Finally chapter 5 is there!

I said I'd get faster at updating… Well, guess that's not gonna happen

So no big talk, enjoy reading and please let me know what you think!

Thank you for all your support!

Next one will most likely be about Gus and Keith again, no guarantee though.

A couple days later New Year's Eve came. Keith and Mira celebrated it with their father and then went out to shoot some fireworks with their friends. Dan and Baron fooled around a lot, they tried building a bazooka out of an old plastic pipe and shoot rockets from it. It didn't work and Dan burned his thumb, holding their invention while it was doing its best to function. Even though it failed, the two still agreed that it was totally worth it.

Most of the others were just walking around, talking about New Year's resolutions and their plans and looking at the beautiful fireworks in the skies. They wanted to sit down or lie down somewhere but unfortunately the weather hasn't been very nice the last few days so the ground was wet and full of mud. Dan had stopped by his house to get a music player to "brighten up the mood" and although it has never been really low, the others just accepted it and appreciated the music. After approximately half an hour none of them could see their hand in front of their face because of all the smoke in the air. Every year Keith wondered how much New Year's Eve was contributing to the air pollution.

The next couple of months Keith's hair had grown and unlike Mira, he decided to let it grow a little. His hair wasn't curly anymore now that it wasn't short, It was rather straight and already a little bit over shoulder length; he did want a change after all. It just felt boring waking up to the same old face, the same old hair, the same old body every single day. He needed refreshment.

A week after New Year's Eve Keith had met Gus to finally dye his hair blond. He didn't want to throw his best friend's present away and to be honest, he believed blond wouldn't look too bad on him.

Because he had never done that before Gus insisted on taking part in that progress, he dyed Keith's hair and the result was better than expected. The light blond colour made Keith look like a completely different person and suited his face really well. Gus then gave him some advice on how he could change his hair to look better and he gladly took it.

Mira and Ace have been meeting a lot during the months that followed. Most of the times they took walks with Lucy or were at Ace's place because they couldn't leave the little girl alone. Mira wondered where their parents were that the sixteen year old had to look after her all the time. She also noticed that often Ace seemed very tired but was trying to overplay it or change the subject once she asked him about it. She decided it would be for the better if she wouldn't push him to answer and hurt his pride so she didn't ask again.

On a Tuesday in March Mira was on her way to Ace's place once again after receiving a call from him asking whether she wanted to hang out. When the boy had called Mira noticed that he sounded more stressed than usual and uneasy, she didn't mention that though. She had realized rather quickly that his emotions and problems were a very sensitive subject to the boy.

As she arrived at the small flat, she rang the bell and waited for him to open the door. Ace answered the door and let his friend in greeting her with their usual half hug.

"How're you doing?" Mira asked with a smile. She looked around the living room as she took off her shoes, looking for the cheerful little girl who usually greeted her happily. "Fine. I guess." Ace said hesitantly. "What's wrong?" Mira asked as she raised an eyebrow. There was obviously something going on.

Ace sighed and ran a hand through his hair "I need a favour." "A favour?" Now Mira was surprised and concerned. Ace was not someone to ask for help so something must be seriously wrong. "I..." he sighed again "I know I didn't say anything on the phone but could you please look after Lucy for a couple hours?" he asked uneasily. After processing the request she nodded "Of course. But what's wrong? Do you have to go somewhere?" "Yes. Lucy got sick overnight, she has a fever and doesn't feel well at all, she didn't even go to school today. I could leave her at home while I was in school because she was sleeping all morning but I really don't want to leave her alone while I'm at work. And you know I can't afford to skip work."

"Yes, I know. I'd love to look after her, just tell me what I need to know and go to work, don't worry about it." Mira said with a genuine smile. Ace sighed out in relief and told her that she should check on the little girl every now and then, when she would be awake she should check her temperature and maybe make her some tea, Lucy herself would know what medicine she had to take. Mira agreed and reassured him that she was fine with looking after the little girl, understanding that Ace did have it tough with several jobs and the responsibility over his younger sister.

Ace left for his job and let out yet another sigh. He hated asking people for help. Especially Mira. He knew she would worry about him, he just hoped she would be able to understand that he did not want to talk about his issues just yet.

Having to ask for help always put him in a bad mood, this time was no other. As he arrived at the Café he already saw that his least favourite customers were there waiting to be served, of course he had to do this. Rolling his eyes he entered the semi busy Café, put on his apron, took out the little notebook from its pocket and went over to the closest table. Forcing a smile he asked "How can I help you?" Behind his back from he other table he heard the man sitting there saying "We have been waiting much longer!" Resisting the urge to roll his eyes and give a snarky remark he noted the order of the customers and turned towards the couple behind him "What may I bring you?" "About time..." the man murmured before ordering two cakes and tea for him and his wife. Ace turned away and rolled his eyes while walking towards the kitchen to get the foods ordered.

