Catch my stare, little smile

Tell me that you're ready

and you're feeling the vibe

♡ ────── ♡ ────── ♡

I walk into Cooper's Cafe and prepare for my shift. While putting on my pink apron, I hear someone walk through the door and turn around.

"Good morning!" I say while I finish tying my apron.

"I'll have a cappuccino and a blueberry muffin." The customer says without looking up from her phone.

I internally roll my eyes at the customer and prepare the order. Once I'm done, I ring up the purchases, and she swipes her card on the machine.

I hand the customer her order and say, "Have a good day." She grabs her order and walks out of the cafe.

After I served a few more customers, Mrs. Cooper came out of her office and said, "Morning, Scarlett!"

"Good morning Mrs. Cooper," I say, smiling.

"Are you excited to start school on Monday?" She asks.

I groan and say, "No... This summer went by way too fast! But I'm ready for high school to be over."

She laughs and says, "I've hired a new worker to work with you starting Monday..."

"Oh, cool! Who is it?" I ask curiously.

"My grandson moved here a few days ago, and he was looking for a job. So his awesome grandma, aka me, hired him!" She says.

I laugh and say, "How old is he?"

"I think he's the same age as you... He's also going to Central High School." She says.

"Well, I look forward to working with him next week," I say.

She smiles and says, "I'm gonna head to the kitchen to start baking the desserts for the afternoon rush."

"Okay!" I say. When Mrs. Cooper leaves, I decide to pull out my AirPods and listen to some music since there's no one to serve.

I look at the clock, and it shows it's 12:48.

"Hi, what can I get you?" I ask politely.

"Ummm..." The customer says, looking at our menu. Damn, calm down.

"I'll have a plain bagel and a bottle of water."

I grab a pair of tongs, grab a bagel, and put it in the paper bag. I hand her the bag and a bottle of water after she pays.

"Thanks." She says, walking to a booth.

An hour later, the rush started to slow down, so I decided to take my break. I pick a blueberry scone and make some hot chocolate for lunch. I head to the break room to eat in peace.

I won't be able to finish whatever I start until I get home, though. The Office gives me life!

30 minutes later, I hear Mrs. Cooper shout, "Scarlett, your break is over. Now get your butt back out here!"

"Coming!" I say, pausing the episode.

"Oh, can you get those boxes in the corner of the room and throw them out? Everything in those boxes is trash." She says.

"Ya!" I say, walking towards the boxes.

"Cool." She says, leaving the doorway.

I play a random song on my playlist and then carry the boxes. We could take one box at a time. I'm blaming you if I trip and die.

I walk through the door holding the boxes, and make it to the front. I start to move forward but bump the boxes into something, causing all of the boxes to drop.

I feel myself sigh and start to gather the things that fell out of the boxes.

I look up and gasp when I realize there's a guy in front of me. I quickly take out my AirPod and ask, "How long were you there?"

The guy looks at me sheepishly and says, "Um... I just walked through the door and bumped into you." Stop.

"Oh," I say while he helps me shove everything into the box.

Once we get everything back into the box, I put it aside and go to the register. "What would you like?" I ask.

"I'm here to see Lina Cooper..." He says.

I nod and walk to Mrs. Cooper's office. "Someone's here to see you," I say.

"Tell them I'll be out in a minute." She says.

I return and say, "She'll be out soon."

"What's it like working here? Is it easy? I have to start working here on Monday." He says casually.

"Oh, cool," I say, not paying attention. My eyes widen when I realize something. "Are you her grandson?"

"Ya, why?" He asks.

"We'll be co-workers next week," I say. I have to work with a klutz. Well, I wouldn't have crashed into a person carrying boxes.

He frowns and says, "Great..."

I glare at him and say, "This sucks for me more than you."

"Hey, you should be happy you're getting an extra pair of hands." He says, crossing his arms.

I roll my eyes and say, "I don't need yours. You'll just break everything! I mean, how did you not see me carrying those boxes?"

"My back was facing you so I could shield myself from your ugliness." He says, scrunching his nose.

"Well, if you think I'm ugly, why don't you work elsewhere?" I ask, smirking.

When I finished my sentence, he looked like someone told him a puppy died and said, "Wait, no, I want to work with-"

"Ethan!" Mrs. Cooper says, coming out of her office.

"Hey, Grandma..." Ethan says, still looking at me.

Thankfully a customer comes in, so I serve him while Ethan and Mrs. Cooper talk. After I finish his order, Ethan starts to walk in my direction.

"Yes?" I say politely.

"Um, I just wanted to say I don't actually think you're ugly." He says, looking down.

"Thanks?" I say, trying hard not to blush.

Ethan starts to walk out of the cafe, and I say, "See you on Monday."

He turns around and smiles. "See you on Monday, Red."

I hear my alarm go off and grab my phone to turn it off. I slowly get out of bed and start to get ready.

I trudge down the stairs and make myself some cereal. Then I go back up the stairs and get ready for the day. I brush my teeth and quickly change.

I grab my backpack and walk to the garage. Once I'm in my black SUV, I start my playlist. I get to school, park in my parking spot, and put my pass on the dashboard. Go me.

