Chapter one

A Chapter by Darcy

please give feedback its my first go at writing a novel and i really want it to go well

A quiet coffee shop sits on the corner of two little streets and outside that coffee shop sits

three bicycles chained to one green, metal pole. Behind those bicycles are five chairs and two tables and behind them are two doors that open to the bitter scent of coffee and rain, and somewhere hidden in the vicinity of take-away cups and soggy boots sits one young girl and this is where our story begins.

It had been seven years since that young girl sat in that coffee shop and waited for her mother to return, it has been seven years of hardship, of swapping between families, nice ones, rude ones and ones only in it for the benefit and finally she is free. Where did she go first once she is let go by her last family? She went to the same coffee shop that left her without anything but a pocketful of cash and a kiss on the cheek. She wrapped her hands around the mug and let it's warmth climb through her veins and slightly burn the tips of her fingers, she wondered to herself why did I come here? She supposed that she must begin her new journey where she began her last and that means that instead of a hot chocolate in a paper cup, she must grip the overheated ceramic of a coffee mug. She sat in the window seat and looked across at the street and the people with umbrellas protecting their expensive suits as they run across the road. She wore her favourite jumper, it's a green knit and it hug her body in a way that made her feel beautiful, she pulled at the sleeves and let them prevent her palms from getting too hot. Her raincoat leaned over the wooden chair that she sat in seven years ago and allowed it to drip onto the floorboards creating a slight puddle at her heels that are crossed under her seat. At last something has gone right she thought to herself as she pulled the coffee closer to her pale pink lips.

There were only about three other people in the cafe; an old man who clutched a cappuccino close to his chin, a business woman who had her laptop out taking advantage of the free wifi and a boy about eighteen years old who stared blankly at a newspaper. He looked over obviously feeling the stare of the girl near the window in the side of his head and she quickly looked away avoiding eye contact. She didn't want to talk to anyone today, this was her day, it was her time to be free, it was her choice if she wants to talk to someone and it was her decisions that will decide her future not a government agency or foster family. She continued with her coffee and nostalgia as she pulled out her chocolate curls from a ponytail, in the reflection of her phone she wiped away the smudged marks of mascara from under her eyes. In the back of her mind she recalled her mother saying her last goodbye.

The little girl sat in the window seat opposite her mother who stroked her curly red hair as she finished her latte, the little girl tapped her foot on the edge of the chair to a tune that she sung quietly in her head. The mother pulled her scarf from the back of her chair and wrapped it around her neck twice and stared at her daughter square in the eyes, she showed some form of emotion but the little girl couldn't quite pin it down, her eyes were somewhere between pity and apprehension, the only word that would've given the mother's emotions justice at the time would have been 'numb'. She wrapped a bronze lock around her finger and let it go as she stood away from her chair and walked over to the young child and knelt onto one knee. "Katherine, I'm going to go outside for a little while okay" Her voice quivered a little but nothing seemed much out of the ordinary, she often went outside for a cigarette. "You're the most beautiful girl, you know that right?" she said gently as she leaned forward and kissed her daughter on the cheek, her hand lingered on her jaw line for a second longer than expected as if she was admiring the stunning beauty of a porcelain doll. Her long legs and black boots tip toed out of the coffee shop and that was the last time that she was seen.

Kat stepped out of her trance and realised that small droplets of tears were forming at the corners of her eyes. She never cried, not since she was younger because every time she let her emotions overcome her she felt weak, weak in her eyes, her head, her knees and with each teardrop that splatted onto her cheeks came an avalanche of guilt. No, she never wanted to be like her mother, she didn't want to be weak, she didn't want to be the one who leaves when it gets too hard.

She wiped away the salty liquid with the tip of her sweater sleeve and moved on, it wasn't quite that easy but there aren't many words that could describe how she moved on, it's easier just to point out that she did. After she drained her coffee of every last bitter drop she finally looked back over her shoulder to take in the scenery of this significant coffee shop once more before she moved on, hopefully forever. She found that the old man and the business woman had moved on and were replaced by a conventionally beautiful couple and a staff member on a break, the boy from before was still there and to Kat's surprise he was staring straight back at her. It wasn't one of those typical movie scenes where they both caught each others eye and the rest fell into play, no the boy turned his head away in one swift shy movement and she did the same.

