Trepidation || j. g ||

| L e a t h e r |

ATHENA WATCHED JAKE Abbey through the small opening of the order bar, where heaping plates of steaming grub would usually be placed for pick up by herself, Allie, and sometimes even Nancy herself.

Her brown eyes dissected every detail of his face from afar, as she desperately wanted to inch towards the man. She couldn't muster up any courage to do so. She found him quite fascinating, and very sweet. No one ever spoke to Athena the way Jake did. Well, no one ever showed interest in her at all. The notion of that set Athena off like a time bomb.

"You're watching him on your lunch break?" Her blonde friend inquired, scaring Athena half to death as she took a deep breath.

They both peered forward, their eyes scanning the attractive man before them as Allie piqued up, "Sucks that he's a weirdo."

"What does that mean?" Athena gawks defensively, retreating from the small opening in the window to peer at her friend.

"You've heard the stories, Thee. That guy...he's a quack."

"Maybe I didn't hear them. What if they aren't even true? Just some ignorant bullies who decided to spread some bogus story-"

"-Athena, we both know that The Abbeys are fucking crazy. Remember Freshman year when he came into class and brought that pocket knife? He was freaking cutting his fingers up just because," she exclaims lowly as the curly-haired girl scoffs, shaking her head as she smooths her wrinkled apron.

"Whatever, and that was years ago. I don't think you should judge people on rumors. It isn't substantial-"

"I got an order of toast, cut and buttered for table eight," Dan shouts obnoxiously as he smirks our way.

"I'm helping Mr.Fredrickson already, I've got my hands full." Allie counters quickly to Athena's worried eyes.

"You've spoken to him before. He wasn't bad, or so you claim." She says in finality, exiting the back room as Athena stood still with a plate of toast in her grasp.

Jake Abbey was nice, very nice to Athena. They hadn't spoken long, but in the time they did, Athena felt like she was indeed getting to know someone as a friend and not just as a customer. She had even gotten the suave Jake Abbey to laugh once, and you would think that gave her confidence to talk to him again. In reality, she was petrified. Now, she had to keep up the act to make him stick around. No one wants a bore.

Athena's scuffed white vans padded along with the slick tiles of Augustine's, her breath becoming shallow as she approached table eight with heightened fear. He was just so damn intimidating.