Rouge Child

Nickel Penny

A/N

Sorry for my lack of updating... I broke my laptop and my mom's laptop sucks for typing so yeah... xD

***

"Why would Alas ask you to have coffee with him?" That was the first thing that came out of Jean's mouth.

And, for the record, Lily only rolled her eyes; she had asked herself the same question over and over.

Heck, why would Alas ask her to have coffee with him?

Earlier that afternoon, she received the message from Alas telling her this.

From: Alas Cummings

Sent: 3:26pm, 11/23

Yo! Come over to Nickel Penny.

Have coffee with ME.

=p

Not sure why, she hastily called Jean after and asked why the vet's son would ask her to have coffee with him all of a sudden. Yes, he was dating Jean but it was not like he had to go out with the best friend too. Right? Other than him dating Jean, she couldn't think of any other reasons why. Maybe, he wanted to be friends? Her subconscious told her so, guessed even. For whatever it was worth, she would give it a try. The guy might have something important to talk to her. Then again, right? So, she asked Jean to go with her.

Now, driving her yellow beetle Cabriolet along Concord Street, she was brought back to her first memories of Fram Hill. It had been four years now and, still, she felt like everything hadn't totally sunk in; it felt like she was still that small, raven-haired New York girl. When she first came, she was scared that people wouldn't like her or the kids in her new school would bully her. Luckily, her first day in school was actually ok; it wasn't bloody or anything. She just walked along the halls of rooms and tried to look for a friend. When she had her first class, it was English she remembered, she sat next to a fat - cough, cough - redhead with that pretty green Lolita dress. The redhead told her that her name was Jean Marie Appleton, and she so wanted to be Lily's friend, have fun, and get hot and popular boyfriends together. They became best friends ever since.

Now, Jean Marie Appleton was sitting next to her and was toying with those long red waves.

Oh, boy. How Lily envied Jean's hair.

Lily stopped the car in front of Nickel Penny - the well-known café of Ray Carter. Fram Hill folks, as what she heard, loved the place. In the four years she had lived in town, she only had been in the place once when Ray invited her for a coffee a few weeks ago.

Wondering why she got uneasy thinking back about that, she pushed the thought away and shook her head. What was happening to her anyway? That call from Ray four nights ago still bothered her; it shouldn't but it did. He told her he liked her and that was already the second time he said that. First was when they were at the library the day the List was published and they became the campus cutest couple. The recent one was during that one call the night the Arrows won against the Natick High Steels.

He likes you... he likes you, her subconscious kept on telling her that. Ok, ok. Ray liked her. So now what? He only liked her enough to make fun of her. Yes, that was why.

Deciding that the thought of Ray liking her was too much for her to take in any given autumn afternoon, she went out and so did Jean. Before going inside the café, she looked around and mused on her thoughts of Fram Hill; she realized she came to love the town.

Fram Hill was definitely a small town - simple and sweet - with her warm and full of heart people, lovely sunsets and beaches, and mountains of green that seemed to touch the clouds and kiss them sweet. Oh, boy. How she loved to go to the beach and spend all afternoon drinking her favorite blend of four seasons or a mango smoothie, and leisurely wait until sunset. The sunset in Fram Hill was amazing - always. In the summer, she would work in the local beach club as a bus girl. She enjoyed her time there this last summer. She felt excited at the thought of Katie teaching her how to surf again. Damn! The strawberry blonde girl knew how to surf. No wonder she got to have lots of boys after her. It was still a wonder though why Katie would cut her hair after every break up.