Page 18 of Spearcrest Knight

IleaveEvan’shousejittering with a mixture of fear and triumph. All in all, I handled myself as well as I could have. I entered the enemy’s lair and got out not only unscathed but with something I wanted.

Getting two afternoons away from school a week is exactly the chance I needed. Evan’s house is on the outskirts of Fernwell. If I manage to find a job there, I could begin saving money.

A complete win-win for me: getting away from Evan and getting a job. Two birds, one stone.

My instinct leads me to the café where I saw theNow Hiringsign during the holidays. It's very quiet now half-term is over. Inside, it’s warm and cosy, with big felt armchairs and lots of plants. Soft jazz and the smell of coffee and pastries mingle in the warm air.

A girl about my age is standing behind the counter, a cup of tea in one hand, her phone in the other. She has brown hair dyed purple at the ends, and delicate piercings all along her ears.

When I approach the counter, she looks up with a polite smile.

“Oh, hi! What can I get you?”

“I’m here because of the sign?” I point, a little awkwardly, to the sign still stuck to the window.

“Oh!” she says again. “One sec.” She walks to the door behind the counter and pops her head in to call out, “Freddy!”

A boy a couple of years older than me appears, carrying a box of coffee filters. He looks like the male version of the girl, with soft brown hair and grey eyes, piercings in his ears and a big woolly jumper. I can’t remember the last time I met a boy who doesn’t go to Spearcrest, a boy who’s normal and nice, and my heart skips a beat when he looks up with a smile.

“Hi! How can I help?”

“She’s here about the job,” the girl says, hopping up to perch herself on the counter behind her.

“Oh, right,” Freddy puts the box down and pulls a notepad out of his back pocket, a pen stuck in the coil. “The job you’d be applying for is actually Jess’s job,” he points at the girl. “She needs to drop her hours to focus on her studies, so we just need someone to fill in for her.”

“I can only do Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, and maybe school holidays,” I say with a wince.

It feels rude to be applying for a job and already making demands, but I don’t have a choice. Freddy doesn't seem fazed at all though, just casts a questioning look towards the girl—Jess. She shrugs. “Sure, whatever, I could make that work.”

“Do you have any work experience?” Freddy asks me.

“No,” I admit. I hesitate, but something about his friendly smile and soft grey eyes feels trustworthy. “I’m not really allowed to apply for a job.”

Freddy frowns. “How old are you?”

“Almost eighteen!” I say quickly. “But I go to… the school I go to doesn't allow students to get jobs.”

Jess narrows her eyes. “You go to Spearcrest?”

“Only because my parents work there” I hurry to explain. “I’m not… uh, I definitely could do with a job.”

For some reason, I am completely embarrassed: embarrassed I go to Spearcrest, embarrassed I’m not rich, embarrassed I’ve never had a job.

“Well, it’s not like this job is rocket science,” Jess says to Freddy. She turns back to me. “I could teach you how to make coffee and work the till, but apart from that, there’s nothing much to it.”

“I’m a fast learner,” I say quickly.

Freddy is smiling—not smirking or sneering. He’s genuinely, openly smiling—something the boys at Spearcrest are far too cool to do.

“We could give it a go, couldn’t we?” I can’t tell whether he’s speaking to me or Jess, but we both nod. “Why don’t we start Thursday? Come in and Jess will show you the ropes, then you can see how you feel about the job.”

I nod, flooded with relief. It’s hard to believe my mission is going so well, that things are going so smoothly for me.

“I would love that,” I say, smiling back at him. “Thank you so much.”

“Don’t be so quick to thank us,” Jess says. “The pay is shit.”

“Jess!” Freddy exclaims, more amused than scandalised. “She’s not wrong,” he says to me. “We’re not exactly raking it in over here, so we’re all pretty much on minimum wage.”

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