Standing for Weirdo

Chapter 19

“Hey! Do you want cinnamon rolls with the mocha? It’s on me!” Stella called from the counter when we entered the coffee shop, right behind her.

“You bet!” Trevor said with a half grin. One side of his face was starting to swell.

The coffee and the sweets did wonders to calm us. By the time I finished my drink, I was much more comfortable in my skin and Stella looked like she might be digesting the situation. It was difficult to tell with Trevor, because he seemed to take everything in stride. In spite of the bruises, he kept his tone light and the conversation interesting. Talking about movies and gossiping about school professors went a long way toward normalcy.

When we were done and the sun started to fall, it occurred to us that we were stranded.

Walking home was an option, of course, but it was a long walk so I didn’t feel too keen on the idea. Stella refused outright, and after a moment’s thought, she whipped out her cell to call for backup.

“Hey,” she said, her voice chipper as if nothing had happened. “I have a situation.”

A male voice rose on the other end, unintelligible, and she hurried to add, “No, no, I’m fine. Actually, we’re fine. I’m hanging out at our favorite cafe with Alice and Trevor, and I’ve just realized that I have no way to return home. That’s the problem.” A pause. “No, Josh's not around. That’s why I thought perhaps you could come and lend us a hand? Or a car, as it is.” Silence. Stella biting her lip. Then, a huge grin. “Thanks, Alex. You rock.”

“There,” she said, pocketing the cell. “He’s coming to pick us up.”

I burned with curiosity. The need to know what he’d said about Trevor being with us gnawed at my stomach almost like a physical pain, but I held back. The poor guy must feel enough of an object as it was, so we went back to talking about menial things—the sports season, how our school was doing in the local league, that sort of thing.

The door to the cafe opened not fifteen minutes later to a flushed Alex that rushed over to our table as soon as his eyes found us.

“Holy hell!” he stopped dead upon seeing Trevor's face and stared at him. “What’s happened here? Stella, I thought you said everything was okay?”

“It is.” Stella shrugged in a calculated show of innocence.

Alex ignored her and kept his eyes steady on Trevor. “So, how did you get that?”

Trevor held his gaze, but replied with a shrug. Protecting Josh? He’d not be so stupid! Stella's sensibilities, then?

“My fault, Alex,” she said after an uncomfortable moment of silence.

“You smacked him around?” He snorted, more amused than outraged.

“No. Josh got a bit more possessive than usual, and Trevor stepped in. Josh flew off his hinges.”

“Josh's a linebacker! Did you want to get killed?” Alex turned to Trevor with a new look in his eyes—surprise and perhaps a little bit of respect.

“To tell you the truth, I was hoping someone from the mall would break the fight before it got to that point,” he replied with a shrug.