3. Macey
MACEY
The Burrow Bitches
Britney: when i said one of us should be a social media star, this is not what i meant
Macey: OMG. I can’t watch the video.
Macey: This is my worst nightmare.
Ariadne: Is that you…wearing Noah Hansley’s jacket? While yelling at him?
Macey: I can explain.
Ariadne: Coffee. The Burrow Café. 8am tomorrow.
Britney: i’ll be there!
Kira: Brit you work there
Nestled at the base of The Burrow, the towering corporate building in downtown Chicago, was The Burrow Café, where executives and associates alike stopped in the morning for a cup of coffee on the way up to their office.
I was guilty of donating part of my salary to them twice each week.
As much as I wanted to buy coffee there every day, my office did have a coffee machine.
The interior was bathed in a soft, amber glow, sunlight filtering through floor-to-ceiling windows and casting long shadows across the polished wooden floors. Above, exposed industrial pipes crisscrossed the ceiling. It always smelled like freshly ground beans here.
Local artwork adorned the walls and plush leather couches were scattered throughout. The couch in the left corner was ours. Not officially, but after a year of meeting here every Monday morning before work, the regulars knew to leave it open for us.
The whirr of the espresso machine punctuated the air as Kira and I entered, followed by the rhythmic clink of ceramic cups and saucers.
“Do you want your usual?” I asked as Kira went to claim the couch.
“Please!” she called, halfway to the other side of the room.
Kira and I had lived together for six years, but we’d known each other since we were ten. She didn’t realize it at the time, but she was my first real friend. There were kids in class I’d talked to, maybe even did homework with after school, but no one I connected with.
I’d never forget meeting Kira on the monkey bars at school. I dangled from the first bar, terrified to swing forward, until I saw a smiling face at the end encouraging me to go.
We’d been best friends ever since.
And in the past six years of drinking coffee, Kira’s order— chai latte—had never changed. She liked the familiar. I preferred to keep my taste buds guessing.
“Good morning!” a beautiful barista clad in an apron adorned with a muffin logo said. Britney. “Chai latte for Kira, I know. What do you want, Macey?”
“Iced vanilla latte, please. Extra shot of espresso.”
I needed it. A bundle of fear curdled inside my stomach, and I hoped espresso would kill it. Although I technically didn’t do anything wrong this weekend, I was afraid my boss would use this as an opportunity to punish or even fire me.
It wasn’t a secret in my office that she disliked me. Most days it felt like she was constantly breathing down my neck. It felt unfair, receiving the sharp edge of her frustration while others only saw the blunt side. But what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger, or so I’d heard.
Britney winked and started the espresso machine. “You got it.”
Sometimes I thought the men of The Burrow didn’t come here for its coffee so much as they did for its barista.
Britney’s fiery locks cascaded like molten copper down her shoulders.
Her eyes, a mesmerizing shade of emerald green, always sparkled with a mischievous twinkle.
Porcelain smooth complexion, with freckles dusted across her nose.
And double-Ds that begged me to stare at them.
It was like she had been hand-drawn by a male artist. With a sigh, I glanced down at my body—the near-flat chest and distinct lack of freckles made me feel almost insignificant, but then I remembered all the amazing things my body could do.
Run a 5k. Store all the nutrients I needed to stay healthy.
Birth a literal human being, if I wanted.
I wasn’t immune to insecurities, but comparing myself to other people wouldn’t make them go away anytime soon.
Besides, when I thought about Britney or any of my friends, it was never physical appearance that came to mind.
I thought about Britney’s tenaciousness every day, working at this café while attending law school.
Kira’s selflessness, volunteering every week.
Ariadne’s relentless positivity in difficult times.
And how we wouldn’t all know each other without this café.
I’d been the first to work in The Burrow, starting my job as a writer at Roamer’s Digest a few days after graduating from the University of Illinois Chicago and then encouraged Kira to apply for a job opening in the building.
She was an actuary, and I still had no idea what that meant besides numbers.
I met Ariadne, who had just started working on the second floor, during my first week.
While graphic design was her passion, her day job was in IT, saving people from computer bugs and stopping them from buying suspicious gift cards for their boss.
