You Fill My Heart

Don't Look Down

Taking a sip of coffee from a light brown mug, his leg bounced against the table; flipping the page of the new book he'd been assigned earlier that morning. Having just returned from his first class of the day where the professor wasted no time in assigning the large class a text-book assignment with a paper due that same week, he sighed, carefully scanning the black text printed on the crème colored paper.

"Can I get you another cup?" a waitress asked, switching the coffee pot she was holding into her left hand before taking out a pad of paper from her black apron with the other. "Or do you just want the check?" His gaze remained locked on the text-book in front of him, completely oblivious. Her head tilted slightly, "Ricky?"

His head snapped up having heard his name, "Uhh yeah..."

"Don't you recognize me?" Her face lit up, excited.

He shook his head, "I'm really sorry but, no. Wait, should I? I'm kind of surprised that I don't..."

"Clementine, remember I lived at the Ramsey's when you were placed there? I had long hair, glasses, braces and all that"

"Wait a minute;" staring at her, "you're that Clementine?"

She smiled, "Yes, I am that Clementine!"

Smiling, Ricky got up to hug her, "How are you?"

"I'm good!" breaking the hug, "I work here and I'm a sophomore here this year and I have my own place and everything, things are going so much better than I ever thought they would go." She looked down at his hand, "And from the looks if it things are looking great for you too. Is that a wedding band?"

"Yeah, who would have thought, huh?

"Certainly not me, she must be a very special girl"

"She is." he smiled proudly.

A bell chimed on the counter, alerting Clementine that a customer was waiting to order something. "Hey listen I gotta get back to work but we should catch up sometime soon, it's been awhile."

"Yeah it has." He reached for his backpack under the chair, "It was nice seeing you again, and if I don't see you again it's just that I'm busy and everything." Pulling out a 5 dollar bill and putting it on the table.

"You actually tipped at the counter" she pointed out, returning the pad of paper to her apron pocket.

"That's okay, I'm big on tipping." Having realized what he said, he bit his lip, "I don't why I just said that. Bye." Gathering the remaining materials from the table and walking out the door.

"Buddy!" Jack greeted from the sidewalk outside.

Ricky's face filled with annoyance "Oh God" mumbling under his breath and turning around to face his friends.

"Have you headed to class yet?" Adrian asked, adjusting the mound of textbooks resting in her arms.

"Yeah, just waiting on the next one, English Lit"

"Oh well we've all got the same class, we should all walk there together"

"We gotta half hour, let's grab some coffee" Jack chimed "This is great isn't it?"

"Yep, but we don't need any coffee." Adrian said, "Let's just walk around the campus"

Ricky was hesitant, "I really need to study..."

"No you don't" she eyed him; "we'll walk around with you. Or did you promise Amy that you wouldn't hang out with me or something?"

"No I didn't promise Amy anything like that."

Jack shoved a hand inside his pocket, "Then relax dude, this is going to be a fun year"

Clementine bolted out the front doors of the coffee shop, stopping right in front of Ricky. "Glad I caught you, you forgot your phone." She handed it to him, smiling at Jack and Adrian before going back inside.