"No—no, no." The words slipped out the second she saw it. The missing dog.
Her stomach dropped. Jujube spun around, eyes scanning the street. Her hand went straight into her hair, Her fingers curled around her strands ready to pluck her own hair out in frustration. "How did you even get loose?" she whispered, The with shaky hands she untied the other dogs and then tightened her grip on the other two leashes. Her chest started to feel tight, like someone had pressed a palm there and refused to move.
"God, I am going to get fired. I should not have left them here. It was just two minutes. Two."
She walked the other dogs with her as she rushed one way, then the other, looking down the narrow street, then back toward the library steps.
"Snowflake?" she called, voice already breaking. "Snowflake, come here. "
Nothing. She hurried toward a couple standing near a shop. "Sorry, have you seen a small poodle? He was just here." she pointed at the stairway.
They barely looked at her. One shook their head. The other walked past. Her steps quickened. She checked behind parked cars, crouched to look under them, called his name again and again. The other dogs grew restless, tugging on their leashes as she pulled them along.
"Snowflake," she called louder now. "Please."
She pushed aside bushes, scanned doorways, her breathing turning uneven. Her chest tightened further, the air feeling thin. This cannot be happening. This cannot be happening.
Her hair tie snapped as she rushed forward, the elastic giving out without warning. Her hair spilled loose around her face, sticking to her cheeks as she ran.
Then she heard it. A soft bark coming from the side street. Jujube froze for half a second, she felt like her lifeline had been restored, then bolted toward the sound.
She turned the corner and stopped short. A man was crouched near the curb, one knee bent, the other foot flat on the ground. Snowflake sat beside him, tail wagging like nothing had happened. The leash was wrapped loosely around the man's fingers.
He was speaking softly to the dog, his voice low and warm. "Are you lost, little one?" Jujube's breath left her all at once. She hurried toward them, steps uneven, heart still racing. Her hair was a mess, strands falling into her eyes, her face flushed.
"Thank you," she said breathlessly. "Thank you so much for holding onto him."
The man looked up. His dark eyes met hers and stayed there, For a moment, he just stared, like he had forgotten what he was supposed to do next. Like she had startled him in some quiet way. His expression shifted, surprise flashing across his face before he smoothed it out.
He stood slowly, still holding the leash, then extended his other hand towards her mindlessly. "Ryan Hart."
Jujube smiled, and gave him a small nod. "Jujube." she said in a small relieved voice, SHe quickly shook his hand and started to pull it away but Ryan held onto it and then flinched before letting it go. "Oh I am extremely sorry." HE said in embarrassed voice.
"Oh its fine." she shook her head and then held out her hand once again asking for the leash and he did give it to her. "Then see you around i guess." She was about to leave when his voice stopped her.
"Are you new around here?" She blinked. "Huh?" she turned around again.
"I mean, I have not seen you before," he said, almost carefully.
"Oh," she replied. "No. I have been here for a while." "Oh." He paused, then added, "I guess I missed you." She tilted her head, a little confused by the way he was looking at her. Like he was trying very hard not to look too much. She gave a small laugh. "I have not seen you either. You must be new."
He laughed then, soft and genuine, lines forming at the corners of his eyes, making him look unexpectedly warm. "Maybe I am."
For a brief second, they just stood there. Two strangers. Awkward. Quiet. A little unsure of where to place their hands or their eyes.
Snowflake barked once, breaking the moment.
Jujube smiled again, steadier this time. "I have to take them back to the daycare. Bye." she said softly and Ryan breathed in a heavy breath and nodded. "See you around then." he said reluctantly.
--
The last table Jujube wiped marked the end of her shift.
Her hands kept moving even though her mind was nowhere near the bar anymore. She still had no idea where she was going to sleep tonight. That thought sat heavy in her chest, dull and constant, like it had been there all day and simply refused to leave.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket.
She froze for a second, then pulled it out. An email. Academic Year Commencement.
She opened it and let out a slow breath, nodding faintly to herself. So it was really starting. Two days. In two days, the new academic year would begin.
The email was polite. Warm. Full of welcome and encouragement.
She knew better.
