Ethan looked up from his coffee and smiled at Molly as she walked into Kelly's, lugging what had to be the biggest backpack he'd ever laid eyes on. The seventeen year old grinned back at him as she dropped the book bag in the seat to his right; it landed with an intimidating thud, and Molly flopped into the chair across from him in that boneless way only a teenager could manage.
'Alright there luv?' he asked, settling deeper into his own chair and slowly spinning his coffee cup clockwise with just the tips of his fingers. Molly grimaced tugging off her winter coat and gloves, and then with an inarticulate sigh/whine she slumped farther into her seat.
"More or less…well…probably less…Latin is pretty much trying to give me brain lesions…" she paused and then quickly amended "I mean, make my brain bleed."
Ethan laughed at the dejected look on her face, and then raised an eyebrow.
"I get what you mean, but I thought you were some kind of genius when it came to schoolwork and such."
"I am, at pretty much everything but Latin…or any language that isn't English. I have a deep affinity for English linguistics, so the syntax and phonology of other languages really throws me off. Which is probably why I'm so frustrated," she said with a sigh "I'm not used to any type of school related stress."
"I wish I could help you out, but I'm nowhere near qualified…" he trailed off looking bemused, digging a pack of cards out of his jacket pocket. "…as an Aussie I barely get by with regular American English."
"No, it's fine. Kristina should be getting in tonight, and she was always great with Latin, so I'll pick her brain. The papers not due for another two weeks anyway, so I have some time before I genuinely start to panic." Molly said, glancing at Ethan as she rummaged through her bag for a hair band.
The only reaction was a brief pause as he shuffled the cards, but Molly still caught Ethan's lapse when she mentioned Kristina. Krissy had been away at college, and had only been home a few times over the years. Molly didn't know the specifics of what had happened, but Ethan and Kristina hadn't parted on friendly terms. One day they were fine, chummy…and the next they weren't even speaking to each other.
She grimaced at the memory of Kristina's mood in those last few weeks before she'd left for Yale; ugly was an insipid word for the black mood that had consumed her sister every time Ethan's name had come up or when they ran into each other.
Not that Ethan had been much better; Tracy had enforced a "vacation" from the Haunted Star, snapping that Ethan was irritating the customers. He'd disappeared for a month, no one knew to where, and when he'd come back Kristina was already gone.
Molly was genuinely fond of Ethan, kind of like an unofficial older brother; he was easy to talk to and never looked or talked to her the way some people did, like she had a third eye or a tail. He never seemed too busy for a hand of poker, or to listen to her problems; she also hadn't given up on her match making, and was quite certain that Ethan was perfect for Kristina.
It was also nice to have someone to talk to that she wasn't actually related to. She sighed, quite aware that her pariah status in school and lack of friends was her own fault. It had nothing to do with her appearance or her attitude; she was pleasant most of the time, and had been called pretty more than once. She shared her mother and her sister's dark complexion and dark brown eyes, and she was even willing to admit that she was a little vain about her hair, which was pin straight, thick, and glossy.
Unfortunately that was all surface, which was about as deep as most High School kids bothered to look; her genius level brilliance had become more of a hindrance than a help in the past few years. When she was nervous or uncomfortable, Molly tended to ramble and stammer like any regular teenager, but instead of talking clothes or the latest TV craze, she babbled on about quadratic equations, politics, books, and philosophy.
She really couldn't help it though…and she'd honestly tried! The more social situations she was in, the worse they seemed to get; more often than not her brain sent her mouth spiraling off into tangents and before she realized what happened, the person she was talking was staring at her with a glazed, uncomprehending look.
"Hi pumpkin," Mike said strolling up to their table wiping his hands on his apron "what can I get for you, some hot chocolate?"
"Please" she said, beaming up at him. He nodded and turned towards Ethan, gesturing towards his now empty coffee cup.
"I'm actually good, but thanks anyway mate," Ethan said, passing the empty mug to him "I promised Molly a game or two, and then I'm meeting up with the family at Jakes."
Mike nodded "Alright, then I'll be right back with your drink Molly."
"Are you ready for your lesson?" Ethan asked as he finished shuffling the cards, rubbing his hands together menacingly.
"Definitely," Molly said with a grin "you're going down this time!"
Ethan just laughed and dealt the cards.