Mixtape For The End of the World

7. Pete drinks green tea.

7. Pete drinks green tea.

I spent all of Friday at work, and to my relief, Gabe's next vision didn't come true. I didn't even like green tea - why would I drink it? I spent the day delivering pizza, eating more than my fair share of it, and drinking coffee, water, soda - anything but green tea.

I had a shift on Saturday afternoon too, but right before I left for work, Gabe called me. As soon as I picked up the phone, Gabe said, "Hey, Pete. Do you want to come over to my house sometime today?"

"I'm working until seven," I said.

"That's not a big deal," Gabe said. "You can come over after you're done at Fall Out Bros. You could probably even walk to my house."

He was right. Gabe's house was in the same neighborhood as Fall Out Bros. "I'll come over after work then," I said. "See you later, Gabe."

With the DeLorean still at the mechanic, Mom drove me to work. She agreed to pick me up from Gabe's house later, but my mind was already focused on delivering pizza.

Mom pulled up in front of Fall Out Bros., and I immediately jumped out of the car and headed into the back of the restaurant. Billie Joe walked up to me and said, "Hey, Pete. I have a few deliveries for you and Joe to make." Joe and I loaded the pizza boxes into the Fall Out Bros. car, and we spent the rest of the afternoon making deliveries. Nothing particularly interesting happened, and in my opinion, that was a good thing. There had been too much excitement over the past few days, and no matter how many times Billie Joe told me to take advantage of my youth, this was too much. I needed a break. Besides, if going to bookstores and listening to Ryan argue with Brendon's mom would eventually kill Gabe, it wasn't worth it.

When Joe and I returned to Fall Out Bros., it was nearly the end of my shift. "I'll let you go a few minutes early," Billie Joe said. "Don't forget to take a slice of pizza on your way out."

Billie didn't need to tell me twice. I snatched a piece of pizza and devoured it before I left Fall Out Bros. Pizza. As Billie Joe's cassette deck blared The Ramones, I headed out of the restaurant and headed straight toward Gabe's house.

However, something distracted me. I passed by Tea Monkey, the shop next to Fall Out Bros., and spotted a teapot with tiny pizza slices painted on it. A sign sat beside it, proclaiming "40% off all teapots!"

My better judgment told me to just walk away, but I was too curious. I had to get a better look at the teapot with the pizza slices on it. Besides, Gabe's vision hadn't mentioned anything about teapots. As long as I didn't drink any green tea, I would be fine.

I opened the door to Tea Monkey and stepped inside.

I didn't even make it to the teapot display before I saw him. The cutest boy that I had ever seen was standing at the counter, brewing a cup of tea for an old woman. He had the most beautiful eyes - I couldn't tell from my angle whether they were blue or green - and he was wearing a Tea Monkey hat on top of a fedora, which I thought was the most adorable thing ever. He gave the old woman a semi-sweet smile as he handed her a cup of tea, and my heart just about melted.

From that moment, I knew that he was the sun and I was just the planets spinning around him. I imagined him as my new partner in crime, the American beauty to my American psycho.

I used to waste my time dreaming of being alive, but now, I knew that I would only be wasting it dreaming of him.

That was when he noticed me. "Can I help you?" he asked.

How long was I staring at that guy? I wondered. "Uhh...yeah..." I said as I stepped to the counter, flooded with embarrassment. I had to make up some excuse as to why I was staring at him for so long. "I was...I was...just wondering if you had any recommendations?"