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ten • java

☂ ten: java

I tapped my pencil against the desk anxiously. Stupid calculus homework. I had absolutely no will to complete my work and found myself quickly spacing out, thinking about all that had happened recently.

My new job at The Brew was working out nicely. It paid fairly well for a part time job and it felt nice to be making money on my own. I got to spend more time with Todd, which was fantastic. He showed me the ropes as he trained me from a busgirl to a barista myself. We talked during the dead periods of our shifts and I learned a lot about him. He told me about college life and his dreams for the future, while I told him about the things going on in high school. And the best part of it all, I got to make my own drink.

And then there was Nate. We had grown closer after reconciling outside of The Brew that one day. Things were still slightly awkward between us, but it was nothing of concern. Nate was a great listener, which was useful whenever I needed to rant and Emily and Cameron were busy. Not only was he a good listener, but he also gave fantastic advice.

It's too bad, however, that no advice could seem to help the situation with Carter. I gave up on telling him about his father because he wouldn't even talk to me normally, let alone about something as personal as that. He was still hardly talking to me and I had given up on asking others for advice. It was time to take matters into my own hands.

I devised a plan to hopefully remind him of our friendship and how he shouldn't throw it away over whatever he's angry about. I looked down at my homework again and saw that my pencil had dragged a line across the paper as I was lost in thought. Homework would have to wait. I pulled out a clean sheet of paper and got writing.

The next morning, I woke up extremely early, so I could pull this off without running into Carter. After all, this was only the first step of many.

I quickly got dressed for the day and crept down the stairs and into the kitchen. I prepped the batter for fluffy pancakes, Carter's favorite. After making a huge stack of them, I placed the pancakes on a large plate. I topped them with whipped cream, put syrup in a container on the side, and left the can of whipped cream next to the plate.

I could hear Carter getting ready and had to hurry. Rushing up the stairs quietly, I grabbed the note from my room desk and ran back downstairs, propping it next to the plate. Hearing Carter's footsteps coming down the stairs, I hid in the adjacent room, peeking into the kitchen through a crack in the door. I could tell he was planning on making pancakes because when he saw the big stack of pancakes, he stopped abruptly.

He approached the stack slowly, as if he was afraid it was going to explode. He picked up the note that read:

"You like your pancakes fluffy, with syrup on the side so they don't get soggy. You claim to only like a dollop of whipped cream, but we both know that you always sneak the can out of the fridge to spray cream into your mouth."

I saw his eyes soften slightly, before hardening again. It wouldn't be easy, but the plan seemed to be working. And he didn't hesitate to finish the pancakes either.

When I got to school later, I didn't try to look for Carter like I usually did. I was going to play it cool and let my plan play out on its own. Instead, I went to my locker to quickly grab my books before heading off to AP Lit.

I slid into a seat next to Emily and behind Cam and cleared my throat. The two looked at me curiously as I gave them "the look". Understanding my eye language, they leaned in close so I could fill them in on my plan. After I informed them, however, the bell rang before they could say anything and class began.

Later at lunch, we all chatted about the plan.

"I think it's kind of over-the-top, but it'll work," Emily said.