Chapter Text
I walked through the buzzing streets of New York City, the honking of cars and piercing my ears and making way to my brain. I walked beside Vance and Kim, two of my best friends. My other friend, Vlad, couldn’t make it on the coffee run, he was busy setting up for the party tonight. If I’m being honest, I liked it better when Vlad wasn’t with us. It always felt so awkward with him around.
Especially since “The Incident.” I shuddered just thinking about it.
I tuned out whatever Kim and JD were talking about. They were idiots, lovable idiots, but idiots nonetheless.
We arrived at the coffee shop not five minutes later, the sign on the door read “OPEN!” in bold, sloppy handwriting. I scoffed at the immature drawings scribbled around it. “They must’ve hired a new *liberal* barista.” I thought to myself as I narrowed my eyes on the sign.
“How childish.”
I grumbled quietly to Kim and Vance, my harsh breathing covering most of my words. My tone was harsh and blunt, just like Vlad had taught me years ago. Don’t show weakness.
My callous coral hand opened the door to the coffee shop. “White House Coffee” was what it was called. It was probably my favorite in town—Despite the large liberal customer population. It always seemed to be crowded with students from neighboring art schools. That’s New York, for you. Full of snowflakes with daddy’s money.
The doorbell rang as we stepped through the door, I was almost too tall to fit. One of these days I’d have to duck to avoid hitting the doorframe of the coffee shop, I wouldn’t mind, though. As I stepped through the door and began to walk to the front desk to order my usual, I heard a familiar yet unwanted voice.
“Donald!”
The voice spoke and I grimaced, a scowl plaguing my face before I could even fake a smile. The man noticed this though as a frown formed equally as fast on his, replacing the smile he usually had plastered next to him.
“Elon.”
I responded coldly, glancing from him to the child that stood next to him. Elon and I used to be friends, I admired him the same way I did Vlad. That was until he got a girl pregnant. We were the same age, it was our first year in college and he already had a kid? Disgusting. How could he be so careless? All my admiration for him shattered in an instant, but I remembered feeling a certain pang of jealousy when I found out. It quickly subsided, at least I hoped it had subsided. But every time I saw his fathers face I felt a certain disdain due to the heartache I felt finding out.
I was not above the feelings everyone else felt. I too had the impure thoughts of wanting to date a man. But I was weaker than the rest, I often let them take control of me. The first time I experienced it was when I met Vlad. I had worked up the courage to tell him but he quickly shut him down. He taught me how terrible it was to act or even voice the sinful thoughts I felt. And so I didn’t.
It wouldn’t be long until I felt them again, though. I met Elon in a business class I shared with him. He seemed so intelligent, so well-spoken. How wrong I had been.
The two of us awkwardly engaged in small-talk, but we could both feel the tension. I could sense the regret in his voice when he talked about how close we had been once, and I made no effort in hiding how disgusted I was by him. He made no effort to hide the hurt he felt due to this.
Before I turned away from Elon, I felt my eyes linger on his chapped lips for a moment too long. I turned my gaze away as fast as I could before shutting my eyes. Did I really feel something for him? After all he had done? No, I couldn’t. I had a girlfriend for god's sake! Get yourself together Donald! I know it sounds like I don’t care for my girlfriend and would rather be with Elon or Vlad, but that couldn’t be further from the case. I truly did love my girlfriend, and she was beautiful. So, so, beautiful. So why did my eyes linger and my mind wander? That I couldn’t answer. I don’t know if I ever could.
As I moved up to the front of the line, Vance and Kim standing behind me impatiently I caught a glimpse of a boy working the counter. He must’ve been the new childish liberal employee. Probably a soviet, he looked like one of those marxist tik-tokers who spoke about things he didn’t understand. I assumed he went to the art college near where I went to school. I studied Political Science, I was going to become president one day, I knew it.
I looked at the pins the man with white hair had adorning his apron. I squinted trying to make out what they were saying. He had a pronoun pin, for some reason. It was obvious he was a boy, he had no reason to do that. I felt my eyes roll as I read the pin. He also seemed to have various other pins with rainbows or poets or celebrities on them. If I hadn’t seen him at the coffee shop, I would’ve been convinced he simply didn’t go outside. He had that democratic keyboard warrior look to him.
I simply scoffed as I got up to the register, my order already decided in my mind. When I spoke to him I wasn’t trying to start a fight, I was simply sharing my opinions with him. I have rights too, you know.
“What's the reason for the pins? Everyone can tell you’re a boy.”
I huffed, not holding back my words as I spoke to him. I ran my apricot fingers through my golden blond hair. I felt Vance’s eyes on my back, he’d rather me just ignore it and hurry up with my order. I didn’t give him the satisfaction of getting his coffee any faster.
The barista narrowed his eyes on me, a confused expression on his face. He tugged on the bottom of his apron before he spoke.
“You never know what someone identifies as until you ask!”
The man gleefully responded, however I could tell that he didn’t really feel so gleeful. I didn’t get it. Barista’s and cashiers always seemed to complain about something or other. Pay, benefits, hours. It seemed that they did more work complaining than their job! My thoughts rambled on before I finally spoke to the boy with white hair.
“Yeah, whatever.”