And we all hit it off immediately with the building’s best barista.
“I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Britney handed me two cups, and I went to join Kira.
I heard Ariadne’s laugh before I saw her. Short, curly brown hair filled my vision as I gave her a hug from behind. Her hands released their tight grip on her reusable to-go cup to squeeze me back. The most practical person I knew, she always brought coffee from home.
“Where are my sunglasses?” Ariadne asked, pretending to look through her backpack. “This celebrity’s fame is blinding me.”
“Dramatic as always.” I laughed and took a sip of my latte, but internally, my heart sped up.
If I had known that conversation between Noah and me was going to be filmed and posted on social media, I would have never yelled at him like that. I still would have told him off, but I would have found another way to do it. A strongly worded letter, perhaps .
Ariadne continued, “I didn’t realize you knew how to yell.”
“I think the last time Macey got mad, she stole her enemy’s animal crackers during nap time.” Kira laughed but ceased when I glared at her.
“Very funny,” I muttered. “It’s rare that I lose my temper.”
White sneakers pattered against the floor as Britney came running. “Don’t get to the juicy parts without me!” She collapsed on the stool in front of the couch. “Okay, tell us everything. Start with the kissing.”
“Kissing?” I felt like a cartoon character whose eyes popped out of their head.
Britney fluttered her eyelashes innocently. “You were wearing his clothes. I assumed something had happened.”
“Definitely not.” I choked on my drink, and a little bit dribbled down my chin.
Get it together, Macey. “All that happened was we left the airport at the same time. He asked me why I think I’m better than him, and I explained to him what makes influencers so frustrating to simple plebeians like me. ”
My three best friends sipped their drinks and pointedly looked away.
I suddenly felt like a comedian who told a joke that didn’t land. “What?”
“Well…” Kira started, tucking a lock of long, dark hair behind her ear. “You guys were insulting and complimenting each other at the same time. It was confusing.”
Britney interrupted. “She means arousing.”
“I do not.”
“Just be careful around Noah,” said Ariadne. “I’m not sure what to make of him. Remember when he went viral for getting into a fistfight with that food influencer?”
“At least you know he could fight to defend your honor,” added Britney.
I faintly recalled seeing a viral video a few months ago of him in a fistfight. “Don’t worry, I have no desire to talk to him again.”
Kira crossed one leg over the other. “Where did the two of you leave things?”
We didn’t leave things anywhere. We had a small argument that got posted to TikTok and will blow over by the end of the day.
Did I feel a little guilty about what I said?
Sure, but logically, I knew I felt guilt way too easily, so I wasn’t planning to do anything about it.
Our insults to each other evened out. Plus, Noah took pride in being someone who wasn’t fazed by the world around him, so he probably hadn’t even thought of me since the argument.
My finger traced the lid of my cup. “I think we’ll go back to ignoring each other at the next press event.”
“Why? He’s hot. You’re hot. The hookup would be hot,” Britney argued, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. “Let me live vicariously through you. I need this.”
“Well, because you need it…” I said with an eye roll.
“Now you’re getting it.” Britney hummed, then hurried to her feet when a customer approached the counter. “I’ve got to go, but listen, Noah’s a ten and so are you. Do with that what you will.”
“I have to go, too.” Ariadne shoved her reusable cup into her backpack, then swung it over her shoulders. “I have to help a vice president who doesn’t know how to reset his computer password.”
Kira and I joined her, taking the rest of our coffees into the elevator. “Two dollars that his password includes a birthdate,” she whispered to me.
I shook Kira’s hand as Ariadne laughed, used to our frequent betting. Typically, we bet a few dollars at a time, and the winning dollars always went to our shared fund for utilities. It was my favorite game .
When the elevator opened, Ariadne stepped out and said, “It’s his daughter’s birthdate.”
“Yes!” Kira fist-bumped as I sighed. It might be my favorite game, but I wasn’t very good at it.
I settled into my desk and pulled up my notes from this weekend’s event.
So many details, so little time. I had started writing my article on the flight home from California last night, but then I crashed after the second paragraph.
My vision for this article included a recap and a list of reasons why people need to visit Fort Bragg during Whale Fest.