"Here you go, have a nice day!" the young brunette grinned as he gave the customer their change of five dollars.

The bells jingled as the pleased old lady left the shop. The young brunette took in a breath, the warm and homey smell of pastries made him feel at peace.

Ted loved his part-time job- it fit his demeanor well. The cafe was generally quiet. Content chattering- soft and not too loud- accompanied it. The cafe gave a sense of peace and hospitality to all that entered it. The young brunette adored the sweet mixed aroma of bread and coffee.

There weren't many customers on this particular day, so Ted decided to watch the small television propped on the corner next to the door. A pretty tall blonde walked across the screen, giving a forecast of the weather that week.

***

"Good evening! Don't we just have wonderful weather?" A 48-year-old woman casually approached a younger woman in her late 20s at the farmer's market.

The young woman looked up, feeling a little awkward. "Uh hello. Yes, we do," she responded while shading her eyes from the sunlight. She shook off the awkwardness and looked back at the older woman. "Back in my home state, it was always snowing!"

"Oh? Interesting," the older woman commented.

Suddenly, a blonde woman dressed in a blue business suit walked by and paused. She looked at the older white woman, and back at the younger black one.

"Well well well," she looked down scornfully. "It's not every day that you see a white woman conversing with a black one!"

The older white woman held a blank expression, while the young black woman frowned.

The businesswoman strolled away quickly before the younger one could respond. Just as the dark woman was about to turn around and confront the rude woman, the ground jolted. The tables shook, apples tumbled out of a box. Then it stopped.

"What was that?!" The young woman exclaimed.

"Probably just a nuclear explo-" the white woman clarified, "I mean, it was just a small earthquake, nothing to be scared of."

The black woman's attention shifted when a man carrying a video camera and another beautiful young woman approached them. She was blonde as well and wore a formal white dress with black heels.

"Hello, I'm a reporter with Cottonberry News," she smiled kindly as she introduced herself. "I was wondering if I could interview you two briefly?"

"I- err..."

"Sure!" The black woman interjected. "I've always wanted to be on T.V.!"

"Thank you so much! And what are your names?" the reporter asked.

"Pres- I mean Morgan," the older woman crossed her arms and adjusted her purse with one hand.

"Susan!" the younger woman replied enthusiastically.

"Alright. We're live in 3! 2! 1!"

"This is Luna Reed from Cottonberry News! Today I'm here at the Farmer's Market in the town of Februa. An incident happened just a few minutes ago, and I would love to bring these two ladies into the discussion. I'm here with Ms. Morgan and Ms. Susan."

The older woman shifted uncomfortably, hoping no one would recognize her. The young one beside her couldn't stop grinning.

"I can't believe I'm on T.V.!" she squealed. Morgan snapped her head in her direction.

"Did I say that out loud?" she quickly covered her mouth.

Luna chuckled. "Did you both feel that shaking earlier?"

"Yes!" Susan exclaimed. "At first I thought-"

"It was just an earthquake," Morgan frowned and crossed her arms. "I don't see why it's a big deal. The good thing is that no buildings were damaged."

Suddenly, Morgan couldn't contain herself. She broke out in hysterical laughter.

The camera shifted back to Luna and away from the two ladies.

"Uh..." Luna was at a loss for words, staring awkwardly at the camera. She closed her eyes and regained her composure. "Thank you very much for your input, Morgan and Susan. This is Luna Reed from Cottonberry News. Back to you at the studio."

***

A giant screen at the mall switched to an advertisement on an expensive lip product after the news report ended. The group of teenagers near it paid no attention, however.

"OMG guys- we have to go to that new clothing store they opened up!" Abby screeched.

"YASS," Lalani agreed, checking herself on her phone camera.

"Winter break is the best. No school and we get to hang at the mall more often!" Flora added, checking how many likes she'd gotten on the flawless selfie she'd posted that morning.

All the girls nodded and uh-huhed, laughing. The one guy in the group nodded cooly.

"Guys, isn't it strange that it hasn't snowed yet?" Annabella, the wallflower of the group, asked. "I mean... it is winter after all..." her voice trailed off as she realized all her friends were looking down at their phones. She decided to continue. "We usually get snow, but now..."

"Annabella, who cares?" Lalani scoffed.

Annabella gulped and sealed her lips shut.

"Ohmigawd guys. My crush is working at that sports store over there, look! He posted a picture. We have to go there NOW," Flora showed Lalani and Abby her phone. Lalani and Abby fangirled, and Flora started jumping joyfully. "Let's go let's go!"

Abby and Flora ran off. The one guy in the group followed them while walking.

Lalani watched as they entered the store. Then she turned around and rolled her eyes. "Seriously Annabella. You have to quit being such a downer! It's annoying."

"Oh... sorry," Annabella lowered her head in shame.

Lalani turned around and took a glance at her cell phone. "Sometimes I wonder why you even hang around us." With that, she turned her phone off and walked away.

