Chapter 2

Monica stared at her reflection in the bedroom's standing mirror. She moved a hand across her cheeks, wiping away the tears that had been falling. Her eyes were red, but she ignored them, attempting to focus on going to work. You can't let this get to you, she thought to herself, attempting to put on some makeup to hide the fact that she had been crying for almost thirty minutes. You're stronger than this...

"I hope I'm stronger than this, anyway..." She mumbled, putting on her usual white shirt and black pants.

And, soon enough, Monica was off to work. She stepped out of the small, quiet apartment and into the dimly lit building hallway. Standing in front of the elevator for almost ten minutes, she placed her hands on her hips, her face twisting with rage. "Come on!" She called out, slamming her fist on the elevator's doors repeatedly with loud bangs. "Where is the damn elevator?"

Suddenly, something on the ground caught her eyes. She furrowed her brows in confusion as she bent over to examine the sign fallen on the floor. Her fingers brushing against the dirty sign, she flipped it over, reading it aloud. "Elevator out of service..." She mumbled, groaning as she adjusted the sign and stuck it onto the elevator doors. "Freaking perfect..."

Attempting to ignore her mind that was ready to quit on the day and go back to bed, she went down three flights of stairs in the dimly lit building, making sure she didn't trip or fall. "Steady now..." She mumbled, walking down the stairs with her phone's flashlight. With one last wide step, she made it to the building's entrance.

"Alright, that wasn't too bad..." She mumbled, looking back at the staircase as she walked out of the building. "Alright, now I can focus on—" With a loud bang, she felt a sudden surge of pain flow through her body as she hit her foot on a brick placed outside of the building.

She cursed under her breath, walking unsteadily for a moment as she ignored the throbbing pain shooting from her foot. "What a perfect start for the day..."

A few moments later, Monica was walking on the sidewalk, the sounds of the bustling city around her filling her ears. All around her, cars honked repeatedly in a terrible traffic jam, and countless people were walking down the sidewalk, their voices creating a hum in her ears. She stopped for a moment, looking all around her, noticing how almost everyone was almost as annoyed as her. She shook her head, bringing her headphones up to her ears. At least the music helped her relax on the way to work.

Minutes later, she was walking past a closed down building. She stopped for a second, her eyes fondly looking over the windows, tables and chairs inside of the closed restaurant. "Alberto's Restaurant..." She read the sign above of the closed restaurant, her gaze slowly drifting to the inside of the dusty, abandoned restaurant. "Shame the owner didn't give a crap about hygiene. The place closed down just a month after opening..."

Her gaze drifted towards the sale sign hung in front of the building, shaking her head in disappointment as she saw how many zeros were in that number. "Way too damn expensive for me..." She said, her gaze returning to the abandoned building. She brushed against the outside of the restaurant, her finger wiping away a line of dirt.

A small smile formed on her face as she wiped her fingers clean, her eyes returning to the giant restaurant that was in front of her. "Some day, though..." She mumbled, taking a few steps back to observe the restaurant in all of its dusty glory. "One day, you'll be mine..."

Suddenly, a small snowflake slowly drifted in the air in front of her as her gaze tracked it, watching it slowly land on her nose. Monica stared up at the smoggy sky, watching the white snowflakes fill the sky like stars falling into the earth. She smiled to herself, feeling peaceful for at least one gentle moment. Lifting the collar of her jacket, Monica made her way to work.

Soon enough, she arrived at the restaurant she was working in, watching the food being served with critical eyes. Her gaze instantly landed on the burnt steak being served to a customer, shaking her head as she walked into the restaurant. As soon as she stepped foot inside of the restaurant, she watched the waitresses work like a well-oiled machine, delivering food without even managing to crack a fake smile at the customers.

She slowly took her headphones off, the loud noises from the restaurant gradually filling her ears. Everywhere she looked, she saw either a waiter drinking on the job, bad food being served, and multiple hygiene rules being broken. But hey, she thought to herself, walking towards the back of the restaurant. Who cares about all of that when the owner just pays off reviewers to make this place sound good?

Her gaze was uninterested as she walked into the back, ignoring the sound of food being cooked and waiters shouting orders at one another. She looked to her right, finding a certain person standing in front of her locker, leaning against it. "Shit..." She cursed under her breath, looking downwards for a moment as she ran a hand through her hair, adjusting her side swept dreads.

"What the hell is this, hmm?" An older man in a suit said, leaning on Monica's locker. "Do you even know what time it is? You're fifteen minutes late!"

