Chapter two

I hurriedly entered the bar where I'll be working tonight, still catching my breath as I stood at the entrance. The uniform I'm wearing is also wrinkled. As I inhale, I run my hand over the wrinkled part of my clothes to smooth out the wrinkles.

The alarm clock betrayed me earlier because I didn't even hear it ring. It's my fault too for sleeping in, knowing I still had work to do.

Carlo spotted me from behind the bar, flashing a warm smile. He beckoned me over, "Isabella, it's alright. Don't worry about being late. Just catch your breath and start your shift when you're ready."

"Thank you. I got stuck in traffic, and my alarm clock didn't go off," I explained as I caught my breath. As I approached, I could feel my heart gradually returning to its normal pace.

"These things happen. Take your time," Carlo added before leaving the bar. Perhaps he has other things to do because every time I enter the bar, he goes out and doesn't come back.

Carlo is my neighbor in the area where Mama and I live. He's significantly older, maybe around three years, and because their family has been wealthy for a long time, he took over the bar when his sibling, the original owner, passed away. He didn't want to entrust it to anyone else. He hired me when we first met during my first year, and he wanted to help me.

"Hello, my amega!" I smiled at Francine when I saw her. She was at the bar counter, wiping it down. There were customers drinking and dancing.

"Are you a server tonight, girl, or do you want to be a bartender?" I grinned at her comment. "Just take Popoy's place for now; I want him with me!" She teased. I just turned away because of her flirtatious nature.

"Deal with it yourself; you replaced me even though I don't know how to mix drinks. It's better if you do it since you have an advantage over Po--" I didn't finish my sentence because she pulled my hair. "Ouch! That hurts." I complained while she continued to playfully taunt me.

"You're so weak. Is it overreacting?" she said.

I slapped her with my bag, annoyed by her flamboyance. "What's your problem? Are you insecure about my hair that you always target it?"

"Yes!" He jokingly declared, pointing at me like an idiot. "And as long as I'm alive, I won't allow you not to be my ally!"

I playfully pulled his hair too. "Damn it, you're not even funny." He pretended to flip his hair.

"Let's stop this, don't be a demon now because I'm in a bad mood." I fixed my hair and walked into the kitchen where I saw Popoy coming out. When he saw me, he smiled widely and even gave a wave.

"Hi, Isabella! You look beautiful."

"How long have you been on break?"

"Why? Are we going on a date?"

"Fool, you're not my type."

He clutched his chest and playfully acted like he was having a heart attack. "Ouch, you really hurt with your words. You've rejected me a hundred times already. It's getting painful." I just laughed at his theatrics and tapped his arm.

"Come on, it looks like the gay guy is about to kill us. You might get raped again, haha." He shivered at what I said.

"I'd rather accept it if you were the one--" I gave him a stern look. "If you were the one to be with, that's what I meant! What were you thinking? You, seriously." He quickly corrected himself. I just swatted him and walked into the kitchen.

"It's your problem now. You talk too much."

After dressing in my uniform, I went straight outside.

"Bella, table 10. A customer just arrived." I nodded in response and grabbed my small list and pen. There were three men hanging around there.

"Welcome to Ember and Echo bar. Ready to order?" I smiled as I spoke.

One of them turned to me and smiled back, while the other two didn't even look at me. "Right, do you have malt whiskey for my friend here, beers, and nachos, please." I glanced at his friend who had been looking at his phone since earlier. When he felt my gaze, he raised his eyebrows, looking straight at me.

I avoided eye contact and took down their order. "Got it, anything else?"

"No, that's it for now." I smiled and turned away.

"That girl, she's beautiful."

"Whoa, is she your type? Do you want me to get her name?" The voice of the guy I talked to earlier responded.

"I'm not shy, Hyung. Not like others-- Ouch, why did you hit me?!"

I just shook my head and walked to the counter. "Kuya, malt whiskey, beers, and nachos for table 10. I'll get the ice."

