Pizza Girl

It's not that I don't like working at the restaurant. I swear I freakin' love the pizza and the place and the people to itty-bitty pieces. Hey, I grew up in there. My dad and grandpa built that place. And pizza is the best food in the world - hands down.

It's just that - and you'll agree with me on this I shit you not you would - when you've just finished your boring classes and you have more work to do in a pretty packed restaurant (not counting some homework that you might have to do after the shift) you'd really dig it if there was some sorta inspiration to go by, right?

Luckily, I have that.

So these days I go home with a nice (or scary - according to Basty, but he can be a grade A scumbag) smile on my face. When I get to the restaurant I greet Paloma and Raf with love and peace and harmony forever and ever because here's to another day (or more like, another shift) hoping for a call from one special lady.

This one particular day, I went straight to the restaurant (because I am late for my shift; thanks a lot boring history of music teacher for not letting us go until we have memorized all of Mozart's symphonies) and burst in through the back door. The staff room was empty. I checked the shift schedule. Delivery duty. Excellent. If there were no delivery calls then nobody would have noticed that I was an hour late.

I quickly grabbed my uniform and changed into it as fast as I could.

When I got back to the staff room, I was still struggling to tie my hair up in a neat (or as neat as it gets) ponytail. Basty and Errol were slacking off in the room. Basty was holding my acoustic guitar (the one I left on the table before I hurried to change) and playing some random chord combinations with his feet propped up on the table. Errol, Basty's classmate-slash-best-friend-slash-blue-ranger-to-his-red-ranger and our loyal part-timer and unofficial fourth sibling, was sitting across him and reading a book. He was the opposite of my brother, really - Basty had uncontrollable red hair like mine, whereas Errol's blonde hair fell straight just below his ears; Basty had green eyes and Errol had bright brown eyes. Basty's freckled skin vs. Errol's clear complexion. Basty was all jokes and lame but adorable moves while Errol was the cool silent deadpan snarker.

Long story short: they're cute and how the hell they became best friends I will never know.

"Hey waiters, why are you slacking off?" I said. I might've squinted at them.

"We're on break." Basty answered haughtily, playing a G chord just to give himself some punchline music.

I rolled my eyes and left the boys alone to check up on Paloma or Raf. My big sister was standing by the counter, humming while doing some paperwork or whatever. Guessing from the lack of shuffling sounds from the stock room, Raf must be in his office. There were only a few customers around and most of them were eating already. I can see one or two waiters on standby already. No wonder Basty and Errol took a break. It was a boring day.

"Palomaaaaa~" I chimed, peeking my head out from the staff room. She blinked and turned towards me. "Any jobs for me, dear big sister?"

"Patience. Do your homework or something." she said, shrugging, obviously busy in her work.

I snorted and went back to the staff room. It was a little room with several lockers lined up on the walls. On the center was a square table and some chairs, two of which were occupied by the boys. I sat on the table and grabbed my guitar from Basty.

"You can't play to save your life, man." I told my little brother.

"Thank you." Errol perked up.

Basty pouted. "What the fuck, I thought you loved me?"

"I love my eardrums more." came the reply.

See, I freakin' love Errol. He's like this smart baby brother that's not Basty.

I started plucking the string of my guitar and playing a random tune. "So what's up?"

"Bastian wouldn't do the required reading." - Errol, actual non-annoying little brother of my life. Also actual snitch.

Basty rolled his eyes. "It's boring!"

I leaned down to peek at the book that our blonde companion was reading. He lifted it slightly for me to get a better view. I looked at my brother again, this time in disappointment. "No shit, baby brother. Catcher is a good piece of literature. And we have a copy at home."

Basty crumbled his face and refused to look at me.

"...and he's got a crush on some college girl." - Errol, actual hero.

My brother's face screamed 'OH SNAP DUDE FRIENDSHIP OVER LIKE FOR SERIOUS NOW HOW COULD YOU'.

Errol's face screamed #cantstopwontstop and #lolnotregrettingthis.

"Ooooohhhh, really!" I sniggered, playing my guitar like how that blonde guy in Road to El Dorado played his banjo. "My baby brother falling for a mature woman!"

At that, they both looked at me with faces that screamed 'HAHA NO'.

I blinked. "...Haha, no?"

"She's... kinda..." Basty struggled. Like the Red Ranger that he is.

