The Senior and The Junior

Chapter 12: Things Change and So Do People

Dylan's POV

After Chris showered and left I received an unexpected text.

Jonathan: Hey
Dylan: Hey, what's up?
Jonathan: If you're free, I was thinking we could work on those notes for AP Calc together.
Dylan: Yeah for sure. My mom is going to be coming back from work in a bit and I want to spend some time with her. Does afterward work?
Jonathan: Perfect. Do you need a ride?
Dylan: Yes. My mom refuses to let me drive her car again and she's out at work
Jonathan: Why?
Dylan: Eh.. Let's just say there's a dent that needs to be fixed
Jonathan: Welp.. that's my cue to leave. I'll see you in an hour
Dylan: See ya

Not long after my mom returns and has her breakfast she is off to sleep and Jonathan arrives at my home. "Come in." I kindly greet him as I step aside to let him walk in. He walks in and I gently shut the door behind him. "Sorry, I'm still not ready. I was cleaning up the kitchen." I scoot past him and continue to tidy up the kitchen.

"Oh, no worries. No rush." He implies. "Please take a seat." I gesture him over towards the living room and turn on the television. He makes his way past the kitchen peering in at the mess. "You sure it was just you and your mom and not a family of five?" He chuckles. "Oh uh.. my friend stood over last night so I made us some breakfast this morning," I reply, frantically trying to scrub the remaining dishes in the sink. "Oh, who's this friend?" Jonathan curiously eyes me. "Christopher Wright." I remain on task, my eyes glued to the dishes covered in syrup. "Oh. I didn't know you two were friends." He replies now walking over to me. "Eh.. more like business associates I'd say. We're just working on a project together." I joke still avoiding eye contact from Jonathan's judgy stare. "Long story but I'll explain later," I add on. "Here let me help." He turns back on his two heels and enters the kitchen.

"No, it's fine."

"I insist."

I smile at him and he proceeds to put the dishes away on the cabinets. Not too long after we had finally made it to his car. A nice one not to mention. His dad is a professor at Roseville University and his mom is a lawyer. Jonathan and I used to hang out all the time during my sophomore year, every day after school when he wasn't occupied with swim we would go out for coffee at this place called Olivia's and try a new drink almost every time. Well at least he would and I would stick to my usual order, it was one of our many sacred traditions but it's a new year and things change and so do people.

"So where are we off to?" I ask, reaching over to buckle my seatbelt. "I was thinking Olivia's?" He questionably asks, turning to face me. "Sounds good. I could go for a nice latte." I roll down my window.

On our way to the stereotypical hipster-type spot we chit and chat. "So the weirdest thing happened." He chuckles. "You might think I'm crazy." He continues. "But after water polo tryouts on Friday, I could've sworn I lost my key to the pool but then when I checked my locker during varsity practice yesterday it somehow appeared," he tells the story. "Wow... that's uh.. interesting," I respond trying not to sound nervous, diverting away from his gaze. "You must think I'm delusional." He laughs. After Chris fell asleep last night, I took my bike to the school and returned the key to its rightful spot.

"No not at all. Stuff like that happens to me all the time. I'll tell my mom I can't find something even though I clearly remember putting it in that exact spot and when she goes to look, she finds it in that exact spot in a matter of seconds." I attempt to relate. "See I knew I wasn't delusional." He replies. Looks like he bought it. I'm such a dick for lying to someone as sweet as this guy. I don't deserve his friendship. A few minutes later we pull into the parking lot of Olivia's. He exits the car and then closes the door. As I begin to unbuckle my seatbelt my phone dings. It's Chris.

Chris: Hey kid thanks for breakfast this morning. Really got the blood going for practice today 💪🏻
Dylan: The amount of toxic masculinity that emoji gives off.. is insane
Chris: 🏈
Chris: How's that for toxic masculinity?
Dylan: goodbye

My phone dings once more but I ignore it and shove it right back into my pocket. As if he couldn't be more annoying. "Hey Dylan you coming?" I can hear the faint sound of Jonathan's voice calling out to me from outside of the car. I finish unbuckling, grab ahold of my backpack from the backseat and then open the door. Jonathan opens the door for me to Olivia's and we walk in. "Hello welcome!" The barista enthusiastically greets us as the lingering aroma of coffee beans and baked pastries seeps it's way into my nose, making my nostrils do a little dance.

As much as I make fun of hipster type coffee shops like this I'm a sucker for them. We find our once usual table nearest to the window. It's always been my favorite seat because of the trees, especially in the fall when the leaves begin to fade into a yellow and burnt orange color. "I'll order first." Jonathan insists, taking off his backpack hanging it on the chair and then walks off to greet the cashier.

I unpack my AP Calc notebook, pencil, and laptop from my bag preparing for our study session. The music is relaxing and sets off a vibe like none other than before and I can't help but to sit back and enjoy it. Jonathan returns with a receipt and sets it onto the table. "What'd you get?" I ask reaching for the receipt. "Vanilla Iced Latte, extra vanilla, two shots of espresso and a hint of caramel." I read off the tiny receipt. "Sounds about right." I scoot it back towards him. Jonathan has always been one for making such interesting orders. He has weird taste but I kinda dig it.

"At least I'm not basic." He fires back. "Ouch." I chuckle, raising myself up from my seat to order. "Large Pumpkin Spice Latte please, hot." I hand my money to the cashier. I pull out my phone and take a peek at my notifications.

1 new message from Chris

Chris: Burgers after practice? On me.

"Order for Dylan!" The faint sound of a barista breaks my train of thought. I lock my phone realizing I'm holding up the line and then walk to to the pickup counter retrieve my drink. As I walk up to the table Jonathan snatches my receipt. "Large Pumpkin Spice Latte." he laughs. "See, how are you gonna make fun of me for my order when you got the most basic item on the menu." He crumbles the receipt and flicks it at my head. "At least my drinks aren't weird." I roll my eyes and play along.