I walk through the entrance and head to my locker. Now my combination is 25-5-15. I try the combination, and it doesn't unlock. Well fuck, I'm going to be late.

"Ugh!" I say out loud. Someone taps me on the shoulder, and I turn around.

"Hey, Red!" Ethan says, smiling shyly at me.

"You need something?" I ask.

"I don't know where any of my classes are..." He says, scratching his neck.

"Give me your schedule," I say. He hands me the paper, and I compare our classes.

"You are in almost all my classes..." I say, looking at him suspiciously.

"Well, I am pretty smart." He says, shrugging.

I raise my eyebrow and then say, "You can follow me if you want. But since you're pretty smart, I think you'll manage without me." I turn and start walking away.

"Wait!" Ethan says, grabbing my wrist and twirling me around. When I twist around, I crash into his chest, and he wraps his arms around me. I think he was saving me from face-planting the floor.

He lets go of me and says, "Sorry. You were about to fall, so I tried..."

I laugh and say, "It's okay. Thanks for saving me from face-planting."

He smiles and says, "Well, since I saved you, I think you owe me a favor... Like walking with me to class?" I know. I mean, shut up!

"Hmm..." I say, pretending to think about it. "I guess..." I say.

"Yes!" He says, looking like he scored a goal.

I laugh and say, "Can you unlock my locker?"

He tilts his head and says, "You don't know how to use a lock?"

I tilt my head to copy him and sheepishly say, "I forgot... I haven't used a lock since May." I tell him my combination, and he unlocks my locker effortlessly. "Show me your ways, master," I say, bowing.

He laughs and grabs my hand. He locks it again, places my hand on top of the lock, and then places his on mine. "You twist it clockwise for 25, then twist it counterclockwise twice for 5. Finally, twist clockwise for 15."

When he finishes controlling my hand, I pull the lock, and it's open. "Yay! Thank you!" I say, putting my lunch in my locker.

The first bell rings, and I frown.

"Okay, let's go," I said, slamming my locker shut.

We push through the crowds of people in the hallway and head toward our first class. I look around and see people standing in the middle of the hallway.

I turn around to make sure he is still behind me and continue to look for Room 218. "Is that it?" He asks, pointing to the end of the hallway. I squint and see the number 218.

"Yep! Congrats on finding your first class!" I say, holding up my hand for a high five.

He high-fives my hand and says, "I wouldn't have found it without you, Red."

"Why do you keep calling me Red?" I ask.

"My grandma told me your name is Scarlett, but Red fits you way better. And your hair is red..." He says, shrugging.

"Hmmm... I'll allow it," I say with a playful glare.

We walked into the classroom and said hi to the teacher. Since we have no assigned seats, I sit near the window, and he sits at the desk beside me.

The bell rings, and I bolt out of the classroom without Ethan. He knows where the cafeteria is. It's huge. Really hard to miss.

I run to my locker and grab my lunch. I spot my group of friends and sit down with them.

"Hey," I say, smiling at them.

"What do you have today?" Harper asks.

"Nothing. I didn't bring anything from the cafe." I say, rolling my eyes

Harper pouts and glares at me. "Well, I was going to bring you one tomorrow, but with your attitude, I guess not..." I say.

Harper pretends to cry, and I laugh.

Her boyfriend, Hunter, tries to console her, and I say, "Awww, I'm sure your boyfriend will buy you some from the cafe."

Harper smiles at Hunter and pecks his lips. "Thank you!"

Layla turns to me and says, "Have you seen the new students? Some of them are hot."

I give her a weird look and say, "I doubt it..." No.

Ethan walks into the cafeteria, and I nudge Layla. I point to him and ask, "You see that guy over there?"

"Ya, he's one of the hot new guys! Some girls were talking about him. I'm not straight, but I can appreciate an attractive guy." She says, laughing.

"He's the guy I have to work with at the cafe," I say.

"Co-workers to lovers story?" She teases with a laugh.

"Shut up," I say, getting up from my seat.

I walk towards Ethan and ask, "Do you want to sit with my friends?"

Someone shoves me aside, and I see Clarissa. Clarissa has dated almost all the "hot" and "popular" guys in school. She has a new boyfriend every month.

"Hey there..." Clarissa says, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Do you want to sit with us?" She asks, pointing at a table full of popular people.

"I don't-" Ethan starts to say but gets cut off.

"If I were you, I wouldn't hang out with her... You wouldn't want to enter loser-ville." She says, looking at me.

I roll my eyes and say, "I was going to give you a nasty look, but I see you've already got one."

Ethan gives me a small smile and says to Clarissa, "I'm gonna sit with Red. Wouldn't want to get mixed up with someone from stupid-ville."

Clarissa scoffs and says, "You just lost your chance at becoming popular."

"That's okay. I'm not missing out on anything." Ethan says, walking away with me behind him.

"Are you sure about that decision? If you give it a couple weeks, I bet you'd be the it couple for the month." I say with a grin.

"I'm not interested. I'd rather hang out with you." He says, shrugging.

I proudly smile and say, "I'll introduce you."

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