But Errol is more eloquent and articulate because he is the Blue Ranger. "...spunky. She's just in her first year, actually. She was kind of like our mentor last year, before she graduated."

"Glee club?" I asked. Basty played the drums for their school's glee club and Errol was one of the singers last time I checked.

"School paper, actually. Bastian and I were the Glee club contacts so we kinda worked a lot with her."

"Would you please stop calling me Bastian already." my brother asked - well, more like pointed out.

"'Basty' sounds too cute. You're not even my boyfriend."

Basty groaned. “I’m cute, though. So there’s that.”

"You got dumped." I said.

"It doesn't hurt." he spat back. "AND ERROL IS A STALKER!"

I laughed out loud.

"No, you're the one who kept gathering intel on her." Errol said, shrugging. "You even have her number."

"You got it first!"

"Well, that's because I don't forget my phone in my locker on a regular basis."

"It was one time!"

I had to correct him on that: "No shit, it happens like at least twice a week."

He grumbled. "I thought you both loved me."

"Aw, I do!" I cooed. "So what's her name?"

"Prince." they both replied.

I paused. "...Short for Princess?"

They replied at the same time again: "No. Just Prince."

"What kinda parents would name their daughter like that?"

"I think it's cute." Basty said, defending his precious dream girl. "It's really unique and stuff. And she's charming and nice and really cool and... yeah."

"What's she like?" - I turned to Errol for this.

He blinked up at me and scratched his head. "Uhhh... Blue eyes, black hair, apple cut - giant bow on her head, looks like a girly girl and talks like a sailor but has a Soprano 2 vocal range."

"...The hell, so a raven-haired tinkerbell?"

"Yeah. Kinda. Plus, really smart and witty."

"She's cute!" Basty insisted.

"We're not saying she isn't." I said. "Why does Basty like her?"

Errol thought about it first. "She's really... charismatic, y'see."

"Hmmm…"

"What about yours? I don't do deliveries so I haven't seen this special lady." Errol asked.

I felt comfortable answering him. Any other employee, I'll deny info, but this kid was practically family by now. Plus it's fun to talk to him while ignoring Basty completely. "Ahhh, it's so frustrating! She didn't call yesterday."

She didn't. I even gave her a lollipop last time, told her that it was from the restaurant because she was a patron. The smile on her face was breathtaking. And it's a fucking lollipop - ONE FUCKING LOLLIPOP. HOW CUTE DOES ONE GET.

"Maybe she was just busy. And she ordered pizza for three straight days, dude." Basty said, slumping on the table. "Pizza is awesome but you can't eat it everyday."

"What made you like her?" Errol asked me this time.

"Ugh, it's just... she looks so pretty. And kind. And her smile, man. She's so polite, too! She thanks me like five times just for bringing one pizza."

"Anyone could do that. Be pretty and nice, I mean."

I snorted, shrugging at him. "Oh suck it. It's just a crush. Y'know, the usual dose of inspiration to work."

That's it, really. A crush. I've seen my share of pretty girls with equally nice personalities. But this one - Emmeline, her orders say: Emmeline Garland, it's a really pretty name too; this one has such a nice smile. I don't know, but she looks so... warm. Maybe it's because of her bright hazel eyes matched with her blonde hair. Then she'd smile - and damn.

The first time I did a delivery for her, she caught me by surprise. Maybe it's because I usually get customers who ordered pizza and will open the door with a wasted expression, pay up and then slam the door to my face like 'OH THE PIZZA THANKS BYE'. If it's not that, then it's all giddy teenagers who all answer the door at the same time and just grab the pizza from me because 'HOLY SHIT GUYS THE PIZZA'S HERE TURN THE MUSIC UP!'. This Emmeline person, however, she answered the door and looked surprised at how I greeted her. Well I greeted her like my usual. Protocol is a nice smile and a happy voice because we want to let our customers know that they are ~loved~, as Papa would say. Then this lady - this blonde beauty that shocked me when she opened the door because 'WOW TODAY IS MY LUCKY DAY SHE'S SO PRETTY' - she smiled back.

But wait - there's more!

She seemed genuinely surprised that she was smiling back. It was a sight to behold. Like... like she was so glad to see me or something. Fuck it's weird. But it's so awesome. So there.

So whenever I get the chance I volunteer to bring the pizza to her. She just... makes me feel happier whenever she looks so glad to see me.

Ahhhh, it feels so good~

Errol smiled lopsidedly at me and went back to his book.

