Blooming Youth

Chapter II | The Coffee Shop

Lottie Moore

By the time we arrived at our destination, Luna had parked with an abrupt stop in a wide alley between a coffee shop and a florist while I had my nails dug into my seat and was gripping so tightly the ceiling handle that I could almost rip it off. I now know what it felt like to see your whole life flash through your eyes.

As I was slowly getting out, I made a mental note to myself not to enter that car again right after eating. Today's breakfast was already threatening to come out and it didn't help that the alley reeked of piss. Actually, it made the interior of Luna's car smell like roses. Looking down, I grimaced when I noticed one of the used tissues on the car's floor stuck to the sole of my sneaker, so I was trying to get it out by scraping my foot on the damp pebble stone floor which was littered with cigarette waste and dry leaves when the metal back door to the coffee shop opened.

Leaning against the door frame stood a young boy, arms folded against his chest. He had golden brown skin and curly raven hair that fell in front of his dazzling green eyes. He was wearing a gaudy orange polo shirt, dark blue hiking shorts, and a pair of black and white Adidas sneakers along with a black apron and a pair of wireframe glasses that were starting to fall off. The boy huffed and pulled them back up his nose by their bridge.

"Hi there, Ty!" I raised my hand in greeting, but he just kept an impassive look and pointed at his wristwatch.

"You're late."

"Pfft. Please! We arrived just on time." This time it was Luna who slammed the car's door and came to my side chewing on a piece of gum while putting her elbow on top of my head.

"Yeah, but it was Caspian and me who had to prepare everything while waiting for you two." As he said this, Luna rolled her eyes and made a blah-blah gesture with her hand. With confident steps, Luna approached him, and they looked each other straight in the eyes. It was a typical game of theirs to see who would cave in and blink first. With the two facing each other, you could notice the difference in heights. Despite having the same age, Luna measured 5'8', two inches taller than Tyler. Most likely thanks to those boots she was wearing.

Luna made the first move by puckering out her lips and a big blue bubble gum came out. It didn't last long until it burst right in front of Tyler's face. However, Ty didn't flinch and maintained his position while blocking the entrance. The air around was starting to get intense, so I was going to intervene until Luna did the unexpected. She leaned over and, in a matter of a second, her tongue had licked the tip of his nose, catching both Tyler and I off guard. His face quickly changed from shock to disgust. In addition to his obsession with punctuality, Tyler also had a serious problem when it came to germs. With Ty ferociously wiping Luna's saliva off his nose with his arm, the entrance was clear for Luna to go inside while laughing heartily, her posture laid-back and hands inside her jean pockets.

"You're gross, man!" Tyler complained as he flipped her off. In reply, she also flipped him off without turning around.

"Love you too!" The sound of her loud chewing was the last thing to be heard until she disappeared into the interior of the coffee shop. Now it was only audible Tyler's ragged breaths and my uncontrollable chuckles, muffled by my hand.

Tyler Wilson. The third member of our group. At first sight, he shows to be charismatic, playful, and a fancy individual. As you get to know him better, you end up discovering his passion for physics and chemistry, his talent at playing the saxophone, and, obviously, his obsession with punctuality and distaste for germs.

We have been friends for 3 years since 9th grade when he had just moved to Radcliff, Oregon, from Seattle, Washington. He came to live with his aunt and grandfather since his parents got a new promotion and had to work abroad, only capable to visit on holidays. When he moved to our class, he kept his distance from others and was quiet most of the time until it all changed when we were stuck together to do group work. It was so nice to talk to him that we ended up opening up to each other and discovered that we had a lot in common, especially when it had to do with anime, movies, and TV series. After that day, before we knew it, we were already best friends.