Coffee Boy

by Austin Chant

What time does your shift end?” “Ten minutes ago,” Kieran says. “What do you want? Blood, sweat, or tears?”

Kieran could gracefully accept his apology. Or he could open his fucking mouth, and guess which one he does.

“Some people seem so confident in reclaiming everything that’s ever been thrown at them.”

“God, you are the tragic gay man.”

“Well, I never thought I’d make it anywhere either,” he says. “But here I am.” “Is this where you wanna be?” “It’s somewhere.”

Could you tell Marcus I was sick or something, not that I’m—” Having some kind of disproportionate emotional collapse because somebody asked if I was okay?

As usual, words come out of his mouth and the words are stupid.