Then we heard someone shout, "We need a waiter on the floor!"

"I'm up." Basty said, quickly getting up.

As soon as he was out the room, I looked at Errol. I leaned against my guitar and said, "Hey, E."

He looked back at me.

"Basty is dense. He'll never know unless you practically shout it to the heavens."

He blinked. "...What?"

I rolled my eyes. "You should tell him how you feel."

He looked at me and I thought I really had him then. "Wha-...???"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "You know what I'm talking about. Right?"

"Dude." he finally managed to say. He put down his book. He looked like I just told him to eat a live octopus to save his life. "Dude. No."

"Oh c'mon, it's so obvious-"

"No shit. NO!" he insisted this time. "I mean, yeah I’m bi and Basty’s cute but… no."

Okay wait up. "...What?"

"What?"

"No. Wait, are you actually-… for my brother-?"

"No. What the fuck are you talking about?"

"I was just saying that you should tell Basty that you both like the same girl."

"Oh." he calmed down this time.

Haha oh my god I made him think that I thought he was in love with my brother THIS IS GOLD.

"That. Uh." he scratched his head this time. "Was it really obvious?"

I laughed. "You both have the same look on your faces. You should see it. It's pretty crazy."

"I won't tell him. I'll just let it pass." he said.

"And why?"

He chuckled, shrugging. "I don't have any plans on going after her anyway."

"Really?"

"Really."

I sighed. "Whatever. I just don't want you guys breaking up because of a girl. We need you 'round here. Mom would adopt you if she could."

He went to pick his book back up. "Don't worry about it. Basty shouldn't have anyone to worry about - except himself. I can't believe he picked a really tricky first love."

I wanted to point out that he just called my baby brother by the preferred nickname and that it was really sweet of him - see this is why I love this kid to pieces - but then, speak of the little devil, Basty came bursting back in the room.

"Help." he said. "She's here."

We looked at him.

Basty tried again. "She's here and she's clinging to this big dude and I need someone to ask her if that's her boyfriend."

The plot thickens. "Your Prince person is here?" I asked, exchanging a look with Errol.

"Yes, and she's clinging to this-"

"We get it, we get it."

He looked at his best friend. "Errol, do it, man. Do the... Do the thing."

"What thing?"

"The smooth genius talking to people thing. I'll forgive all the times you call me Bastian."

"No, man." Errol said, shaking his head. "She knows me. She'll know something's up. I won't do it."

"Well, I need someone to do it!"

They both looked at me.

"I'm on delivery duty."

"Nothing's coming in." Errol said.

"-and you stole my delivery duty last time. To see the your Emmeline person." Basty pointed out.

I grumbled. These kids will be the death of me. "Fine, fine." I walked towards my locker and rummaged for the waitress uniform. "Anything else you want me to get? Favorite color? Blood type? CLASS SCHEDULE?"

Basty was jumpy. "Just find out if that dude's her boyfriend because if he is, then I don't stand a chance because I swear to drums that's the school quarterback."

When I finished changing into my uniform, the two idiots were pressed up against the staff room door and obviously trying to steal a glance at our operation's target.

I stood behind them. "Make way for the fucking Messiah."

"Hail!" they said, and let me pass through. I bonked Basty on the head before I set out to fulfill this mission in the name of the power of my love for my little brothers.

I immediately saw our raven-head tinkerbell. Errol has been accurate as expected - apple cut and a big yellow bow on her head. She was wearing a flowery dress paired with black stockings and red sneakers. It was cute. I get why the boys like her.

This Prince girl was sitting in a table for two and chatting really enthusiastically with a tall black guy with dark hair, wearing Basty's and Errol's highschool's letterman jacket.

I can see why he is the quarterback, looking at the tall build. But he looked so kind too, talking back to Prince girl just as happily.

Crap, Basty. You have one tough competition.

I maneuvered myself to whisper to the nearest waiter or waitress I could reach. Angel stopped when I tugged at her sleeve. "Hey, those two in the corner, has anyone served them yet?"

"They just came in." she said. "Will you do it? I'm going to deal with the kids on table 9."

"Sure. I got this."

I grabbed a tray, a notepad and an extra menu and headed over to the chosen table. The targets were already looking through the menu when I put my gameface on (read: 'Happy As Fuck Bringing More Happiness In the World' face) and said, "Hi, welcome to Pedro's Pizza Place! I'm Toni, and I'm here to take your orders!"

