Short, Fat & Fabulous

Chapter 1

Danielle

Pushing past the idiots in the hall, I finally managed to reach my locker, taking in deep breaths. Stairs. My worst nightmare. When you first look at them, they seem so innocent, like a baby. Then, you actually have to deal with them and you realize they're just another form of hell. Trying to steady my breathing, I fixed the maroon scarf wrapped around my neck, the sleeves of my brown leather jacket brushing past my blonde hair. Desperately, I was trying to get my shit together, not wanting to be a huffing buffoon once I got to class. Of course though, it was easier said than done. My heart was racing and, though I knew I wasn't sweating, the temperature in the school had suddenly risen. I spotted my locker, just down the hall and began to make my way towards it slowly. Though my breathing still came in raggedly, my heart was beginning to slow. As cool air finally reached me, I felt myself calm down. Stopping in front of the locker, I took another greedy gulp of air before smiling just a little. Better.

Opening my locker slowly, so as to stall before I had to head to my class, I popped it open, causing stacks of books to fall onto my feet. A groan escaped my lips, my smile fading into nonexistence as I bent over, picking them all up and neatly stacking them once more in the shared locker. Who did I share it with, you might ask? My best friend Ebony, one of the messiest girls I've ever known. She loved to read, much like I did. So, when we kept books for awhile, we put them in the locker. While I was neat with how I kept them, she would just throw them in. Blowing back a strand of hair that had fallen in my face, I stood back up, pushing in the textbooks that I wasn't going to need today. It was Monday. Only the third week of the first semester. Already, I felt like giving up on the whole school thing, but I'm sure my mom would disagree highly. "Grades are important." "You should take school more seriously." The thing was, I did take it seriously, I just didn't like the place. Everyone here was always trying to drag others down with them, never caring who they hurt in the process. Inhuman is what I called it. Being a teenager is what she called it. Typical.

Closing the locker and hoisting the now much lighter backpack onto my shoulder, I slowly walked to the end of the hall before making a right, my classroom only a couple feet away. Here at Manchester Rock High, there were three floors and all the rooms were numbered,and, weren't very spaced apart. My locker, and the majority of my classes, just so happened to be on the top floor, making my every morning a living hell. I mean, if they just installed escalators, I wouldn't complain. Hell, I'd probably start a fundraiser so the school district wouldn't have to pay as much for it.

Laughing at my own little joke, I stopped outside the classroom, making sure my breathing was even before stepping in, giving the scowling Ms. Vincent a sheepish smile. She was my absolute favorite teacher, though, I hated the subject she taught. Algebra. A terrifying kind of torture in the form of numbers and letters. It's the devil's subject, I swear. Now though, I was probably just as bad as math in her eyes. I was never on time to her class, mostly because of the damn stairs. She always gave me a pass, knowing that I would show up. From the smug smirk on the few kids in the front row though, I was sure she had ranted about me this morning.

"Hi Ms. Vincent." I said carefully. Her dull, grey eyes bored into me, I could see the gears shifting in them, trying to decide whether I should have to stay after school, or that she would let it slide. Peeking to the back row, I saw Ebony snickering, giving me a small wave. Next to her, was my designated seat. Completely empty. If someone were to try and sit there right now, Ebony would threaten their life. Our friendship was solid.

"Ms. Jacobs, do you enjoy the extra 10 minutes in the morning? Is my class keeping you from something?" I shook my head, trying to bite my tongue. I had a problem with speaking my mind. "Confidence is key." My mom always told me. Well, I think her words of wisdom went to my head. As I grew up, as I lived by her words, I learned to speak my mind. When it started getting me in trouble, I also had to learn how to hold my tongue. Of course, sometimes, it didn't work so well. I wanted to say a decent sleep, considering school woke you up at the ass crack of dawn, but of course, I didn't.

"No Ms. Vincent, just a delay this morning." She didn't look like she believed me. "The toaster caught on fire." There it was, the small crack of a smile. Though it seemed a little ridiculous, the whole class busted up laughing. A toaster catching on fire was our own little joke, the only thing that made us all like each other for just a few minutes.

When we had all first came into Ms. Vincent's room, first day of school, she had told us a story. One time, when she had been making breakfast, some toast for her kid. She had left the bread alone for two minutes while she checked her emails upstairs. Only when she heard her son screaming to get some water did she come downstairs to find that the toast in the the toaster had caught on fire. Her kid, who was half naked and screaming his head off, had tried to use a red solo cup filled with water to put it out. Of course though, it wasn't enough.

