How To Save a Life (A Dance Moms Fanfiction)

Chapter 15- Sweet as Sugar

Footsteps sounded lightly behind them as the waitress returned, this time bearing their coffee. The waitress first handed Chloe a white mug of the steaming, pungent drink before handing Ricky an identical mug. The heat from the coffee bore through the ceramic mug and into Chloe's hands, which were clasped tightly around the drink.

Reaching across the table, Chloe grabbed the small dish of cream from the centre of the table as she set her mug down in front of her. Pouring a small amount of the white substance in her mug, she stirred the liquid and watched it turn from a melanic black to a brown colour.

Lifting the mug to her lips, she took a small sip of the coffee and immediately winced the scorching hot substance came into contact with her tongue.

"Hot?" Ricky asked, chucking.

He then in turn reached across the table, taking the cream from Chloe's hand, their fingers brushing in the process. Ricky smiled as heat rose into Chloe's cheeks. Ricky then proceeded to grab a handful of sugar cubes from the tray. One by one, he dropped them into his coffee. By the ninth cube, Chloe gasped.

"Enough sugar?" She asked incredulously.

"Not quite." Ricky smirked as he dropped three more into the mug, a small amount of the sugar saturated substance splashing out and landing on the table.

Chloe's jaw dropped at the ridiculous amount of sugar as Ricky proceeded to further dilute the coffee with cream.

"I don't actually like coffee," Ricky admitted. "that's why I add so much sugar that I don't even taste the coffee." He smiled proudly as Chloe's hand rose to her lips as she giggled.

"Why do you order it then?" Chloe asked in between giggles.

"Who comes to a coffee shop and doesn't order coffee?" Ricky cried joke-fully, adding purpose to Chloe's giggle fit.

"We could have gone somewhere else." Chloe suggested.

"Nah, I like this place." Ricky smiled goofily.

"You just don't like the coffee." Chloe confirmed, applying copious amounts of self control to contain her giggles.

"Precisely." Ricky then lifted his mug, careful to raise his pinky finger, English style. Chloe's self control faltered, and she giggled once again.

"Cheers?" Ricky suggested in the worse British accent Chloe had ever heard. Chloe lifted her mug, a smile as wide as the sea spread across her lips, and clinked her mug against Ricky's.

She then watched as Ricky lifted his mug to his lips, and took a long sip. His face crinkled up and he visibly gagged.

"I didn't put enough sugar." He stated, sticking his tongue out in disgust.

Chloe threw her head back in laughter as Ricky carelessly dropped four more sugar cubes into his drink.

Conversation flowed smoothly as their drinks slowly drained until the bottom of their mugs were visible. Signalling to the waitress, Ricky paid for both of their drinks.

Thanking him, Chloe stood up and unhooked her bag from the back of her chair, slinging it across her shoulder. They walked side by side out of the coffee shop and quickly covered the few blocks to the school. After retrieving her books from her locker, Chloe stepped into her first period class moments before the bell rang.

Taking her usual seat behind Kalani, she opened her chemistry textbook and pretended that she wasn't almost late.

Kalani turned around in her seat to face Chloe and wiggled her eyebrows playfully as the teacher struggled to obtain the class's attention. Chloe rolled her eyes as Kalani leaned her elbows on Chloe's desk.

"A little birdie told me you and Ricky got coffee this morning." Kalani smirked.

Kalani's 'little birdie' could be one of countless people who believed it to be mandatory to report the slightest increment of gossip to Kalani, the school's gossip capital.

"How did it go?" Kalani asked eagerly.

"It was good." Chloe replied mock casually. A smile spread across her lips, failing her attempt to appear neutral.

"Liar. It was awesome, wasn't it?" Kalani's eyes were wide with excitement.

Chloe's smile deepened as she nodded her head in agreement. Kalani shared Chloe's excitement, grabbing her hands hands in excitement and squeezing them.