Chapter 2

The campus coffee shop, "The Daily Grind," was packed.

Midterm week was coming, and everyone was fueled by caffeine and anxiety.

I just wanted a black coffee and maybe a plain bagel, something cheap.

I waited in line, rehearsing my order, trying to look like any other normal college student.

My turn came.

"Just a small black coffee and a toasted plain bagel, please," I said to the barista, a guy with kind eyes and a name tag that read "Kevin."

He rang it up. "$4.25."

I pulled out my debit card, the one linked to the joint account, Susan's account really.

I swiped.

Declined.

My face went hot.

Kevin looked at me, then at the machine, then back at me, a small, polite question in his eyes.

"Uh, try it again?" I mumbled, my voice barely a whisper.

He did.

Declined.

The line behind me was growing longer, a restless shuffle of feet and impatient sighs.

I fumbled in my wallet, hoping for cash, but I only had a couple of singles. Not enough.

My mind raced. Susan. It had to be Susan.

I' d bought concert tickets online last week, an indie band I loved, playing in Burlington.

Impulsive, yes. Expensive, relatively.

She must have seen the charge, decided I was being reckless with "our" money.

She' d probably put a hold on the card or transferred most of the funds to a part of the account I couldn' t touch without her explicit approval.

It wouldn' t be the first time.

"I... I don't understand," I stammered, feeling the weight of all those eyes on me.

The normal college experience I craved felt a million miles away.

Then, a voice from behind me, calm and steady.

"I can get it."

I turned.

A sophomore, I guessed, maybe a junior. He had kind eyes, much like Kevin the barista, and a friendly smile. Liam Johnson, I'd learn later.

He stepped forward, handed Kevin his own card.

"Add his stuff to mine," Liam said easily.

Kevin nodded, relieved.

The transaction went through.

"Thank you," I managed, my voice still shaky. "I'm so sorry. I'll pay you back. I have Venmo."

"No worries," Liam said, grabbing his coffee. "Happens to the best of us. I'm Liam."

"Emily," I said, my cheeks still burning.

He smiled again. "Nice to meet you, Emily. Don't sweat it."

He moved to the side to wait for his drink, and for a fleeting moment, the world felt a little less hostile.

A small kindness, a normal interaction.

Maybe things could be okay.