That kindness was meant for students who arrived with their parents, with suitcases and support and safety nets. Students who never had to count coins before buying food. People like her were invisible here. Scholarship students were praised on paper and ignored in practice. Expected to be grateful. Expected to survive quietly.
Still, she stayed. "Westbridge Hall" The name alone carried weight. A place people whispered about. A place where almost everyone who graduated went somewhere better. The acceptance rate into top universities after finishing here was high enough that it felt unreal. If she could just hold on. If she could ace everything. If she could endure a little longer.
She could leave.
She could go abroad on a full scholarship and finally step away from this town. Away from streets that made her feel watched. Away from the past she kept trying to outrun, and the present that seemed determined to corner her.
She stared at the email for a moment longer, then locked her phone and slipped it back into her pocket. Without pausing, she picked up the cloth again and went back to cleaning. Soon she was done.
Jujube dragged the trash bags out through the back door of the club, her luggage bumping along behind her. The alley smelled sour and damp. She stopped by the dumpster, flipped open the filthy lid, and used her knee to shove the heavy bag up and over the edge. It dropped inside with a dull thud. She brushed her hands together, wiped them on her jeans, then reached for her luggage. That was when she saw them.
A couple pressed against the hood of a car, blocking the narrow path out. The man had the girl pinned there, hands firm at her waist, his mouth crushing hers without pause. The girl made soft sounds into his mouth, fingers curled into his jacket.
Jujube slowed, then tried to pass quietly. Her eyes flicked up by accident and she froze.
It was him. Kingston. The guy wiht Melody the pretty cheesecake girl, he had the same expensive clothes, the same careless way he held himself like the world bent around him. The girl with him was not Melody. Not even close. Different hair, different build, a face she barely caught before looking away.
Her mouth twisted slightly. "I feel bad for Melody, Such trash boyfriend." she grumbled and shook her head and tugged her luggage harder, just wanting to be gone. That was when Kingston's head snapped toward her. just like he had done this morning when she had called him a playboy under her breath Her breath caught painfully in her throat.'Did he hear that?'
Her grip tightened on the handle and she forced her legs to move, dragging the bag past them. She did not look back. She walked fast. Too fast.
At the first corner, she took a turn she never took, just to break his line of sight. The street she ended up on felt wrong right away. Narrow. Quiet. The sun had already slipped away, leaving behind flickering streetlights that buzzed softly overhead.
Her steps slowed but did not stop. "Where am I going? Gosh what will i do?" A sour feeling grew in her heart and Then she heard a sound instantly making her snap her neck towards the sound, It felt like in the moment the sound was made only for her.
Low and hollow, ringing somewhere ahead.
She waited for a moment as the ringing continued and then like she had been bewitched she followed the sound, pulling her luggage along until the street opened into a secluded stretch where a tall, church like building stood behind black iron gates. The bell at the top swayed in the wind, ringing on its own. It seemed like a church but it had no cross on the top and she didn't notice that in the dark neither she seemed to care.
She had never seen this place before. Never heard of it either.
The gate was slightly open. She squeezed her luggage through the gap and followed the stone path up to the doors. They were closed, heavy looking, but when she pushed, they swung open easily. Too easily. The door slammed against the wall making a loud slamming sound scaring her beyond her wits.
Jujube clapped a hand over her mouth, heart jumping into her throat. She stood there for a second, frozen, then whispered, "Sorry! i didn't mean to do that." she gave an apology and then stepped into the building. "Hello? Is anyone here?" she called out as loudly as she could but no answer.
Inside was a wide hall lined with benches. Neat and minimalistic, No statues or candles in sight, like she had seen in movies because she had never been into an actual church before. The place was awfully still, as if no one had ever been in there before. "This place is pretty neat for an abandoned church i would say." she shrugged her shoulder and felt a little confident now that she had made sure she was alone in here.
She pulled her luggage inside, tucked it into a corner, and chose a bench near the front rows where she would not be seen right away if someone came in. From her bag, she took out a thin blanket and spread it beneath her before sitting down.
The calm settled slowly. She looked around once more, then tilted her head back and let out a tired breath.
"I think this is the first time you've done something for me," she said softly, staring at nothing. "Not that I'm suddenly a believer or anything."
Her lips curved faintly, tired and bitter. "But I'll give you credit for this one."