"Thanks! Give us a minute!" Prince girl said. Errol was right again (that kid is so fucking reliable) - she has a vocal range of a Soprano 2. He reached out to tug at her companion's sleeve. "Hey, we'll take out for Lau, right?"

The guy replied, "Sure. But maybe we should just bring him pasta. Auntie said not to bring him too much calories."

"Okay. But we're eating here first. What do you want?" she said, looking back at the menu. "I don't want bacon."

"Okay, we're not getting anything with bacon."

"I want pineapple."

"Hawaiian?"

"I'm good with that." then she looked up at me. "This... double-size Hawaiian pizza, please." I took that down. She turned to her friend again. "Drinks, B?"

"I'm fine with iced tea." the guy said.

"Anything else? C'mon, it's my treat! You've been admitted to my university," she turned to me then - "Mojos! A basket, please! Don't ya think he ought to be a little more cheery and jumpy 'cause he just got in to a good university?"

I blinked. She was talking to me. About her friend. "Ahhh, sure! Hey, we have beer on the house."

"Eek, I'm game but he's a good kid." Prince girl said. "Also he's driving."

"Aw, just a bit?" I insisted. I like this girl.

The guy shook his head. "Lau hates the smell, Prince."

"Booooris, he'll be too happy to know the news that he won't mind the smell anymore." Prince girl cooed. "We'll be together by next year! I'm so excited~"

"Moving in together?" I suggested, hoping that the question wasn't too suspicious.

"No, that'd be really cool, but mom won't let it happen." she replied, pouting. "But he just got in on a Lit course. Same as mine! It sucks right know 'cause I'm alone in college and he's still in high school kicking balls and stuff."

I laughed. "Congratulations, then!"

"Uh, that's it, really. Hawaiian double, mojos, iced tea. I'm just going to have coke."

"Got that." I said, scribbling the last parts. "Anything else?"

"We're good! Please go ahead."

I went to drop the order to the kitchen staff. Basty and Errol were peeking their heads from the staff room and looking at me intently. I made a gesture telling them to 'WAIT JUST WAIT FOR A MOTHERLOVING MINUTE THIS ISN'T EASY OKAY' before I saw the guy walking towards the counter. I stepped forward to attend to him.

"Yes, anything you would like to change in the order?" I grabbed the notepad just in case.

Boris - she called him that, right? - sighed, "She wants to add in a tall glass of milkshake."

Opportunity! Grab it, Toni!

"Okay." I jotted it down, then did the... uh... the thing. "Your girlfriend is really cute."

"She is." He chuckled, and my soul crumbled. 'AW CRAP BASTY I'M SO SORRY MY SINCEREST CONDOLENCES-' - then... then he said: "Cute, I mean. She's not my girlfriend. More like a sister, really. We're childhood friends."

HALLELUJIAH BABY BROTHER. THERE IS A GOD AND HE IS GOOD.

"Oh. Sorry!" I said, laughing it off (BEST ACTRESS AWARD GOES TO——). "I just thought-.. Since you looked really close and all, y'know-"

"Don't worry, it happens everytime. Oh and also, we'd like one order of carbonara to go. Our friend couldn't come, so... yeah."

"That's noted." - the carbonara plus the fact that it was 'our friend' and not 'her boyfriend'. Of course, of course. "Anything else?"

"Nothing, that would be all. Thanks!"

I slipped the additional orders as appropriate, then quickly dropped by the staff room. Errol had put my guitar back in its case while Basty was pacing. They both looked up.

I summoned my most solemn voice and said, "I promise you I did everything I could... She was a fighter, I'll give her that..."

Pause for emphasis.

Basty gulped. "Yeah???"

"It's a boy." I declared.

"Yes, and?"

I shrugged, finally letting out the smile. "Childhood friend."

Basty pumped his fists in the air and said, "Oh thank you, Baby Jesus!" Errol and I laughed, while Basty was singing praises in my name.

It all ended up with, "You're the best, Toni! If I get a call today from Miss Destiny, I'm passing it to you. Stat."

Errol was shaking his head, probably just thinking that our family was crazy. Just another day.

"Sure, sure." I said, exiting the staff room again. I was the dedicated waitress for the Prince girl and the Boris guy after all, so I stood by, then as soon as their orders were ready, did my job.