"Mr. Gable!" Monica said, plastering a wide smile on her face as she walked past her boss, reaching for her locker. "Don't you look absolutely dashing today! New suit? It looks good on you!"

"Don't try to butter me up with complements, girl! It won't work…"

"Have you lost weight, Mr. Gable?" Monica asked, interrupting him as she grabbed her black vest and tie for the locker. "You look like you've lost weight. Someone's been hitting the gym!"

"Well, I have been attempting to lose weight..." Mr. Gable mumbled, smiling as he looked down at his belly, running a hand through his clothes. He quickly shook his head, his expression furious once more. "You're late! Do you have any care for this fine establishment, Monica? Do you?"

"This establishment? Well, I love it with all my heart, Mr. Gable." She mumbled, her fake smile almost fading. "God forbid a waitress comes to work late. The entire restaurant almost collapsed!"

"Whatever, Monica." Mr. Gable said, walking away. "Cut the sarcasm and get to freaking work!"

As soon as Mr. Gable walked away, Monica let out a breath of relief, staring into her reflection in her locker's mirror. "Freaking prick..." She mumbled, putting the vest and tie over her white shirt, running a hand across the cheap black fabric. "Another day in heaven..." She mumbled before closing the locker with a loud slam that rang throughout the busy restaurant.

"Tough day?" A familiar voice said, causing a small grateful smile to creep into Monica's face.

"You don't know half of it." She replied, turning around to come face-to-face with her best friend Lisa. Monica and Lisa had always been insuperable. They graduated high school together, they finished college together, and they have always worked together. They know everything there is to be known about one another, and they always knew how to cheer each other up.

"Gary yelled at you again?"

"You know it." Monica replied, adjusting her vest and bowtie.

"You do realize this is the third time you're late for work this week, right?"

"I know..."

"Are you planning on doing anything about that?"

"I'm not going to lie to you, Lisa..." Monica placed a dramatic hand on Lisa's shoulder, staring into her eyes. "I will absolutely not work on any of that."

"How nice of you." Lisa replied, a knowing smile on her face as she playfully pulled Monica's hand away. "So..."

"So?"

"Ugh, do I have to ask you? Didn't you get it, yet?" Lisa said, putting on the vest and bowtie as well. "What happened last night?"

Monica's brows furrowed in confusion. "What happened yesterday?"

"The party?" Lisa replied, staring at Monica expecting. "What happened? I lost track of you around midnight and I couldn't get a hold of you."

Glimpses of the wild party hosted by Lisa last night flashed before Monica's eyes as she slowly started to remember. She remembered the flashing neon lights, the loud music, the drinking, and the dancing. Monica and Lisa danced until their legs couldn't hold them up any longer, and Lisa went to talk to a friend of hers. Waiting for Lisa to come back, Monica said that she could talk to Steven for a minute to pass the time...

"Are you still there?" Lisa said, waving a hand in front of Monica, whose eyes were glued to an empty wall as she started to vividly remember everything that had happened at the party.

"What? Oh, yeah, yeah..." Monica said, shaking her head as she walked past Lisa. "I just went home. I was tired..." Monica kept her gaze downwards as she started to walk away, fully knowing not to get Lisa started in her situation with Steven.

"Funny that you and Steven were tired at the same time..."

Monica stopped in her tracks, heat rising to her cheeks. She didn't turn around, too embarrassed to meet Lisa's knowing eyes. "What-what are you talking about?"

"I saw you leave with Steven, you know." Lisa said, chuckling. "You were both drunk as hell. You guys weren't that subtle."

"We just went home..." Monica said, fumbling with her words. "Yeah, we just went home."

"Huh..." Lisa gave Monica a knowing look as she took a few steps around her, circling her like a shark that smells blood in the water. "Then how come when I called Steven earlier today, he told me he stayed the night in your place?"

"That's because... um..." Monica fumbled with her words, her eyes travelling left and right as she attempted to think of an excuse. "We... had a sleepover?"

"You had sex, didn't you?"

"No! No. Absolutely not." Monica said, shaking her head in denial. She waved at Lisa as if she was dismissing her. "We had sex? You're funny, Lisa. Absolutely ridiculous..."

"But you did have sex, didn't you?"

"We had sex, alright? Happy now?" Monica exploded, shaking her head. "We had drunk sex."

