently to Noah.

She gave him a genuine smile.  "Thanks.  I'm sure that I'll pick up on it soon."

"No worries," he mumbled, returning to his work and moody self.  Noah didn't know what she was up against, but she knew this Monday afternoon would be filled with trying to figure him out.