ILLEGAL

Chapter 9

I had my laptop and files in the crook of my elbow. This is weird, I thought, meeting my enemy at Starbucks. Well, if you could call him my enemy.

I was meeting Jack at Starbucks so we could work on our mission. I was reluctant, but King had made us. You need to work together! He had said when he found out about the air shoes incident. So he scheduled us a meeting.

I pushed the heavy glass door open with my side. A bell went off and one of the people greeted me. A wave of scents enveloped me, coffee, chocolate, and sugar, then with the season turning on fall, cinnamon and nutmeg. Having not going to Starbucks often, I ordered something off the menu that ended in -o.

As I waited for my coffee, I glanced around the room. It was comfortable, with leather chairs over in the corner and little bistro tables in the middle of the room. Each table had three chairs around it. The place was basically empty, which was rare. Only a few people were here. And none of them were Jack.

I wrapped my hand around the cup which was steaming and made my way to a table. I raised on my tippy-toes to sit in the high seat, dropping my laptop on the table. I let it wake up. I was entering my password when Jack walked in. When he saw me he thrust his chin in my direction, then approached the counter. I rolled my eyes.

A couple minutes later he sat down across from me. He took a sip of... whatever he got...and then took a deep and happy sigh of pleasure. He then looked like he was noticing me for the first time, so he kind of loudly said,"Sup?"

I bent my head, almost like it was a secret."Ugh. This looks like where a stereotypical white girl would go."I murmured to him.

His eyebrow flicked up and the corners of his mouth turned up. He grinned as he said,"Arn't you a white girl?"

My eyes shot daggers and I stuck my tongue out. He leaned back, taking another drink of his coffee."What'd you get?"He asked me.

I looked at my cup, still steaming on the table in front of me. I picked it up with my fingertips like I was examining it."I don't know, actually. Something with pumpkin."

Jack's eyebrow raised questionably."Well, does it taste good?"

I shrugged."I haven't tasted it yet."

He made a gesture and a look with his face that said, well try it! I wiggled my eyebrows at him before I took a small sip. All at once, it felt like I had just touched my tongue to a burning pan after baking cookies and then dipped it in a volcano. My eyes widened and I waved my hand in the air to try and get cool air on my tongue. Since my tongue was sticking out of my mouth, my speaking was garbled,"OW! Haly szit, it's hawt!"

Jack started laughing really hard while I was suffering. I slapped his arm and he curled his fist and put it half in his mouth to muffle the chuckling. He had ordered an iced-something, so I grabbed his cup and flicked the lid off. I fished for a piece of ice, watered-down coffee splashing over the sides and the glassy ice slipping out of my grip.

I finally caught one and then held it to the tip of my tongue, the coldness soothing the burnt area. Once Jack had stopped laughing, or at least laughing like a maniac, I set the cube down and pinched my tongue. I grumbled to him,"Ugh. My taste buds feel like the victims of Pompeii."

This sent another wave of laughter over him. This time, instead of smacking him, I laughed with him. It felt weird, I wasn't supposed to be enjoying moments with him, I was supposed to be despising every arranged second that I was with him. The smile disappeared from my face and I cleared my throat.

"Alright,"Jack agreed, wiping his eyes."No more silly business, we've got to work."

"Said the guy who thinks everything is a joke."I mumbled, typing on my laptop.