Starbright (Ashley Purdy)

Coffee and Cigarettes

I was left to my own devices for about three hours before Kenzi made an appearance. She walked through the front door by one in the afternoon, her party dress from last night long forgotten. It looked like she had beaten me home this morning and had changed before heading out.

The moment she saw me in the kitchen, eating Chinese take-out, she gave me a sly smirk and leaned against the counter to stare at me. I awkwardly shoved a pot sticker into my mouth, attempting to avoid the conversation.

"Who did you fuck last night?"

I groaned in embarrassment, "Can we not make it a big deal."

"We have to! You rarely go out anymore!" Kenzi encouraged. "Come on, tell me all the nasty details."

"You're disgusting."

"But you love me." She sang, sauntering forward to steal a piece of my food. I scowled at her and childishly kicked at her shin.

"Not even."

She pouted, "Come on, Mads! I'll buy you a pack of cigs." She persuaded.

Might as well milk all I can out of her. "Okay. And coffee?"

"What's a coffee without a smoke? Come on, Mads, you know me." Kenzi snickered, turning on her heel to grab her purse.

I smiled happily and tossed the take-out into the trash, tugging on my denim jacket over my Breakfeast Club muscle tee. She drove us to our favorite coffee shop, Abbey Ben's that was owned by our two closest friends, Fred and Gavin. The moment we stepped into the cozy coffee shop, smoke twirling in the air, and the bar full of patrons. Abbey Ben's was modeled like a bar yet sold alcohol only after eight o'clock. It was the perfect hang out with it's high tables and bar stools, never ending supply of coffee, and the delicious pastries that Fred was constantly fawning over.

"Hey there, girls!" Gavin called, spotting us instantly. He was standing behind the bar, handing out a neon pink tall cup of coffee to a man. The man looked insulted but none the less took it.

"Hey, Gav!" Kenzi sang, lifting her upper body up the counter so she could peck him on the cheek. "Business good?"

"Like always. Think I'd still be alive if it weren't?" Gavin joked.

"No, Fred would've killed you three hundred ways." I scoffed, sitting at the bar beside a girl with flowers in her hair. Kenzi quickly sat down beside me, grabbing her pack of cigs and lighting me one.

Thank God this place was Pro-Smoking.

"I thought I smelled slut," A familiar blonde head poked out of the kitchen, a mischievous smirk on his lips. "Hey there, Mads."

My eyes widened in horror and I whirled to look at Kenzi. Both she and Gavin were resting their heads on their hands, giving me identical smirks. I felt betrayed.

"You told them?"

"It's not every day you go home with a man." Gavin offered.

Fred came up behind him, "Come on, babe. You're as asexual as a person can be. What did this person have to get you into his bed?"

"Nothing." I objected.

"Did he have a problem?" Kenzi asked.

Gavin groaned, "Oh no."

"Don't tell me you slept with him because you felt sorry for him." Fred begged, covering his face in horror.

"I didn't - I don't sleep with people because they have problems!" I stuttered, my face feeling so hot that I could probably make bacon on it.