The story itself hadn't been the best, and truthfully, I wouldn't vote Ms. Vincent as the next comedian of the century, but it had been a positive difference in the day. While other teachers had handed out syllabuses and showed the class timeline, she simply told us about her life. She was a single mother in her early thirties. Her entire life she had been good a math, and, she absolutely hated cats. Something strange because, when I first walked into her room, I had her instantly pegged as a crazy cat lady. Walking towards my seat, I let my thoughts on Ms. Vincent and her dislike of cats trail away, leaving me to focus on a smiling Ebony who, was chuckling to herself.

Taking my seat, I turned to Ebony, slapping her playfully on the arm and getting her to shut up. She was always laughing at me when I was late, mostly because she knew exactly why. Down the street from school, on the corner of 33rd and Elm, was a small coffee shop called Love In Bunches. It served as a part bakery, part coffee shop. It was my absolute favorite place to go in the mornings. Every morning.

"How was Pete? He have your usual ready on time?" I smiled, nodding my head. Pete was the current owner of the shop, him and his daughter Evelyn who couldn't care less about the place. Everyday, he had my coffee hot and ready to go, along with a chocolate chip muffin for the road.

"Of course, Pete never fails to deliver." Ebony and I loved Pete, he was practically family as far as I was concerned. Two years ago, start of my Freshman year, Pete's wife had passed away from breast cancer, taking whatever relationship between Pete, and his daughter, with her. Each summer since, I've worked free of charge at the coffee shop, running the bakery and sometimes, running both. That fed into my obsession with the place. Pete knew as well, though, I think he was reluctant. My dream was to own the place.

His wife had built the small coffee shop, from ground up it became her baby. She had only been 16. Pete, who had been a freshman in college at the time, had passed by the place on many occasions, never really stopping in. He told me that he had avoided the place because he thought it sounded childish. Of course though, fate have it, one day, he went in. His mother had placed an order for two dozen french vanilla cupcakes for a party she was supposed to attend that night. By then, Emily, Pete's wife, was 18 and Pete, was almost done with school.

As a courtesy since he was home from college for break, he went to pick them up. Pete, being the romantic he is, said it was like love at first sight. Emily had been working late that night, staying to clean tables and pick up after the shifts. A few people still littered the tables, finishing their coffee or baked good before inevitably going home. Pete forgot entirely about his deadline.

He had stayed until she was ready to leave, helping her clean up the place, stack chairs, wipe down the walls. Afterwards, he gave her a ride home. Emily always walked to wherever she needed to go, not wasting money she could use for college on a car.

Push came to shove and Pete got a job there during breaks and the summer and, when he finished college, he went to work there full time. The rest, was easy. They married in 1982 when Pete was 23 and Emily was 20. Their love for each other, the story behind how they fell in love, is what made me fall even harder in love with the shop. Ever since then, I've wanted to own it, to let Emily's hard work live on.

When I had gone in with Emily to tell him how much I really wanted the place, he had been kind enough to let me down easy. He wanted his daughter to inherit the place, though, his voice was strained when he had mentioned it. He wanted the family legacy to live on.

"Only failed to deliver on your dreams. What's he think his daughter's going to do? She's 26, still lives with her dad and is a complete alcoholic. I mean, have you ever smelled her?" Ebony whispered to me as Ms. Vincent began the lesson.

"He believes in her, that's not bad. If I had a daughter, no matter what, I would believe in her." Ebony groaned, her hands balling into fists on top of the table.

"I would too. But, there are limits. She's not fit to run anything. You are though! That place is your dream!" Waving my hand, I kept my eyes on the front, hoping that we wouldn't draw to much attention to ourselves. I didn't need Ms. Vincent giving me a detention today. After school, I was supposed to do tutoring and I couldn't bail again.

"It was Pete's dream first. Remember? I only picked up the job for a little extra money to help out my mom. Pete has been working this place since he was 21. We have no right to decide who's better for the job." Loosening her fists, Ebony breathed out a sigh. Then, to my surprise, she chuckled to herself.

"How can you be so calm about this? I mean, we both know you really want that place and, that you would rather die than see her take it over, only to sell it to the highest bidder." Rolling my eyes, I looked over to Ebony.

"She won't. Even if she is a alcoholic, she wouldn't do that to her dad, I mean-" Holding up her finger, Ebony hushed me.

"Dani, I heard her talk about how if she does get it, she's either going to sell the place, or renovate it into the towns new sports bar. She will destroy the place." Closing my eyes, I sighed, nodding my head.

"I know she will. Trust me Ebony, I know. But, Pete won't give it to me, so, I can't do anything about it. Besides, my mom is pushing me into being a teacher like her." It was the sad truth of our family. Whatever one person did, the next generation followed. My mom, who had been pushed into teaching by her mom, was now wanting me to go into teaching. She didn't care about the subject, ironically enough, she said that was my own free will. Dad, who has been stationed overseas for the past year, agreed with her, saying that teaching was a good profession. Of course, I wasn't as on board as them. I'll admit, when I was a kid, I had wanted so badly to be a teacher, to be the one in charge. Then, I grew up and learned that school was hell, only getting worse with each grade. Did I really want to deal with the stress of school for the rest of my life? Hell no. Instead of flat out saying I wasn't going to be a teacher, I had simply nodded through her lectures on the proper teaching of K-12, letting her babble on until she was in her own little world, and I was in mine.

