"Sweet potatoes! "

"I know, right?" Asha turned to wink at me, twisting and untwisting her ponytail.

'Clark' was really, I mean, really easy on the eye, it made my heart skip a beat. There was something different about him. Something… graceful. He owned a sort of smooth, clean-cut good looks, which was rare to see nowadays. He had on a crew neck, white sweater and a pair of jeans, yet he radiated more elegance than a movie star. It was unfair.

This was ridiculous! Was I crushing on him, too? I knew I shouldn't. First, because he was Asha's crush. And second, I'd never had a crush on real people. Only book characters were worthy of my attention. And third, he was a stranger. For all I knew, he could be a drug dealer, or a psychopath killer. Appearances were deceptive. 

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. I wanted to determine what exactly made him so attractive from this far. I couldn't even examine his face closely, but he seemed… distant? Beyond grasp? He was unaware of the world around him, too engrossed. And it made him look untouchable. As if he was tucked into a lustrous bubble that made him look so ravishing, yet so out of reach. 

There was a thoughtful expression on his handsome face. He was bending over a paper on the table, fully absorbed, as if trying to solve a mystic dilemma. A short lock of his classic-cut hair arched over his forehead and he was so preoccupied with some mysterious activity that he didn't notice Susie was standing next to him.

"What's he doing?" I whispered to Asha, noticing Clark was wearing earbuds. His fingertips, both hands, were tapping on the edge of the table. His hands sailed with so much fluidity as though he was typing on an imaginary keyboard.

"It's 'the finger workout'." Asha whispered back, making quote marks in the air.

"He does that a lot?"

"Yeah, It's magical!"

"It's weird!"

"He's kryptonian. He's sending signals to his mother ship or something, it's so cute," she crooned.

I stifled a giggle. This girl was obsessed with alien superheroes, but I guess I could see her point. He was an intriguing mystery. There was nothing more attractive than an unsolved mystery.

"Invisible laptop?" I asked, playing along.

Asha snorted and shook her head. Her bead necklace made a clattering noise that started to sound familiar. "Nope. Never mentioned in the comics, not even the movies. Please keep up with me, Melo."

"You said he was back. Has he been away for a long time?" I asked, too aware of my curious probing, but I was wholeheartedly keeping up.

"Two weeks." She pulled up two fingers. "Spring break, I think. I bet he's an exchange student like me. He's been a regular since last year, always came around three in the afternoon, so definitely after school hours, and he always ordered the same things and left a generous tip. He's probably rich, but he's not the type to flaunt it, 'cause he wears nice brands, but nothing too flashy."

"Nice work, detective!" Asha's keen analysis would make her one helluva private investigator one day. 

Asha giggled and curtsied. 

My eyes followed the guy's quirky movements. "Have you tried to talk to him? Ask him out or something?"

"Noooo," Asha denied, almost offended. "I told you, not my style. I'm team old-school and I insist that the guy must make the first move or else he goes bye-bye," she said in one breath and hopped away to take another order. 

I admired Asha for adhering to her principles, but I selfishly felt a hint of relief. Even though there was no competition, I was glad the guy, who so unexpectedly captured my attention, didn't belong to her.

Sneaking a peek, I observed the Clark guy again. His head snapped up and he smiled when he noticed Susie arranging the plates in front of him. He crossed his arms until she was done and I thought I vaguely recognized the words 'thank you' shape themselves across his lips. He turned his gaze down to focus on his lunch. At this moment, I felt a pinch of guilt for intruding on his privacy. I sure wouldn't feel comfortable if I knew someone stared at me while I was eating.

Reluctantly, I wobbled backward and sat on the stool in the hidden corner.

I was confused about my erratic behavior. This wasn't me!

What was wrong with me? I'd just gotten fired this morning and, by some miracle, I found this job and now I was going hot and heavy about the customers? Whatever this was, it was… wrong. And it wasn't going to end well.

"Hey, snoopy!" Asha waved her bejeweled arms in front of my face, bringing me back to reality. "I know, I know, Clark has this effect on people, but we've got another latte to make."

My heart was beating fast as I got up to brew some more coffee, feeling more and more familiar with the process, albeit a little distracted.

For the next hour, I resisted the itch to snoop on the mysterious guy one more time, until I finally convinced myself it was only for a second.

Just a glimpse wouldn't hurt, would it?

I leaned in to sneak a last look through the secret window, but he was already gone.

