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Shine your teeth 'til meaningless
Sharpen them with lies
The nutty smell of coffee smacked her in the face.
Addison O'Reilly waved her over to the cash register. "Emi! Where have you been? We ordered already, you don't mind, do you?
Here we go. She summoned something that could pass for a smile. "Of course not."
Addison's curtain of platinum blonde hair swayed as she pointed enthusiastically to the drinks menu. "There's coffee, cold brew, but my favourite is the matcha frappuccino..."
Emilia nodded, "oohed" and "uh-huhed" her way through the lengthy introduction to the menu. Addison's voice faded into the white noise, an incessant buzzing punctuated with the occasional squeal or giggle.
"-chocolate frappuccino-"
"Coffee sounds good." Emilia interrupted. Coffee was the farthest drink from good, in her opinion. What she was really craving was bubble tea. But the lies came easily, too easily, sometimes. She offered Addison a smile to smooth her feathers over the rudeness of her interjection.
She paid for her coffee and followed Addison to the table, where a gaggle of three girls; two brunette, one dark-haired, were waiting.
"Oh my gosh, Emilia, I love that skirt." No, you don't, Sarah. This skirt is from last season, and you wouldn't be caught dead in it.
"How do you keep your skin so clear?" It's called a skincare routine, Jasmine. Which you obviously don't need advice on.
"How do you highlight your cheekbones? They're sharp enough to cut glass." Exactly. Every time Will tries to hug me, his face gets flayed. It sucks to be a walking pair of scissors.
The laughs and checked replies came naturally to her. She wrapped her fingers around the coffee cup, its heat bleeding into her palms. She peered at the clock and groaned internally. It's only been five minutes?
"You're so lucky. Will is literally perfect."
The remark jolted her out of her daze.
Another girl bobbed her head, her black ponytail swishing. "Yeah. I mean, Captain of the soccer team-" Football. "-he's smart, nice, funny, plus, have you seen him?"
"Everything's great," she lied. A beast stirred in her chest, stretching its back and licking its claws. Her cheeks twitched with the effort it took to hold her smile.
"But how is he?"
Emilia tapped her foot against the floor in a rapid staccato. She opted to sip her coffee in lieu of a reply. The hot liquid scalded her tongue, but she forced it down. Bitterness stained her mouth and left a searing trail down her throat, the cream and sugar added doing nothing for its potency.
"Emilia?"
The beast grinned, opening its gaping maw, and it sucked her into the dark, through cinders and smoke, ash and rain, snow and frosted glass. The other girls' eager gazes bored into her, and Emilia was sick of it, sick of the lies, sick of pretending. All of a sudden, she felt cold. "I have to go." Apologise so they don't hate you. She threw away her coffee on the way out.
She kept her stride brisk and purposeful until she turned the corner, out of sight of the coffee shop.
As the old maxim went, fake it till you make it. Not for the first time, Emilia wondered if she was faking it too well.
---------------------------------------------
She ended up outside Tiger Sugar.
The bell tinkled as she entered, and the sweet aroma of brown sugar and milk tea wafted towards her. She rushed to the counter and ordered a large regular bubble tea, shoving her hands into the pockets of her Moncler jacket.
"Mia?"
That voice...Emilia followed it to see Noah, her childhood best friend, standing next to her, a cup of bubble tea in his grasp.
"Hi." She scrambled for something to say. "I'm waiting for my bubble tea," was what she came up with.
"I can see that." He ducked his head awkwardly. "How have you been?"
"I'm good. Holding a piano recital soon. You?"
"Haven't changed much. Still playing the violin. Still in the school orchestra."
Emilia bobbed her head, her fingers nervously drumming the notes to Chopin's Ballade No.3 on her leg. Their eyes met for a silent, painful moment. She was first to look away.
This wasn't right. They had grown up together, first united in their mutual role as asian outcasts in kindergarten, and then in their interest in music and junior orchestra. This awkwardness, the small talk and polite banalities, none of it was right.
But there was no one to blame but herself. She was the one to put this distance between them. And that knowledge hurt, a million needles pricking her skin, leaving her to bleed out one drop at a time.
Noah parted his lips, and she braced herself for more stilted conversation. But what he said next caught Emilia completely off-guard.
"Are you okay?"
"What?" Not you look good, not how's your boyfriend, not can you get me an invite to that party on Saturday, but a simple are you okay.
"Are you okay?" he repeated, looking as surprised at himself as Emilia.
The reflexive reply "of course" rose in her throat, but a dry "not really" slipped out instead.
"Do you-do you need someone to listen?" Noah's brown eyes were solemn. For a second, she let herself unwind in his familiar presence. Sincere, guileless Noah. Loyal, caring Noah. But she pushed him away, made it clear that their years of friendship were over. She discarded him first, and she didn't deserve this, didn't deserve his compassion or understanding. So she hardened her heart and closed her armour.
"Thanks for the offer." Emilia sucked in a breath. "Maybe another time."
She grabbed her bubble tea off the counter, gripping it tightly to stop her trembling hands, and headed to the exit.
"Mia, I-"
She stopped mid-step.
"I-I'll see you around."
Something ugly reared its head in her chest. There was a bitter taste in her mouth, even though the coffee had long since left it. Emilia pulled the door open, letting in a blast of cold November air. "See you."
A/N
Song: How to Fight Loneliness by Wilco
Meet Noah! Honestly, he's such a (haha no spoilers).
Also is the Wattpad word count reliable? It shows a different number when I paste the exact same content. I read through and don't think I'm missing anything.
So yeah. Usually my character's opinions don't reflect mine, but in this case, definitely. I hate coffee - sorry coffee lovers. Bubble tea is honestly so much better. Some people find it too sweet, but most likely, you just haven't had good bubble tea.
Sooo yeah. Em is a pianist, and Noah is a violinist. (Any twosetters?)