"Nice. How did it go?" Lisa said, leaning her shoulders against the heavy frame of a locker, a knowing smile on her face. "Tell me everything!"

Suddenly, the events of last night flashed before Monica's eyes as she felt everything that happened all over again. The need for one another, the passion, the loud moans of pleasure. She remembered how excitement coursed through her veins. She remembered the way she kissed Steven and the way he kissed her. Monica's eyes widened as she remembered everything in extreme detail...

"Seriously? You're staring again?" Lisa said, snapping her fingers in front of Monica's eyes to alert her. A wicked, knowing smile formed on the face of Lisa as she took a step back, moving her brunette hair out of the way. She bit her lower lip. "Oh..." She said, playfully shoving Monica. "Sex was that good, huh?"

"What?" Monica said, shaking her head in an attempt to regain her focus. Intense heat rose to her cheeks as she realized that her pussy became wet as she played the events of last night in her mind over and over again. She noticed the mischievous store in Lisa's eyes, and her gaze quickly fell downwards. "I don't know what you're talking about..."

"Fine, fine, I'll get off your back." Lisa raised her arms defensively before she took a step towards Monica, dropping her voice to a whisper. "But at least tell me something. How good was he?"

Monica's gaze travelled around, checking if anyone was near them. Her voice was barely a quick whisper. "It was the best sex I've ever had."

Lisa's eyes widened as her brows furrowed. "Damn! That's good?"

Monica's focused gaze looked around as she nodded her head in approval. "Better than any damn thing fantasy I've had about him."

"Even the one with the... you know...?"

"Better than that!"

Lisa flapped her hands at her face, pretending to be sweating. "Well, damn, Monica, you lucky dog!"

"Yeah, well, it didn't last that long."

"Oh, does he finish too quickly?" Lisa said, placing a hand on Monica's shoulder as she nodded her head in sympathy.

"What?"

"Hey, it's perfectly fine if it's insanely good but doesn't last that long, okay?"

"Get your mind out of the gutter for a minute, Lisa."

"I can't. This baby lives in the gutter." Lisa shoved her playfully, a teasing smile on her face. "What's up? What didn't last long?"

"Well, the whole thing I've wanted with Steven." Monica said, feeling her cheeks turn dark red. "I tried going for it, but it didn't work out."

"What did he do?"

"Well, he thinks it's nothing but a drunken mistake. He's obviously not interested in starting anything."

"Do you think it was a drunken mistake?"

"Yes..." Monica mumbled, shaking her head. "No? I just... I just don't know."

"Well, I say screw him." Lisa remained silent for a moment, chuckling to herself. "Well, I guess you did screw him, didn't you?"

"Mature as always, Lisa."

"Anyway, I say if he doesn't want anything to do with you, then it's his damn loss." Lisa wrapped an arm around Monica's shoulder, waving a hand in front of her. "The world is out there for the taking! There are so many options out there! Why stick to one guy?"

"I don't know. This whole sleep-with-them-once-and-don't-call-back is your thing, not mine."

"Come on! It'll be fun!" Lisa squeezed Monica's shoulder reassuringly, a smile on her face. "Let's get started. What are you looking for in a man?"

"I..." Monica mumbled, her gaze downwards. "I just want Steven..."

"Hey!" A loud voice suddenly alerted them as they both turned their attention to it, finding a fuming Mr. Gable approaching them. "Do I pay you to sit around and gossip, hmm?"

"Woah, is there a job for that? Do you know someone who could pay me to gossip?" Lisa said, playfully leaning against Mr. Gable's shoulder. "How about you, Mr. Gable? I can tell you all of the hot gossip as soon as it happens."

Mr. Gable groaned as he moved his shoulder away from Lisa, rolling his eyes. "Just get to work..."

Lisa gave Monica a knowing look as she shrugged her shoulders, fixing her outfit. "It's showtime, I suppose."

Monica nodded in agreement as she went out into the busy restaurant with Lisa, her eyes watching over the sea of customers. She ran a smooth hand across her vest, taking a deep, shaky breath before she got started. "Here we go..."

Hours passed by and Monica was still hard at work. Being a waitress in a busy restaurant was no easy job, and Monica fully knew that. Everyday, she gives it her best at the restaurant, even though she despises almost everyone who works there. Lisa had always been a lazy waitress. She knew that she wasn't getting paid much, and she knew that Mr. Gable is too lazy and cheap to look for and hire another waitress. She did the bare minimum, and she was happy about it.

