Young Writers Society

Of Starbucks, Blushing Cashiers, and Batman Fist-fights

     "You are dead to me," I hissed, whipping my head to the left so I wouldn't have to bear the sight of this traitor. 

     He deserved to be shunned.

     After a minute or two of unexpected silence, I glanced over and gasped at the sight of him facing away from me.

     "How dare you shun me!" I pouted, shaking his shoulders. "It's supposed to be the other way around!"

     "Why should I be shunned?" he countered, whipping around to shoot a half-hearted glare.

     "You think Nutella beats chocolate; the question is, why shouldn't you be?"

     "You say 'shunned' a lot," he pointed out, a small smile on his face as he ran a hand through his short hair. I grinned.

     Wrong time to say it I admit, but damn, I loved his hair. It was so shiny. 

     The street lights above flashed to red; the people surrounding us took off like birds and hurried to the other side of the street in one big huddle.

     "Aren't you worried that someday it'll get into your eyes?" I curiously asked, shoving my hands in my pockets as we tagged along.

     "Nah, it's worth it. Having long hair is just… urgh. Especially in the summer, where it makes your head all sweaty and - ahh!"

     I chuckled, extending a hand to him as he sat there on the crosswalk, blinking in surprise.

     "Watch where you walk man, this snow is slippery as hell."

     He scowled, grabbing my hand and pulling himself up, dusting off the snow from his lady-like coat. He held onto it, dragging me across the street and into a Starbucks.

     "And why are we here?" I asked, looking around in confusion. People - or should I say, penguins; their giant coats made them look the part - filled in almost all the tables. They chatted amongst themselves, their faces flushed from the snow outside.

     "I need somewhere to hide after that embarrassing fall, plus," he shrugged, "I could go for some coffee right now."

     "But why Starbucks, I hate Starbucks!" I whined, attempting to head for the doors.

     "Manners, Spencer, manners. You sound like a whiny kid."

     "Whatever, just let go of my hand before people start suspecting me of being your boyfriend," I said, shooting a glance at the elderly couple eying us weirdly.

     He blushed in embarrassment, immediately releasing my hand and turning to the counter.

     "What're you ordering?" the cashier asked, cheerily smiling at us.

     "I'll have a clover brewed coffee and…" he scanned the menu, his tiny head moving from left to right. He grinned, "A carrot cake muffin with pecans, please."

     "Picky, picky," I murmured under my breath, looking over at a girl baby-feeding her boyfriend. They squealed in delight as some coffee slipped from the spoon and splashed onto the floor. 

     An elbow nudged into my side. "Spence! Hey, what do you want?" 

     I shrugged. "Nothing. I don't eat at Starbucks."

     The cashier's jaw dropped. "What?"

     "What do you mean 'what'?"

     "Nothing," she shook her head, handing Will his food. "Have a nice day."

     If she were Superman, I'd have two holes shooting right through me; her gaze was boring into me the entire time we walked to a table. I glanced over my shoulder, chuckling as she jumped and whipped around to face the next customer, her face burning crimson.

     "What're you grinning about?" Will asked as we sat down.

     "I feel so loved today," I chimed, staring out the windows dreamily, "First my buddy wants to hold my hand, and now I'm making the cashier blush. I must be hot as hell!"

     He shot me a glare as he took a sip of cofee. "Vanity will get you nowhere, and I wasn't holding your hand."

     I smirked.

     His face burned crimson again. "Screw you, Spencer! That's why Batman will lose in a fist-fight with The Flash!"

     "Not this again! You know damn well that Batman can kick his ass to next week and back!"

     "But The Flash will throw like, fifty punches before Batman can throw one! Besides, Batman doesn't even have a superpower!"

     "Exactly! He's at the same level as super-heroes, and the guy has no powers! That has to count for something," I pointed out.

     "But he uses technology and money. That's cheating."

     "What? No way, he - "

     I was abruptly disrupted by a mug of coffee being placed right in front of me. We looked at the cashier, who was standing right in front of our table with a bashful look in her eyes.

     She fiddled with her fingers, "Uhm, they accidentally made an extra cofee, so…"

     "They decided to give it to two strangers for free?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

     She blushed; she'd been caught. "No, no! It's um, this new thing they're doing where we…" She was stumbling over her own words! I almost felt embarrassed for her.

     "Well… I have to get back to work anyway." she said, heading back to the counter. She then paused and turned around. "By the way, Batman would so win."

     And with a smile she walked away, all traces of her previous shyness gone. My mouth dropped open.

     "Well, that was… something," Will noted, stuffing a muffin in his mouth.

     I glanced at the cashier, who seemed to act like nothing happened. Out of curiosity, I gently took a sip of the coffee she left behind. 

     "Not bad," I murmured, going for more.

     Will raised an eyebrow, smirking. "I thought you hated Starbucks."

     "What? No way, when did I ever say that?" I said, subconsciously looking over at the girl, who now grinned at the customers with an extra sense of felicity.

     "…We should come here more often."