"Tell her already then, your mom will understand." I shook my head, looking back to the front of the room. I don't think my mom would understand. Though she loves me to death, her one flaw is pushing things onto others. If I told her I didn't want to be a teacher, it would break her heart. Honestly, I couldn't stand to do that, I love her to much for that.

"Look, I'll wait until my dad comes home, than I'll tell her. He'll understand a little better and, hopefully be on my side about it." Of course though, we never knew when that would be. It had been a year. He still wrote to us of course, but he never told us when he was coming home. Now that it was March, only three months before I'm a Senior and only have one year left at this place, I was hoping he would be here. He had left just around this time, since then, it was a complete mystery as to when he'd be back, he was always very vague.

"You can't wait forever Dani, you're going to have to tell her someday." Shaking my head, I focused more on the lesson, deciding that I needed some time to think about what Ebony had said. She was right of course, I couldn't wait forever. Though, I was going to anyway.

******

After school, both Ebony and I walked to the cafe on 33rd and Elm. I was hoping to talk to Pete about taking up shifts after school in hopes of showing him my determination for the success of the business. During other classes, Ebony had talked me into it, telling me that she had noticed Pete's lack of staff members. Now, standing in line just behind a woman in what seemed to be her late 30's, waiting for her Mocha Latte, I looked aimlessly around the place. It had homey brown walls and dark wooden floors. There was a lovely fireplace over in the seating area where you could sit and work for hours while the cafe was on the opposite side of the spacious cafe. During the winter as well as finals, Pete would handout free hot chocolate to students who came to study, as well as the occasional leftover cookies.

With a laugh, Pete came running up to the counter, holding the Mocha in his hand before handing it to the poor lady. She had been waiting here since we arrived, which means that either Evangeline was here and doing nothing to help out Pete, or Pete was completely alone. My confidence rose quickly as I realized what that meant. I was a shoe in for the full, part time job. No more just working summers, I would have this job during school now too.

"I'm so sorry for the wait." Pete apologized. The woman must have realized just how flustered he was for she shrugged, lifting a five dollar bill from her handbag and placing it in the tip jar.

"It's no problem Pete, I noticed how it's just you here today." Pete shook his head, running his hand over his balding head.

"Actually, my daughter Evangeline is in the back, but I think she's a little...uh, busy. She's been on the phone with that boyfriend of hers for the last hour." The lady smiled kindly at Pete before turning to leave.

"Good luck Pete!" Then, there was the familiar jingle of the bell and she was gone, leaving us face to face with Pete who, even though he was completely on his own and beyond flustered, greeted us with a kind and warm smile.

"Well hi girls, what brings you here?" Ebony pushed me forward a little, edging to the side so as to draw attention away from herself. Sighing, I met Pete's eye with a smile.

"I would like to apply for a job here. I was kind of hoping that you would let me work here after school instead of just summer." I watched as he looked down under the counter, reaching for something. My nerves spiked and I felt my heart skip a beat. Had he maybe not heard me and was grabbing something? Or, maybe he was reaching for a sheet of paper that said "No" people do that kind of thing, right? I let out a breath as I saw him pull up an apron from behind it.

"Would you mind starting now? I could use a lot of help." I hadn't realized I had been holding my breath until it came out as I gave him a breathless "Yes" taking the apron from him.

"Yeah!" Squealed Ebony. "Now, get behind there. I want to be your first official customer of your new after school job." Chuckling to himself, Pete moved out of the way, allowing me to come man the cash register. He knew this was my absolute favorite spot because I loved interacting with the customers. During the summer, I had only moved spots when I absolutely had to, which was usually just when large crowds came in because they sometimes got a little angry at the wait.

"Well, I'll take a-" I stopped her before she continued, rolling my eyes.

"Pete, can I get a White Mocha with lots of whipped cream on top and a chocolate chip muffin to go?" Pete gave me a mock salute before getting to work, looking a lot more at ease now that he had someone to help him out.

"How do you always know these things?" Ebony asked, a smile playing at her lips. Rolling my eyes, I punched her from across the counter. We had only been best friends since first grade. Now though, I couldn't have been anymore grateful to her. I had gotten the job I wanted because she had pushed me to get it. With it, I now felt a hundred times better. Pete came around, giving me the brown paper sack with the muffin in it as well as the White Mocha with whipped cream.

"Order up." I said. Ebony smiled.