The New Kid

Chapter 12

Before leaving the driveway in Robin for my first shift at the Full Mug, I text all the guys in one big, group text: "We're on for today. My house at 6pm!"

I'm a little scared to start my first day at the coffee shop, knowing full well that they'll do things differently than my last barista job. I couldn't wait to taste fresh espresso though - you got 50% off any items for being an employee and I was going to take advantage of that.  I was craving a hot white mocha with extra whip. The assistant-manager met me at the cash register and we began to learn the basics of each of the jobs. 

We started with the cash register, it was pretty fancy-looking. After about ten minutes of explaining the items the shop sold and which category on the screen you could find them under, it was time to test out my learning progress. "Now you try," my manager, Cody, said. He was slender, toned, and wearing a classic red and black plaid shirt and gray beanie. He went over the other side of the counter to my amusement. He leaned forward, "Hi, I would like a large coffee with a shot of hazelnut please, and an orange scone." I smiled, remembering Christian putting me through a practice round the other day before my interview. I pushed a couple of the buttons on the digital screen, being careful to add the extras, "Anything else for you today sir?" I asked in a polite tone. Cody took a deep breath, "Yes, actually. Now that you ask I could also go for a chocolate-chip monster cookie and two coconut truffles to-go please." I must have pressed the wrong button because the whole thing cleared and started over with a blank screen. I looked up at Cody, "Oops. Can you repeat all of that please?"

After a couple more attempts, there was success. Cody fist-bumped me and had me take the orders of a few of the incoming customers, who were thankfully patient with me. I was the newbie for the second time this week. 

We moved onto learning how to use and clean the espresso machine, and we made a couple practice espressos, including the ones I bought for my white mocha. That first sip was amazing. "The coffee here is so good," I smiled. Cody smiled back, "I'm glad you think so, now keep advertising that to all our lovely customers!" I took a second sip, tasting the sweet creaminess of the whipped cream, "That I will do."

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I was going a little crazy about the fact that my friends were all coming over in an hour or so. My parents and kid brother would be around, but we had a rather spacious house and although my dad loved to embarrass me, his first-born, I figured mom would keep him out of our hair. Mom knew how important this was to me. I was tidying up the living room again, though honestly the boys probably wouldn't care how fluffed the pillows were and if I vacuumed or not. 

Reagan waltzed in and teasingly said, "Oooh Avalon is all excited for her boyfriends to come over!" I gave him a serious look and said, "Reagan! None of that. We are all just friends." I emphasized the word friends. "Mmm-hmm, right big sis. That's why you care so much about everything being just perfect."

Ugh. He wasn't wrong about that. We still had a pile of cardboard boxes in the corners of the rooms of the house they belonged to and we hadn't made much progress unpacking this first week. At least we had our couch, marbled coffee table, and TV up. It looked okay. Everyone in the family just wanted to adjust and relax but it wasn't necessarily decorative-looking. Oh well.

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The first to arrive was Tyler. I turned on the porch lights and invited him in. "Hey! Ty! Thanks for coming. You beat everyone here." He smiled at my peppy mood and took off his Nikes. "Great place," he commented while taking in our new home. "Thanks," I said, "We're still unpacking."

 Reagan, of course, wanted to stick around long enough to see who everyone was. "Ty, this is my brother Reagan." Reagan extended his hand all politely and said, "Nice to meet you Tyler." I rolled my eyes at his prim behavior. Before I knew it, the doorbell rang and there stood Christian, Drew, and Joey. Monty and Tristan were right behind them walking up the sidewalk. Our property was now lined with sporty cars and of course, a Black 2019 Jeep. "Guys! So happy to see you. Thanks for coming over." Tyler had already scouted out the pizzas in the kitchen and was talking to my mom. She laughed at something he said.