Friends, Lovers, or Nothing

Chapter Four - Vultures

By the time Monday rolled around, I was officially working my first shift at Pavement as a trainee. With Makenzie's reference and my open afternoons, it was a match made in heaven for not only me but for my bank account.

Layla and I decided to walk there together after Anthro, a class that I had expected to hate but was made much more tolerable considering all of the snide remarks Layla would slip in during Professor White's lectures.

Things like,

"I wonder if Professor White has a girlfriend and if she's jealous of his utter affinity for the dead and dying."

Or in regard to one of the cultural groups we began studying today, "That outfit alone is enough to make Gianni Versace roll around in his grave... God, rest his fashionable soul."

I had come to really enjoy her and Makenzie's company over the last week which was somewhat unexpected.

I had never had any close girl-friends growing up as most of the girls I went to school with seemed to judge me because of my past, usually without ever having a conversation with me. But that's what it's like when you grow up bouncing from small town to small town, especially when everyone already knows you're a foster kid. It's like they somehow feel entitled to ignoring you. I was grateful that neither Layla or Makenzie had asked me anything too personal.

"So you lift the steaming wand tip so that its level to the milk in the pitcher and then you just... Blake, are you listening to me?"

Blinking my eyes a few times, I zero in on Makenzie standing in front of me. Right, cappuccinos. 

"Yup, I'm all over it."

She raises her eyebrows and looks to Layla sitting at the bar in front of us, "Do you think she's paying attention to me?"

Layla looks from me to her girlfriend and rolls her eyes dramatically, "Hey, I'm just doing my homework, leave me out of your worker's quarrel."

Makenzie and I laugh as she restarts her demo on cappuccino making.

This was nice. New friends were nice.

Just as she finishes pouring the drink into a small mug, I hear the chimes on the front door go off, followed by a burst of laughter.

My glance follows the sound only to be met with Jaxon walking into the coffeehouse with a girl I don't recognize on his arm.

I can't help but notice how beautiful she is, with dark chocolate colored hair and matching brown eyes. She was truly stunning.

I don't notice how intently I'm staring until I move my gaze over to Jaxon to see him already looking at me. Why am I so awkward?

"Hey!" I spew out in his direction, "What brings you here?"

"Uh.. coffee?" He chuckles.

"Right... coffee." I look over to Layla for some help but she only gives me a look that says something like this is all you, girl.

I try again, "So, I didn't see you this morning, did you leave early?"

"Yeah, I have an 8 am on Mondays. Hope I didn't wake you while leaving."

The short girl standing next to Jaxon finally looks up at me. Her brown eyes were intense as she moved her gaze from me to Jaxon, "Wait, this is your roommate? You're rooming with a girl?"

She looks appalled, to say the least. Her face probably matched my own shock when finding Jaxon in my apartment announcing that he too lived there just last week.

I decide to introduce myself, hoping to lessen the uncomfortable vibe I was starting to feel, "Hey, I'm Blake. And I know right, imagine my shock when I moved in," I laugh.