Monica continued to deliver the food to the hungry customers, ignoring the loud yelling of children, the distant hum of teenagers chatting and laughing loudly and the older customers that were hitting on her. But today, she had something on her mind to distract her from all of this. She couldn't help but think about Steven Robinson...

The man that she both hated and loved.

All day long, Monica kept replaying what happened that morning in her head, wishing that she approached the whole situation in different ways. "Maybe I should have acted hard to get it? Would that have worked on him?" Monica mumbled, cleaning a table without even having her eyes on it. "Should I have never mentioned the entire thing? Maybe I could have waited a couple of days first? God, this sucks..."

Multiple thoughts roamed in her head, each one thinking about a different outcome and a different way to approach the topic, but deep down, she knew that all of these scenarios would have ended in one way and one way alone. "A drunken mistake..." Monica mumbled, shaking her head as she went to grab a customer's order.

"Stupid, stupid!" Monica cursed under her breath, approaching the cook that was handing her the plate. "Where did I go wrong?"

Instinctively, Monica grabbed the plate, her mind still completely elsewhere. She shook her head, staring at the plate in her hands. "Oh, what in the fresh hell is this?"

Monica approached the uncaring cook once more, shoving the plate in his face as she pointed at it. "What the hell is this, Josh?"

"What? What do you want?" The cook mumbled, dismissing Monica off as he focused on the next messy plate he was making.

"What do I want? I want some decent food for the customer's out there, Josh."

"What do you want, Monica? It's food, isn't it?"

"This crap isn't what the customer ordered." Monica said, her gaze returning to the messy food on the plate. "This is almost inedible, Josh!"

"Hey, I don't give a crap, okay? I'm not getting paid enough to give a damn what the customer wants!"

"Then how could you call yourself a cook, huh?" Monica said, barging into the kitchen. "Give me that!" Without another word, Monica was transported into another world. A world where she was comfortable. Almost automatically, she listed everything she needed to fix the meal that was in front of her.

And, like a well-oiled machine, she went to work, professionally handling a knife and chopping cooked vegetables into the food. The sound of the cook yelling at her to move out of the way faded away as she focused on the plate in front of her and nothing else. She continued to ignore the voices around her, her gaze stuck to the food around her. A small, satisfied smile creeped on her face as she almost finished creating what the customer wanted from start to finish.

"Monica!"

The voices around her slowly disappeared as if she was a million miles away from the noisy restaurant and even noisier kitchen. "Almost there..."

"Monica!"

"Almost there..." Monica bit her lower lip in excitement as she placed the finishing touches on the plate. "And... done!"

"Monica!" The loud voice finally got to Monica, and she quickly turned towards the find the awfully familiar figure of a furious Mr. Gable. "What the hell are you doing? This isn't your job!"

"I know, but I was fixing the customer's food. Look!" Monica lifted the plate towards Mr. Gable, who swiped out of her hands with anger.

He took a look at it, taking notice of the professional presentation and the sweet aroma of meat mixed with fresh vegetables. He noted the juiciness and tenderness of the piece of meat. "Lovely work, Monica."

"Why, thank you, Mr. Gable! I'm glad you could appreciate good food when you see it." Monica's knowing gaze landed on the cook standing nearby.

"Too bad I don't care for it." Mr. Gable quickly put the plate on a table nearby, completely ignoring it.

"What? Why?" Monica said, her wide eyes travelling between the food and Mr. Gable.

"Monica, we at this fine establishment believe in quantity over quality. It's how any good business is run, really."

"So, you want to make terrible food that can be served quickly?"

"Precisely. Now you're starting to get it." Mr. Gable said, a sickeningly proud smile on his face. "Monica, while you were perfecting this customer's food, we could have served three other customers."

"We would have served them garbage, Mr. Gable. We would have served them some barely-edible food."

"Monica, the customer walks into this place fully knowing what they're going to get."

"And so they should get garbage on a plate?"

"Garbage?" Mr. Gable said, his expression slowly twisting into one of anger. "Monica, we serve quality food here. The quality of the food itself may differ, but it's food nonetheless."

"No, what you're serving and what he's cooking," Monica pointed at the smiling cook standing behind Mr. Gable. "That isn't food. That is just garbage."

"You truly believe that, Monica?" Mr. Gable said, his voice becoming threateningly low. "Are you willing to say that again?"

