A/N: hey. so yeah, this is short. but hey, better something than nothing? thanks for the feedback, i love that you guys love it!
The rest of Brandon's school day went without a hitch, and by the time the final bell signaled the end of the day, he had practically forgotten about the mysterious new student as he had yet to see her again. He slipped out the school's back door, and began his daily stroll to the Attic, a nearby hipster-esque coffee nook connected to a quirky book store where he loved doing homework and grabbing a snack. If he chose to go home right after school, he'd be bombarded by the twins and Jude who begged for attention. He couldn't blame them, they were only elementary school and their world revolved around fun and games.
The Attic allowed him to chill out, and he always met the most interesting people. He loved learning about other people's lives as it fascinated him that people could be so incredibly unique, unlike the painfully boring and uniform student body at school. Brandon ducked to avoid hitting his head on the top of the too short, cherry red door and smiled at Bianca, a 43 year old widow that ran the unique little store who he happened to have a close relationship with after three years of constantly showing up here after school. Bianca was unexpectedly vivacious, contrasting with the dark wood, clunky mugs, and local college poets that filled The Nook's booths. She had a wide smile that made you want to laugh at jokes never told framed by firetruck resembling lipgloss, which was nothing compared to the shades of blue eyeshadow she sported on a daily basis. A green plaid apron protected her loud, Aztec patterned dress and matched her emerald green headband perfectly, which kept her sholder legnth dark curls away from her face, allowing you to see her dangling, beaded oriental earrings.
After spending countless days sitting on a stool near the counter she worked at, Brandon had learned a lot about this woman. Bianca had grown up in a Hispanic/Italian household with 13 other girls an one overshadowed little baby brother, moved out and gone to beauty school. While working a part time job, she met the love of her life, Navy Seal Jared. They had a whirlwind romance, married young, and she was pregnant at 22. Jared had unepectedly left her for another woman and soon died in a naval accident. Bianca later recieved news that her child had died in the womb. Depressed from the overhwelming negativity swirling around her, she turned to cutting and drugs for an out. Just as she reached the brin of her downwards spiral, an old childhood friend assisted her in getting help. After getting treated for her depression and other issues, she learned to seek out the lights in life. Inspired, she soon went back to school, this time for business, carefully invested in stocks, and soon had what it took the start up The Attic, a place she loved as she decided to better appreciate the people around her.
Brandon loved the stories Bianca told, because she'd lived such a life and had so much to say, and admired the way she lived. Her experiences further solidified his belief that romantic love was rare, and it was better to just love life. Love was a stupid, silly thing that just built itself up for disappointment in the end. He walked over to Bianca, who promptly pinched his cheek, a routine ever since she saw how red his face would get when she did so. " What can I get you today, Brahh-ndun?" she said, slightly accented.
"Could I have a chili pepper hot chocolate and a mini pistachio scone?"
"Of course hun. Can I interesting you trying my experimental dish of the day?"
"Is that ever a question?" he smiled, used to daily occurence.
She grinned widely, "You're in luck today, sweets. I decided chocolate-peppermint fudge was well overdue."
Bianca bustled back into the depths of the Attic kitchenette, hurrying back with a steaming mug and a bright yellow plate full of pastries. Brandon slipped his payment and his constantly generous tip onto the counter, and grabbed his order. Nodding goodbye to Bianca, he decided to sit in one of the red velvet booths tucked in the back today. He was quite the sight, hands full with his messenger back and food, and could barely balance his belongings. As he headed for the back, he noted the emptiness of The Attic this evening. Perfect. He loved being alone here, able to enjoy the light Coldplay playing as he read or studied or ate, minus the clutter and noise of others eating and chatting around him. Without a second glance, he placed everything weighing him down on the table of the booth he knew the location without looking due to his numerous visits here.
Brandon slipped into the seat, but before he could even get comfortable, he realized that the booth was not, after all, empty as he had presumed. His eyes winded and he almost knocked over his drink as he suddenly sat up.
Across from him was none other than Callie. She raised his eyebrows at him and smirked as he stared in shock, taking her in. Here was Callie, slouching with her legs on the table, donned in a Beatles shirt, knee high striped socks, and Keds. Keds and two socks. Her hair was up in a bun, glasses rested on her face, and clutched within her fingers was . She was reading fucking transcendalist literature, on her own, in his favorite place in the world, and right in front of him. What was going on, and when had the tables turned so?
A/N: so whadya think? more? what do you think will happen? as you can tell, the AU really came into play this chapter with mariana and jesus being much, much younger. hope that's alright, but too late anyways L o L.