Cold Coffee

Chapter 4

Sophomore year finally came, and I was separated from Uri in class sections. And by then, I was alone again. But as I grew older, I liked it better to spend my time alone. I had spent my whole freshman year doing a lot of sketches of everything, and helped my father at the newly established coffee shop branch here in town by the coffee company he was working in back in the city. Because of good hard work, dad earned a lot enough to get promoted and to own his own coffee branch of the company. He was the greatest barista I‟ve ever encountered and ever since I knew, I wanted to be a barista like him too.

I was more like on a part-time job at the coffee shop, every before and after school I tend to go there and help him out and even during the weekends...

That morning, as I was already preparing to take off for my first day as a sophomore at school, a costumer came in the same school uniform as me.

"One regular cup of hot espresso please." He ordered.

"One regular cup of hot espresso, coming right up!" I said in a lively voice. I typed his order through the screen. I looked at him and smiled as he opened up his black leather wallet.

"That would be a hundred and twenty." I said unto him as he reaches his money unto me. He took the coffee from the table and smiled at me. He finally walked himself out of the shop and I was left with a blank face.

"Hey, A. you‟re going to be late!" I heard my dad shouted as I ran myself to the storage room to change my clothes.
I got out quickly after changing and I rushed myself to school which is only a few meters away from the shop. The bell rang as soon as I have arrived inside the classroom and ran into a seat next to Uri.

"Why are you late on the first day?"

"I just got off from the shop this morning."

"It reminds me of the first day in school you had back in third grade."

He smiled and the thought of it made me laugh a bit. Things were really great with Uri around... but in this school year, we weren‟t sure what‟ll happen if we might get separated into other sections...

The next morning, we finally got the results of our new class sections for the school year. I was in Class-2, and Uri was in Class-3. It felt awkward again not having any friends in a new section... not because I don‟t know anyone but I never really paid any attention unto other people‟s names that is why I don‟t know them. Some girls tried to talk to me and I was happy because at the very least I had people to talk to.

The next day, we were finally given our permanent seating arrangements. I sat on the last row because of my height. I was sitting quietly while I read a book when suddenly someone sat on the seat on my right.

"Hey, coffee girl." He said. I was surprised and quickly turned to look at his face. It was the guy back from the coffee shop this morning.

"Espresso boy." It was all the words that ever came out from me. He laughed and smiled at me.

"I‟m Caleb Green by the way."

"Arie Gomez." I reached my hand and he shook it.

Caleb wasn‟t actually as ideal as those guys I always watch in anime series. He was swarthy, but he was outstanding. His hair was fine even without any hairspray or hair gel. I liked it when he sweeps his bangs on the right side of his face. And he has this angelic smile whenever he gets to look at me. Every morning, he always drops by to the shop for a hot espresso, and he never adds anything in it. He plays the guitar too, which is the same as me. I heard he was a lead guitar in a band, and he likes reading poetry. He started to occupy my mind for a while, and all I could ever talk about with Uri was all about Caleb.