Monica hesitated for a moment, her eyes drifting between the plate, the cook mocking her from a distance and the threatening look on Mr. Gable's face. Suddenly, she caught something in the corner of her eye. She saw Lisa standing quite a distance away, waving at her to let her know to drop the whole thing.

"Well, Monica?" Mr. Gable said, his hands behind his back. "Are you going to say that to me again?"

Monica hesitated, her lips quivering as she took a deep breath, finally deciding on what to say. She stared Mr. Gable in the eyes as she stood her ground. "Mr. Gable..."

"Yes?" A small, victorious smile formed on the face Mr. Gable.\

"Your food is garbage, just like the quality of this restaurant." Monica caught Lisa slap her palm against her forehead, shaking her head in disappointment.

Mr. Gable shook his head in approval, taking a few steps around the kitchen. "No, Monica. Your food is the one that is garbage." Mr. Gable said, lifting the professional meal that Monica had prepared...

And tossed it in a trash bin nearby...

"No!" Monica squealed, her eyes widening as she watched the fresh meal that she had perfected get tossed into the trash bin.

"Monica, one more attitude problem and you can kiss this job goodbye, you hear me?" Mr. Gable raised a threatening finger at Monica, a furious look on his face.

Humiliated, Monica felt the stares the rest of the staff were giving her, and most importantly, the proud look on the face of the cook. She lowered her gaze downwards, her cheeks turning dark red. "I understand..."

"Good. Now go to work and mind your own damn business." Mr. Gable walked away, leaving the humiliated Monica in the middle of the kitchen, surrounded by the states of the other staff members. He stopped in his tracks, a victorious smile on his face as he slowly turned around to face Monica once more. "Oh, and Monica?"

"Yes?" Monica said through clenched teeth as her gaze burned a hole through Mr. Gable.

"Since you wasted valuable time that we could have used to serve other customers, I think it's only fair to give you a pay cut this month."

"What? I've got rent to pay, Mr. Gable! You can't do this! I only wanted to serve better food!"

"Next time you want to help, Monica..." Mr. Gable turned around, his voice cold and low. "Don't."

And, without another word, Mr. Gable walked away victoriously. Monica lifted her gaze, her eyes slowly looking around, noticing the strange and mocking stares she was getting from the staff surrounding her. Their whispers were loud in her ears. "I can't believe she did that! She wanted to pretend to be a chef? What a joke."

Monica felt her heart skip a beat as she was hit with a realization she never thought to be true...

My dreams are nothing but dreams, she thought, her eyes wide as she walked out of the kitchen, ignoring Lisa, who was calling out to her. I will never be a chef…

Hours passed by and it was the end of Monica's shift. She was tired, she was angry, but she was grateful that this extra terrible workday finally came to an end. She stood in front of the restaurant's doors, opening them with a deep breath, her lungs becoming filled with fresh air. Suddenly, a chilly winter breeze crashed against her deep bronze skin, sending shivers down her spine. She lifted her jacket's collar, rubbing her hands together intensely.

Soon enough, she was joined by Lisa, who was wearing nothing but a shirt and jeans. "Ugh..." Lisa groaned, putting her things in her purse, standing next to Monica. "What a long day."

Monica stared at Lisa, her brows furrowed in confusion. "What are you doing?" Monica asked, her eyes travelling up and down Lisa's clothes.

"What?"

"Look around you, Lisa!" Monica waved a hand in front of them, turning Lisa's attention to the piles of snow that had formed in the streets. "How are you not cold?"

"You're such a baby. It's not even that cold!" Lisa said, playfully pushing the freezing Monica. "Anyway, are you going to be okay?"

"Am I going to be okay? What do you mean?"

"Because of... you know... what happened there."

Monica's conversation with Mr. Gable flashed before her mind before she quickly shook herself awake, putting on a brave face. She wasn't able to tell Lisa about her sudden realization. About how she may have been wasting her life dreaming about becoming a chef. Monica quickly dismissed Lisa, letting out an empty chuckle. "It's the usual, ain't it? Mr. Gable ruins our lives. It's the usual stuff."

"Monica, if there's something you need to talk about, you know I'm here for you, right?" Lisa said, placing a tentative hand on Monica's shoulder.

"I know, I know." Monica said, patting Lisa's hand before they parted ways, each one of them heading to their homes to rest for the rest of the evening before they woke up and go to work for Mr. Gable again.

Monica walked down the usual street she takes all the time. And, as usual, her eyes immediately went towards the closed down restaurant she passed by everyday. Only this time, the usual sense of pride and hope did not flow through her, but instead, it was a sense of dread. She felt something that she had been thinking about all day long. Something that she had never thought she would feel...

