"L A B E L S"

Episode 57

He nods with a slightly smug expression. "Piece of cake."

The guy sitting at the table Jake just served spews his cappuccino out all over the guy sitting in front of him. "What the hell is this?!"

Jake and Mia look over at the guy with wide eyes and Jake slowly looks over at her with an innocent, apologetic look.

Mia rushes over to the table and offers them napkins. "Is something wrong with the cappuccino, sir?"

He looks up at Mia in disbelief. "Uh, yeah. My cappuccino tastes like someone just took toilet water and overcooked coffee, threw it in a cup and decided to call it a cappuccino."

She gives the man an apologetic look and takes his coffee. "I am so sorry sir. Everything's on the house, is there anything else I can get you?"

He gives her an irritated expression before standing up. "No!" He leaves with the second guy following close behind.

She turns back to Jake with wide eyes and begins walking over to him. "Okay...now what I want to know is how you managed to walk back to the bathroom and fill his cup with toilet water without anyone seeing." She smirks, jokingly.

Jake shakes his head with that same apologetic look. "Sorry, I really thought I was doing it right...guess not."

She gives one simple nod. "Guess not." She lowers the cup and drops it in the trash before looking back at Jake with a small smirk. She turns and walks back over to the table the two men were at and begins cleaning up the mess they left behind.

~~~

Joe's walking down the street holding Taylor's hand when she looks over at him, examining his expression. "You're somewhere else again, aren't you?"

He snaps back to reality and looks over at Taylor. "Huh? Oh...yeah, kind of. Sorry."

She shrugs with a small smile. "That's okay. What's up?"

He sighs and takes a moment before answering. "It's just...Landon is being so weird!"

Without really meaning to she rolls her eyes in annoyance, not surprised in the least that his thoughts are focused around Dani.

He doesn't notice Taylor's gesture and continues talking while looking straight ahead. "I mean last night she was actually there, at the football game!"

She looks over at Joe slightly confused. "I thought you said she hates football?"

He looks over at her with wide eyes and nods. "She does! That's what I don't understand. We've been friends for almost two years now and not once has she ever made even the smallest effort to go to a football game! And now, all of a sudden she starts tutoring Jerry and what do you know, there she is, sitting front row at a school football game!" He rolls his eyes and takes a breath, ending his rant.

Taylor shrugs and continues starring straight ahead. "Maybe...they're becoming friends."

Joe looks over at her with wide, worried eyes. "What? No, no way. They can't be friends."

She looks over at Joe with slight confusion. "Why not?"

He stops and looks over at Taylor with a slightly angered expression. "Why not? You of all people should know 'why not'. I just don't understand Taylor, he cheated on you! He was a total jerk to you and yet you still act like he's an okay guy."

"Because he is."

He stares at Taylor in bewilderment.

She sighs and takes a step closer to Joe. "Look, me and Nick were never going to work out. I knew that from the beginning and whether he wants to admit it or not...he knew it too. We were together because of the cliché reason; nothing more. Nick is a good person; he has just had a lot of hurt in his life. I think that when something good comes along he feels like it's destined to be ruined so instead of waiting for something to come along and rip it away...he does something to destroy it himself."

He shakes his head and looks up at her with serious eyes. "You will go to any lengths to see the best in him, won't you?"

She shrugs with a small smile. "Somebody has to." She sighs and glances at the ground before looking back up at Joe. "Nick and I...we never worked as a couple but we did become honest friends in the time we were together. We talked a lot and I got to see who he really was when nobody else was around. He really is an okay guy, Joe."

He stares at her for moment before speaking honestly. "I really wish I could believe that but I can't believe something when proof tells me otherwise."

~~~

Scarlett walks into the coffee house almost 2 hours before closing time and notices the empty restaurant. She looks to her left and sees Jake and Miley leaning against the counter's talking. She walks over to them and leans across the counter with a smile. "So, how are my two favorite working people doing?"

Mia chuckles and looks over at Jake as he takes a deep breath. "Well...a customer thought my cappuccino tasted like toilet water, I spilled a boiling cup of coffee on some guys shirt and I managed to somehow trip over an invisible obstacle and make another order go flying through the air...luckily it didn't land on anybody...that time."    

Scarlett covers her mouth, hiding a small smirk that begins to show.    

"Go ahead, laugh. It's what Mia's been doing all night anyways."    

She uncovers her mouth and giggles lightly before reaching over to put a hand on Jake's arm comfortingly.    

Mia looks over at Jake with an encouraging smile. "It gets better, Jake. You should of seen me my first day." She glances at the ground with wide eyes, pretending to relive the whole 'horrible' day in her head.    

Scarlett looks over at her and speaks without thinking. "I thought you said your first day was a piece of cake?"    

Mia slaps her hand against her own forehead at Scarlett's very blonde moment.    

"Oh..." She retreats back, finally realizing that Mia was trying to make Jake feel better and both Jake and Scarlett can't help but laugh.