The Freshman

Chapter Four - The All-Nighter

"Somehow I have trouble believing that," I said.

"There he is! Just look at him. The hottest thing around here isn't the coffee."

"About Brandon, he's a hottie!"

"Tell me something I don't know." Zack looked over at Brandon again. "Ah! Panic is setting in! What if he's not into me? What if he's not even single? What if he isn't into guys?"

"I guess... asking him would be a good start?"

"Great idea! I need you to go get some intel! I'll wait over at that table WAY over there!"

Zack speedwalked to a table at the back of the shop as I reached the front of the line and came face to face with Brandon. "Everything okay? Your friend took off in a hurry..." Brandon said.

"I think he just gets nervous..." I said.

"I've seen him hanging out a few times. What's his story?"

"Zack? He's a really good friend. Even right now, Zack is in the middle of helping me with a massive project!"

"He sounds like a great boyfriend..."

"What? Noooo! It's not like that. He's, uh, more into guys."

"Interesting..."

"That actually reminds me of something I wanted to ask you... Do you have a boyfriend?"

"Somehow, I don't think you're the one who wants to ask me that. You can tell your friend that he should come talk to me himself... And that I'm into shy guys."

After ordering coffee for my friends, I headed back to Zack's table. "So... what did he say?" Zack asked.

"Sounds like he's actually married to a nice girl..." I said.

"What?!"

"Relax! I'm just kidding. He seems into you. You should go talk to him."

After working up some courage, Zack finally walked over to Brandon.

A Few Minutes Later...

"So? How'd it go?" I asked.

"Terrible," Zack said.

"Really? You guys were chatting for like ten minutes!"

"Yeah... and then I ordered another coffee and said goodbye. I didn't even get his number!"

"Wait a second... look at your cup!"

"Brandon wrote his number!"

"And a winky face!"

Zack threw his arms around me. "Best. Wing girl. Ever. I'm never leaving home without you again."

A While Later...

"... and here's a double-espresso for my favorite football star," Zack said.

"I assume you're talking about me," Tyler said.

"Very funny. Now hand over that cup. I can barely keep my eyes open," Chris said.

"By the way, I owe you big time," Zack said. "Anytime you need a wingman, I'm at your disposal!"

"I may take you up on that. But for now, what I really need is for you to type your heart out," I said. "Let's keep pushing, everyone!"

4:00AM

I headed to the kitchen for a quick break and found myself alone with Chris. "Hey... we haven't really had a chance to talk about last night," Chris said.