Flowers and Footballs

Part 1-February 1st: Pizza

Hazel was in her desk, papers sprawled all over. A single yellow rose lay on the corner of the desk, threatening to fall off. Her cinnamon brown hair was as frizzy as a loofah. She bent over on her desk, writing in her order book. All night the orders had been coming in for Valentine's Day. The bell on the front door sounded. Hazel was about to get up to meet, yet another customer, but it was just Piper.

"Hey Hazel," Piper's sweet voice said. "You look like you just ran a marathon."

"I feel like I have," Hazel replied, yawning. "The orders for Valentine's Day just keep on coming in."

"Isn't Valentine's Day, like, two weeks from now?" Piper asked, looking confused.

"Those are the struggles of owning a flower business."

"I guess," Piper said. "Anyway, did you hear about the state university's win in the football game yesterday?"

"We won?" Hazel asked, getting up from her desk. "That's a first time."

"I know, right?" Piper replied, sitting on the counter. "It was all because of Frank, honestly."

Hazel looked puzzled. "He's new, right? With the amount of popularity he's got, you'd never guess that."

"Hey, he's actually really nice," Piper replied. "You should talk to him."

Hazel snorted. "Easy for you to say. You're the most popular girl in the school. I'm a nerd."

"Don't say that," Piper told her, her eyes shimmering and changing colors as she spoke.

"It doesn't matter anyway, customers will be coming soon," Hazel said, smoothing her hair out. "If you want to help, you can stay."

"Sure," Piper replied, grabbing an apron and a pair of shears. "I like arranging the bouquets."

Hazel and Piper stood behind the counter, killing time by playing weird hand games. Finally, the first customer came. Then the next. And the next. The day continued on, customers coming in and out, until it was time to close.

"You wanna come over to my apartment tonight?" Piper asked, cleaning up the chopped stems on the ground.

"Nah, I can't," Hazel replied, starting to organize her desk. "I've got an essay to finish by tomorrow and a quiz to study for."

"You can do it at my house," Piper said, grabbing her bag. "We'll stop at your apartment and pick up your stuff, and then you can sleep over at my place."

"I don't know," Hazel said, picking up the key and locking the door.

"I mean, it's only 6:48, we have time," Piper begged.

Hazel hesitated. "Fine."

"Good," Piper said, signaling a taxi. They got in the taxi and headed toward Hazel's apartment on 49th street. Hazel watched the sunset, as the rose and gold colors dropped below the horizon of New York City. When they finally reached, the girls paid the cabbie and stepped into the chilly lobby of the building. They got in the elevator, and rode it to the ninth floor, where they got out and entered the second apartment from the right- Hazel's apartment.

They entered the cozy apartment, and Hazel grabbed her laptop and bag from under a blanket on her grey fabric couch.

"You good?" Piper asked, looking around Hazel's apartment- she loved how cozy Hazel's apartment felt.

"Yeah, let's go," Hazel replied, swinging her pale blue bag over her shoulder. They left the apartment building and got in another taxi.

"What classes do you have tomorrow?" Piper asked, tracing something on her leg.

"Um, photography, live sketching class, painting, and 3D sketching class," Hazel replied.

"Lucky," Piper groaned. "I have biology 1, chemistry 1, psychology, and physics 1."

Hazel laughed. "That sounds like torture. Tell me again why you wanted to be a doctor?"

"Shut up."

Hazel was going to reply, but they had arrived. They got out of the taxi and raced up the stairs to Piper's apartment on the fourth floor.

"How much longer until they repair the elevator?" Hazel asked, panting, as Piper unlocked the door to her apartment.

"I don't know," Piper admitted. "But I hope soon."

The girls walked into the spacious apartment.

"I'm starving," Piper exclaimed. "You wanna order pizza?"

"Sure," Hazel replied, placing her bag and laptop on the white couch.

Piper called the Pizza Hut, and the two lounged on Piper's couch, finishing last minute homework.

After what seemed like an hour, Piper's doorbell rang. She came back a minute later, holding a piping hot cheese pizza.

"Bon appetit," Piper said, a slice of pizza in one hand and a pen in the other. "Here's to homework and hot food."

Hazel giggled. "Cheers."

They worked on their homework while munching on their dinner.