Page 27 of Angel of Water & Shadow

His laugh was one that crinkled his eyes and his nose, so infectious I couldn’t stop myself from smiling, too. “I’m not here as an asshole customer—you’ve got enough of those.” Plopping a clear plastic bag on the counter filled with pink-and-green sugary snacks, he added, “I’ve come bearing gifts.”

Watermelon candy. I salivated instantly. “What is this for?”

“A little something to sweeten your first day of summer school.” He shrugged, like it was no big deal he was constantly going out of his way to be a decent human, when the world clearly didn’t have enough of those.

“Thank you.” I examined the goods and reached in, offering one to him. “Mmm…Take one now, because I’m definitely going to devour this entire bag tonight.”

The slight dimple on his chin deepened the wider he grinned. “That’s the spirit.”

I felt another gaze on me, outside of Javi’s, as I took down a second handful. “Oh!” I spun towards my coworker, whose cheeks were tight as if she’d eaten something sweet or sour. “Javi, this is Shanley.”

“Hey,” she chirped, lips falling into a smile way too easily.

“Hey,” he repeated, dragging his fingers through the waves of his hair to get the strands out of his eyes. “I know you guys are closing. Just came to drop that off.”

Shanley waved a hand. “No worries, man. Stay as long as you want.”

“Ah, I got to get going anyways.” Before he reached the door, he turned on the heels of his black high tops, the same ones I wore, to pause and raise a brow at me. “See you tomorrow?”

“Yep.” The word came out muffled as I covered my mouth and chewed what remained of my gummy.

He slipped out the way he came with a flash of teeth in acknowledgment, the wheels of his skateboard rumbling against the pavement like distant thunder in the night. Picking at the last pieces of candy, I let myself slouch against the counter and cross my arms. A yawn slipped past my lips.

“Tired?” Shanley jumped down from her perch and fired up the espresso machine. “You know, we do work at a coffee shop.”

“Yeah, thanks.” A bigger yawn this time.

“That your boyfriend?”

I almost choked on a mini watermelon. “No,” I spat between coughs, “No. Definitely not. Javi’s my friend. My best friend.”

“Your best friend went out of his way to come to your work and bring you your favorite candy?” The frother dampened her voice, but the insinuation was louder than the whistle of the steam.

I threw up my arms. “He was probably in the neighborhood!”

“Okay.” I caught a stilted laugh as she blew out the word and passed me a fresh almond milk latte. “So, what classes are you taking at CC?”

With everything that had happened since I’d started my shift, I completely forgot we’d crossed paths earlier. Well, more like I crossed her path when I ate it in front of her and all of her friends.

“Econ 101.” I blew on the piping hot liquid and took a tentative sip, ready to move on from the topic of me and Javi. I knew what we were, and maybe it was complicated, but I didn’t need anyone else telling me so. “Good milk-to-espresso ratio. Frothy. Not bad, Shanley.” I raised my drink in cheers.

She grabbed an empty cup, clinking it against mine. Then her brows drew together. “Wait, you’re taking economics on purpose!?”

My cheeks burned. “I have to. In order to graduate. High school,” I added.

“Hey.” She shrugged. “You’re way smarter than me. I don’t think I ever got as high as geometry. Well, I definitely got high, but not in class.”

My forced laugh could’ve cut glass. “Spare me the sympathy jokes.”

I knew what I was. Diploma-less. A sham. Pathetic.

Maybe it was the openness of Shanley’s stance or the nonthreatening crook of her smile. I knew that she saw right past my bark but took the hint.

Shanley sidestepped the subject, and me, as she crossed the floor, took the checklist off its hook, and twirled it around her finger. “Alright, which one of us is cleaning the bathroom?”

“I will.” A moment of solitude, even amongst dirty toilets, didn’t sound so bad.

“No, I’m kidding. I’ll do it.” Then in a stage whisper, she added, “There’s poop in there.”

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