There were several specific reasons that Emmett Forrest went to the coffee shop to work. First, it was quiet and the unlimited supply of coffee kept him awake. Second, he loved the smell of coffee. Third, it was a way to escape his boss that always breathed down his neck.
When his favorite coffee shop became well-known, thanks to the celebrities who wanted coffee in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it was a lot louder. Emmett had talked to the store manager, stating that a lot of people came to a coffee shop to concentrate and, for many students at Harvard, to have a quiet place with an unlimited supply of coffee to study for the most prestigious tests in the country. The manager implemented a "whisper rule."
That still didn't change the fact that it was crowded.
Emmett hated the people who took up every single seat at their table. Backpack on one chair. Laptop on another. Textbooks on yet another. And because of those stupid idiots, he had to share a two-seated table with Little Miss Pink.
Elle Woods. Loud and annoying, pink and fashionable, pretty and blonde. Emmett hated her.
He hated her because he knew she didn't realize her full potential and instead was trying to win the eyes of one of his co-workers, Warner Huntington III, who was engaged to a Harvard Business student.
Emmett ducked in to the warm coffee shop from the cold weather outside, praying to God above to not have Little Miss Woods Comma Elle in that coffee shop.
Emmett saw no pink and breathed a sigh of relief in knowing he would finally have peace and quiet. He took the only empty table, another two-seater.
Fourteen minutes into work, he saw the flash of a pink purse being tossed at the empty seat across from him, and he groaned, making it known he did not want to sit with her and hit his head on the table.
Elle just ignored him and began speaking of how great Warner was and just how handsome and everything else about him, and Emmett couldn't take it anymore. He stood up and dropped his textbook on the table, creating a scene. "I don't give a crap about stupid Warner Huntington III!"
He was immediately shushed by everyone around him and someone made a wild motion at him to sit down.
Emmett sat and hissed across the table, "You have a crap ton of potential and you're wasting it stalking a person who's already engaged to someone else! Pick someone who, I don't know, actually is a) single, b) helpful, and c) not a douche! Now if you'll excuse me, some of us have to work a job to live in a shabby apartment at best."
Elle was, to say the least, a little taken aback by his tone and his words. She cleared her throat and leaned across the table. "I'm not dumb, you know."
Emmett didn't look up. "Why do you think I said you have a crap ton of potential?" He picked up his coffee to take a drink.
Elle shot him a look and continued talking. "I'm actually really smart. I am a student at Harvard."
At this, Emmett started choking on his drink. "Harvard?" he coughed out.
Elle nodded. "Yes. Harvard. I'm studying Poli Sci under a Pre-Law major and I really want to go to Harvard Law School. I'm also holding a 3.97 GPA and I'm on the dean's list. Do I need to say more?"
Emmett looked up and, with a poker face, he said, "Yes. Why don't you have a 4.0?"
Elle stuck her tongue out at him and he laughed. "Calculus, you butthead."
Emmett, still laughing, said, "You want me to tutor you? I'm pretty good with Calculus."
Elle started laughing too. "That would be much appreciated."