"I was warned about your frequent failure to refill the tank!" she hollered. "Not only that, but you're so inflexible. And I don't mean disciplined. I mean literally inflexible. It takes way too long to get you into the car, and you don't help out in the least. I don't want to hear any complaints about how I smacked your elbow into the spare tire, OK, Flatty? Just deal with it."
Julie flew out of the station and raced to Celeste's school. She pulled into the pick-up lane, nearly empty now, and slammed on the brakes, causing the Volvo to squeal loudly. Celeste was nowhere to be seen. She could hear Matthew's voice echoing loudly in her head. She's rather regimented... You can't promise anything. Who knew what might happen because Julie was so late? She still hadn't identified what had upset Celeste the other night in Finn's room, but being this late and off-schedule would surely be a bigger deal.
Julie got out of the car and rushed to the sidewalk in front of the building. "Celeste?" she called. She ran her hands through her hair as she scanned a group of girls who sat on the lawn. God, she could feel her heart racing. How ridiculous that she was panicking about being a few minutes late to give someone a ride home. A few straggling students walked past her. "Celeste!" she said more loudly. "Hey!" She grabbed a boy with spiked hair and a ripped Nine Inch Nails shirt by the sleeve. "Have you seen Celeste Watkins?"
"The loser chick with blond hair who talks weird?"
Julie narrowed her eyes and squeezed his shirt in her hand. "I'll accept your insulting description only because I don't have time to argue with you. So, yes, spiky boy who likely has a behavioral problem and outrageously disappointed parents, that Celeste. Where is she?"
"Sitting up there." He nodded in the direction of the covered walkway that ran alongside the building. "But you could blow her off and hang out with us." His friends whooped with laughter and made idiotic catcalls.
"That sounds highly entertaining. Really. I'm attracted to you in the most powerful way, but the odds that I might twist your mouthy little head off with my hands is increasing by the minute. So I'm gonna pass." Julie released her grip on his shirt and turned away. Idiot.She held her hand up to her eyes to block the sun as she walked away in search of Celeste, eventually finding her sitting on one of the concrete benches. Her hands were in her lap and her head hung down. This was worse than Julie thought. If Celeste were having some kind of nutty meltdown, Julie would never forgive herself.
"Celeste!" Julie waved. "Celeste!" Oh, no. Celeste wouldn't even look at her. Julie kept walking closer. "I'm so sorry. Stupid Matt didn't put gas in the car, so that's why I'm late, and - "
Julie stopped, a proud smile slowly taking over her worried face. Celeste was not, in fact, collapsed in a depressive state; she was listening to Julie's iPod. And tapping her foot. Talk about worrying needlessly.
Eventually Celeste looked up. "Oh! I'm sorry, Julie!" she screamed. "I like this playlist that you created for me!"
Julie giggled and put a finger to her lips. "Shhhh," she said.
"Oh." Celeste removed the earphones. "I imagine that I was talking too loudly just now, wasn't I? I'm sorry. I had the volume at a very high level, and the world sort of disappeared." She paused, smiling. "It was rather nice."
"Don't worry about it. No one is around." Julie grabbed Celeste's bag. "Come on. There's a coffee shop I saw near your house that I want to check out. Big comfy chairs, weird art, mystical brews. It'll be cool."
Celeste stood up slowly and began to follow Julie to the car. "Perhaps you can take me home first and then visit this place yourself?"
"Nope." Julie kept walking. "The three of us are going in." She heard Celeste's footsteps quicken behind her. "Yes, the three of us. There's nothing to worry about. Move it, or you're paying for drinks."
"You have a very unusual approach, Julie." Celeste caught up to her. "But I am willing to play along."
Chapter 11
Matthew Watkins "All one word" should be spelled...Oh, never mind. This joke is stupid.
Finn is God Considering taking freelance job titling potential porn movies. Working on title involving "Oh, Susannah," and "Pie for Me." Thoughts?
Julie Seagle Attempting to perfect tricky Boston accent, but currently sound more like Robin Williams than Matt Damon. Dammit. Success is elusive.
Julie leaned against the counter and looked up at Java Genius' chalkboard menu. "I need a type of icy, frothy, coffee, chocolate concoction," she said leadingly.
The guy behind the counter crossed his arms. "Do you mean a Frappuccino?"
Julie clicked her tongue. "Close. A little less powerful. Something more like... I don't know...."
He sighed. "A Dunkin' Donuts Coolatta?"
"Bingo!"
The barista set his forearms on the counter and leaned in to Julie, smiling. "We have a Mocha Heatbuster that I think you'll like. Anything for your friend? Or friends?" The coffee guy pointed to the couch by the window, where Celeste sat upright on a couch, with Flat Finn standing next to her, facing the open room. At least nobody else was here for now, and Flat Finn could easily pass as some sort of garish advertisement for vitamin water should other people show up.
"Yes, two smoothies. A mango yogurt for him and a chocolate banana for her," Julie said straight-faced.
He looked into Julie's eyes, his own glistening as he tried not to smile. "Will that be it?"
"For now. One of us may need another drink in a bit. In fact, one of us may really need a drink in a bit. Those two are a lot to handle, but we'll try to keep it down."