Chapter 17: Coffee
Summary: The group meets in the coffee shop where interesting conversation follows.
PLEASE Read and Review!
* * *
"No one in their right mind gets up before the sun rises," Alex complained as he fell into the booth seat and leaned up against the wall at Einstein's the next morning. "Except maybe David and Riley." He drew his knees to his chest.
"Wasn't it your idea to come this early?" Dakota asked taking a long drink of his caramel laté.
"Yeah, you said, and I quote, 'we'll have more time if we go that early'" Danny laughed. He grabbed a handful of napkins and dropped his bagel onto them.
"Die... just die," Alex mumbled. Leaned against the wall and pointed at him.
"Hey, at least it's not raining anymore," Dakota said optimistically.
In the east the sun had just made its appearance. The buildings blocked it but its light turned the sky into a mesh of water colors. In the west, however, the night sky still lingered, attempting to make one last impression before the day began.
"Shop's pretty empty this morning," Danny observed.
Good, Dakota thought.
Two ladies behind the counter chatted quietly and an elderly couple sat at one of the booths. A giant fly buzzed around Alex's head. He grabbed a napkin and dove for it; the fly shot off in the other direction.
"Rats," he mumbled. "Stinking fly."
Everyone, including the ladies behind the counter, looked up at the sound of the shop bell ringing. Stephanie, Cody, and Brandy walked in.
"Good morning beautiful," Danny said. He got up to hug Brandy but she raised her finger.
"Coffee first...coffee."
"Yeah, who's bright idea was this?" Cody asked, smiling and putting her hands on her hips.
Alex groaned and raised his hand. "Go ahead, stone me, I am unworthy to live, just let me die." He pulled his baseball cap down over his eyes.
"He's not a morning person," Dakota said, standing up to let Cody in.
Cody crawled into the booth next to Alex and kissed him on the neck. "I don't want them to stone you, you're too cute." She said.
"Oh no! I've been downgraded to 'cute'," he whined.
"Deal with it buddy," Dakota said, pulling up another chair. "I've always been 'cute'... until last night." He glanced at Stephanie who blushed and returned a warm smile.
"So, Alex, how do you like our chemistry teacher?" Cody asked grinning.
Alex's eyes widened and he thrust his bottom teeth forward. "That woman cannot be a teacher, she's like nineteen."
"Nineteen?" Dakota asked.
"Dude, you remember Ms. Stanley, your algebra teacher last year?" Alex asked. "Didn't you think she looked nineteen? Well, imagine her six feet tall with brown hair."
"Good night," Dakota replied, his brow creasing. "I still say Ms. Stanley could not have had a college degree."
"Didn't she baby-sit Pearl and Josh one time?" Alex asked.
"Uh, yeah, I think so," Dakota said, giving Alex a look.
"Pearl and Josh?" Stephanie asked.
"Pearl and Josh are...uh..."
"Pearl and Josh were my next door neighbors," Dakota interrupted, hurriedly trying to cover up. "So do you think this lady baby-sits?"
Stephanie stared at Dakota. Alex's fumble and Dakota's quick answer concerned her. What are they hiding? She wondered. As she scanned his face, she noticed something. The creases that traveled out from the corners of his eyes made him look like an old man. Lines of worry, she thought. Not laughter, like crow's feet. She had seen them in the faces of her grandparents, and many older people; mostly the bitter ones. And though his mouth constantly smiled, worry hid behind it- and maybe pain. He's struggling with something, she thought.
"Jules? She did not say that."
The name ripped Stephanie away from her thoughts. "Jules?" She asked.
"My w-uh, girlfriend, the one that died."
"Oh, sorry," she felt awkward. Should have been listening, she thought.
"Uh-oh," Danny said looking at his watch. "We're slacking, we have about five minutes to get to school!"
They all ran out to their cars. "And I thought we'd have more time." Alex said.
"I can walk Alex, it's only three blocks," Dakota whispered.
"All right, see y'all latah!" Alex called, hanging out his window.
"Later," Dakota replied. Great, he thought, another exciting day, at home. Alone.