***

"Well, I'm gonna leave ya to it," Naomi said while looking around the new shop. Not bad, she thought. The floors gleamed, and the lighting was just right.

"Sis, when are you going to get a job?" Ashley asked.

"Who- ME?!" Naomi's eyes widened.

"No, the ghost behind you. Yes you, silly!" She laughed.

"I'm busy with other things," Naomi coughed. Really, she just didn't feel like working during winter break, when everyone was supposed to be relaxing. At least, people her age were meant to be relaxing from the constant strain of school.

"Oh yeah? With what?" Ashley put her hands on her hips.

"None of your business!" Naomi fought. "Now quit nagging me, I have to go."

Ashley sighed. "Fine."

"Have fun working today, you're going to get A LOT of customers."

"I can't wait," Ashley flipped her hair nonchalantly.

***

"A pack of cigarettes, please," the teen opened her wallet.

"Age? You can only buy some if you're 18 and older." the vendor explained.

"What if I'm 19?"

The vendor studied the young girl's face. "Wait. Did I say 18? I meant the age limit is 21."

"Okay then what if I'm 22?" the girl smirked and pushed her long brown hair back.

"Too late kid. You already said you were 19. And besides, we don't sell cigarettes here. It's a bar for crying out loud."

"Fine. Then give me a shot."

The vendor shook her head disapprovingly. This girl does not give up, she thought, while pouring her a drink.

Naomi was just thankful that they didn't question how she got into the bar in the first place.

***

The bells jingled. Ted wiped his hands off on a towel and took his place behind the counter, which had temptatious display cakes.

"Hello, welcome to-"

"Can I please have a latte?" a black teenage girl around his age asked tiredly.

That's when he remembered. "Sorry, we ran out of lattes..." He felt bad for the girl, so he offered her an idea. "There's a cafe nearby if you want to go-" Then he remembered. "But it's been shut down." He looked down, guilty that he couldn't figure out a way to help her out.

"Oh... sorry. I'm not having a good day." The girl sighed. Ted stood silently, unsure of what to say.

Suddenly, the girl gasped. Ted's eyes widened in alarm.

"May I live with you?! Please, I need some place to stay! My parents kicked me out of the house and now I don't know what to do!" The girl quickly cried out.

"Wow, I uh..." Ted tried to process the request in his head.

"Oh! You have to say yes!" a cheery and light voice said behind him. It was his older coworker. She was in her early 20s, blonde with wavy medium-length hair.

"But... how do you know you can even trust me?" Ted inquired, unsure about the whole thing.

"What he means is yes! And don't worry, he's a really trustworthy guy," the waitress assured her.

The teen beamed. "Thank you so much! I really appreciate it."

"No problem," Ted grinned. Somehow, he found relief. He wasn't sure if it was the girl's warm smile or the fact that he was able to do something to help her.

"Wait, what's your name?" He asked.

"Mary," she answered.

"I'm Ted."

They smiled, caught in a moment.

It was then that he came up with another great idea. "Hey, you could work here if you want."

He couldn't resist reciprocating a smile when Mary's face lit up. "I'd love to!"

The waitress behind him cheered. "Great! Lena will tell you more about it, I have to attend the next customer," Ted said.

Lena the waitress and the girl moved out of the way of the other customer. Lena stretched her hands above her head cheerfully and declared, "Time for an outfit change!"

"An outfit change?" the girl echoed.

"Of course! If you're going to work at this cafe, you'll need to wear this cute uniform!"

The girl looked at the waitress's knee-length maid get-up. It was pepper black with rolled-up sleeves and a high-ish collar, accentuated with a white apron that went over the shoulders and onto the back. It reminded her of the uniforms Victorian maids wore.

"Uniforms? I love that!"

"There's actually a special uniform for teens to wear. The one I'm wearing is for adults like me," Lena briefly primped her hair. "I'll be right back, I'm going to go get you a uniform."

As Lena left, another blonde waitress Lena's age entered the cafe. "Can I help you?" she scowled. She didn't like it when customers stood idly in the store, it made her apprehensive.

Mary looked at her interesting choppy hair with a wide pink streak. "No, I'm going to work here," she delivered the great news. "One of the waitresses here said she'd go get me a uniform."

As if on cue, Lena returned. "I'm back!" she sang. "Oh, nice to see you again Britney."

"Hey, Lena," Britney's stern expression shifted to a soft one as she greeted Lena.

"Meet our new waitress, Mary!" Lena exclaimed.

"Well, nice to meet you, Mary," Britney greeted her politely this time.

"You too," Mary smiled.

"Ok, go try your outfit on!" Lena passed her a large sealed plastic bag.

"Thanks! Where can I change?"

"You can change in the pantry," Britney suggested. "Here, I'll take you."

After showing Mary the pantry, Britney returned to the front to wait with Lena.

