Far From a Fairytale

Chapter One~ Oh, the Things we do for Friendship

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 💎 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

It was late at night in deep downtown, Queens Valley. Kareena Acharya was resting on her small blue-corduroy couch, her short and curvy body fit the couch cushions to a tee-making it the perfect spot to rest after finishing school at Queens Valley Secondary School. Currently, she was waiting for her shift at a nearby cafe, I dream of Tea.

Laying on her side was the moment that she realized how tired she was. Eyes instinctively closing, she used all her energy to keep them open.

It should be okay if I take a quick cat nap, right? Right.

Successfully convincing herself that she could do it, Kareena shifted trying to get more comfortable. Flat on her back, she looked up at the cracks on the ceiling that belonged to the broken-down, two-floor, constant power outage having, practically falling apart, danger-to-all-the-residents-inside apartment she and her older sister, Samara Acharya, called home.

Sleeping peacefully on the couch, Kareena was awoken by the buzzing sound in her ear and something vibrating against her head. Groaning she flipped over to realize she fell asleep on her, now ringing, phone.

Tirelessly, she reached to answer it. Holding it close to her ear, she didn't need to see the contact to recognize who was calling her. The cocky voice said it all. "You sound disgusting, what's wrong with ya?" Zion Heathton asked. Best friends since kindergarten, Kareena had gotten used to the voice and lack of sensitivity

"Oh it's nothing really, I guess I'm just tired. Work and school are kicking my butt." She groggily answered.

Slowly slipping back into her coma as Zion told her about his day-or rather the new girl he had met that day-he was cut off by Kareena's phone going off once more.

This time it was an alarm.

"By the way do you-"

Before he could get to the whole point of why he was calling, Kareena had cut him short. "I'm really sorry, Zion, I've got to get going, we'll talk later, okay? Love you." She said in one quick breath before hanging up the phone, not bothering to wait for a response.

Grabbing her worn-out, cloth, pink tote bag that had the words 'Work. Read. Repeat!' written in bright gold letters-words that practically described her mediocre life-she rushed out the door.

Running down the streets as the sky was darkening, Kareena was out of breath but she had made it right on time, to start her final job of the night- she was a waitress at a small twenty-four-hour tea shop.

As she entered she was greeted by her one and only girl friend, Nastasia Petrov. "Hello Kari, are you ready for the night shift?" She asked, her heavy Russian accent flowing through.

For four to five nights a week and whenever they were called in, Nastasia and Kareena worked the nine to three night shift together, since it was the only time they were available.

"Yeah, I am!" Kareena smiled brightly at Nastasia's excitement as she went behind the counter and high-fived the cheery blonde girl before walking through the back doors to grab an apron.

Throwing on the long maroon apron she went back out to wait tables, greeting every customer with her signature smile.

"Hi, how can I help you today?"

It never mattered if Kareena was tired, sad, or upset; she always found comfort at work, no matter which one. It was something about the friends, atmosphere, and meeting new people. However she was feeling, she was able to pack it up, put it aside, and deal with it later.