It's cute. Basty had liked many girls - kissed some of them, I bet, because he really isn't that big of a dork when he tries - but I've never seen him take someone like this. Probably because this Prince was older (albeit by a year or two only) and he knew that she's not the typical girl. Or probably because there really was something in her that just... sort of got him.

That's how it was with Regan, I thought. I haven't always known that I liked girls. I was just really aware that I don't find myself being attracted with other guys even though I acknowledge that they were lookers. Then I met some really awesome girls and thought that they were really pretty and nice. I found myself looking at them and thinking about them more than I actually looked at the boys. I never really tried approaching them.

That is, until Regan. She was a friend and a club member. She played the sax and we've worked together a couple of times. Maybe that's why she was my first. She was a friend, I knew her, she knew me, and on my side, I found it easy to tell that what I felt for her was way deeper than the little crushes I had here and there. We've gotten pretty close by the time I told her everything.

She was adamant at first. Well, I can't blame her. I fucked up the confession because I was stammering too much and rambling and maybe it didn't come out as I wanted. It most probably sounded better in my head.

But I told her that if she's going to dump me, could she please let me play a song for her?

When I was a kid, I told Dad and Paloma that I wanted to sing for a girl and make her really truly happy knowing that it came from me.

Well, Regan made that come true. After the song, she said that we could try.

Maybe she didn't really love me as much as I loved her but that's fine. She broke up with me and did it in a crowning moment of awesome that was just so... so her. With patience and dignity and all the glorious stuff. I think the Gods above have been kind to me by appointing her as the first love and by making the relationship a good relationship. No cheating, some natural misunderstandings, a decent break-up.

"You couldn't have loved me better." - was what she had told me. That ended it. It hurt but it was fine. It was easier.

So back to Basty.

Damn. I don't know if this will be as good as what I had with Regan, but here's to hoping that Basty would come out of it (or not, because it could happen, who knows?) with lessons learned. That's what Paloma said after I broke up with Regan.

"It happened and it was good, and you learned special things, right?" - Paloma, best big sis in the universe.

In speaking of Paloma, as soon as I watched Prince girl and Boris guy leave, I perched myself beside her.

She glanced at me and said, "Care to elaborate why our delivery girl is wearing her waitress outfit today?"

I saw both Errol and Basty cleaning up on different tables.

"See the girl with the yellow ribbon on her hair a while ago?"

"Yeah?"

"Basty likes her."

Paloma rolled her eyes. "So he made you go and do his job."

"Yeaaaah. It's fine, though. They were so cute freaking out like that."

"Errol too?"

I sniggered, then slumped on the counter beside her. There were fewer customers around now. I sighed.

Paloma looked at me and smiled. "What is it?"

"She hasn't called in yet. It's almost the end of my shift." I sulked.

I wanted to deliver! I wanted to bring pizza to that Emmeline lady and see her smile and maybe offer her another lollipop-...

Oh.

The lollipop.

"Crap. Paloma, d'you think she didn't like the lollipop?"

Paloma probably didn't know about it. She blinked at me. "What?"

"Oh no, you creeped her out." Basty chimed in. He had leaned on the counter from the other side now.

"Ya think?" I asked, hopeless.

It's just a lollipop! It even kinda complimented the pizza! I think.

"Probably because you're too smiley and bouncey and then you gave her some weird candy." Basty continued, clicking his tongue. "Maybe you seemed too eager."

I narrowed my eyes at my brother. "Bastian Rey, keep that up and I swear to rock n' roll, I will never help you out with your Prince Charming again."

Paloma perked up. "Basty, you like a boy?"

"No no no! Her name is Prince!"

"Short for Princess?"

"Just Prince! And see, she's really cute and-"

I tuned out the conversation as Basty gushed and Paloma patiently listened to him. I looked across the restaurant and caught Errol staring. When he saw me looking he simply shrugged, smiled a bit and then picked up the tray of dirty dishes from the table he was cleaning and went to take the dishes to the dishwashers.

...and that's how I missed Paloma calling me until she nudged me on the shoulder. "Toni?? Stop daydreaming! You have a job!"

I sat up straight, alert. "Is it her?"

Paloma laughed. "No. It's the guy who always orders pizza with like, a box of garlic bread."

"Ah, I don't like that guy." I complained. Because I really don't like him. He always glared. Like I did something wrong when all I've been doing was to freakin' deliver him his food. With a smile on my face.

"I'll do it." Basty chirped, taking off his apron.

