The sun had just begun to rise, a pale strip of light cutting through the room. It did nothing to warm the apartment. The cold clung to her skin, sharp and biting, the thin quilt useless against it. She had forgotten to pull the curtain the night before, and now the light spilled freely across the room, cruel in how bright it felt against the chill.
Jujube lay still, staring at the ceiling, arms tucked close to her body.
Then the door shook.
A heavy slam echoed through the apartment.
Her body jolted violently, breath ripping out of her chest as she shot upright. Her heart slammed so hard it hurt. For a moment, she couldn't move. Couldn't think. The sound lingered in her ears, loud and endless, her muscles locked in place as if waiting for the next blow.
Another bang hit the door.
"Open the door!"
Sue's voice cut through the morning.
Jujube swallowed hard. Her hands were shaking. Every knock sent a sharp jolt through her chest, her breathing turning shallow and uneven. She pressed her feet to the floor, forcing herself to stand even though her legs felt weak.
The banging didn't stop.
She crossed the room slowly, each step heavy, dread pooling low in her stomach. When she finally reached the door, her hand hovered over the handle for a long second before she turned it.
Sue stood there in a pink jacket, gray hair neatly combed, her face tight with irritation. Behind her loomed a large man, broad shouldered and silent, his presence filling the narrow hallway. He didn't speak. He didn't need to.
Jujube's throat went dry.
"Where is my money?" Sue demanded.
Jujube dropped her gaze, fingers curling into her sleeves. "I'm a little short," she said quietly. "Just for now. I get paid soon and I—"
"That is not my problem," Sue snapped. "If you can't pay today, you need to leave."
Panic surged through her chest. "Please," Jujube said, the word tumbling out of her. "Please don't kick me out. I don't have anywhere else to go."
Sue's expression didn't change.
"There is another party interested in this apartment," she said briskly. "They'll be coming to see it soon. You should pack your things and be gone."
She turned to leave.
"No— wait," Jujube said, rushing forward and grabbing her sleeve without thinking. "Please, just give me one more week. I promise I'll have the money."
The man behind Sue moved instantly.
He grabbed Jujube's arm and yanked her back. She stumbled and lost her balance, hitting the floor hard. The impact knocked the breath from her lungs.
"I'll pay," she gasped, scrambling upright. "I swear I will. Just one more week. Please."
Sue looked down at her, unmoved.
"I can't help you," she said flatly. "I have my own dues to pay. If I don't, I'll be in trouble too."
Her eyes flicked briefly to the man beside her.
Then she turned away and walked down the hall, heels clicking sharply against the floor.
-
Jujube stood behind the counter, taking orders without really hearing them. Her fingers moved on their own, tapping buttons, printing receipts. Her knees throbbed, a dull ache that refused to fade, and her shoulder burned every time she lifted her arm, like it had been wrenched slightly out of place.
"One Americano and one matcha," the woman said.
Jujube nodded. "That'll be sixteen dollars." She didn't look up as the card was handed over.
Where am I supposed to go now? the thought crept in as she turned toward the back, hands moving on muscle memory while the machine hissed and steamed.
She set the drinks on the counter. The woman took them and left. The bell above the door rang again. Jujube glanced up. A couple stepped inside.
The girl was tall, polished, the kind of pretty that looked effortless but clearly wasn't. Her hair fell perfectly down her back, shiny like she had just stepped out of a salon. The man beside her made Jujube pause for half a second longer than she meant to.
He was tall too. Broad shouldered. Dressed head to toe in something expensive enough that it didn't need logos to announce itself.
Something about him felt familiar. It was his eyes.
Green. Sharp. Uncomfortably so.
She dropped her gaze, but not fast enough.
"Why did you bring me to a place like this?" the man said, his tone lazy and unimpressed. He brushed his fingers against the small vase of flowers on the counter like it offended him. "It's… depressing." Jujube stiffened.
"Oh my god," the girl laughed softly, looping her arm through his. "Trust me. Their strawberry cheesecake is to die for. My treat." Her voice was sweet. Practiced.