Kuya Railey nodded and smiled. "Got it, thank you, Isabella."

"Girl, the ones in the VIP area are all handsome!" Francine screamed as soon as she reached the counter. Kuya just shook his head because the flamboyant guy had a new target again.

"I'm not interested, Francine. Go over there, don't disturb me." The call back sounded, and the guy left without saying anything. Kuya and I exchanged glances because the guy is always surrounded by men.

After my shift at work, I decided to meet up with my best friend, Shane, who had been waiting for my shift to end. I noticed Shane sitting at a table with a group of people I didn't recognize. As I approached, Shane quickly saw me and waved from my seat.

"Isabella, come join us!" She stood up and approached me. She hooked her arm around mine, accompanying me.

She seemed to have a lot of people at the table, all laughing and having fun. "Shane, who are all these people? I don't know some of them." I asked her. The music near them wasn't too loud, so I knew they didn't hear what I said.

"Mike, my cousin, and his boyfriend. The others I just bumped into, so I dragged them here." I slapped her because of what she said.

"Silly, did you just pull them because they're handsome?"

"Fool, didn't you understand the joke? I know all of them!" They stopped laughing and all looked at me. "Guys, meet my beautiful bestie!"

"Is she Isabella? The one you always talk about?" The gay guy happily nodded and proudly said.

"Of course! Isn't she beautiful? She's accepting suitors now, maybe there's a single guy here?" They all nodded happily, and Shane was beaming.

"Study first, she says. She's too picky. But don't bother because she's too selective."

"Hahaha, that's still a thing nowadays? You can actually do both." The guy in the leather jacket said. He's handsome, with a cross earring on his left ear. He winked at me when our eyes met. I just smiled and looked away.

"Hey, Dio. Do you want me to poke your eyes out?! Stop winking at her. She doesn't even like you!"

"Whoa, chill, babe. You're so jealous, haha." Shena covered Dio with her beer coaster, and he laughed.

"Idiot! Your face!" Shena pulled me to an empty seat, making me sit next to her. She introduced everyone one by one, and they wanted me to drink, but I declined since I just finished work. I didn't feel like drinking right now.

"So, Isabella, what course are you taking? Your best friend always mentions you to me. I feel like I already know you by heart."

They all laughed at Shena's cousin's cheeky comment, blushing with pride. "Shut up, guys! I'm just proud of my best friend. I want to adopt her, but she refuses."

"So, Isabella, what course are you taking? So I can shift to your course," Michael, Shena's cousin's friend, jokingly asked. He had some earrings, and you could tell he was charming.

"I'm taking a degree in Bachelor of Law, and I'm in my third year," I replied. I couldn't help but notice their amazed eyes.

"Wow, good course. If I ever get in trouble, you'll be the first one I call." He jokingly added, and I smiled.

"Sure, but if I don't get a call from you, I might have to arrange your spot in prison myself," I added, making the group laugh.

I caught sight of the three guys at table 10 earlier. One of them seemed a bit tipsy now, while the other two were still chill. They were talking to some girls, but the quiet guy from earlier seemed uninterested, sipping his drink. I was surprised when he turned and looked in my direction. I awkwardly averted my gaze, focusing on what my companions were saying.

As the evening continued, I realized how late it had gotten. We were already outside the bar, and I waited for Shena's companions to arrange their transportation before heading home. Due to the enjoyable conversation, I lost track of time.

"Isabella, it's getting really late. Why don't you come over to my place tonight? It's closer, and you won't have to worry about traveling home at this hour."

I hesitated, feeling thankful for the offer but also a bit uncertain. Shena's condo is within walking distance, so we could walk there. Since I didn't have work in the morning, I wanted to sleep the day away before looking for another job, as my bar job is only on weekends.

"Are you sure? I don't want to intrude," I said, but she brushed it off.

"Nonsense! You're practically family. Come on, it'll be like a sleepover! And besides, it's not your first time sleeping there. Why are you shy now?"