It wasn't until just before she was about to leave that he made contact with her, she was packing her umbrella into her handbag when a waitress came around with another mug filled with the same toasty warm drink as she just finished. She had a slight smirk on her face as if she was planning some sort of trick but it wasn't the rude and painful smirk that Kat's bullies wore before the pulled her hair, no the waitress was smiling because she was happy. "sorry, I didn't order this" Kat said politely and pushed the coffee across the table towards the waitress, "Oh, i know you didn't but he did, it's for you" we simultaneously looked over our shoulders at the black haired boy who wore the same shy smirk as the waitress. He wore a long, blue knitted cardigan over a white long sleeved tee with blue jeans, his hair was crinkly and almost bouffant as his curls lifted slightly above his forehead, he walked slowly over to her table.

She sort of expected some half witted comment that would tag along with his coffee but all he said was "hello", she didn't reply straight away in fact she just stared at him for a few seconds trying to think of something of substance to say back but all she could suffice was "hi". It seemed not only cheesy but also quite stupid to Kat, boys didn't buy girls coffee's with tiny scotch biscuits on the side, they got girls vodka at night clubs. She felt horribly awkward but she brushed it away when am i ever going to get this chance again? She thought to herself, She didn't think she was ugly or anti-social but she never really seemed to mesh with other people or boys for that matter.

"That's what you drink right?" he stuttered as he sat down on the opposite chair, "yeah thanks" she laughed "I'm Katherine" without thinking she threw her hand out in a completely platonic manner and felt so stupid after, who shakes hands when getting flirted with? "Katherine, that's a pretty name i don't think I've ever met anyone with that name" he met her eyes with curiosity. "Well, everyone just calls me Kat i guess you can too if you like" Their eye contact broke suddenly, she wasn't one to look directly in someones eyes instead she sipped on her coffee. "Okay Kat, how much time do you have to spend with me?" the suggestion was so strong it completely startled Kat, she had to stop and think about it and then she realized there was no need to because she was free. "All the time in the world" she giggled because she literally did, there was no school to attend and there were no 'parents' waiting for her return this idea of freedom obviously lifted up her cheeks. "you have a pretty smile" he said grinning back at her but then he looked back down at his mug just as Kat did before "that was weird, i shouldn't say that stuff" he laughed nervously. One minute he was confident and smiling and the next he seemed as awkward as Kat felt, "no, it's okay i don't mind" she muttered "I still don't know your name you know" she said and lifted up her eyebrows to meet his grey and green eyes. "Oh right, I'm Thomas" he shoved his palms into the large pockets on his cardigan "Tom for short i guess".

Kat's thoughts of her mother and her past seemed to wander away from her the more Tom talked, his voice was infectious and she couldn't help but want to hear him more. Something about the weather made her feel comfortable and warm instead of cold and drizzly and with each sip of her coffee she felt safer. Safe wasn't a feeling that she felt often, no safe wasn't even a word that left her lips anymore, because safe implied being comfortable and it meant that you had people who cared about you and even though it was a cheesy boy in a coffee shop it was one person in the world who in that moment cared for her. That was what safety was, there was no guarantee that she would get a room in the city hostel and that wasn't physically safe at all, but something about the small amount of stubble that hung around the corners of Tom's mouth and the way he talked about how he liked the rain made her feel safe, well mentally safe at least.

"Did you want another drink or something?" he asked looking down at the ring of beige that clung to the rim of her mug "no i think i'll be alright thanks" Kat replied. "Well if you're not doing anything would you like to come back to mine?" his eyes didn't suggest anything out of the ordinary so with a small grin she agreed "sure, where is it?". "It's just around the corner but i don't have a car so we're going to have to run" Kat looked slowly out the window and laughed, the rain was pouring down so hard that you could see each single raindrop lift up in the air as it splattered against the road, it would be a very wet run home. " Okay but i'm not very fast, you'll have to put up with me" she bit her bottom lip anxiously because it looked as if at any stage the rain might turn into snow "It's fine loser just don't get run over". It was so weird to hear someone use a platonic phrase with her so casually the only time she got called 'loser' was in primary school when she was getting beaten up because her glasses had butterflies on the side of them, and now she was leaving a coffee house with a stranger who she just met to go somewhere she had never been before and was hearing the term used in completely different circumstances. She knew she was a bit of a loser but she liked being called it this one time because it was sarcastic and it meant he thought she was funny and something about the way he smiled made her want to be 'his loser'. "Don't call me loser, loser" she giggled as they made their way towards the door while she struggled to put on her raincoat, "Whatever" he said and lifted one side of his lips into a smile.