The man sighed and leaned back against the counter, already bored, pulling out his phone. "Whatever."
The girl wandered off to look at the pastries.
Jujube glanced over again, this time catching the man's back. His phone screen was bright, tilted just enough for her to see. He scrolled through pictures of another girl. Not the one standing ten feet away. Someone different. Someone clearly aware of how good she looked.
He liked a photo. Then slid straight into the messages. Jujube felt something twist in her stomach. "What a playboy," she muttered, barely louder than a breath. The man's head snapped up. He turned, eyes locking onto hers with unsettling precision. "Did you say something?"
Her heart skipped. She shook her head immediately. "Nothing."
He studied her for a second longer than necessary, lips tugging into something that wasn't quite a smile. Then he turned back to his phone.
Jujube looked down at the counter, hands curling into fists, wishing the bell above the door would ring again and make them disappear.
"Jujube?"
She turned.
One of her coworkers stood near the back door, arms crossed, eyes sharp. "Is that your luggage in the employee room?"
Jujube's stomach dropped. She nodded, already knowing where this was going.
"You're not planning on staying here for the night, are you?" the girl asked, loud enough that a few heads turned.
Jujube felt the heat crawl up her neck. She met her coworker's eyes anyway. "No," she said flatly.
She wasn't embarrassed. Not really. Lilith did this on purpose. She always had.
Lilith smiled like she'd just made an innocent joke, but there was something mean sitting behind it. They were in the same program, the same semester. Same classes. And Jujube scored better. Every time. It ate at Lilith in ways she never bothered to hide. So whenever she found a way to humiliate Jujube she would use it to it's fullest.
Lilith's attention suddenly shifted.
Her eyes widened when she noticed the man leaning against the counter.
"Oh my god," she gasped, covering her mouth as if she was the one caught off guard. "I can't believe it's you."
The man looked up slowly. "Do I know you?"
Lilith stepped closer, nearly pushing Jujube aside in the process. Jujube stumbled back a step, then straightened, jaw tightening.
"We were in the same course last semester," Lilith said quickly. "I'm Lilith." She held her hand out so he could take it.
The girl with him approached the counter then, eyes flicking between them.
"Excuse me?" she said sharply. "Could you stop throwing yourself at my boyfriend?"
Lilith froze, her smile cracking.
"What kind of desperate woman goes after a taken guy?" the girl continued, Jujube glanced at him. She looked away again. It wasn't her business. And she wasn't in a position to care about anyone else's relationship drama when she didn't even know where she'd be sleeping tonight.
"Leave it, Melody," Kingston said, tugging the girl gently back by the arm. "Let's go." he didn't want to waste his breath on the poor people.
"No," Melody snapped. "I'm here. I want my cheesecake." Lilith, clearly rattled, turned stiffly toward the display to get it.
"You," Melody said suddenly, pointing at Jujube. "Get me one of your strawberry cheesecakes."
Jujube nodded and went to pack it. Lilith shot her a look full of quiet resentment before stepping aside. "That'll be fifteen dollars," Jujube said, setting the box on the counter.
Melody dug through her bag, frowned, then pulled out a hundred and slid it across. "Keep the change." She smiled briefly at Jujube before looping her arm through Kingston's and walking out with him. Jujube stood there, the bill still warm beneath her fingers, watching the door swing shut. For a moment, no one said anything.
Then Lilith exhaled sharply, already finding a new reason to be annoyed.
Jujube slipped the money into her pocket, fingers curling tight around it, already counting in her head. Eighty five dollars. Maybe a few days. A week if she stretched it hard enough. Her lips pressed together as Lilith's words replayed in her mind, sharp and smug. Only then did it click. She had seen him before. A few classes here and there. Same halls. Same campus. Which meant he was either living on family money or scraping by on scholarships like she was. One glance told her the truth. His clothes were clean and expensive, his posture careless in a way only money allowed. He was not struggling.