"Cassie, can I get a soy caramel frappacino with no whipped cream, and a caramel drizzle?" I breathed as I walked up to the counter. "On it, Caity-Cait!" She sang. "Thank you!" I smiled. "Vegan coffee for my vegan friend" She said, handing me my cold drink. "Thankies, Cassie-kins." I laughed. "Yeah! You staying till closing again?" She asked. "Yeah. Probably." I said, handing her $5.43 for my drink. "Alright. I'll take my break in 45 minutes. Kay?" "Kay." I said, sitting down in a booth by myself. I sipped on my coffee. "Ashley, baby, you make me feel so alive." I sang to myself. Here I was. Caitlin Maesona (May-sone-uh), 19 years old, alone, drinking coffee, waiting for my only friend to take a break from work. "I have no life." I said, taking another swig of coffee. I pulled my phone out of my baby blue hoodie, slightly wet from the rain. I checked my messages. Caitlin, I'm sorry. From Stephen. I bit my lip and replied. No, no. Fuck you. I don't need this. I got onto Instagram, and checked to see what Craig Mabbitt had posted most recently. "Mm, so my bro's a producer now? Hah, wow." In my head I was thinking, 'I know what I would wanna produce with that!' I looked out the window and watched cars drive by. I counted how many blue ones went by. 1,2... 3,4,5.... 6,7.... 8,9.... I must've spent some time counting the blue cars, because I felt a body sit down next to me. "Hey." She said. "Hey, Cass." I said, still counting. "27, 28." I said out loud. "Whatcha doin'?" She asked. "Counting blue cars." I said, looking at her. "Oh. What brought you hear today?" She asked. I didn't answer. "Suzana, again?" She asked. "And Stephen." I said, making a fist. I grabbed my coffee and took a huge gulp. "I warned you about him! You knew Suzana liked him, and you knew he liked her. I told you that she would do anything to get you two to break up, just so they could hook up. She's a manipulator, and she hates you. You know this! Darlin', I hate to say this, but you have a hard time listening." "Yeah, I know." I said. "No, you obviously don't. You say that, and then you turn around and do it again." "Cassie Cliften, I didn't come here to get bitched at. If this is what you're going to do, then I might as well leave." I snapped. "No, that's not how I mean it." She tried to cover. "It's how it sounds, honey. I don't like it. I'm 19 years old. I've lived on my own for 4 years. I think I have a pretty good idea on how the fuck to live my life. I don't need any help." I said, standing up, and jumping over her to leave. She grabbed my ankle. "Cassaundra Marie." I said. "Caity Belle." She said. "What." I said, gritting my teeth. "You have to learn to take criticism. It's everywhere in life. You will never be perfect to anybody. Everybody will try to change you. Eveyone." "Yeah? And everybody's gonna let me down. Everyone. Just gotta figure out who it's worth being let down by." I said, prying her hand off of my ankle. "Don't leave. I'm sorry. I'm trying to help." "Whatever. I was perfectly fine just counting cars." I sighed, sitting down in another booth, facing the door. That's exactly what I went back to. Counting Cars. I felt totally defeated. I went back on instagram. I looked to see what TJ Bell was doing. I read the caption of his newest picture. I Spy This Little Cutie. (; I looked at the picture. It was a girl, through a window. The reflection in the window made the girl hard to see, but she was wearing purple skinny jeans and a baby blue hoodie. She was sitting in a booth, leaning against the wall. She was looking down at her phone. The reflection looked rainy and a lot like Jacksonville. I scrunched my eyebrows together. I tried to look closer at the girl. My jaw dropped. I looked up and out the door. TJ. Right There. In the fucking window. "That's Thomas Jospeh Bell." I gasped. I closed my mouth, and ran up to the door. I opened it. "TJ Bell." I said. "Hey there," He smiled. "You.... You posted a picture of me. On instagram." "Yeah, I did. I couldn't keep such a beautiful sight to myself. I had to show the world." He said. "Why are you in Jacksonville?" I asked, smiling wide. "Monster Energy Festival. Welcome to Rockville." "That's tomorrow." "Yep. The guys are here too. Not sure where though. I said I was gonna head over here." "It's really nice to meet you." "You too, babe." He smiled. "What's a name to a pretty lady like you?" He asked. "Caitlin." I breathed. "Well, Caitlin, what're we doing standing in the rain? Wanna go back in?" He asked, opening the door. "Uh, yeah." I said. He held it open for me, and sat down in the booth I was in before. "So, tell me about yourself." He said. "Well... Like I said, my name is Caitlin. I go by Caity sometimes. I'm 19. Still in high school, in the process of dropping out. Uhh.... I play guitar, accoustic and electric, and piano." I said. "You forgot something." He said, putting a finger under my chin and pulling my face closer to his. "What?" I asked, confused. "You're adorable as hell." He said, smiling. "Oh, uhm... Thanks" I said, biting my lip and smiling. "Oh, now that's sexy. Lip biting? " He laughed. We sat there for hours, it felt like. Sun set, and Cassie went back to work. We sat there and just talked. We talked about the new album, about Motionless In White, about his tattoos, arguing about me being pretty or not, guitar, the future, and the past. "I remember my last girlfriend. Man, I loved her. She was so beautiful, but... I guess I wasn't what she was looking for, and she left. You wouldn't do that, would you?" "No, Teej. I wouldn't. I don't know why she would either. You seem amazi--" "Guys, we're getting ready to close." Cassie said, holding a broom. "Oh, uhm... Caity, what time is it?" TJ asked. "5 to 9." I said. "Oh shit. I told the guys I'd meet up with them again 3 hours ago." "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to--" "No, you're fine. It's not your fault, babe. You wanna walk back with me? I don't want you walking home in the dark, all by yourself." "Thanks, TJ." I smiled. He stood up, and held out a hand for me. I took it and he helped me up. He let go of my hand, and put his arm around my waist. "Bye, Cass." I said. "Don't fuck, you two!" "No promises." TJ said, waving from behind. He opened the door, and held it open for me, then we left.
