Boulder, CO— Ashley Clark, a student barista at the University of Colorado Boulder, faced a unique challenge earlier today. Her shift started like any other: lattes, cold brews, and the occasional hot chocolate. Then in walked Michael McMillan.
“It was terrifying,” Ashley told us, blinking back tears, “he looked so normal, I could have never imagined he was capable of something like that.”
McMillan walked into the coffee shop and ordered a quad espresso. Not unusual for a college student nearing finals week. He sat down at a corner table next to an outlet, pulled out his computer from his backpack, and dutifully got to work– Canvas and Quizlet reflecting off his glasses as he sipped on his drink.
But then he approached the counter a second time. Ordered another quad espresso. Ashley remarks that she shared a nervous look with a coworker, but served him anyway. After all, it wasn’t in her job description to police what people could and couldn’t drink. McMillan sat down, and Ashley thought that was the end of it.
For 30 minutes, the cafe was peaceful. Customers came and went, and Ashley settled back into her routine, lightly swaying to the music as she made drinks. But then she heard a throat clear behind her.
Ashley recalled the moment, “I think I blacked out. Before I knew it, my coworker was tapping me on my shoulder, asking me if I was okay. When I blinked, I realized I had made him two more quad espressos without even realizing. That’s when I began to panic.”
According to our team’s research, the average quad espresso contains around 300 milligrams of caffeine. The recommended daily intake is 400 milligrams. Ashley has just served McMillan 1200 milligrams, 800 above the advised limit. Surely, McMillan had to be done.
Ashley and her coworker nervously eyed the corner where McMillan sat, watching his fingers shake, and his leg tap up and down with all the energy of someone recently struck by a lightning bolt.
Another hour passed, but the cafe felt different on edge. The other customers eyed McMillan out of the corner of their eye. Some with a begrudging respect, more in abject disgust and horror. Everyone was waiting to see if he would leave before his heart gave out.
McMillan started to shift. Antsy and sweaty, he ran his shaking fingers through his hair as he cursed under his breath at a particularly difficult practice exam. The tapping of his leg grew louder until the screech of his chair when he stood up broke the uneasy silence that had settled around the cafe.
He got up, legs shaking as he stumbled up to the counter. The slam of his credit card echoed like a firework through the store. He squinted at Ashley.
“Give me another.”
And that’s when Ashley put her foot down. Not only was this student agitated, but he also couldn’t even stand. She told us, “I knew that it was up to me to stop him. I knew that if I served him again, I might be charged with attempted murder.”
So Ashley refused, which only served to enrage McMillan. He angrily muttered about failed tests and incompetent baristas before he finally stumbled back to his corner table, packing up his computer with all the energy of a man scorned.
Katie Jones, another student in the cafe at the time, told us, “Once McMillan had finally left, it was like a breath of fresh air. We could all relax, knowing we weren’t about to watch a man die in front of us, and it was all thanks to Ashley.”
For her bravery, Ashley is going to be rewarded with a Key to the City for doing something no barista has ever done before in the City of Boulder… cutting off a student before finals.
