Chapter 4 — A Truce Over Coffee

Marlena

The Green Bean Café was my sacred haven, a place to escape the whirlpool of teenage chaos. Today, though, it felt like the universe was playing a cruel joke on me.

I stood at the counter, staring blankly at the chalkboard menu as if it held the answers to life’s mysteries. My usual—an iced caramel latte—felt predictable, and predictability wasn’t cutting it today. After refereeing Antaios Morgan’s antics, I needed something new, something that said, *I’m in control of my life.* Which was hilarious, considering I clearly wasn’t.