Dark thoughts loomed through Britney's head. Something seemed off about the girl. A small voice in the back of her head seemed to warn her not to trust her. She debated the topic for a full minute until she decided she was just being paranoid. She'd always found it difficult to trust people, especially those she'd just met. Besides, Mary was just a harmless teenager. What could she possibly do?

"Uh, guys? How does it look?"

Lena and Britney looked her down to up. Mary was definitely not dressed in a Victorian maid outfit, she was dressed in a white sleeveless, sweetheart neckline dress patterned with dark blue diamonds. It rose inches above the knee on the front but flowed longer on the back. The piece included a white laced choker, white stockings, and blue heels.

Mary wondered why she had to wear such an exposing costume, and why the adults wore a more modest maid dress, and why all Ted had to wear was a clean white button-up shirt with sleek black pants. She concluded: that's how extra this cafe is.

"Oh my gosh! She looks gorgeous in it!" Lena gushed.

"I hate my uniform!" Britney wailed.

"So... where do I put my other clothes for the time being?"

"In the trash!" Lena pointed.

"WHAAT?!"

"Just kidding girlie!"

Another voice broke in. "Hi guys, I'm back!"

A brown-skinned girl with dark brown hair entered. Mary could tell she was a teenage employee because she was wearing the same extravagant uniform.

"Hi Maya," Britney and Lena waved happily. "Welcome back."

Mary was about to introduce herself when Maya ran right past her- and into the arms of Ted.

"I missed you, Ted!" She pulled him into a tight embrace and Mary's eyes widened. Ted noticed Mary's surprised expression, and he murmured something to Maya.

"So who might this be?" she let go of him and faced Mary, a nice grin on her face.

"I'm Mary, the new waitress," Mary introduced herself.

"Oh? I didn't know we were hiring," Maya stared inquisitively.

Mary suddenly felt self-conscious. Luckily, Ted came to her aid.

"Yeah, we got her today! It's a long story though," he laughed.

"Hm, ok. Welcome to the Harlequin Restaurant!"

"Thanks, but I thought this was a cafe?"

"It's part-restaurant, part-cafe. Pretty cool, huh? The restaurant space is behind us. I'll give you a tour later!" Maya explained. "Now we have two adults- Britney and Lena. And we have THREE teens- you, me, and Ted!"

***

Night finally arrived after a long day of work. The lights inside and outside the store were dim. Britney and Lena were the first to leave. Next was Maya. Finally, it was just Ted and Mary.

"Well, now it's just us two. Let's close this place up for the night," Ted said.

"Ok," Mary replied simply, ignoring the pulsing in her chest when he said it's just us two.

The pair exited through the back door of the Harlequin Restaurant after closing up and shutting down the lights inside.

"I'm going home now. Good night Mary," he smiled and walked away.

"Wait, Ted?" Mary called.

"Hmm?" he turned around.

"I'm supposed to go home with you... remember?" she felt her cheeks growing hot in the cold breeze of the night. She adjusted her sandy brown cardigan, but it was not enough to keep her warm.

"Oh right, I almost forgot!" He laughed to mask his own embarrassment. "My house is close to the restaurant, so we won't have to walk too far."

Ted showed her to a decent looking apartment in a safe looking neighborhood. The street was quiet and peaceful. The two took stairs up to the second floor. Once in the living room, Mary began to look around. It was small but modern.

"Sorry, it's not much..." Ted said.

"What? I love it!" Mary, being the polite person she was, remarked. She was grateful that she had found a safe place to stay.

"I'm glad you do," Ted said. "Now do you want to sleep on the bed or the couch?"

"I'll sleep on the couch."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, it's fine," Mary said.

"Alright. Let me show you the house first."

They walked to the kitchen. It was small too, but at least it was clean.

"This is the kitchen. Feel free to grab a snack whenever you like."

Next, the two went back into the living room and entered a hallway. There were two doors: one that led to a neat bathroom and the other one was Ted's bedroom, which was surprisingly clean.

"I'm going to go pass out now. Have a good night, Mary," Ted yawned.

"You too, Ted. Thanks for everything," she smiled.

"No problem! See you tomorrow. We'll have to wake up early for work." With that, he went into his bedroom and closed the door.

Mary walked back to the living room. She felt groggy after a whole day of working, so she decided to take a quick shower. After all, Ted had said she was welcome to use it whenever she liked.

Mary brought extra clothes in her purse, including pajamas. She returned to the living room dressed in a purple tank top and black athletic shorts. She laid on the soft couch and wrapped the even softer blanket Ted had left for her around herself.

Inevitably, she began to think about Ted. He's kinda cute, she thought. But what was his relationship with Maya? She didn't want to catch feelings for a guy who was already taken! She shook her head. She'd just have to build up the courage to ask him tomorrow. Right now, all she really wanted to do was sleep. And sleep she would.