Fifteen Seconds

Chapter Two: Sixty Seconds

The Smoothie Shack lived up to its name. It was little more than a hut with a bar against the window where guests could wait for their orders and there were never more than three employees there at a time: one to work the drive-through, one to work the counter, and one in case one of the other two caught their finger in the blender.

"Have a nice day." Emily smiled at Jenna and Tracy as they left with their orders. Both were in her class, but they never spoke to her-apart from when they ordered at the Shack.

"Careful. Here comes the rush." Alex leaned on the counter beside her.

Emily chuckled. "Whole town could show up and it still wouldn't be a rush."

Their boss, Evelyn, was apparently convinced there was some impending apocalypse that would render the entire state of Maine in desperate need of smoothies.

Alex stretched her long arms out on the counter. She was the kind of girl Emily should be threatened by if popularity were important enough to her. A year older, Alex was all long limbs and smooth, tan skin. She had quit ballet when she was fifteen, much to the chagrin of her mother, but she still moved with the grace of a dancer.

"Thought you were on drive-thru duty today," Emily glanced over her shoulder, glad to be rid of the pasty-faced Craig who never stopped talking and couldn't take the most obvious hints, even when they came in the form of her telling him she would stick her own hand in the blender just to get away from him.

"I convinced Craig to switch with me."

"What'd it cost you?" Emily stared straight ahead, her eyes fixed on a rustling leaf outside.

"An invite to Stephen's party."

Emily turned to look at Alex, who sat with a knowing grin on her face. "You know that's not an exclusive party right?"

"Duh. If it was seniors only it would basically be a group date. But Craig doesn't know that."

"Here I thought you used your powers of popularity for good. Not for tricking innocent Freshman." Emily shook her head.

She lifted her shoulders. "Hey, I can't be held responsible for his ignorance."

"Devious."

Alex yawned, running a hand through her dark curls. "Where's your friend?"

"I'm sure she'll turn up here soon." Emily glanced out the window. Right on schedule, Jordan Romero sauntered down the walk.

"Hello lovelies." She smiled at both of them when she walked in. Jordan had moved to Raybrooke in the seventh grade when her father's company opened a new factory nearby. He was loaded, so the concept of a summer job was lost on his only daughter. She visited Emily regularly during her shifts, sometimes sitting in the Shack for hours at a time.

"Save some swagger for the rest of us." Alex nodded to Jordan's extra tight skinny jeans.

Jordan struck a pose, sticking her leg out to give us a better look. "You like? They're not in stores yet."

"Who buys designer jeans?" Alex laughed and shook her head. Jordan winked at her and took a seat on the stool at the window. Emily drew shapes on the counter. Jordan was blessed with a body any girl would die for. Her hourglass figure was made even more appealing by her heart-shaped face and warm brown eyes set in flawless olive skin. Everything about her was intriguing-even her dark brown hair threw shades of red as it flowed halfway down her back.

"I thought we could go to dinner with Miles tonight." She looked to Emily expectantly.

Emily pressed her lips together. "Yeah, maybe."