A Slice Of Life

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Charlotte Le

“I hope you know that I hate you.” Bryn Sinclair turns her head in my direction. Her strawberry blonde hair is tied back in a ponytail with her bangs almost to the point where they’re covering her eyes.

“It was not that bad. First of all, James is a perfectly nice person.” I cringe at her wording.

“Ha! He’s perfectly nice, hence the name, ‘Mr. Perfect.’” She continues working on whatever it is she has due next class. We’re sitting in the campus library. Stanford has always had a nice library. I’ve always enjoyed it. The rows of books surround our corner table. I’m probably the loudest person here since the only other noise is the flipping of pages.

“He’s not perfect. He’s just almost perfect.” I scoff, remembering how everything about him was perfectly perfect. “Secondly, there was that other guy. The one you caught getting it on in the stall with that girl.” I cringe again at the memory.

“Ugh. Don’t remind me. That was possibly the most awkward situation I’ve ever been in. I mean, at least do it in a private room.” Really, bathrooms are not the place for that kind of behavior, especially girls only bathrooms.

“But you guys totally had a moment! He was all looking into your eyes deeply, while you were looking at everything but him. That is definitely a moment.” I have a coughing fit, and some girl that’s on the other side of the wall shushes me.

“You’re kidding me right. That was a moment of him looking constipated and me not trying to be disgusted.”

“You just called it a moment. This is officially in the category of moment.”

***

The bell rings signaling a new customer. I look up from my post behind the cash register, and prepare myself to welcome whoever has decided to stop in for coffee. I straighten my apron, and tighten my ponytail.

“Welcome to Stanford Coffee—” I cut off when I realize who it is. “Oh. Never mind. It’s just you, Elle. Thought it was someone worth welcoming.” I shoot her a grin to let her know I’m kidding, but I suspect Elle Whitson already knows. Between working here, the Apple store, and volunteering at the library, it’s a wonder how she could even make it here at all.

“Eh. It was that girl again. Annoyed me to no end.” Elle shuddered at the thought. “She kept wanting to know where one book was. I found it. She looked at it. Told me to put it back. Then asked for another one. By the time I was done, which was a relatively short time due to my skill at finding books, she had decided that she didn’t want any of them and left.”

Elle and I seem to talk in fragments a lot. They were always little bits that we added on as afterthoughts. We never need to say the whole thought out loud anyways. It’s always just understood. “Well, it’s been rather slow tonight. Several people popped in and out.” She removed her hat and scarf, revealing her light brown hair. She didn’t seem to be paying attention, but she was. “Bought some variation of coffee as usual. Absolutely freezing outside, don’t you agree? Also, Ren left a note saying—”

“No one really wants to go out in this weather, right? Anyone we know? Which is the normal activity that takes place at a coffee shop. Better than it being burning hot out. And a note saying what?” I held the piece of paper with my messily scrawled note up to the light. I squint my eyes.

“Ag. Unfortunately, I can’t even understand what I wrote. It’s a bunch of letters, symbols, and scribbles that don’t even look like anything. I guess you’ll figure it out the next time you see him.” Elle comes over and grabs the paper out of my hands. She mimics my movements, and it seems as though she can’t decipher it either. “Better yet, just text him.”