Forever Enigmatic

Chapter 6

THE LANDLORD'S NOTICE WAS the biggest slap in the face. She had sixty days until her rent increased. Working at a café part-time only helped so much. Earning minimum wage wasn't going to get her the life she wanted to build, but now it wasn't even going to help her live in a crappy apartment either.

She sat down by her small table that divided her kitchen from the living room space, and went through her financial information inside her notebook. She recorded every bill she paid there. That way if she ever needed to look back on something, she could easily find it. She flipped through the pages, and noted the new bills she was paying the last few months.

The gym was the main new one. The ten dollars she paid every month for her membership were always sucked from her bank account. An additional fifteen were taken every two weeks because she trained with Kyle. In all, she paid forty dollars a month.

Considering how she had all perks as a member and was training with Kyle, an exceptional trainer, she knew it was worth every penny. However, she needed a roof over her head more than access to a gym.

She would have to cut down her training with Kyle, even though it pained her. Those moments with Kyle were the most relieving, ironically. She was out of her head, focused, and she really liked being around him. Not like she was crushing on him, but just being around him made her feel more present. She was unapologetically herself, something she'd forgotten to be in the midst of her stress.

But now she needed to let go of that, just for a little while, for the good of her...home. If one could call a dump a home.

Adulthood was definitely a synonym for sacrifice.

Sierra grabbed her phone and dialed her boss's number. At the fourth ring, Bethany answered, and Sierra explained that she needed to pick up more shifts. Bethany never cared about that. It was easier for her since she didn't have to go into work herself. Sierra would do that. Immediately, she gave her the next shift, starting in an hour.

With that she made her way to The Cream Accent. Disruptive thoughts swirled in her mind, pulling her closer to a place she didn't want to be. As she stepped onto the brisk morning, her heart grew heavy thinking about all the work she had to do.

Whenever she took Bethany's shift, she had to do the work of a boss. Sometimes she'd have to stay until the café closed and manage it as if it were her own. She didn't have the credentials to do that, but her boss didn't mind since she'd stay back at home doing nothing.

At least she enjoyed it.

The familiar sign of The Cream Accent brought butterflies to her stomach. She wouldn't be coming out of that place until nightfall. The birds chirped around her as she pulled open the door to one of the longest days of her life. She frowned realizing this was the first of many long days to follow.

Right after the morning rush subsided, Sierra was able to check her phone for her newest notifications. She scrolled through some texts from Scarlet and Zilla, and typed in her reply just as another customer came in. When she didn't have much to do again, she went through her notifications, which were mostly stupid Instagram notifications of people posting on their stories, and then stopped at a couple missed calls from Kyle.

No...

She forgot she was supposed to train with him that day. She needed to call him to let him know she was cancelling training for at least two weeks to be able to work. Guilt crept up her chest thinking of his reaction.

She wondered how she would tell him. Would he believe that she was dropping him like everyone else? She knew she wanted to keep training with him, but money was tight. She needed to spend accordingly. The most important expenses were her food and rent, so the gym would have to wait.