Cheap Shots

00:31

UNEDITED

31.     

            “I don’t even like coffee.”

            Lauren rolled her eyes.  “They don’t only have coffee.”

            “They’ve got, like, hot chocolate, I think.”  Jacque butted in, parking into a parking space next to a beat up black motorcycle.  “You don’t have to get anything, but we both know that Lauren needs her coffee fix and I just want to hear all the dirty details about your date last night.”

            “It’s too early for this.  Why’d we have to get here so early?”  I complained, rubbing my face in an attempt to wake myself up a little.  I was exhausted.

            “Because after, we’re going to go visit Keira at the diner!”  Lauren cried happily as she snatched her gold Starbucks card from the floor of the car.  “And you can get a milkshake.”

            My ears perked up at the sound of a milkshake.

            “Of course the one time you actually listen to us, and it’s all because of a milkshake,” Lauren said.  She shook her head.  “Get out, I want to lock the car so we don’t get robbed.”

            “Like there would be any robberies in our town,” Jacque told her sarcastically.  It was true, the town we were in was on the wealthier side, and the crime rate was next to none, but Lauren tended to be pretty paranoid.  Especially when she didn’t have coffee that morning.

            “Funny,” I told her, hopping out and falling into step with the two of them.

            “I have news,” Jacque said as soon as we entered the small coffee shop.  I raised an eyebrow as she messed with the hair band on her wrist, twirling and twisting it taut. 

            “Well?”  Lauren asked her impatiently. 

            The three of us had stopped in the middle of the store a few steps in from the entrance, but we were making no move to jump in the crowded line yet.

            “I got accepted into another college–“ she started, gauging our expressions before continuing.  “ –And it’s Johns Hopkins!  They offered me a scholarship for lacrosse!” 

            I screamed.

            Lauren let out a loud squeal, as did I, and I jumped up and down excitedly, ignoring the glares from the customers we were currently disrupting.  “Jax!  That’s sick!  This is huge, congrats, man!”  I hugged her, bending down so it wouldn’t be too awkward of a gap and squeezed her shoulder. 

            Her cheeks flushed a bright red that crawled up her cheekbones.  “This has been your dream since seventh grade!  Congratulations!  I feel like a proud mom, wow.”  Lauren hugged her as well, smiling at our friend with triumph.

            Jacque laughed at all the attention, bashfully ignoring the customer’s aggravated looks.  “She’s going to Johns Hopkins!”  I called out loudly at one particularly annoyed lady, her coffee cup in her hand and frown lines creasing her wrinkly forehead. 

            “Congratulations.”  The lady muttered unenthusiastically, shouldering past us.  A few of the other patrons clapped for Jacque, to which she responded with another bashful smile and a small, “Thanks.”