The second time Derek saw Addison, she was working in an ice cream parlor.
Addison's parents had looked down on the idea of her getting a job. They could easily afford anything that she wanted, and didn't want her to work while she was in high school. Her speech therapist had thought that the constant interaction with customers might help Addison's confidence in getting over her lisp.
Addison just wanted some financial independence from her parents, as small of a step as it was. The free ice cream every shift hadn't hurt the deal, either. Addison had eagerly ingested plenty of the creamy calories, hoping to add some curves to her awkwardly tall and rail thin frame. It didn't work, and she was as gangly as ever.
The store's bell jingled quietly and Addison was happy to see two attractive guys around her age enter the small store. It always made her evening a little brighter when there were cute guys to enjoy looking at, though she was too shy to actually talk to any of them.
She didn't know that their names were Derek and Mark, and the boys didn't know that she had been the one to drop the baton at a football game 2 years earlier.
"Could we have two hot fudge sundaes, please?" Derek asked Maya, Addison's co-worker who was the cashier that day.
Maya relayed the information to Addison, though she'd already heard it. Addison pulled two sundae dishes from under the counter and layered scoops of the homemade vanilla ice cream, spooning ribbons of hot fudge in between them. She tossed on a few more nuts than usual and gave them extra whipped cream before topping each one off with a cherry… Just because they were for cute guys.
"Two hot fudge sundaes." Addison announced, placing them on the counter.
"Thanks." Derek's smile as he took the sundaes was polite, but far from flirtatious. Addison smiled back, but carefully kept her lips closed to hide her braces.
After he and Mark sat down, Addison ran her tongue over the rough metal of her braces and sighed. As long as she had those, no guy would ever want to flirt with her, she thought. The orthodontist promised her that they would be gone by college, but she wasn't sure if she believed him. It seemed like she was doomed to have them forever.
"Addison! Can you come back here and help me for a minute?" Addison heard her manager calling for her from the back.
"Coming." Addison called back.
She snuck a final glance at Derek and Mark, then sighed. She wondered what the chances were of her ever being able to attract guys like that. Not good, she figured. Addison looked away sadly, and slowly trudged to the back of the store.
Aw. I feel so sorry for awkward, geeky Addison… lol. :) Yet she will be with us one last time in her geeky state, next, when Addison and Derek rub shoulders at her senior prom.