A Simple Switch

5 - Starbucks Starstruck

DYLAN

I paced around impatiently as busy high schoolers with people to see and places to be maneuvered around me. It was Wednesday morning, and the first bell was supposed to ring in about a minute and a half. I glanced at my watch again anxiously.

Now normally I would be in class by now (actually, I probably would've been in class 10 minutes before now), but today I was waiting.

I noticed sweat stains accumulate on the cardboard filter around the white Starbucks coffee cup I was holding, so I quickly wiped my hand on my blue jeans and started nervously passing the cup between my right and left hand. I'm not one for a caffeine kick, but I woke up a half hour earlier than usual to go pick this up, so I reasoned that if the white mocha was never delivered, I'd just drink it myself.

I flinched as the shrill sound of the class bell pierced my ears. Students began flowing out of the hallway and into classrooms.

In a frenzy, I spotted her delicate brown hair as she entered the hallway, rushing to follow the mob of students heading toward the Spanish classrooms.

"Hey!" I shouted over the heads of the few straggling students in front of me. "Michaela!"

I started speed-walking over to her.

"Hi, uh... Can't really talk right now" Michaela responded, almost out of breath. "The bell already rang; gotta get to Señora's room."

"Walk and talk," I said smoothly.

Damn! I'm getting good.

"Okay... sure," she said, giving up on protesting.

After a moment she noticed the white Starbucks cup.

"Common white girl, much?" she asked with a slight grin.

"Actually," I said, turning toward her, "this is for you." I quickly slipped the sweaty cardboard piece into my pocket and offered her the cup.

"Wait, really?" She said, accepting the warm drink. "What for?"

"You have an Econ test today, don't you?" I said matter-of-factly. "I figured this could help."

She smiled subtly and so did I.

"Consider it a sort of peace offering," I proposed. She nodded in agreement.

We stood outside of Señora Parsa's room, and the hallway was nearly empty now.

"...Hugh?" she asked, reading the name written on the lid.

"Yeah..." My face turned warm, and I started scratching my neck. "I thought I was going to be late, so I said 'Dylan Matthews' way too quickly. Seems like they only caught the 'Hugh' part."

She let out a chuckle and I couldn't help but smile again. The second bell rang abruptly and she turned to look in her classroom.

"Well, I should get to Calc," I said, turning to walk away.

I winced. Not my strongest transition.

"Hey Dylan?"

I looked back.

"Thanks for the Starbucks," she said, with the coffee cup raised.

I smiled back.

I walked alone to math class (late, I might add,) in a deserted hallway.

My first thought was, 'Oh god. Mr. Retti's going to kill me.'

My second was, 'This feels.. good.'