A Second Chance

Shooting Range

Chapter 24

*Ring* *Ring* *Ring*

Caden opened his eyes to look at his clock. Oh right it's broken. He reached over to get his phone since it was ringing. Before he answered he looked toward his window to see the light was still dim outside.

"Hello?" What he wanted to say was, "Who in the world is it and why are you calling so early?"

"Wake up Caden!" Valerie's voice shouted through the phone.

"Val it's-" Caden checked the time on his phone, squinting his eyes from the bright light. "Six in the morning."

"Yeah I know, I want to go get breakfast." She informed.

"Val, it's six in the morning." He repeated himself. Caden found it in himself to smile as much as he wanted to be asleep.

He heard her giggle. "Come on I want to eat early so we can go to ARRO's training building early, before tons of agents end up there." Valerie explained.

"Would it be a crime to spend time with your fellow workers? Some of them are really nice." To bad Caden could not realize Valerie was one of the agents who is not really nice.

"Rogers do I have to throw a bucket of water on you to wake you up?" She joked.

"My door is locked." He informed her. She did not know it but he was getting ready as he was talking to her.

"I know how to break down doors. I am an ARRO agent after all." She replied. Caden's the one who taught her how to do that.

"You'll pay to fix it."

"You seem like a handy-man Caden."

"You'll pay for the new door then."

They both just started laughing.

"So where should I meet you?" Caden asked.

"I want to go to that pancake house that's just around the corner from ARRO." Valerie told him.

"Affirmative."

Caden gathered the rest of his stuff, luckily finding his keys. He locked his apartment door behind him. Then he drove to the pancake house.

He reached the restaurant before Valerie and requested a table for two. It was right by a window and you could see outside perfectly. The restaurant was more toward the edge of the city, so beautiful (still not green) trees could be seen. It was near the beginning of January so the tress have not gotten their leaves back yet.

The waitress brought him a nice hot cup of coffee before he even ordered one.

"You look like you need it." She told him.

He smiled warmly at her. He put sugar and a little of the creamer in it that always sat on the table for costumers, he mainly put sugar though.

The bell rang at the door and he watched Valerie come in. She looked ready for a jog, her hair tied up in a ponytail. She noticed Caden and sat down opposite of him.

"Good morning." Valerie said.

"Let's be honest, what's actually good about mornings?" Caden joked.

Valerie smiled and rolled her eyes.

"I know, I don't like mornings either." She admitted.

He gave her a confused look.

"Then why are we up at six?" Caden asked.