CHAPTER TWO – SURVIVING AND THRIVING

The rest of the morning passed in a blur of orders, complaints, and near-collisions. By the time the lunch rush started to die down, Cassie's feet were aching, and she was running on fumes. She leaned against the counter for a moment, catching her breath. Frank, the cook, glanced over at her. "Rough day, kid?" he asked, his gruff voice tinged with a hint of concern. Cassie managed a weak smile. "Nothing I can't handle, Frank. You know me." Frank nodded, turning back to his grill. "That I do. You're tougher than most of the newbies we get around here. Must be that foster kid grit." Cassie's smile faltered slightly. She'd mentioned her background to Frank once, during a particularly stressful shift, and he'd never brought it up again until now. "Yeah, well," she said, straightening up, "when you've been bounced around as much as I have, you learn to roll with the punches." Frank grunted in agreement. "Just don't let Thompson get to you. Guy's got a stick up his—" "Order up!" he interrupted himself, sliding a plate across the counter. Cassie grabbed the plate and headed back out into the dining room. As she approached her destination, she noticed a young man sitting alone at a small table, his nose buried in a textbook. "Here's your club sandwich," she said, setting the plate down in front of him. The young man looked up, startled. "Oh, thanks," he said, offering a shy smile. Cassie couldn't help but notice his warm brown eyes and the smattering of freckles across his nose. He looked to be about her age, maybe a year or two older. "Studying hard?" she asked, nodding towards his textbook. He chuckled nervously. "Yeah, midterms are coming up. Engineering isn't exactly a walk in the park." "I can imagine," Cassie said. "Well, good luck with your studies. Let me know if you need anything else." As she turned to leave, the young man spoke up again. "Hey, uh... I don't suppose you'd want to grab a coffee sometime? When you're not working, I mean." Cassie felt a flutter in her stomach. It had been a long time since anyone had asked her out. Her last attempt at a date had been in high school, and it had ended disastrously when her foster brother at the time had scared the poor guy off. She hesitated for a moment before responding. "That's really sweet of you to ask, but... I don't even know your name." The young man's face reddened. "Oh, right! Sorry. I'm Ethan. Ethan Chen." Cassie smiled. "Nice to meet you, Ethan. I'm Cassie." "So... about that coffee?" Ethan asked hopefully. Before Cassie could respond, she heard Mr. Thompson's voice booming across the restaurant. "Hartman! Table five is still waiting for their check. Stop flirting and do your job!" Cassie winced. "I'm sorry, Ethan. I've got to go. Maybe another time?" Ethan nodded, looking disappointed but understanding. "Sure, no problem. I'll be around." As Cassie hurried to table five, she couldn't help but feel a mix of excitement and anxiety. It had been so long since she'd allowed herself to think about anything beyond survival. Dating, relationships – those were luxuries she'd never had the time or energy to pursue. The rest of her shift passed without major incident. As the dinner crowd began to trickle in, Cassie found herself taking a rare moment of quiet to catch her breath in the break room. She sat on a rickety chair, massaging her aching feet, when her coworker Tina burst in. "Girl, you will not believe what just happened out there," Tina said, her eyes wide with excitement. Cassie looked up, curious. "What's going on?" Tina plopped down in the chair next to her. "You know that cute guy who was studying earlier? The one you were talking to?" Cassie felt her cheeks grow warm. "Ethan? What about him?" "Well," Tina said, lowering her voice conspiratorially, "he just left, but not before leaving you this." She held out a folded piece of paper. Cassie took it hesitantly. "What is it?" Tina rolled her eyes. "Open it and find out, dummy!" With trembling fingers, Cassie unfolded the paper. Inside was a hastily scrawled note: "Cassie, I know this is probably weird, but I couldn't leave without at least trying. If you're interested in that coffee, give me a call. If not, no pressure. Either way, thanks for brightening my day. - Ethan" Below the message was a phone number. Cassie stared at the note, a mix of emotions swirling inside her. Part of her was thrilled at the prospect of making a genuine connection with someone. But another part – the part that had been hurt and disappointed so many times before – was terrified. "Well?" Tina prodded. "Are you going to call him?" Cassie folded the note carefully and tucked it into her apron pocket. "I don't know, Tina. I've got a lot on my plate right now. Rent's due next week, and I'm barely making ends meet as it is." Tina's expression softened. "Honey, I know things have been tough for you. But you can't keep putting your life on hold. You're allowed to have a little happiness, you know." Cassie sighed. "I know, I know. It's just... every time I've tried to hope for something more, it's blown up in my face. I'm not sure I can handle another disappointment." Tina reached out and squeezed Cassie's hand. "Listen, I've seen you bust your butt day in and day out since you started here. You're smart, you're tough, and you deserve good things. Don't let your past keep you from having a future." Before Cassie could respond, Mr. Thompson's voice bellowed from the dining room. "Break time's over, ladies! We've got customers waiting!" Cassie stood up, straightening her uniform. "Duty calls," she said with a wry smile. As she headed back out into the chaos of the dinner rush, Cassie felt the weight of Ethan's note in her pocket. For a moment, she allowed herself to imagine a life beyond the daily grind of work and bills. A life where she had someone to share her dreams with, someone who saw her for who she truly was. But as she approached her first table of the evening, a family with three rowdy children, reality came crashing back. This was her life now – serving others, scraping by, and trying to build a future on her own. "Welcome to Cheesy Fingers," she said, plastering on her best smile. "What can I get for you folks today?" As the night wore on, Cassie found her thoughts drifting back to the note in her pocket. She thought about all the obstacles she'd overcome to get where she was – graduating high school despite constantly changing schools, finding a job and an apartment with no family support, learning to navigate the world on her own. Maybe, just maybe, it was time to take a chance on something good. As she cleared her last table of the night, Cassie made a decision. She would call Ethan. Not because she expected anything to come of it, but because she owed it to herself to try. After all, if there was one thing her life had taught her, it was that sometimes the biggest risks led to the greatest rewards.