Fragments

Chapter 3

I sang softly and off pitch as I walked down the snow encased streets, my nose runny from the cold. Gabriel walked beside me, his posture perfect. His back was fully erect, even with his heavy looking backpack on. It made him look weird, like a soldier doing his basic training. His face was tinted red, his head ducked down into his jacket collar. Must've been the cold.

"Come on Gabriel!" I cheer, giving him a light shove on his shoulder, "We're almost there! Sing along with me!"

He shakes his head, more heat rising to his face, "No thank you."

I roll my eyes at him, but continued to sing, my voice sounding as if I was made of air, "Gabe and Cathy march on and on, hurrah, hurrah!" To be honest, I could see why Gabriel was blushing a bit. My voice sounded terrible, even to me. There was a reason why I wasn't in a choir, my voice squeaked and cracked like a prepubescent boy when I sung. Besides, staying still in a large group of people would be impossible for me, my body would no doubt twitch like a squirrel. Self conscious would wash over me like a tidal wave: Did I look good standing in this angle? I shaved my upper lip, didn't I? I don't look high, do I? There wasn't a single doubt in me that I'd probably faint before reaching the chorus. Though, my voice didn't belong to an angel, there wasn't any reason that Gabriel was so hesitant to sing along. I was singing softly, I didn't want to embarrass us both after all.

"Hey," I suddenly ask, curiosity getting the better of me. He tilts his head at me, a small smile on his face. Although a smile was better then a red face, his expression had better not be because I stopped singing, "Are you a good singer?"

He shakes his head, that wide smile still on his face, "No," He says, staring straight ahead, "And I'm not just saying that." He adds, after seeing the disbelieving look on my face.

I shake my head, but smile, "I guess, it doesn't matter. We're already here anyway." I tell him, as both of us stopping at a small, black shop. There was a welcome sign on the see through door, and dozens of pastries lined up behind the see through window. It looked like your average bakery shop, all in all.

"Cream cafe." Gabriel read, looking up at the fancy, black, cursive lettering on the roof.

"Yeah," I respond, opening the door. I grin as I hear a soft bell ring, announcing to the store our arrival, "The people here aren't really creative." I say, holding the door open for him as he walks in. Gabriel looks around the store, his eyes wide with curiosity. I look around as well, even though I've been here a bunch of times with my dad. It was a small place, only having ten, round, black tables. The seats matched the color of the tables, even having a black cushion attached to the chair. The lights were slightly dimmed, as they always were, giving the shop's shiny tan colored floors and cream colored walls a nice glow. Over all, the atmosphere was nice.

"There's no one here." Gabriel tells me, staring at the empty seats.

"Well that's because it's only..." I pull out my phone and check the time quickly, "7:00 A.M!" I tell him, putting my phone back into my pocket.

"No," He tells me, frowning, "I mean there's no...bakery people at the counters." He says, pointing at the mentioned item.

"Bakery people?" I question, walking towards the counters, Gabriel trailing after me. I smack my hand on the marble counter top rather hard, and I resist the urge to immediately cradle my slightly stinging hand.

"Hey Jess!" I scream out, my voice ringing throughout the shop. Gabriel jumps, startled. I hear a loud crash, followed by a loud thud. I lean on the counter, smiling at Gabriel's concerned face.

"Don't worry," I tell him, "He'll come."

We both turn around at the sound of loud, clumsy, footsteps approaching us. I turn around, smiling as I was greeted with the sight of a  tall man in his late teens, his shoulder length black hair falling in front of his eyes. He tucks a few lose strands of hair behind his ear. He glares at me, like I'm the first thing he doesn't want to see but I know it's a lie. I'm not the type to have best friends, but if I was, Jess would be mine.