1483 minutes before the incident

"Here is your order. And $3.42 is your change." I smiled, handing the lady in her car her bag. She took it, filing the change into her cup holder and sped off. Sweeping my hair to the side, I looked down at my shirt and name tag.

Ambris Agari, Starbucks employee.

I know. It's not the most glamorous job, but I get money and I also get to do the whipped cream on top of the orders, which just so happens to be the most satisfying thing in the world.

"5 minutes until my break." I sighed to the worker next to me, swirling creamy foam on top of another latte. A red Sudan pulled up and handed me the change as I passed their order on. "Have a nice day and thank you for choosing Starbucks as your coffee destination." I smiled as enthusiastically as I could. A few minutes passed and I smiled in delight.

"Which car are we taking?" I asked Darren as he held his keys in his mouth, busying his hands by unattaching his visor.

"Mine." Mindi beamed, her short brown hair bouncing around her. We checked out and piled into her Mini Cooper, me and Darren in the back. These were my other two best friends, especially in work. Darren was very tall, brown hair layering around his sculpted face and long eyelashes framing his brown eyes. He was pretty lanky but still well built. Oh, and he was also owned the largest collection of Pokemon cards in Nevada although he would never admit it to anyone but me and Mindi.

"Where would you guys like to go?" Mindi smiled, her warmth spreading throughout the entire car. She was a short girl 5'2" I had guessed, with short brown hair that reached her shoulders. She had bright brown eyes and was always smiling. Like, literally always.

"Pizzzzzzzzzza hut!" Darren exaggerated, leaning forward to meet Mindis eyes. He leaned back again, drumming a complex to set of notes on the passenger seat headrest. Mindi took a sharp turn and turned up the radio.

The three of us had made a kind of pact that we would never order from Starbucks. So instead, we would stop by a Valero everyday on break and get drinks of our own. Darren usually drank blue Monsters, for Mindi, Diet Mountain Dew (which jazzed her up so much you wouldn't believe me if I explained it to you) and I usually was the one to get Arizona Ice Tea. The Iced Tea of gods, if you may.

"So, Darren, the new intern girl, huh?" I joked, making fake flirtatious eyes. Mindi laughed from the front and Darren buried his head in his hands. "Hi Karen." I imitated, a funny look on my face. "You're new right? Well I'm Darren and-" I threw my hands forward in imitation as I recalled the event. Earlier today, this new intern girl, Karen came in and Darren was supposed to show her around but he was in the midst of making a frappe and spilled it all over her.

"Don't talk about it." He retched, a smile on his face. Mindi laughed once more, both hands gripping the steering wheel to death.

She was a very anxious driver and usually never spoke in the car but this time she added in. "Bet your Charizard can't fix this one."

"You're never gonna get a girlfriend if you spill coffee on her as a first impression." I advised.

"It was simply an accident." He explained.

"Ohhhh, right. Like how I accidentally just poked you in the ribs." I laughed, sticking a finger in his side and making him jump.

"And how I accidently just passed by Pizza Hut and accidentally pulled into Subway." Mindi played along, stopping the car in a parking space.

"Wha-?" Darren threw his hands out, his mouth wide.

"You need to eat healthy!" Mindi instructed, unfolding herself out of the car.

"As if he's not skinny enough." I chuckled.

"What happened to Pizza Hut on Thursdays?" Darren protested, climbing out of the car with me and Mindi.

"You could eat pizza everyday. Don't act like you don't get it after work." I shot back, revealing his secret that he tried to keep from us.

He sighed and bowed his head, sliding his hands in his pockets as we walked in together.

A man with a black hoodie ran into me, mumbling an excuse for an apology as he stumbled out of the door. I looked back at him in confusion and disgust that a stranger would run over someone like that. Our eyes met for a second but I couldn't see much, just his eyes. They were a deep brown, vibrant and completely compelling. They caught my attention in a powerfully irresistible way but he soon broke the stare. I furrowed my eyebrows and Darren grabbed my elbow. "You okay?"

I twirled my hair around my finger, trying to snap myself out of the trance I was caught up in. "Yeah.... Yeah."

Mindi began to order at the front, asking me what I wanted but I just shrugged it off. I wasn't that hungry anyways. They got their orders and we sat at a little table.

"And then, like in the dream I start to like, fall, but I'm falling in like, slow motion." Mindi was definitely one for "likes" and when she got excited, she just couldn't stop. Then, suddenly, I got this gut feeling like I should go home. Like something was happening. The memory of the dream sparked me in a weird way and I panicked. "I gotta go guys." I rushed, grabbing my belongings and wrapping my jacket around my shoulders.

"I don't think you should leave." Darren suggested. "Maybe you could order something to eat..?" I knew what Darren was talking about. Occasionally, I had these spells that made me want to starve myself. I couldn't explain. Partly, it was because of how I felt about my body image, even though everyone said I was straight board skinny. Darren and Naomi were the only ones who knew about it. I couldn't bear for Mindi to know, such a sweet thing.

Mindi gave me a cautious look, stopping her talking/eating charade and just staring at me. It was like she could read my mind, thinking about my long kept secret.

But no. This time, it was not that. It was only that gut wrenching feeling in the pit of my stomach. Go home go home go home.

I mumbled something to them that I even I couldn't understand and rushed out of the door, quickly hailing a pink taxi. I paid him in advance to drive me home and climbed into the back seat in the safety of my thoughts and the sound of my steady breathing. A few minutes in, my phone went off in my hands.

Naomi

Come to my house 2night ;)

Mindi

Are you okay?? We're really worried about you! What about work?

Darren

Stay safe Ambris. Nothing stupid. I'll drive your car to your house later.

I dropped my phone back into my lap and sighed. The car ride was soon over and I grabbed my stuff, approaching my condo. Marcus was sitting outside in a tree, staring at me with a weird look. What was up with everybody?! I slammed the door and wrapped myself up in a ball, controlling my breathing. I was home. I was okay. Everything would be okay. But that feeling still tugged at me. The feeling like the dream was more than I had cut it out to be.