She felt doubt creep into the back of her mind, creating a house for itself there.

Monica let out a long, empty sigh, shaking her head as her gaze fell downwards. "Maybe it's time I quit these dreams and find something else..." She mumbled, staring at the large restaurant with an empty expression glued on her face. "I always thought I would do it, though. I always thought I'd own this place one day..."

Monica's eyes travelled left and right, making sure no one was around. She approached the restaurant's doors, taking one last look around before ripping the tape that held the doors closed, slowly walking into the abandoned restaurant. As soon as she walked in, her eyes went wide. "Woah..." Monica mumbled, looking around in surprise. "Damn. This place is way bigger on the inside..."

Her gaze travelled from the stacked chairs and tables to the kitchen in the back. Every step Monica took created a small echo the rang throughout the quiet building. Slowly, she dragged a finger across the dusty tables, quickly wiping the dust away. A small smile creeped on her face as she continued to stare at the walls, imagining how different this place could be. She imagined the potential of a place like this.

Monica's eyes slowly travelled across the worn down walls, imagining the wooden finish she had always wanted to apply to her very own restaurant one day. She had also imagined the decorative art pieces that would fill the walls of the restaurant, adding a touch of sophistication to it. Her gaze slowly went towards the tables and chairs as well, imagining them full of smiling people and good food.

She could have almost felt it. She could have almost felt the restaurant pulse with new life all around her. She wanted it more than anything, and yet...

It was all nothing but fantasies...

The realization hit Monica like a wall of bricks, giving her a fresh dose of hard-hitting reality. All of her fantasies slowly faded away from around her. Her gaze went towards the walls, finding nothing but dusty and cracked decoration. Her expression dropped as she stared at the tables and chairs, unable to see anything but the heavy dust slowly drifting across the worn down furniture.

Monica's gaze went downwards as she put her hands in her pockets, giving the restaurant one last long look. She shook her head as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "It's nothing but a damn fantasy..." She mumbled, quickly making her way out of the restaurant and back into the chilly night air. She lifted her jacket's collar once more, the corner of her eye taking one last glance at the restaurant fading in the distance as she walked away from it, her gaze remaining downwards.

A few minutes later, Monica made it back to her apartment's building. She stood in front of the elevator, mentally and physically drained. Today of all days took a heavy toll on Monica. She waited for almost ten minutes before groaning and rolling her eyes as she pressed the elevator button once more with a loud ding that ran throughout the quiet, dimly lit building.

Minutes later, nothing happened. "Oh, would you just work you stupid piece of…" Monica balled her hand into a fist, almost slamming it against the elevator's heavy frame before her eyes noticed something on the floor. "Seriously?" She said, picking up another 'out of service' sign. She had almost stuck it back into place on the elevator's door, but she shook her head, dismissing the sign as she threw it behind her back, not bothering with the sign any longer.

Minutes later, Monica had finally made it up the stairs, and her legs felt like giving out on her. She quickly unlocked her apartment's door with a swift click, her feet automatically walking her into the quiet, lonely apartment. She turned on the lights, messily tossing her jacket on a chair nearby.

She walked into her small kitchen, grabbing herself a drink. She was headed to bed, bottle of whiskey in her hand as she pulled out her phone, finding absolutely no news. She sighed, carefully opening her emails. "Please, please..." She mumbled, taking a sip of her drink, feeling it washing over her as she squinted her eyes, reading the new mails she had received.

"Thank you for your application, Ms. Daniels. Unfortunately..." She had already dismissed that message, fully knowing what it was going to say. Her eyes drifted towards the next mail, scanning it as she mumbled under her breath. "Didn't get it as well. Damn..." She continued to read the mails, taking a large sip of the burning drink, her eyes looking over the multiple rejections.

She let out a long, tired sigh, her gaze downwards as she tossed the phone aside. She sat on the edge of the bed, taking a sip of her drink. "Can't get employed as a chef due to lack of experience, but I also can't get experience when I can't get employed..." She mumbled, putting the drink aside as she fell into the bed, staring at the ceiling fan. Her hair was messy, her makeup was barely visible, but above all...

Her spirit was completely shattered...

Monica slowly closed her eyes, the events of the day haunting her in every hour of the day. She let out a quick sigh, running a hand through her dreads. "When is something going to change?"