Me, Myself, and Others

Coffee Shop Brawl

Jake climbs into the passenger seat of my Lexus, running his hands over the expensive leather. "Nice car. Did you boost it?"

I snort. "Are you serious?"

"Serious," he says forcefully. I laugh. "No, I didn't boost it. My mom bought it. As an apology gift."

My hands grip the steering wheel, my eyes flitting to Jake's lips every five seconds. "An apology? What for?"

I hitch my shoulders. "For not being there for me. She works a lot. That's the only reason I'm living with you guys. She's going to China for a year on a business trip."

"And I'm guessing you're not too happy?"

I shrug. "I mean...its her way of coping."

Jake gently touches my Nikon. "Was this an apology gift?"

I nod, too aware of his hand dangerously close to my face. "Do you use it?"

"Of course. I want to study photography in New York. Its, like, my dream. I wouldn't make it without it. I actually get my skill from my mom."

He lets it go, eyes boring into the side of my skull. "What?" I ask, cheeks on fire.

"When you talk about photography... Your face lights up and your eyes glint. Its...its beautiful."

I blush harder. Jake's eyes widen. "Umm, ah, forget I said that."

A little hurt, I give him a small nod.

Awkward silence. God, it's worse than it is with my mother. He finally looks at me again. "Where are we going?"

"To Java Java. To see a friend."

"A friend? Does this friend happen to be a guy?"

I peek at him. His face is blank, making him hard to read. "No. I don't have any friends that are guys. And really she's my only friend."

Jake doesn't ask why. I pull into a parking spot directly in front of the small little shack, complete with a fake straw roof and everything.

I wait for Jake before pushing open the door, met with the fresh smell of coffee and doughnuts. Along one wall runs a bamboo counter, and tables and chairs litter the floor around it.

There a few people inside, just college freshmen and an old couple. I navigate my way to the counter, scanning the menu. Jake comes up behind me, leaning on the counter.

"Does your friend work here?"

"Yep."

"Does she have a name?"

Before I can answer, she comes bounding from the back, beaming. Her blonde bun is low on her head, her signature look. She's wearing a simple back tee with tight fitting jeans and black combat boots. Her eyeliner is smudged on purpose, and her red lipstick covers her mouth, matching her long nails.

Kale has the grunge hipster look about her that everyone loves. She smiles, not noticing Jake. Although, she was very quick to notice hot guys. It was like her six sense.

"Babe, I missed you!"

She comes around the corner, crushing me. I swear, if someone else hugs me like this I'm going to suffer from broken ribs. I inhale the scent of her vanilla bean perfume.

"I missed you too," I mumble into her hair. She pulls away, turning my face in her hands. "You've changed?" she asks, her British accent making it sound like a question. I liked her crisp, sharp accent that stayed even though she's lived in Florida her whole life.