I chuckled nervously. "I still feel a bit embarrassed. Just wait for me here. I'll say goodbye to my friends first."

I bid farewell to my coworkers in the bar and headed to Shena's condo, just a short walk away. Once inside, we changed into comfortable clothes and reminisced about old times.

Shane leaped onto the bed next to where I was sitting. "Remember our high school sleepovers? It's like we're reliving those days." She said while hugging her giant pillows without looking at me.

"Yeah. So much has happened in my life, but you're still here. Thank you," I sincerely said as I prepared to lie on the bed.

"It's what friends do, bella. Speaking of friends, our old friend met someone on a dating app. It seems she's enjoying the money from her sugar daddy."

I became interested in what she said. I recently learned about people finding sugar daddies, thinking it was just a trend or for entertainment. However, it seems like many are actually doing it. But I never considered doing it because it feels like selling my body. It's impossible that they won't ask for something in return, and I don't want to tarnish my pride. I still have some dignity left, and I don't want to feel dirty.

"Don't even try those things. You might end up feeling insecure again," I warned, as it seemed like she was about to engage in some mischief, given her recent sharing.

She just smiled sweetly at me. "Of course not! What do you think of me, a gold digger? Excuse me? I'm rich," she replied, rolling her eyes, and I knew she had something not-so-nice in mind when she's like this.

I sighed deeply and turned sideways. "I will sleep now; let's catch up tomorrow. It's already three in the morning."

"Okay, bes. Goodnight!" I closed my eyes, and within a minute, I was asleep.

*****

The loud sound of my alarm clock abruptly woke me up. Groggily, I extended my hand to turn it off, then stretched my limbs to shake off the sleep-induced stiffness. I stood up and ran my fingers through my messy hair.

I glanced at my still-sleeping friend, probably not sleeping immediately, and I didn't want to wake her up as she's still in deep sleep. I wondered why my phone was outside my bag, so I grabbed it and opened it.

The name of an app greeted me. Matchmaker: Dating with a twist. My eyebrows raised because I didn't recall downloading any dating apps on my phone, and I'm not even a fan of these things.

I clicked on the application and began to explore. There was no profile picture, and it seemed like a newly created account, but when I checked the message area, there was a message.

phantompurse sent you a message'

"Hi! I saw your profile. It captivates my attention. This is my first time to try this application. It's quite good. Are you there?"

What profile? There's no profile information here, so why did he mention a profile picture for this account?

A new message arrived, so I went back to the message area and saw that the mysterious person chatting on the account I didn't recognize was online.

phantompurse sent you a message'

"Hey, You're online but you didn't even reply me to my last messages. Are you ghosting me?

Do I look like a ghost? Damn this guy.

[Me]

"Hello. Sorry but this is my first time to use this app. It happened to d******d on my phone. I'm not really sure how to use this though."

I quickly pressed the send button and anxiously bit my nails. He quickly read it, and I saw the typing sign. Is he not doing anything? He's quick to read my message!

phantompurse sent you a message'

"Oh, are you trying to explain yourself so I'll conveniently forget what you did? You've practically flooded my messages with your nonsense."

Uh-oh, is this guy crazy?

Instead of letting it go, my blood boiled. Damn this lunatic. Angrily, I replied.

[Me]

"Oh, congratulations on your selective memory! Must be quite the talent to conveniently forget your own actions. My messages were starting to feel a bit too empty anyway."

phantompurse sent you a message

"You're being sarcastic now? Wow. If you weren't disturbing my peaceful life, I wouldn't waste time on you."

[Me]

"You know what? Fuck you, whoever you are. I hope your food isn't delicious. Asshole!"

I quickly exited the app because my mood was about to turn sour. I'll delete this app later and provide feedback. Only weirdos use this app.

I decided to head to the bathroom to wash my face. I'll be going back to the apartment since I have things to do before looking for a job again.