The next morning, Zara and Mia found themselves lugging boxes of supplies down the street to a new venture—a bar owned by their best friends from university, Elliot and Lana. Tucked into a cozy corner of an old brick building, the place smelled faintly of aged wood and fresh paint. Above the door hung a sign that read The Mismatched, a playful nod to its owners' contrasting personalities.
Elliot greeted them with his usual boundless energy, already wearing a stained apron and wielding what looked like a poorly assembled cocktail shaker. "Welcome to our humble abode!" he declared, sweeping his arm dramatically as if presenting a grand palace instead of a half-finished bar.
Lana emerged from behind the counter, rolling her eyes but smiling nonetheless. She had swapped her usual professional attire for a casual T-shirt and jeans, though she still carried herself with an air of quiet competence. "Ignore him," she said dryly. "He's been mixing drinks since five this morning, and I'm pretty sure none of them are drinkable."
For those who didn't know them well, Elliot and Lana might seem like an odd couple. Elliot was the life of any party—always ready with a joke or a wild idea. Lana, on the other hand, was the voice of reason, practical and nurturing, though not above letting loose when the occasion called for it. Together, they balanced each other out perfectly, much like Zara and Mia in their own way.
Zara laughed, setting her box on the floor with a thud. "Well, someone has to keep things interesting around here." She turned to Mia, who was carefully unpacking glassware with surgical precision. "Right, Mia?"
Mia shot her a look that clearly said, Not helping. But there was a hint of amusement in her expression as she replied, "If by 'interesting' you mean chaotic, then yes, absolutely."
Swept Away (Literally)
As they began organizing the space, the group split up naturally. Zara paired off with Elliot, while Mia worked alongside Lana.
"Okay, so here's the plan," Zara announced, grabbing a broom and swinging it like a sword. "We sweep, we mop, we make this place sparkle. Then we party. Simple, right?"
Elliot grinned mischievously. "Simple is good. But let me ask you something—what happens if we skip straight to the partying part? You know, for market research purposes?"
Zara burst out laughing. "Market research, huh? Love it. Let's see how far we can push that excuse before Lana kills us."
Their banter continued as they tackled various tasks, which inevitably led to a series of mishaps. At one point, Zara accidentally knocked over a stack of chairs, creating a domino effect that sent them clattering across the room. Elliot doubled over laughing, clutching his sides. "That was epic! We should charge people to watch you clean."
Meanwhile, Mia tried—and failed—to hide her growing frustration. "Zara!" she called out sharply. "Can you please focus?"
Zara poked her head out from under a fallen chair. "I'm focusing! On being awesome."
Shelves of Sanity
On the other side of the bar, Mia worked together with Lana to arrange shelves stocked with bottles of liquor and mixers. While Mia meticulously labeled each bottle according to type and brand, Lana watched with mild amusement.
"You know," Lana said after a moment, "if you label everything perfectly, no one will ever be able to find anything because they'll all be too intimidated to touch anything."
Mia glanced up, momentarily distracted from her task. "It's not about intimidation. It's about organization. If people know where things go, life becomes easier."
Lana chuckled. "True. But sometimes chaos has its own kind of beauty. Look at Zara and Elliot—they're destroying the place, but they're having fun doing it."
Mia sighed, leaning back against the shelf. "Fun isn't always productive."
"No," Lana agreed, "but neither is stress. Maybe you two need to find a middle ground. A little less perfectionism, a little more spontaneity."
Mia considered this for a moment before nodding slowly. "Maybe. Though I doubt Zara would agree."
Lana smiled knowingly. "Oh, she'll come around eventually. Or at least pretend to."
Brainstorm Brew
Later that afternoon, the four gathered around a makeshift table in the center of the bar to discuss next steps. Zara sat cross-legged on a stool, twirling a pen between her fingers, while Mia typed furiously on her laptop. Elliot leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, looking every bit the visionary entrepreneur. Lana perched on the edge of the table, mediating the conversation with calm authority.
"So," Zara began, breaking the silence, "we've established that starting a café or a tech startup might not be feasible right now. What else could we do?"
Elliot snapped his fingers. "How about a pop-up shop? Something quirky and unexpected. Like selling handmade crafts or vintage items."
