Life, Love & A Little Coffee

Chapter Three- Awkward Conversations

"What was your car doing in town so late?" her best and pretty much only friend Britt asked, causing Ada to jump and almost hit her head on her open locker.

"Wouldn't start last night," she lied. "My dad had to jump it this morning."

Britt shrugged, running her fingers through her groomed chestnut hair. "You're not going to ask me why I was in town so late?"

Although they'd been best friends for almost their entire lives, they weren't as close as they used to be. There was one time when they told each other everything, but those times seemed to have passed for them and Ada didn't feel comfortable telling her the truth.

Britt would have a hard time keeping something like this to herself, and Ada didn't want him to get in any trouble. She also would have made it seem like there were ulterior motives. Probably of the sexual variety.

It was no secret that Ada had a soft spot for Tom Bennet and he with her. It had been that way since her freshman year. They just clicked. Britt would have little difficulty turning the situation around into something it wasn't.

She hadn't planned on it, but faked interest to steer the attention away from her and her car being out at all hours. "What were you doing in town so late, Britt?" she asked in a higher-pitched tone.

"I finally got into PJ's. I knew the bartender couldn't resist me for long, whatever his name is. He wouldn't let me drink, but I think if I agreed to go out on a date with him..."

"Yeah, because going out on dates with strangers for booze sounds brilliant."

Britt sighed. "Debbie Downer."

Hardly an insult compared to other things she'd been called. "Carrie Common Sense," she quipped, pointing her finger at herself before she slammed her locker shut.

Britt ignored her and went back to her perky, annoying self. "So, guess what I heard."

The possibilities were endless. Britt knew just about everything worth knowing in this town and this school. She was the go-to girl for the latest info and gossip, which would have given her the upper hand at the newspaper if she wasn't so damn lazy about her writing.

"That they're remodeling the old movie theater instead of tearing it down?"

"What? No. Serious, they're remodeling? That's so cool. I love that place."

Ada kept walking to their class with Mr. Bennet with Britt hot on her trail.

"I heard someone likes you."

"Hey, Mr. B!" Ada greeted in a failed attempt to tune Britt out.

He opened the door for them, looking far more awake than she felt. He looked just like the teacher he'd always been, in wrinkle free dark jeans and a collared white button up with the sleeves folded up. But there was something different.

He smiled. "Good morning, Ada. You look nice."

Ada looked down and noticed that to others she would seem dressed up. She woke up late and wore a dress because putting together an outfit would have taken too much of her time. Still, she had to concede that the grass green dress was pretty on her. Her mom made her purchase it last summer from the store under Mr. B's apartment because it matched her eyes.

"Thank you." It took a few moments of staring before she recognized what the difference in him was. And it wasn't just that his hair was tidier than it had been. "You shaved!"

Tom rubbed at his face, his smile turning more shy. "I did. I started noticing some grays."

Ada gave him an amused grin, and Britt walked between them into the classroom. "Gray hair is nothing to be ashamed of, you know. And in your advanced age-"