Dust and Ash

1: More than just baggage [dust]

"A large pepperoni, please," Sam answered, and then elbowed Jackson in the ribs. "What about you?"

Jackson made a small grunt and turned to look up at her nervously.

"Actually, Georgina..." he started as he gulped and wiped his sweaty hands on his jeans. "I was actually wondering..." Georgina watched him curiously. It was like watching a puppy drown. I was about to swoop in when Jackson finally said, "If there was still Fanta on the menu?"

The last part was said so fast that it ended up being one whole sentence pushed together in a single word. I looked up at Georgina, who didn't seem fazed by his behaviour.

"Yeah, of course! Did you want grape or orange?"

Bless that girl's soul, I thought. She'd be perfect for Jackson.

"Orange," Jackson muttered pathetically, keeping his gaze away.

"Okay, so, a Cherry Coke, a large pepperoni, and an Orange Fanta," she said, reading off her notepad. "I'll be right back with your order."

With one last smile, she turned and left.

"Damn that waitress uniform," Jackson mumbled, looking defeated. He shoved his face into his hands. "It'll be the death of me."

"You completely froze," Sam said, before drinking the rest of his beverage and scooping the ice chunks into his mouth.

"Maybe next time," I answered, finishing the last bite of pizza.

Jackson looked up at him, completely pained. "Topic change. I'm getting depressed thinking about my seven future cats. Has your mum's friend moved in yet?"

"She's coming around seven."

"Oh, is this the really hot friend?" Sam asked, perking up at the conversation turn.

"You really have to stop hitting on my mum and her friends. She's going to get a restraining order on you one day."

Sam was what my mother called my 'pervert friend', which I didn't argue against because it was pretty much true. There was no point defending him when Sam was just going to do something that represented him as worse than he actually was.

"Does she have a daughter at least?" Sam pressed.

I hadn't actually heard Cathy speak of a daughter—or any children for that matter. I didn't know why, but I never pictured her as a mother. Besides, Mum didn't mention anyone moving in except for Cathy.

"Don't think so." I shrugged. "Nice try though."

"It was worth a shot."

Georgina returned with our orders, placing the drinks down onto the table before sliding the tray of pizza in the middle, trying not to put it on top of any important pieces of paper. Jackson tried shuffling his homework into a single neat pile, but the corners jutted out at weird angles until he was left with an awkward looking star of school work.

"Hey, is this the algebra homework we were meant to do over the weekend?" Georgina asked, bending down to pick up a double sided sheet that had fallen on the ground.

"Unfortunately," Sam answered.

Georgina handed it back to Jackson. "Did you end up getting number twelve? I was completely stuck last night."

Jackson shook his head. "I couldn't get it either. But apparently, the same sort of question is going to be on the topic test on Monday."

I watched as his confidence spiked. Jackson went from a stuttering, nervous wreck to completely cool, collected and confident. In just a few short minutes, he had completely transformed. I wasn't sure if I was more proud that he was speaking coherently or worried that he was going to mess it up. Sam, on the other hand, seemed thoroughly entertained as he watched the scene unfold between them.