Mia frowned. "Pop-up shops require capital. And time. Neither of which we have in abundance."
Lana interjected, "What if we focused on temporary gigs instead? Think small-scale projects that generate quick cash without requiring long-term commitment."
Zara's eyes lit up. "Ooh, I like that. Temporary gigs sound fun. Plus, they give us flexibility to experiment with different ideas."
Mia hesitated, tapping her keyboard thoughtfully. "Temporary gigs could work. But we'd need a plan. A timeline. Budgets. Goals."
A Spontaneous Outlet
After the brainstorming session, Zara wandered over to a quiet corner of the bar, pulling out her phone. She scrolled aimlessly through social media, feeling restless. Her mind drifted back to earlier in the day, when she'd accidentally knocked over the stack of chairs. That moment had made her laugh harder than she had in weeks—it reminded her of how much she missed just being herself, without worrying about grades, expectations, or the pressure of adulthood.
On impulse, she decided to create a personal Instagram account. Not for business purposes—not yet, anyway. Just somewhere to share snippets of her day, vent some energy, and maybe connect with others who understood what it felt like to stumble through life with equal parts enthusiasm and clumsiness.
She tapped away, setting up the account quickly. No fancy filters, no polished captions—just raw, unfiltered posts. She named it simply: @zarasunscriptedlife. For her first post, she uploaded a video of herself attempting to sweep the floor while juggling oranges. The caption read:
"Day 1 of trying to act like an adult. Spoiler alert: It's going great... or not."
Before hitting "post," she hesitated briefly. Would anyone even care? Shrugging it off, she tapped the button and pocketed her phone. If nothing else, it would make her feel better to let out some steam.
Background Characters Take Center Stage
Unbeknownst to Zara, her followers immediately fell in love with her genuine, chaotic energy. They especially adored the accidental cameos of her friends. In the background of her videos, Mia could be seen shaking her head in exasperation, Lana calmly guiding Elliot away from another potential disaster, and Elliot himself dancing wildly to music only he could hear. Each appearance added layers of humor and relatability to Zara's content.
By the end of the day, Zara's follower count had skyrocketed. Comments poured in:
- "This is gold! Please tell me your friend in the background is always this organized."
- "LOL at the guy dancing in the corner. Who IS he??"
- "Your life seems so fun. Keep posting!"
But Zara remained blissfully unaware of her newfound popularity. To her, the account was just a way to document her day-to-day adventures. She posted sporadically, capturing moments like Elliot spilling glitter everywhere during a decorating session ("Oops, someone got a little too creative") or Mia correcting her grammar mid-conversation ("When did English class become mandatory again??").
Later, as the group took a break, Mia noticed something strange on her phone. "Zara," she said, frowning at the screen, "why does your profile picture have almost ten thousand likes?"
Zara blinked, confused. "Huh? My profile picture?" She grabbed Mia's phone and scrolled through the comments, her jaw dropping. "Wait… are these people talking about me? Or… or you guys in the background?"
Elliot peered over her shoulder, grinning. "Looks like we're secretly stealing the show, Zara!"
Lana chuckled. "You're creating comedy gold without even realizing it. People love watching you navigate life."
Zara tilted her head, still processing. "So… this means I'm famous now? Cool. Can we use it to get free food?"
Mia rolled her eyes but couldn't help smiling. "Only if you promise to stop ruining my productivity with your antics."
Live Wire
By evening, the bar was beginning to take shape. As they stood back to admire their handiwork, Zara pulled out her phone once more.
"I'm thinking we livestream tonight," she announced casually. "Give my followers a tour of the bar and maybe tease some future plans."
Mia groaned. "Are you sure that's wise? Livestreaming requires preparation. Scripts. Outlines."
Zara smirked. "Where's your sense of adventure, Mia? Live in the moment."
Before Mia could protest further, Zara hit the "Go Live" button. The camera panned across the room, capturing the fruits of their labor. Then, disaster struck—or rather, Zara tripped over a loose cable, sending her sprawling onto the floor.
The screen froze for a split second before cutting to black.
In the background, Mia could be heard shouting, "Zara! Turn it off! Turn it off now!"