I responded monotonously, with a hint of disdain in my voice. However, this was kinder than I usually was to the woke barista’s I met, and Kim seemed to notice as he whispered something to JD. I was probably just tired from talking to Elon. Yeah, that’s it. So why was my heart pounding so much? I quickly shook the thought out of my head and recited my drink order, that intoxicating smile still plastered all over the barista’s face.
“Anyway, I’ll have a black coffee.”
I told him, my fingers resting effortlessly in my blue jeans. My eyes drifted down to the other pins he wore, but this time I didn’t feel like bringing it up. I didn’t want another fake response from the guy if I brought up the wokeness.
“Joe” his name tag read. He didn’t really look like a Joe, but I guess I didn’t look like a Donald. That’s why I usually went by Trump. I normally wasn’t a fan of the whole “Renaming Yourself” thing. But it was different. It was a nickname, not some dumb name I found off the internet.
Joe nodded as I stepped out of line, handing him just enough for the drink and not a cent more. I leaned on a pillar, pulling out my sleek samsung galaxy from the pocket of my leather army jacket. I had never been in the army, but my father had. I planned on joining the army if I didn’t get into college, but I knew that wouldn’t happen. I always seemed to be one of the smartest people in the room. I guess Elon was the one person who I thought was smarter than me, until I found out he was just paying people to do his assignments. Lazy idiot.
It didn’t take long for Vance and Kim to walk up to me after ordering their drinks. I glanced at them with my bright blue eyes. I was taller than both of them.
“Did you two get the usual?”
I asked, raising my left brow as I spoke in my usual, raspy voice. I put my phone back into my pocket while I spoke to the two, not wanting to seem inattentive or like I didn’t care. But without the phone to distract my eyes I felt them drift back to Joe, my eyes silently watching his hands make my drink carefully. I felt our eyes meet for a moment, and as both of our cheeks burned with an unfamiliar red we turned away silently. Luckily, I don’t think Vance or Kim noticed, or at least they didn’t comment on it.
“Yeah, I did, at least.”
Kim huffed, eyes peering to JD as he awaited an answer. Like most days, his black hair was slicked back and short. Sometimes I wondered if he ever missed the mullet he had in his highschool photos, even though it was cool, it certainly required more effort than the slicked back stub he had now. I know I’d rather have a mullet than his hair, but I wasn’t really one to talk, my combed back hair was similar to his.
Vance nodded to me and Kim, and I nodded back with a slight grunt. We stood in silence for a few moments. “This is taking too long.” I thought to myself, however I didn’t verbalize my displeasure for once.
“Hey, Donald!”
Vance began, his brow raising before he continued to speak to me.
“You held back on that lib’ barista. Why?”
He asked, his brows returning to a more furrowed position as he slumped against the pillar beside me, his dress shirt wrinkled and sweaty.
My throat cleared before I spoke while I shrugged my shoulders.
“I don’t know, man. I’m tired and don’t wanna deal with an argument.”
I responded confidently, yet I knew it was a lie as a lump formed in my throat. I glanced at the floor, my eyes refusing to meet JD’s. My cheeks burned a slight red as I thought of Joe.
“Yeah, whatever, man. Sure you are.”
JD grumbled, clearly unsatisfied with my response to his question. Out of the corner of my eyes I saw his eyes roll. He did that whenever he was annoyed, so it never really bothered me or anyone he’d known for more than an hour. I sent a glare his way, not appreciating his tone nor his words. But if Vance’s signature was an eyeroll mine was a glare, so he ignored the scowl on my face and carried on.
The following minutes were an awkward silence between the friends. Usually I brushed it off whenever JD and I went at it, but now I felt a sting. Maybe it's because there was some truth to his words. No.. That couldn’t be the case. I didn’t feel anything for a random white-haired barista I just met. That's insane. Right?
I heard a voice call out my name and drink order and my head flipped up like a puppy dog that just saw its owner. It wasn't Joe, not that I cared.
My legs carelessly walked over to the counter. I felt Elon’s eyes locked on me. I sent a scoff his way, along with a glare. Like Vance, I’m sure Elon brushed it off.
I found myself lost in thought until the barista sent something my way, judging by her tone, I could see this wasn’t the first time she had said something to me. I snapped back to reality, an apologetic smile growing onto my face.
“Hello? You gonna take the drink or what?”
She repeated, a scowl twisting onto her face, similar to the one I had given earlier. I shook whatever I was thinking of out of my head and nodded to her. Whatever apology I was gonna give her was long gone after she looked at me that way.
“Chill out, I’m grabbing my drink. God.”
I quickly shot back, my brows furrowed with annoyance.
As I made my way back to my two friends I heard the barista I was speaking to moments ago speak. Instinctively, I assumed she was talking to me and turned my attention back to her only to realize it wasn’t me she was talking to.
It was Joe.
As the two glanced at each other and then my way I felt a pang of frustration filter through my body. Was she bad mouthing me to him? That brown-haired witch! I felt my hands turn to fists as my jaw clenched. Damn her! I thought to myself, practically enraged over nothing.
If this was a cartoon, there’d be steam coming from my ears and nose, my head might even light on fire. But why was I so angry? I had been rude to the both of them, it made sense they’d gossip about me. But something about that Joe guy made me want him to think highly of me.. Why was that? It happened with Vlad, too.
Whatever, It’s not like our paths would cross again.