𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐍 ˡᵘᶜᵃˢ ˢᶜᵒᵗᵗ

𝟭𝟭. out with the old, in with the new

"Wow, um," Jackie struggled to find her words.

"Are you okay with this?"

"Mom, of course, If you're happy then I'm happy," She reassured the older woman, "I just wasn't expecting it, that's all." Her mom opened her mouth to say something else but Jackie abruptly jolted up, "You know what, I'm gonna go pick up an extra shift at the cafe. Karen and Haley are both on the trip so, I should make sure everything is going well."

"Oh," Marie was a bit taken aback by her change in attitude, "Okay, I understand. We can talk about it once you get back then."

"Great," Jackie forced a smile as she grabbed her jacket from the bed, "I'll be back later."

Jackie knew that Deb could handle the cafe on her own but she really couldn't have that conversation with her mother at the moment. The business was consistent at the cafe for a few hours before it died down. Jackie was in the middle of brewing some coffee when the door chimed, signaling a new customer.

Once she turned to greet them, a young boy, around her age, strolled up to the front counter. He had a tall, lean frame, his hair was a dark brown that could pass as black, and moles spread across his face, "Hi, what can I get you today?"

"What's good?" He asked as he took a seat, resting his palms flat on the countertop, "First time."

"I can tell, I never see you around," Jackie noticed, "We have coffee, tea, and every pastry you can think of."

"I'll have your usual," The boy ordered.

"You got it," Jackie nodded, "You're putting a lot of trust into a stranger, food is a very special thing."

"You look trustworthy," He replied quickly with a smirk. Jackie hid her smile well as she walked away to put together his order. Her usual order consisted of a chocolate croissant and cappuccino.

"Voilà," Jackie came back shortly with his order.

The boy rubbed his hands together, ready to dig on before he stopped himself, "how much do I owe you?"

Jackie shrugged him off, "I got it, first-time customer appreciation." Jackie chuckled, "So, do you have a name or do you expect me to guess it?"

He eyed her for a second before saying, "It's Alex."

"Alex," Jackie repeated, the name rolling off her tongue, "I'm Jackie." She introduced herself, " What brings you to Tree Hill?"

"What makes you think I'm a foreigner?" Alex quirked an eyebrow at her before biting into his chocolate-filled pastry.

"Small town," Jackie said simply, "I don't see many new faces around here."

"I'm living with my uncle for a while until my home situation back in South Carolina gets figured out," He informed her, taking a sip of his cappuccino.

"New school in the middle of junior year?" Jackie winched, "That's gonna suck so bad."

"Eh," He shrugged, "It won't be, I already made a new friend." He pointed out, gesturing towards the blonde, "I say I'm off to a pretty good start."

"Charming," Jackie offered him a soft smile before checking back on one of her other customers.  Alex didn't stay much longer since he had a specific time to report back to his Uncle but the two assumed that it wouldn't be the last time that they would see each other. Once Jackie returned home, she was more than happy to find out her mom was called into the hospital, thus, pushing their engagement conversation back.