brooklyn baby

caffé americano

C H A P T E R   F O U R

"Watch out Clumsy!" Jamey spat as his shoulder crashed into Luka's.

Luka rolled his eyes as he yanked his earphones out from his ears. "What do you want now."

"I want you to watch where you're going." Jamey barked.

"Hey, just because you're Emma's boy-toy doesn't mean I have to tolerate you." Luka retorted, seeming as sassy as could be.

Jamey smiled sarcastically. "You're not fooling me with your 'I'm too good for you' attitude."

Luka was about to retaliate and fight back but when glancing over Jamey's shoulder, he noticed a figure strutting down the hallway in a baby blue Bardot dress and stopped in his tracks. The woman of the hour, Emma Odell.

"Aren't you two just best of friends." Emma slapped a fake smile across her face.

Luka and Jamey rolled their eyes in unison, huffing and puffing. They didn't hate each other, but they didn't like each other either. They could barely tolerate each other.

Jamey broke the silence, "I'm gonna grab a coffee at the cafeteria if I'm going to make it through today."

Luka folded his arms and smirked. "The cafeteria coffee taste like roadkill, if you want good coffee, go to George's."

Jamey's eyebrow knitted. "Okay,"

Luka let out a loud sigh. "Pfft. Whatever, see you after class, Em." Luka emphasis on Emma.

Luka inserted his earphones in, trying to escape reality when he was interrupted yet another time.

"This shitty weather, this complicated timetable, this tasteless coffee! It's been just three days and I'm already sick of this place." Aurora exclaimed with a thick Italian accent. The concealed bags under her eyes suggested minimum sleep.

Luka couldn't help but chuckle. "Welcome to my life, hun."

Aurora shot Luka a dirty look and continued tapping on her phone. She averted her gaze back to Luka, "You know, I think I'm going to take you up on that offer."

Luka's brow furrowed. "What offer?"

Aurora placed her hand on her hip, exposing her wrist tattoo. "Bunking class to grab coffee. The best coffee around."

"You read me mind like an oracle"

Luka never got into any trouble when he bunked class because he was the teacher's pet. Straight A's, present in all class discussions, Luka was a teachers' dream. He would just say he didn't feel well, or he had a headache and the teachers would pity him.

Luka grabbed Aurora's arm and dodged the traffic and out the door, without drawing any unnecessary attention.

Moments later, Heartlake High was no longer visible. Luka's eyes scanned Aurora's lower arm. "What's with the tattoo."

Aurora cleared her throat. "It's a constellation, Cassiopeia. My mother was named after it. She left when I was little. And left a note. Telling me that if I look up into the night sky, I can see the stars dancing. Her eyes twinkling. I was named Aurora, after the Aurora Borealis, aka Northern lights. I plan on travelling to Alaska, so I can see the Northern lights united with the constellation Cassiopeia. It will feel like my mother and I are together. Spiritually. I know it's stupid but I..."

"It's beautiful." Luka interjected, telling the tears in his eyes to stay put.

Luka didn't need to say anything else, his eyes said it all. He was going to tell Aurora about his mom leaving as well but didn't want to make this moment about him. Which was rare for Luka.

Despite the awkward walk home, Luka stared at Aurora and when their eyes met, Luka quickly shifted his focus to something else. It felt as if the two had known each other for years. They approached the entrance of the café and the sign reading 'George's' was still lit up from the night before. Aurora opened the door, gesturing for Luka to enter first. The chime of bells lingered in his ears and the smell of almond and cocoa filled the air. Luka felt at home.

"Edgy. Cute." Aurora broke the silence.

Luka giggled. "This is like my second home."

Luka scanned his surroundings to notice a familiar face. "Look who it is, sitting perched in a booth at a coffee shop. Satan himself..."

Jamey mimicked a curtsy. Wow. He didn't even try to fight back, let alone throw another insult. The poor kid looked so out of his element. Like a sheep in a bear's cave. It was beyond Luka why Jamey was in a coffee shop? Hell, why was Jamey anywhere without his shadow, being Rocco. His trusted companion. They became friends when they were forced into the same football team, forming friendships with other players her and there. Luka couldn't help but stare at Jamey, sitting there alone, not a flirtatious cheerleader in sight.

"What are you doing here anyway? Bunking class too?" Luka asked out of curiosity.

"A little birdy told me this place served the best coffee in town, so here I am." Jamey remarked, causing Luka to smirk.

After ordering their beverages, Luka headed in Jamey's direction. "Mind if I join you?"

"Sure. Afterall, I don't bite... hard." Jamey said, shooting a glance in Aurora's direction. "So, who is this gorgeous damsel seeking my presence."

"Oh please. Luka told me all about your little act, flirting with every girl you lay your eyes on. But it's not gonna work on me, bigshot." Aurora scoffed.

Luka high-fived Aurora in his mind, trying to contain the wave of laughter approaching.

"This one's feisty." Jamey hissed.

"Order me a flat white, would you dear." She asked her assistant ever so politely.

She made he way to our booth. "Students. What bring you here. Bunking class." Principal Thorn lowered her glasses.

"I uh, we uh." Luka tried.

Like an angel cake down straight from heaven, Aurora started blabbering in Italian, meaning none of us knew one word that left her mouth. She then started crying and sat back down. Quite the actress.

"Don't you worry dear, you aren't in any trouble. You have nothing to be afraid of." Thorn said, patting Aurora on the back. "Might I add that you two are coming back to my office. This instant."