Chapter 4

October 25

 "Bye, Mom!' I called, opening the front door of our house. "I'm heading to the coffee shop!' I called.

My mom raced into the front room quickly, the sound of the vacuum cleaner still running through the walls. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail, and she glanced at me, her eyes widened.

"What for?" she asked.

"I told you," I repeated, sighing. "I met a girl last night, and we're getting some coffee together this morning."

"Oh," she said, clearly trying to remember what I had told her the night before. I'd gotten home late, waking her when I found her curled up on the couch, the TV still on, blankets curled around her. She went to bed right after I woke her, probably forgetting the whole thing.

"I--" she began, then shook her head, shooing me out. "Have fun!" I doubted she believed a word I said.

I raced out the door with positive thoughts stirring through my head. Maybe i could win this bet after all. If I could just convince Cece to come with me to the movie on Friday night, I wouldn't have to go to some stupid summer camp, and better yet, my friends would leave me alone for once.

As I came into town, people walking about, I scanned around for signs of Cece. Not finding her, I expected her to already be in the coffee shop. It was situated on the corner of the street, a large white billboard in the shape of a coffee cup hanging on the roof.

'Best Coffee in Town!' it read. Just by smelling the heavenly smell, I knew they were telling the truth. I'd often gone with my mom to the small gathering place, sometimes sharing a cookie with her or eating a delectable scone. When my dad had first divorced her, it was one of her several part-time jobs she took. When she was finally able to find decent work, I was a bit disappointed. Often, they'd allow her to take extra food from the day home, and we'd enjoy even more sweets for dessert after dinner.

As I walked inside, the tiny golden bell rang. People were already lined up, ordering donuts, pastries, hot chocolate, you name it. I scanned around the room for Cece, but I didn't find her. Nervously, I made my way to an empty small round table, pulling up two chairs. As I sat in one, I glanced around, convincing myself she'd arrive.

Ten minutes passed, then fifteen, and then I began to worry. Several people had already asked if I was using the empty chair, and even though I told them I was, they still eyed me funny. I knew I'd have to give it up soon.

I began to wonder if it was all just a joke. Maybe my friends had hired her on purpose to play a joke on me, and I had totally fallen for it. I clenched my fists. I was so going to kill them later.

I picked up my phone, ready to text them angry messages, when the bell rang. In walked Cece in an orange sweater and ripped jeans, a red scarf wrapped around her neck. She looked beautiful, despite the simplicity of the outfit.

I quickly put my phone away before she saw me. Her eyes found mine though right as I did so.

"Oh, I'm sorry I late!" she exclaimed, setting her purse down on the table. "I had some extra chores to do around the house, and it took me longer than expected."

"Oh, it's fine," I replied, making it seem like I had not been nervous at all. "I just got here too. Want to get something?"

She nodded.

I ordered my usual white chocolate mocha frappuccino, while Cece settled for a warm hot chocolate. She wrapped her hands around it, grinning at the warmth.

We sat for awhile, laughing and sharing funny stories. After Cece had sipped every last bit of liquid from her hot cocoa and my frappuccino was nearly gone, her eyes looked to see the bookshelf that sat in the corner of the room.

"Oh, yeah. They usually have magazines and novels in there. I see people read sometimes from there," I explained, noticing her curiosity.

"Why don't we look at some then?" she suggested, standing up.

"I didn't know you liked to read," I admitted, tossing away our empty cups and following her towards the bookshelf with couches around it.

"Oh, yeah," she said, turning to face me. "I read all the time. When I'm sad or angry, sometimes a good book is all I need."

"So you're sad a lot then?" I asked, immediately regretting the words as they slipped out of my mouth. I only meant to say she read a lot. She turned and stared at me, and I groaned. Idiot, I thought to myself.

She paused. "Not all the time," she said. She turned away, though I could tell there was something she was not telling me. It wasn't that I really cared. I just needed a date for the movie, and that was all. It did sort of feel like I was using her, but maybe not. Maybe she would be my girlfriend. Or maybe we'd just part ways after the date. It was hard to tell,

Cece continued looking through books, her fingers scanning each title. Thoughts of worry kept scanning through my head, coming to a cease as Cece spoke.

She held out a thick book with a green cover. "This is one of my favorites," she announced, handing me the book.

I took it from her, wiping off a layer of dust. It hadn't been read in awhile. The title read: Children's Fairytales.

"What? Children's books?" I asked, surprised. "I thought you'd be into real novels and such. Like mysteries or ghost stories."

At the word "ghost," she flinched, then brushed it off like it was nothing. I guessed she wasn't into horror.

"I do read other books," she explained, slipping it back into its place. "My mom would always read me a story from that book before bed. My favorite was about the prince and princess."

"Oh, wow," I said uneasily. "My mom never really read me stories. My parents were divorced, and well, I've kind of grown up as an only child with a single parent."

"Me too," Cece sighed. "My dad left when I was younger and I d-I mean, my mom died a couple of years ago. I live with my grandmother," she spoke sadly.

"Oh, I-I'm sorry. Being an orphan is much worse," I spoke. She nodded sadly, and once again, I pondered my word choice. Unsure of how to comfort her, I stood awkwardly. I had never experienced the death of someone so close before.

"It's fine," she spoke, smiling again.

After our awkward conversation, I began to focus on more positive things. "Why not read some stories from that book?" I suggested.

Cece was delighted at this idea, and for awhile, we read, time passing quickly. Soon, Cece glanced down at her watch and ftowned.

"I should be leaving now," she said, grabbing her purse.

"Wait!" I called, grabbing her wrist as she rose. "Um, my friends and I are seeing this movie Friday. Do you want to come with me? Like on a date? Or, it doesn't have to be a date? Did I say date? We're just seeing a movie."

Cece laughed, pausing for a moment. "Sure," she decided. My heart beat fast. I had this bet in the bag!

"Oh, hey, you don't have my phone number," she said. "Here, I'll write it down." Going through her purse, she found a piece of paper and jotted down numbers, handing it to me.

"I'm not busy, so just give me a call next time you want to meet up," she assured me, smiling warmly.

I took the crisp paper from her hand and placed it in my pocket. "Oh, thanks," I replied, blushing. I felt bad I would most likely blow her off after Friday.

Before she left, however, she bent down and kissed my cheek, electric sparks flying throughout me. She smiled, then left, waving good-bye.

I hoped my cheeks weren't that red. I guess it was obvious now that I kind of liked her. She was sweet, funny, and I think she liked me too. I knew once I got home, I would call her again.

Looking on the bright side of things, I realized I'd have no summer camp to go to either. My friends wouldn't tease me anymore.

Thinking back to Cece, I wondered if maybe we could still be friends after this week. Maybe we could spend Halloween night together, trick-or-treating for fun.

Or what if she became my girlfriend? The very thought sounded impossible, but I knew it could happen eventually. I smiled, beginning my walk home with her brown hair and green eyes still in my mind.