The day went on as usually but Ace thought that all of his least favourite customers decided to be especially social today and come to the Café during his shift, talking way more than usual. After having taken four complaints from different customers already, hearing another upset customer calling for him, annoyed him visibly. He walked over to the table and raised an eyebrow "Yes?"
"We have been waiting for our cakes for ten minutes now! After not getting the table that we originally wanted, it should be the least to make our order your first priority, wouldn't you agree?" the unpleasant woman asked angrily. "No I would not." He replied, well aware that he was being impolite. To make his position clear he crossed his arms in front of his chest and added "As you can see, there are several other customers here who also want to order, the food has to be made, because as you might know we only serve freshly baked goods and to be frank with you I would rather take care of the other customers because they are not as unpleasant and frustr-" "Ok, I'll take care of your cakes right away, Ma'am, please excuse the delay. Would a free cup of tea make up for the inconveniences?" The blue haired boy came from the kitchen and gripped Ace's upper arm to stop him from getting into trouble.

The woman wanted to talk back but saw that it would be better to simply agree. Gus smiled sweetly at her, thanked her for her patience and pulled Ace into the kitchen. "What the fuck was that about?" He asked, looking accusingly at his co-worker. Ace' annoyance couldn't possibly grow any bigger. Now even Gus was picking on him. "Shut up. Won't happen again if they stop being such pricks." "They may be pricks, but that's how our business works, you know that very well." Gus replied and brought the cakes and tea to the woman and her friend. As he came back, he wiped his hands on his apron and leaned against the wall facing Ace "I get that today is a tough crowd but you're usually not this aggressive. What's wrong?"

Not this. Anything but this. "Nothing." Ace snapped. He did not want to talk about it. It was the last thing he wanted. The other squinted his eyes slightly and leaned to his co-worker "Listen. I don't want to have an awkward conversation with you either. But you fucked up several times today already and now you almost insulted a customer. Whatever personal problems and stress you may have you cannot afford to let it out on our customers. So either you tell me or this is going to go on as shitty as it has until now. And please keep in mind that we still have two hours to go, cleaning up excluded."

Ace did not look at Gus and held his arms crossed in front of his chest. He knew the other was right. He just didn't want to admit that. The issue was that he really could not afford to lose his temper and with that maybe his job. "Lucy is sick." he said quietly still looking at the clean floor. Gus leaned back again and listened, eyeing the other. "I think the responsibility and all that shit is making me sick." he paused for a while and sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb. "After the incompetent people who claimed to be our parents ran away and gave the flat to some homeless alcoholics I had to care for Lucy on my own. You know how it is, society doesn't give a shit about homeless people, children or adults, it doesn't matter. With my savings and a couple months of living on the streets I could afford a small flat. To pay for the rent I had to take 3 jobs. Still work at all of them. I also promised Lucy I wouldn't quit school, if I did she would believe to be a burden to me. Not her fault her parents were useless fucks."

He finished biting his lip. It was the first time he talked to anyone about their situation. He didn't know how he felt about sharing his problems but he could tell he was much calmer.

Gus noticed the first customers were done eating and asked compassionately "You feelin' calmer?" Ace nodded, eyes still focused on the floor "Let's go back to work." Gus said and gave Ace two pats on the shoulder as he passed him to serve the customers.

He could only imagine how hard life must be for his co-worker but opening up could get some of the pressure off of him. Especially during their shift it was important for Ace to keep a clear mind and be able to deal with the most annoying customers.

Ace took a deep breath and got back to work as well, indeed feeling a little better than before. He contemplated telling Mira as well, he was very close to her after all but he decided for it to happen on another day. He would sit down with her and take more time to talk about it, she would have questions after all.

After what seemed like an eternity the Café closed and they started cleaning up. Gus insisted on doing that with Vulcan alone so Ace could go home to Lucy and bring her some leftover cake. Ace thanked his friend and went home, remembering to repay the favour to Gus in the future.

As he arrived home Mira was sitting in the living room with a cup of tea and a book on her lap. When she heard him open the door she looked up and greeted him with a smile "How was work?" She asked, putting the book on the table next to the armchair she was sitting in. "Could've been better." He answered briefly "How's Lucy?" He asked, sitting on the sofa next to the armchair. "She's a lot better. Her temperature is almost back to normal, she drank a lot of tea and I read a book to her. She's been sleeping for an hour now, I think tomorrow she can go to school again." The girl said smiling.

Ace smiled slightly, happy to hear that his beloved little sister seems to be better. "Thank you, Mira. You really helped me out today." "Anytime. Really, if you ever need me to look after her again, don't hesitate to ask, I really like her." Mira told her friend. Looking at her Ace smiled, being glad that a girl as compassionate and kind was his friend. He made up his mind that he would definitely tell her about what happened in his and Lucy's life, but first he needed to thank her properly. He held out one of the bags he had taken home to her, saying "Take this as a thank you for today." Curiously she took the bag and her eyes lit up with excitement, seeing the baked goods in it.

The two talked for a while before saying goodbye and Mira went home. The young man, after having taken a shower, was finally able to rest on the sofa in the living room, where he usually slept and drifted off to sleep almost right away due to the exhaustion of the day.