The Van

Then he was gone

Chapter One

~Isabelle~

     I walk into the Starbucks part of the food court in the mall. The smell of coffee giving me chills up my arm. 'God it smells nice in here.' I look at my watch, 'I have enough time to get some coffee, get my work done and get home before seven to make it to my friend, Sierrah's, house.'  I stand in line, waiting to order my coffee. While waiting, I take out my phone and start looking through my messages. Sierrah texted.

     "Isabelle!!!! When are you going to get here!?!?"

I smile and write "As soon as I can girly. I have a essay to write and then I'll be right over, okay?" I ask, as if I needed permission before doing this.

     "Well, okay. But please, make it snappy. I need my bfffffff here right now!! God we have so much to talk about." By the time she sends that, I move up one space.

     "Like what? We literally talk everyday! Oh wait, you went to that party last night, didn't you?" I ask. Sierrah was asked to go to a party a few nights ago. This party was a known for people like drug dealers to be there. It's also known for a lot of sex.

     "Ya I did. It's a shame you didn't go. We could've had to much fun together!!! I met someone!" She writes, as I move up and I am one person up from being at the  counter.

     "Really? At the worst party of the year? Are you kidding me? I have no more bullets. I can't kill this one" I text, rolling my eyes. 'God, how stupid can she be?'

     "No silly. He goes to our school. He sees me all the time, but never spoke a word to me cause he was nervous and he didn't know what to say. I totally believed him and we both had a few drinks and then I left. Simple. We're going to meet up again at Crazy Smoothies later tomorrow if you wanna join us," she offers.

"Um, I'd rather not be a third wheel." I told her. "I have to go, I'll talk you you later." I finally get to the counter and i put my phone away.

     "Welcome to Starbucks. What would you like to today?" The Starbucks clerk asks, looking into my eyes, staring at me like he knows me.

     "Umm a tall mocha Frappe please." I ask very kindly. I start feeling my phone vibrate, as my thigh starts to jiggle.

    "Yes ma'am. Will that be all for you?" He asks.

     "Yes it will be." I say.

     "Okie dokie. That'll be $7.36 please." He smiles and says. I nod and I start going through my purse. 'Ok here's a five, two ones and..'  I start searching through for some change.

     A guy three people behind me yells out "HEY LADY I DONT HAVE ALL DAY!" I flipped him off before pulling out fifty cents.

     "Here you go. And hey, keep the change." I say smiling. He looks at me and smiles as he looks at the change in his hand and realizes that there's only fourteen cents left.

     "Haha well thanks. So what's your name?" He asks, sounding more flirty than the voice he had a few seconds ago.

     "Um, excuse me?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. He stairs into my eyes for a little while longer.

     "Oh for the tea." He says, still starring into my eyes. "I mean! Coffee." he says looking down and almost blushing.

     "Oh. Right." I said, almost embarrassed. Almost. "My name is Isabelle." I say.

     "Well that's a pretty name for a-" he gets cut off with a burst of a door opening and a angry man raging through.

     "LUKE!! How many times do I have to tell you?! NO FLIRTING WITH THE FEMALE CUSTOMERS!!!!!" A man yells, for what I'm assuming to be the Starbucks clerk that's serving me. Luke starts writing things on the cup super fast with a black permanent marker. "LUKE! ANSWER ME!!" The man yells louder, coming closer to Luke with every second. The stomping of his shoes is making an echo through the entire mall.

     Luke turns around, holding the cup behind him. "I-um-I'm uh- sorry sir." Luke says, his voice is shaking with every breath he takes.

     "Sorry isn't going to cut it this time. In my office, NOW!"  What I thinks to be the manager, grabs the cup that Luke has in his hands without a second thought and throws Luke into the room he had came out of.

     "We, as a company, are sorry to have him do this. Let's keep this between us. Shall we?" He asks, showing me a gift card to Starbucks, $25 on it.

     "These lips are sealed." I say, indicating the "zip and throw away the key" movement. He smiles and asks me again what I wanted. I have him my order and I go to the end of the counter where the customers get their coffee. I see the manager storm into the room like a raging beast and slams the door with all his might. I watch in terror as I hear yelling. "Umm is he going to be alright?" I ask the lady that is actually making my coffee.

     "Yeah, he'll be fine." She says smiling, handing me my coffee.

     "Well thank you. I hope you have a blessed day." I say smiling and waving as I go and take a seat close to a window showing the rest of the food court. 'Nothing says get to work like sitting in a Starbucks cafe and someone yelling at a guy for flirting with me. Ahhh. Good times good times.' I say to myself. I laugh and giggle and look at my phone to see the time. '3:43. Ya I think I have enough time.' I say to myself. I open my phone and the messages of me and Sierrah are still there. I look at the last line,"-if you wanna join us."

     The line is repeating over and over in my head as I pull my laptop out of my satchel. I turn it on and I get a notification on my phone and I look at it. 'DAY-TO-DAY QUOTES has a new quote of the day, check it out!!!" Is what It reads. I open it up as it says,"Don't be afraid to take chances for if you don't, you may never accomplish what you want in life."

Stupid quotes. I think.

      I start really thinking about that line. As I get a message from Sierrah. "Umm belle are you there?"

      "Fine. I'll go." I text back and I jump from the sound of the same door the manager and Luke were in opening with a "BAM!" and Luke walks out without missing a beat. He goes all the way to the door that goes to the food court, looks at the me, smiles and walks away. The manager yells," if you don't get back here Mr. Hemmings, YOU'RE FIRED!" Luke doesn't come back. He only looks behind him, flips the manager off, and starts walking away again. I roll my eyes and as my laptop comes on and I go to my classroom on google. I go into my satchel and get my pen and my notebook and I set them as and get another sip of my coffee.

     I look at my assignment," Dear students, the assignment has been postponed until next month.... you're welcome. From: Jana Hodges" 'YES! Now I don't have to do anything and I can go to Sierrah's house!!!!' I say in my head with excitement. I go to grab my coffee and I finally see what Luke had wrote on my coffee.

     "Wanna know the end of my sentence, call me." Then it shows his name number. When I looked to see if he was still in the mall, he was leaving out the doors of the mall and then.... he was gone.