I drove like a mad man through the streets on our way to Café Botanique. Lynne looked petrified in the passenger seat as I wove in and out of traffic. I screeched to a stop outside of the building and Lynne hopped out as fast as she could. I stepped out of the car and she turned to look at me, her blue eyes narrowed in frustration.
"You know, Kris, I can understand that you're upset and all, but that is no reason to drive like an idiot!" she shouted.
I smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "Sorry . . ."
She huffed and turned to open the door. We walked into the quiet little coffee shop, the smell of espresso invading our senses. I loved this place so much.
When I was a freshman, my friends and I would come to the café after school to chit chat or do school work. We had our own little table in the back, and would sometimes fight over the couch. If it was really nice outside, like during the summer months, we would sit outside on the patio and people watch. The ambiance was so calming, and the coffee was the best. It may have been a little overpriced, but it was worth it. The people who worked there were really easygoing. I befriended them over a course of two years, and I eventually applied for a job there. Four years of homemade white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, group studying, and raspberry lattes, and I still wasn't tired of being there.
Lynne and I walked out to the patio and set our bags down. She plopped herself down onto the cushioned green lawn chair and sighed tiredly. "Kris, do you mind getting me a latte? I'm tired." She gave me a pout and I rolled my eyes.
"I guess. Mocha or caramel?"
"Mocha. Thank you!"
I walked back inside and almost ran over Joey, my coworker and ex-boyfriend. He was a cutie pie, about 5'11" with blonde hair, blue-green eyes, and extremely rosy red cheeks, like he was constantly embarrassed. When he saw me, he gave me a wide toothy grin and pulled me into a warm hug.
"Hey Kristi! What are you doing here?" he said. He released me and I followed him to behind the tall wooden counter.
"Oh, I'm just here to relax a bit," I said.
"At work?" he asked, raising his left eyebrow.
"Yeah. Is there a problem with that?"
He gave me a weary look and turned to the espresso machine. "No. There's no problem." He looked back at me and gave me a smile. I countered with a bored look. He laughed.
"Are you going to Andrea's party tonight?" I asked as I grabbed two coffee cups.
"You're kidding, right? Why would you ask me that? I would never pass up the chance to hook up with the beautiful and busty Melinda Goldstein, who just so happened to break up with that dickbag . . . uhm, what's his name? Brantley? What the hell kind of name is that?"
I stood in front of the espresso machine, filling both coffee cups, laughing at what Joey had said. "Like you could ever convince her to even touch you, let alone have sex with you. She's a stuck up sophomore who comes from a wealthy and respected Jewish family. They practically own this town. She probably thinks she's too good for you," I said after topping off the hazelnut flavored coffee with tons of whipped cream. I grabbed the bottle of mocha and drizzled the thick syrup onto the whipped cream in a criss-cross pattern. It looked better than anything one would get at Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks, and probably tasted better, too.
"Besides," I continued, "she's so much younger than you, weirdo. Why don't you start hitting on some cute college girl instead?" I picked the mugs up from the counter, turned around, and looked at him, cocking my head to the side.
He let out an exasperated sigh. "I have the next four or so years of my life to hit on 'cute college girls.' So cut me some slack, alright?" We both chuckled and he turned to a customer who was in need of service. I shook my head at his silliness and walked back out to the patio.
I placed the cups on the table and sat down. Lynne grabbed for hers, and we each took a sip of our lattes, sighing with contentment. You couldn't find a better latte anywhere else.
I sat back watched Lynne as she sat deep in thought, her blue eyes unfocused as she stared off in the distance, her delicate pale fingers tracing circles on the side of her mug. Boy did that girl love to daydream.
I looked away and began people watching – my favorite pastime. The café was smack in the center of town and across from the duck pond. The way the sun reflected off of the pond made it look like thousands of tiny diamonds floating on the surface of the water. It was mesmerizing. Parents came with their children downtown with bags filled with stale bread to feed to the ducks with, while elderly couples sat down on benches holding hands. Off to the side of the duck pond was the playground, where I could see and hear little kids jumping and running and laughing and shouting. Such a beautiful day, where everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, yet I was still absolutely miserable. I continued to sip my latte, a slight frown on my face.
Oh well,
I thought,
at least I'm no-.
"That's it!" Lynne shouted, startling me out of my reverie.
"What is it?" I said. "And why are you shouting? People are staring," which was true; the soft chatter of the patio died immediately after Lynne's random outburst.
"I have the perfect plan to get revenge on Carter!" she said excitedly.
I rolled my eyes at her again and took another sip of my drink.
"C'mon, Kris, at least listen to what I have to say. Please?" She arranged her large pink lips into another pout. Did those things really work on guys?
I sighed in defeat, looked at her and said, "I'll listen, but that does not mean it'll be a good idea and definitely doesn't mean we have to go through with it."
"Trust me. This plan is perfect. It is both flawless and original." Lynne's face beamed with pride.
"Well, let's hear it," I said.