***

It was getting dark when I left the café. The car headlights and the billboard advertisements reflected silver-gray beams on the asphalt, as I commenced the hike back to the shelter. 

The evening was chilling, but I knew the long walk would warm me up and, hopefully, burn the calories of the soup and sandwich Asha had made me cram before I'd left. She was a pushy little pixie, but I couldn't say no to her, even though my stomach had been wriggling in protest.  

Everything looked the same, but somehow, quite different. The streets of Manhattan were still bustling with life. The city lights outshined the stars in the evening sky. The muddled sea of people, zooming cars, display windows, and blinding billboards were all the same, but I could still sense a subtle difference. A change that came from within. It felt like… hope. Like the silver lining I'd been waiting for had outlined every object on my way.

Sure, I was going back to a place I abhorred, and the day had started off badly, but the rest of it had been a rare manna from heaven. 

Asha had been... incredible. I'd never hit it off with anyone so easily. Somehow she'd managed to find the lost keys to my instant trust. Maybe it was part gratitude, because she'd trusted me with the job and wanted to be my friend? Possibly. But I couldn't deny how exceptionally good she'd made me feel. And it felt real. Genuine. 

Superman, or Clark, or whatever his name was? That, I could explain. Stupid hormones had made me think about him way too much. I hated to think I was that desperate. Still, he'd been one of the highlights today. A glimpse of a fantasy I could never have.

Was this day just a fluke? Or was it meant to last? Had fate finally spared me the misfortune and decided I deserved a chance? I cautiously hoped so. I couldn't let myself be too excited. I needed to be on my guard for any possible failures, just in case. 

As I approached the gray, seven story building - my temporary residence, AKA, Hope House Shelter - my heart sank to my stomach. It didn't take long for fate to prove me wrong.

Around the corner, I saw a police car parked at the front gate. The red and blue lights screamed silently, casting colorful shadows across the facades of the buildings. An ambulance was waiting behind it.

My blood pulsed in my ears as I hurried towards the wrought iron gate. The security guard was standing alert and two EMTs, carrying a stretcher, were rushing inside the building.

My breath sped up and anxious tremors ran through my body.

 God, This is bad! Real bad! I can feel it!

My mind whirred, imagining the worst scenario of what might have happened. It wasn't just a normal arrest, which had happened a couple of times since I'd gotten here. Some residents were not the most law-abiding citizens. But the ambulance?

On shaky legs, I limped towards the security guard, who was rubbing his hands together anxiously, or maybe just to feel warm.

"W-what's going on?" My voice quaked, beads of cold sweat forming on my forehead.

The guard pursed his lips, shaking his head side to side. "A girl just cut herself pretty bad."

I gasped.

"Is she...?" My breath caught and my hand flew to my mouth.

"No. I guess not. Well, I hope not. The paramedics are taking her to the hospital."

"Y-you know her name?" I panted.

"It's Nina... Tina... Something," he said, blowing inside his balled up hands. "A resident found her bleeding in the bathroom and called the cops."

My eyes expanded in horror.

No, no, no! Not Tina! Of all the people, my roommate was the one getting hurt? 

A morbidly egocentric thought came rushing to my mind. I was not the center of the universe, but it felt as if fate had made her pay for the few hours of contentment I'd had today, just to mess with me. As if my existence was corrupting the course of people's lives that intersected with mine. I knew I didn't earn that momentary contentment, but Tina didn't deserve to suffer. 

I held back a groan. 

What kind of a jinx was I inflicting? And why Tina? The fragile, sixteen year old Tina. She wasn't the only roommate. Why not the other one? The wicked one. Vivian. She was the one who'd sold her soul to the devil and the one who should've faced the consequences. it was unfair a narcissistic bully like her got away with everything. 

I froze when I saw the EMTs rushing out of the building. They sped past the security guard and I, holding a now occupied stretcher. A small body was lying motionless on the white fabric, wrapped up in a thin blanket, while red curls spilled out of her narrow frame. 

My eyes pooled with tears, taking in her shalky, lifeless face and a sob escaped from my chest. 

The poor girl didn't have anyone to turn to after she'd run away from home. And she ended up here, a shelter dweller and a victim of that ruthless witch, Velda Zimmer. Vivian. The main reason why I wasn't looking forward to coming back. 

By no stretch could I be considered fortunate, but this girl was a reminder that things could've been worse. That I could've been in her place. That I'd been lucky enough to survive.

But for how long?