Parallel love đ 23
Parallel love đ
Crushing the crushes đ
Chapter 23
Pearl stared at the mirror, adjusting her collar. Her first ever job interview. A part-time waitress at a small cafĂ© near campus. She wasn't nervous, not reallyâjust⊠tense. Bills were starting to stack up, and her savings were drying up faster than she imagined.
"Don't embarrass yourself," she muttered to herself and grabbed her bag.
The interview wasn't bad. The manager, a soft-spoken woman named Mrs. Lydia, asked basic questionsâavailability, experience (which Pearl had none of), and willingness to work weekends. Pearl nodded eagerly to everything. She didn't care about the long hoursâshe needed this job.
By the time she walked out with an "You start tomorrow," her feet barely touched the ground.
*The next day*
Her first shift was brutal.
"Table 5 needs water!"
"Order up! Don't let it sit there!"
"Pearl, you gave them the wrong drink!"
"*Where's the fries for table 2?! Don't let it die in the window!*"
"*Pearl! Wrong drinkâagain! That was a virgin mojito, not a margarita!*"
It was chaos. Hot plates. Slippery floors. Angry customers. Barking cooks. Her apron strings wouldn't stay tied. A baby cried every time she walked past. Her sneakers were soaked in something sticky by 4 p.m., and her name had turned into a punchline by 5.
Someone bumped her. Someone else snapped. Her hands trembled as she scribbled orders, her smile stretched tight like a rubber band about to snap.
By the time she stumbled into her hostel room that night, her legs wobbled like spaghetti. Her back screamed like it was in flames. And the moment the door clicked shut behind her, she collapsed onto the bed, face first. All she wanted to do was cry. But she smiled.
"I'm not giving up," she whispered.
She didn't know waitressing could be *this* hard.
Her arms ached from carrying trays too heavy for one person. Her feet throbbed like they'd walked across gravel. Every customer had a different toneâimpatient, entitled, dismissive. And the smilesâGod, the fake *smiles*. Holding them for eight hours felt more painful than any shift she'd done at the factory.
The factory. That was chaos, sure. But at least machines didn't yell at you. They didn't whistle when you bent to pick something or snap their fingers like you were invisible.
Still, thinking about the factory tugged at something deeper.
*Bryan.*
She hadn't heard from him in days.
Not a call. Not a text. Not even a memeâthe bare minimum. Was he that busy? Or just... done?
*Why do I even care?* she asked herself bitterly, flopping onto the squeaky hostel mattress. *If I cared, I wouldn't have kissed Jason.*
Her stomach turned.
No. She didn't kiss Jason.
Jason kissed *her*.
She told herself that again, like a spell that might make it disappear. She hadn't planned it. It justâhappened. A moment, too close, too charged, and thenâ
Ugh.
She buried her face in the pillow, groaning.
*Let it go. Just sleep. Today was already too much.*
And with that, Pearl closed her eyes, pushing away thoughts of Bryan, Jason, and the tray she nearly dropped on someone's lap.
Tomorrow, she'd figure it out.
But tonight⊠she just needed silence.
***
The campus courtyard felt different that middayâshadows longer, students more hurried, the chatter gentler somehow. Pearl arrived early for her practical lab, carrying her notebook and backpack with purpose. She spotted Kelly already seated on a bench under the eucalyptus tree, sunglasses pushed up on her head, scrolling through her phone.
"Hey," Kelly greeted without looking up.
"Hey," Pearl smiled, dropping her bag beside her. "Early today?"
Kelly shrugged, flipping a strand of hair behind her ear. "Had time. Wanted to check this thing out." She held up her phone and showed Pearl a flyer: *Campus Film Festival â Action night this Friday*.
Pearl nodded. "Sounds fun. You going?"
Kelly's lips curved. "Wouldn't miss it."
As they chatted, Frederick appeared, carrying a stack of yoga mats and a water bottle slung over his shoulder.
"Alright," he said, setting down the mats near a picnic table. "Who needs to stretch out the leftover frustration from Monday's lab practically bombing?"
Kelly smirked. "I know someone whose frustration could fill the whole field."
Frederick raised his brows. "You?"
"Maybe," she teased.
Pearl glanced at them and said nothing just pulled a mat out, kneeling beside them.
Frederick unrolled his own mat with a flourish and said, "You joining in, Kelly?"
Kelly glanced at Pearl, then at Frederick. "Maybe. I'll do the warmâups." She settled on the mat and began stretching.
Frederick leaned toward Kelly, voice low. "You good with the new schedule?"
Kelly sipped the shake and nodded. "Yeah. I meanâbalance, you said? I'm trying."
Frederick's thumb traced the rim of his cup. "Cool. If you ever need helpânotes, extra labsâlet me know."
Kelly looked into his eyes, something soft in them. "Thanks."
Pearl watched silently.
Emily joined them then, excited. *"Guys! The film festival flyer is outâit's action on full blast. We should go Friday. Kelly, you in?"*
Kelly smiled, "Definitely." She looked at Frederick. "You too?"
Frederick hesitated. Then grinned. "Wouldn't miss it."
Everyone cheered.
That evening, Pearl headed back to her apartment. The new place felt peaceful under the moonlight. She sat at her desk, books open, but her mind wandered. She thought about Kelly and Frederick's look, how Kelly's laughter sounded lighter around him, how Frederick's smile softened when Kelly spoke.
She didn't judge it. She just observed.