Good Vibes

Chapter 2

The local coffee shop nearby my community college is playing some Animal Collective song that pounds into my eardrums with a sensational melody while I wait for my date. Since I live close by, I ended up walking here and smoking a joint on the way. I can definitely say I'm living the high life right now.

"Phoebe!" a familiar voice calls from behind me. I turn around and watch as a very tall and powerfully built person fluidly walks towards me.

I lick my lips and smile at him, kicking the chair opposite of me towards him so He can sit down. 'He' being my lab partner, my first date, and Dan Wallace, a black-haired and blue-eyed mystery with a throbbing charisma that just draws me in. His average name does not demonstrate his captivating allure, with the incised jaw line and peaches and cream skin. A dark stone is pierced on one of his lobes and a leather jacket frames his athletic build. He looks like he just walked out of some bad-boy magazine.

"Did I make you wait long?" he says with a raised eyebrow and a tempting smile.

"Of course not, I remembered you mentioned before you like the ice coffee here, so I got one for you," I grin as I hand him one of the drinks on the table and sip the other, a succulent strawberry pineapple smoothie.

Dan takes a sip and grins, "First time a girl's ever beat me to paying for them."

I blush, "You haven't met a real woman till me," I tease. We continue to joke around for another ten minutes, until I notice he hasn't touched his drink and point it out to him.

Dan stiffens momentarily until he finally says something. "Looks like the gig is up," his tone has an edge of disappointment. I'm really confused; what gig? Sensing my confusion, he continues. "I'm not who you really think I am; scratch that, I'm not who you know me as. My name is not Dan; it's Sebastian. I work with the government in a special program that has us work undercover in colleges," he states vaguely and carries on, "Well, I know about your illegal affairs with the marijuana community-" Oh now he's stepped the line. I have to cut him off at this point.

"Marijuanna is decriminalized in this state, so whatever 'everything you say shall and will be used against you' nonsense isn't going to intimidate me," I say sharply, glaring at this once charming beau, but now I'm completely disoriented by this sudden revelation of his, bullshit or not. "Whatever role play you have in mind, I'm not interested," I add, as I get ready to leave.

"I know about your SAT schemes," Dan, or I guess 'Sebastian' says, watching for my reaction. As I sit across him, frozen in the midst of getting my bag, my mouth drops open and I can't help but give him a reaction that he's obviously been anticipating for.

While I attempt to collect myself, I find myself letting the facts sink in. This 21 Jump Street wannabe knows a secret of mine that not even my own best friend Jack has any knowledge of. I thought it would be veiled in my past, back in High School when it was more acceptable to fail than succeed in that environment. Now, the tables have turned and to my dismay, my past has come to haunt me in the most drastic manner possible.

"You're smart enough to stand in as your peers to take their SAT test and score above average and make a business out of it no less, yet you go to community college," his words make me snap out of my thoughts.

Taking a sip out of my melted smoothie, I try to shrug coolly but it feels a little too forced. "Obviously you didn't come here to talk about my choice in education, so what? Where's the handcuffs if I'm such a dangerous perpetrator?" All I have is myself right now, so if I want to get the hell out of this, I'm going to have to stand on my own.