Chapter 3

Ice Cream

I hop on my bike and pedal like crazy for the ice cream parlor. I look down at my watch.

"Shit." I mutter to myself. I'm already five minutes late. What will Melissa think? Hopefully she doesn't think I've been flirting with a third grader.

My bike makes an awful noise as I screech to a stop outside the parlor. I quickly chain it to the rack and stride confidently inside. I spy Melissa in our usual spot next to the window that overlooks the road.

"Hey." I smile at her as I approach her.

"You're late." She says curtly.

"I'm sorry. I stayed after to talk to coach." I'm surprised at how easily the lie comes.

Melissa nods, "I ordered your usual."

"Thanks." I pull out a chair and sit down. Melissa focuses on scribbling in her notepad.

"What are you writing?" I ask.

"I'm not writing. I'm drawing."

"Drawing what?" I ask genuinely curious.

Melissa blushes and tucks a strand of her ash blond hair behind her ear. She looks up at me through thick black lashes and smirks.

"You." She says with a devious smile.

My eyebrows shoot up.

"Me?" I ask astonished.

She slides the notepad over to me and I stare at it shocked. Melissa captured my blond hair falling over my face in its usual shaggy way and my blue eyes are shaded in so they look intense. She drew my face with strong clear lines that suggest I'm a little mad.

"Wow Mel this is really good." I use my pet name for her.

She blushes and stammers out a thank you.

Then our ice cream arrives so there is little talk until we are done. There is a little bit of awkwardness until we start chatting like we usually do.

At one point I look up to see Ali standing outside the window. She stares at me with a strange look on her face. It almost looks like jealously. My eyes widen and the look vanishes. She smiles her wide grin and waves. I raise my eyebrows and look back at Melissa. She is scraping the bottom of her ice cream cup.

I look back at Ali and now she looks angry. She makes a move towards the door but then thinks better of it and walks down the sidewalk away from the parlor. I replay the events of what just happened in my brain thinking "What is Ali up to?"