The aroma of pancakes and syrup was enough to make my stomach growl. I inhaled strongly, groaning in my exhale. Terence drove us to Grandma Stuffins' Café. My dad used to take me here for our Sunday breakfasts when I was little. The menus had puzzles and mazes for kids. We used to do the crossword puzzles together and have Therisa check our answers. Therisa was a waitress at the time and she was always our server. She died last spring.
I looked up from my crossword puzzle, half expecting to see Dad grinning at me over the rim of his coffee cup, but instead, Terence had a self-satisfied smirk on his face.
"What?"
"I've never seen a seventeen year old get so excited over a crossword puzzle with only five words," he mocked.
I shrugged and finished the puzzle. I used my crayon to doodle off in the corner. A silence settled between us. It wasn't uncomfortable, so I allowed it to continue. Before I realized exactly what my hand had in mind, it have a very girly mural of hearts and stars.
A cell phone broke the silence and my concentration, causing me to jump. The song playing rattle around in my mind.
"You gonna get that?" He asked. I looked up to see him staring at my phone. I completely forgot I changed the tone. I reached out for it and flipped it face up. Chad. Hesitantly, I slid my finger across the screen and brought it up to my ear.
"Hey!" My answer sounded so cheerfully fake.
"Hey! Where are you?? We have a french exam today! If I don't have you next to me, how will I pass?" He ranted.
"I--"
"Who is it?" Terence asked, though not quiet enough.
"Woah! Are you with someone?" Chad shouted. "Is it Terence?"
I blushed and ignored both questions. "I gotta go." I spoke into the phone, then hung up. "So.." I turned back to Terence, clutching my phone in my lap. "Are we going to order or did you bring me here for your own tormental purposes?"
"Both." He winked. I blushed even darker and looked away.
"What do you want for breakfast?" He asked.
~~
Full, on blueberry pancakes and orange juice, I trudged up the staircase in Terence's apartment building. My sneakers squeeked on every other stair. Terence lived on the third floor with his cat, Justin Bieber. Obviously named by Violet, she's a major fan. Finally reaching his door, he turned the knob and walked in.
A voice called out for him inside.
Terence quickly kicked my knee back and slammed the door. I scrambled to my knees to press my ear against the wood.
"Violet..! Sweety.. What are you doing here....?"
"I came to surprise you! You never called me back!"
"Sorry baby. I was busy with a coworker." Blood rushed to my cheeks, my heart speeding up.
"Which one? Celia?"
There was a short pause before a strong, "Yes."
"You're always with her! I don't understand! She's not even that pretty! Everytime I call, you seem to be off prancing with that whore. The whole 'helping' thing is really getting old, Terence, and if you think I'm--"
I backed away from the door, not wanting to hear anymore of what she would or would not do. I stood up and jogged quietly down the hall, then stumbled down the stairs. Walking home wasn't exactly my idea of a good ditch day, but it was better than sticking around with Terence and Violet. Who knows what she would have done if she'd seen me in the hall.
