The only thing I can hear when I wake up is the pounding of my headache. I was woken up by my alarm. Not to mention the sound of my roommate's snoring. His name is Maxwell Wentz, but that's too long, so I call him Max. He's pretty cool, although he dresses like a nerd.
The sun lightly shines through a crack in the window, and hits his fluffy blonde hair, making it look iridescent. I scan him, my eyes treading back up to his face. There are very light freckles speckled around his face that are more prominent in the sun. I think he's very pretty.
I snatch my phone from the floor and check the time. 10:36 am. My favorite coffee shop is open. Plus, it's the weekend, so I have a little more time to prepare for the party. As silently as possible, I crawl out of bed. I grab some clothes from the couch that I think look decent and head to the bathroom. After I lightly shut the door, I toss the clothes down to see what I grabbed. Small grey shorts, fishnets, and a lacey cami-top. It's cute, but it's a little windy.
"I'll just grab a hoodie..." I mutter to myself. I throw on my clothes and do some messy makeup. As long as I look at least a little hot, I'm fairly content with my appearance. It's never been a huge concern to me. I mean, people say I'm attractive. Max does too, not in a weird way, though, is what he says. I don't think it's weird so he shouldn't be worried. Exiting the bathroom, I peer over at Max. He's still asleep. I put on my shoes and hoodie, stealing another glance at him. Once I'm done making sure I didn't wake him for the fiftieth time, I grab my bag and head out the door.
The air outside is very nice. It's a cool breeze that overcomes the slight humidity. I decide that the temperature is nice enough to walk to the coffee shop instead of taking my car, but it was good I grabbed my jacket. As I tread through the streets, I admire the scenery. The sky is a light grey, but combined with the clouds, it's a multitude of greyscale colors. I've always liked grey, all shades of it. It was my sister's favorite color. The grass and plants are laced with dewdrops. I step in a few puddles on my walk. I think Max would like this weather. Sometimes I see him sitting outside in-between lectures or during free periods. I usually join him and it's nice to talk.
I finally reach the shop, and my stroll comes to an end. Which is fine because I get to do the same thing on the way back. I step inside. The warm, lively atmosphere contrasts to the feeling I get outside, which I'm not sure how to put into words. I walk up to the counter; a pretty brunette with big eyelashes looks at me and smiles.
"Hi! Welcome to The Coffee Shop, what can I get you?" They say.
"Hey, can I just get a hot chocolate and a vanilla cappuccino?" I scavenge through my bag for my wallet. "Both mediums, please."
"Alright! Name for the order?" They pick up two cups and a sharpie.
"Nods. Can you write Max on the cappuccino, though?"
"Of course, that'll be $6.90. I'll let you know when they're ready."
I pay and make my way to a table with two chairs to sit down. While I wait, I scroll through stories on Snapchat. Word of my party has gotten around pretty fast, as it always does. It's so weird being semi-popular now. A lot of people come to my parties, people compliment me, have friendly chats with me, offer to let me hit their stuff, and I don't get called a cutting board as often. But it feels like I don't really have any real friends. Well, besides Max. I'm not as close with anyone else as I am with him. I think that's pretty neat.
"Order for Nods!" The cashier calls out. I get up from my seat, grab the drinks, and go.
I'm once again met with the cool air as I open the shop doors, and I shiver a little. Maybe I should've at least taken my bike. I hold Max's cappuccino under my jacket, so it doesn't get cold. It burns me a little, but it's fine. I can tell when I'm close to campus because there's an old liquor shop between the coffee place and my college. Which reminds me, I need to buy some alcohol for the party. Changing my direction slightly, I walk inside the liquor store. Buzzing from florescent lights and the smell of cigarettes makes my headache a little worse. The feeling I get inside here isn't good, but it's very comforting anyways. I trot around the store and grab the basics. Whiskey, vodka, and beer. My mom gave me some extra money a little bit ago, so I grab some White Claws for myself as well. I walk up to the counter and set my items down.
"This all for you?" The cashier says, starting to scan my items.
"Yes, thank you." I grab my wallet and dig through it, pulling out some money and an ID. Technically, it's not fake. It's my mom's old one. She gave it to me when she decided to get a new one. Her and I look exactly alike, it's kind of scary.
"That'll come out to... $60."
I hand them the money, a little shocked they didn't card me. Not gonna mention it, though. They hand my my stuff and I lightly set it in my bag.
"Thank you. Have a nice day." I smile.
"You too, ma'am."
Ouch. I forgot how much it hurt to be called that. But they didn't know, so I just take a deep breath and head out. There's a lump in my throat on the way back.
I fumble with my keys and open the door to my room. The faint sound of the TV plays from the other room. It pauses after a minute and Max walks in.
"Hi! Morning!" He says.
"Hey, dude. I bought you a drink." I hold it out to him, it's still warm, thankfully.
"What? Really? Thank you!" He beams as he pulls me into a tight hug. I smile and my face gets a little hot. He pulls away and take his drink.
"Of course, what are you up to?" Yanking bag off, I plop down on the bed. Max follows and sits next to me.
"I was just watching Netflix. What about you?" He takes a sip from his drink.
"Bought some stuff for my party tonight. They didn't ID me this time."
"It was probably because you're awesome. They saw your coolness." He grins. "What'd you get?"
"The basics, and some White Claws."
"Yum! I love hard Seltzer. Makes me feel like a cool grandpa."
"As if any old person could drink vodka. They'd disintegrate."
Max starts giggling, which makes me start giggling. I take it as a personal achievement whenever I make him laugh. It's not like it's hard, it's just different with him. Everything is.
"I should probably go set things up, I just wanted to give you your drink." I let out a deep sigh as I stand up.
"Already? Doesn't it start kind of late?"
"Yeah, but it does take me a bit to get there. People also show up early."
"Could I come with you?" He asks, standing up.
"Sure. If you'd like to." I look away. I'm surprised everytime he asks, which isn't insanely rare, but it's not all the time.
"I mean, I don't have to? I can stay here-" He says, seeming frantic.
"What, no!" I clear my throat. "I'd like it if you came. I appreciate the company."
"Okay, I'll go get ready then. Five minutes!" He rushes into the bathroom while shooting me an awkward smile and doing finger guns. I bury my face in my hands and giggle. He is a big fat loser, and I have a big fat crush on him.