Ah, a blessing~ I let him take my job (because to be fair, I took his) and I just slumped in the counter, still thinking if the lollipop has been a wrong move or not.

A few minutes later, while I was still watching the people at the restaurant in boredom, Errol perched himself in front of me. He was already wearing his coat and had his backpack on his back. I sat up. "Dude, our shift's over?"

"Yeah. Duh." he said. "C'mon, T. Drop the sulking. Let's go."

Paloma was just reading a pocketbook. She waved dismissively at us. "You guys go ahead. I'll wait for Raf. Mom should be cooking dinner by now."

I said bye to both Paloma and Raf after changing into my own clothes and grabbing my things. Basty was still on the road when I left with Errol. I rode on the back of his bike as he pedaled down the road.

I leaned against his back. I was short for my age. My younger brother and his best friend have both already grown taller than me. Freakin' giant. But then, Paloma was shorter, so... maybe I'm still lucky.

If I was heavy, Errol didn't let it out. He simply hummed a familiar tune as we rode through the silent streets.

"Noooo, not that song, E." I groaned. Because that song is one of the best songs in history and if he hums it like that, I'll end up belting it out.

But nooooo, he kept on humming.

So there you go: "Oh please, say to me~ You'll let me be your man..."

Well, more like I was belting it out at the top of my lungs and Errol was singing the instrumentals.

"Oh please, say to me— I want to hold your haaaaand!!!"

Then he sang with me: "I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAAAAND~ I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAAAAAND!!!"

We continued because we were dope, ya know. Or fucking high. Or just plain crazy. Love makes people dumb, see.

"And when I touch you I feel happy inside!" I sang.

He continued, "It's such a feeling that my love..."

And chorus! "I can't hide.... I can't hiiiiiide... I CAN'T HIIIIIDE!!!"

Maybe we went over the chorus for two more times before we just ended up shaking in laughter. I had to hold on to him to keep myself from falling.

"Shit, that was awesome, man!" I screamed. Errol laughed again.

"You needed it. You looked so shitty thinking about that special lady of yours."

"Speak for yourself, chump." I said. "You were totally zonin' off while watching Basty give out that heroic speech of adoration."

"He's like that. Told you I don't plan on going after her."

"Why? I mean, really. Besides Basty. Why?"

"She's out there already." he said. I can hear catching his breath a bit. "Kicking ass and everything, and she's shorter than you. I don't think I can keep up with someone like that. She's a firework. Like, I mean really a firework. Compact presentation but explodes and practically lights everything up."

"Wow." I mumbled. Errol really gets deep sometimes.

"Basty dived headfirst, though. I don't mind. There are other fish in the sea."

"Wowwww." I repeated. "Crap, I feel stupid now. I'm just like Basty. Diving headfirst and having this massive crush on someone I'm not even sure I can possibly have."

"Don't compare." he scolded lightly. "I know Prince and I know that I can't get her. But this lady of yours is a mystery. You still have a chance. Don't give up that easily. It's not you."

I laughed. "Damn, you're a keeper, y'know? If I was Basty, I'll just go gay for you."

He laughed too. "I may be a protractor, but your baby brother's as straight as a ruler, T."

"Yeaaaah. Maybe I'm the only gay one in the family." I sniggered.

"But no, I'm serious." he said. "Maybe this pretty Miss Garland needs a ginger-haired pizza delivery girl to change her world."

Fuck, that's so fucking sweet what the holy fuck. Ugh. Errol you freakin' sweet sugar gummy bear. Basty is so lucky he's not up against you because he'll lose because right now you ARE doing the THING. The smooth genius talking to people thing.

So I did something I only do to my baby brothers. I hugged him tightly and squealed. "You're. So. Precious!!!"

He simply groaned and complained. "Dammit, T! Not while I'm biking, I can't freakin' breathe!"

I laughed and listened to him talk about the Prince girl, Basty, the fifty reasons why Basty would probably not get her and the ten good reasons why Basty still has a chance. It's 50 against 10, but he knows that his best friend is a good gambler.

Then, he listened to me talk about 'pretty Miss Garland'. Emmeline. My crush. Inspiration to go to work. The smiling girl. It felt good. I wish the trip hadn't ended but soon enough he was dropping me off on our front porch and was pedaling down the road, on his way home.

Tomorrow I'm on waitress duty, but if my Emmeline person calls, I'm so stealing the delivery job again.

.fin.