Claire, 20 years old

“3 more weeks! Then we already gotta go back to college. The last month past by in a flash.” Melissa said with a sigh. “I’ve been meeting up with high school friends, and we’re already more than halfway done.”

“Count yourself lucky!” Claire exclaimed. “This ain’t a vacation for me. I gotta work real hard at Ann’s bakery & cafe, as their severely understaffed. It’s such a pain! Why can’t sis get a part-time job too? Just because dad is traveling around all year round and I’m 15$ an hour doesn’t mean she can just hoe around all day! In the last month alone she brought home 7 different guys!” Claire ranted, catching her breath. Barely audible, she added: “and the walls are real thin, too…”

Mel laughed, wiping her long, curly hazelnut colored hair out of her face, revealing her stunning, slightly freckled face, illuminated by her light blue eyes.

“You’re just jealous, hon, I know for a fact that you haven’t been getting ANY dick for a while now. Or pussy..” She chuckled, taking a sip of her coffee.

“Shut up.” Claire answered, looking around if someone heard the remark of her best friend, blushing.

Thankfully, only a young man in what seemed like a lab coat was sitting outside the coffeeshop beside them, with huge rings under his eyes, absentmindedly sipping his coffee, racking his brain on something.

“Anyway, you’re coming to the party in two-“

BOOOOM

Suddenly, the second floor of the house across the cafe exploded in burning red and green flames, blinding the two girls temporarily as the ducked away and covered their heads. The flames were radiating heat like crazy, instantly making them sweat.

“Nooooo!” Claire heard not far beside her. She dared to open her eyes first looking towards the burning building, then from where the scream came from. It was the lab coat guy.

He was slowly walking towards the burning building, eyes in wide shock, despair and pain. He fell to his knees. “My- my research… my lab…” he buried his face in his hands, silently sobbing.

“Claire?” Mel called.

“Claire?!” Snapping out of it, she looked at Mel.

“Yeah, sorry.”

“Lets get out of here.”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah.”

Hearts pounding in their chests, the girls grabbed their things from the table. Claire finished her latte in one go, and they both hurried away.

Enough crazy for the day, right?

If only Claire had noticed that after the explosion, there was some drops of another liquid swimming on top of her coffee, and didn’t finish it, her life and her wouldn’t have taken such drastic changes.