Summer Lovers

chapter 6

2 NEW MESSAGES FROM: Charlotte

~Hey, i'm not sure if you're still mad at me... answer please?

~Kate!! I have a major question. anssweerrrrr!

I scrolled back to Jade's first message and clicked reply.

TO: Jade

Wednesday sounds perfect. text me deets. c u then.

Jade had been my best friend before Charlotte. We'd known each other since first grade and knew almost everything about each other. After I met Charlotte in eighth grade, I stopped talking to Jade mostly, because Char would always pull me away to come shopping with her, or gossip about her new crush.

But Jade still knew everything about me, and tried to hang out with me at least once a month, because when you had a friendship as strong as ours was, you didn't just want to lose it. Jade could help me sort out my whole Charlotte/Jason mess, I knew she could.

Charlotte's messages were still unanswered though, and I hesitated.

TO: Charlotte

What's ur Q?

A reply came instantly.

~Yay you answered! i was getting so bored on the plane :)

I rolled my eyes. She was stalling, but I kept my answer curt and repeated my first message.

~What's ur Q?

~Well 1st, r u mad still?

~no.

~K well, J hasnt answered any of my messages. have u seen him?

I hesitated. I was mad, but I wasn't willing to tell Char about our little meeting at the smoothie place.

~not really

~he worx at snazzy smoothie 2-5 on tuesdays. go over there today and tell him to call me, or ask him y he hasnt? phone losing reception. kisses!

I checked the clock. It was only 7:25, but I decided to go to the Snazzy Smoothie anyway. I grabbed my laptop and my Pretty Little Liars book and headed over, figuring I'd just lounge there all day since I had nothing better to do.

When I got there, only about 7 other customers were around. I decided to people watch over the top of my book. A young-looking mom was cleaning smoothie spit off of the mouth of a baby that couldn't be more than a year old. Two tables to the left of her, two ladies who couldn't be younger than seventy drank what appeared to be the very unappetizing prune smoothies and chattered about a book one was holding in her hand and gesturing toward wildly.

There was also a man in the back booth behind the plant I'd concealed myself behind the day before, typing wildly on his laptop, his face set in a determined frown. He looked like he was in college, not much older than me. Still concentrating on his screen, he reached for his cup of coffee and knocked it over onto his pants and laptop.

"Sh--!" He exclaimed, and looked around wildly as if a napkin would spontaneously appear in front of him. I happened to be sitting next to the napkins, so I grabbbed several and rushed over. I handed him a few napkins and then started helping to get rid of the sticky mess on his laptop.

"Thanks," he said, and I looked up at him. He was hot, there was no denying it. He had messy brown hair and black thick frame glasses that made him give off a nerd-chic look. He was only several inches taller and had a camera around his neck that had, fortunately, not gotten wet.

He cleared his throat and I realized that I had been staring. "Oh! Uh, your welcome," I said, feeling my cheeks burn. "I hope your laptop isn't ruined."

He was staring at me, seemingly taking me all in. I was wearing a worn out Rolling Stones tee-shirt, skinny jeans, boots, and my hair in a messy ponytail. I hadn't even bothered to put on any makeup this morning and suddenly felt very self-conscious.

"I'm sure it'll be fine," he said, giving me a small smile. "I'm Darren, what's your name?"

Omigod. I forgot my name. I stared vacantly, and finally remembered. "I'm, uh, Katelyn."

"Well Katelyn, want a smoothie, on me?" He glanced down at his stained pants. "Hopefully not literally though," he said, giving me a dazzling smile. Without waiting for my response, he went up to the counter to order.

I had a deja-vu moment as I took in the spilled drink and cute guy the drink was spilled on. "Darren..." I thought aloud. "Darren's a cute name."

"Thanks," a low voice said behind me and I blushed ferociously. He handed me a strawberry smoothie. "You're not allergic, are you?" he asked anxiously, and I shook my head.

As we sipped our smoothies, he kept a light conversation going.

"So how old are you?" He asked.

"Seventeen, how about you?"

"Eighteen, I just started going to the college across town."

"That's really cool, what's your major?" I asked, fascinated.

"English, but I'm also very into photography." He gestured to his computer. "I had been working on a collage for a contest I read about online when I spilled my drink." He checked his watch suddenly.

"Oh!" He said in surprise. "It's already 8:30, I have to get going, I'm sorry." He reached for a napkin that had laid unused on the table. Quickly he scribbled something on it and handed it to me. "It was really nice meeting you!" he calledd over his shoulder, and hurried off.

Darrren Williams: 255-9888--That's what was scrawled onto the napkin in blue, smudged ink. I sighed happily. Jason who?