Compositions of Us

17 · The Grand Reveal

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17 · The Grand Reveal

Since senior year was coming to an end, not only was graduation around the corner but AP exams as well. Mikaela and I already started to prepare ourselves by dedicating as much Fridays and Saturdays to study together. We didn't have the chance to meet up last weekend since Mikaela had her annual — and sadly, her last — cheer competition of her high school career.  

The cheer team's hard work definitely paid off, and they took home second place. That was the biggest accomplishment in the history of Farello High School, and the school was holding onto this as a start of a legacy. I hadn't seen my best friend so overjoyed in her life. Even though the break up with Trevor nearly ruined her concentration, Mikaela never looked back with her past relationship with him.  

Today was the first of many where we would study for our exams in May. 

What better way to hold a study session than at Soulatté Café?

The oak wood table was flooded with our massive textbooks and old notes scattered around. It was three in the afternoon, and we've been here refreshing our minds about the theorems and rules of derivatives and limits.  

Eric and his parents weren't running the café since this was the last day before his grandma headed back to South Korea. Our friend was the one who always gave us some pointers about what to look out for, but we didn't mind that he had to skip out today. Eric had to spend time with family, and that was most important. 

Spinning her black pen between her fingers, Mikaela and I were trying to figure out a derivative problem for the past twenty minutes. 

Flipping through the pages of my notebook, I let out an exasperated sigh. "I could have sworn someone told me that senior year was going to be the best year of my life. Why is it so torturous then?" 

Holding back a laugh, Mikaela nodded in agreement. 

All of a sudden, another voice decided to enter our conversation and reminded, "It was me. And, that's because you two are overachievers. Who takes AP classes their senior year?" 

That voice belonged to none other than Soulatte's native barista, Kenneth, who was just a table away from us. Recalling that Kenneth had a laid back senior year made me envy his decision at the time.  

Kenneth was mopping away the left over crumbs the previous customers had left. Harboring our attention towards him, he tossed the damp, cotton cloth up into his hand before he approached our table.  

Greeting him, I then played a hurt expression. "Thanks for the words of encouragement, Kenneth." 

The barista laughed, shaking his head. "I'm just teasing you. You'll both do fine. At least you're not Eric who's taking five or something beyond me." 

Mikaela didn't hesitate to mention in admiration, "That boy was born to excel in life."

The three of us shared a laugh, but Eric's drive and intelligence was something we all appreciated about him.  

While Kenneth asked Mikaela what we were studying for, my gaze trailed off to observe my surroundings. The cafe was quiet at the time with other students trying to study and a few tables filled with friends or couples having drinks and desserts together. I ended up focusing on front counter of the café where Joshua was currently fulfilling the drink orders as he worked with Ben, Will, and Randy.  

What sparked my interest was how Joshua was talking to a male customer during the process. From afar, the male was just an inch or two shorter than Joshua's stature. It was impossible to distinguish the male's facial features since his back was towards me. The customer wore a black hat, and his clothes had a casual approach.