Falling For Mr. Sundae | ✔

02. Sweet Treat

Sprinklez was empty as always. It used to be the only place to get ice cream in town until a new ice cream place opened up in the mall. With lower prices and a bigger staff--which meant less wait time--everyone chose that place over this one.

That's why we hung out here. We were usually the only ones here. Tim even jokes about us keeping him in business, though, I'm starting to think it's not much of a joke anymore.

The bell above the door jingled for a second time as the door shut behind me. Brittney was the first person to acknowledge me. Her lips spread into a grin as she swatted her curly bangs out of her eyes.

"El, baby. You're here," she cooed. Her sleepy brown eyes gave away her current state of mind. From the amount of ice cream on the table I assumed all of them but Adam were high as kites.

I slid into to the neon blue booth next to Adam who was too busy with his phone to notice me. Funny how he could be so attached to that thing yet still not reply to my texts. Kells picked up on that too, shooting me a look. I ignored her, just like I have since graduation.

She thought going into college with baggage--aka my boyfriend--would only hold me back. Kells has always been a girl that refused to be tied down, so I wasn't exactly jumping to take relationship advice from her.

Still, I've had this knot in my stomach since senior prom when it came to Adam. We just seemed...off. Even though he was right next to me I felt like he was on a whole other planet. I just chalked it up to the stress of his job and the few Summer classes he had to take in order to make up credits and get his high school diploma.

"Sorry," I muttered, glancing over at the guy behind the counter who was wiping down his area.

He seemed way too happy to be performing such a mundane task, or maybe he was required to smile for his entire shift? I wouldn't be able to do it. I didn't have the patience.

The hideous neon orange polo clashed with his brown skin. Tie that together with the blue apron and white paper hat--all dawning the Sprinklez logo of a vanilla ice cream come with a face an mustache--and you get the ugliest work uniform in existence. The fact that my parents wanted me to wear something like that was cruel.

"They want me to get a job," I groaned, pulling my eyes away from the guy.

"What for?" Xavier questioned. "Shit, if my dad had money like yours I wouldn't even think about no job."

He and I shared this point of view. Unfortunately, my parents didn't.

"That's why they want me to get a job," I told them. "So I don't end up spoiled or whatever."

Adam snorted, finally setting his phone down and taking an interest in me. "It's too late for that."

The other three laughed along with him. Maybe I would've found it funny too if I didn't have to break the news to Kells that they weren't paying for my trip to Jamaica.

"No." Was her response to the news. "That's bull--" She stopped herself and sucked in a deep breath to calm herself. "It's fine. I can pay your half. I still got a bunch of birthday money saved up."

"Can't do that," I said solemnly. "I have to earn the money myself."

"They can't tell me what to do with my money."

"No, but they can hold my passport hostage." Which they were.

"You're eighteen," Brittney pointed out. "An adult. They can't do that. Call the police on them." She slammed her hand on the table, immediately regretting it as she winced in pain.

"Eat your ice cream, Brittney." She took Kells' orders, gleefully scooping chocolate ice cream into her mouth.

"My dad wants me to get a job here," I said, motioning to the ice cream parlor.