Free Love Love by Beth Michele Page A

some much needed caffeine. Making our way over to The
Brew House, I feel so invigorated. The sun is beaming today.
Everyone is all smiles. Or maybe it’s just me. The line is
ridiculously long, but waiting doesn’t bother me today. My patience
seems endless, my mind consumed with emerald eyes. When we finally
reach the counter, I can’t stop smiling.
    With a curious smile Brad says, “hey,
Gabby. Your usual?”
    “ Yup, please. And Brad,
this is my best friend, Fran. Fran, this is Brad.”
    “ Hey, Fran.” Brad’s voice
is friendly as always. “Welcome to The Brew House.”
    “ Hey.” Fran eyes him like a
cat on the prowl. When we get to the booth she looks over at me and
gestures to Brad, who treats us to a dimpled smile. “He’s kinda
cute.”
    “ Yeah. He’s a nice guy.
Cute too. And he always has my drink ready which is a bonus.” Not
to mention he cleans up my coffee and toilet messes and saves my
shoes. Speaking of guys, what’s going on with you and Kyle? You’ve
barely known him two weeks, but you’ve been spending an awful lot
of time at his place.”
    Fran puckers her lips. “He has the
ability to rock my world, what can I say?” Then her eyes get a bit
dreamy, which is unusual. “I kind of like him, Gabby. He’s really
sweet, and he’s interested in me…I mean, in who I am. He’s always
asking me questions about me as a kid, California, and…I don’t
know, he’s attentive, I guess.”
    That makes me happy. “I like him
already, then.”
    Fran’s face takes on a look of
excitement. She reaches into her purse and then slides something
under her palm across the table.
    When she lifts her hand, I laugh.
“Where on earth did you find watermelon Jolly Ranchers?”
    “ I have my ways,” she
grins. "Remember sixth grade in Mr. Flander’s class; I gave you one
of these? You didn’t waste any time crinkling up the wrapper and
popping it in your mouth."
    My face brightens. "Of course I
remember that. These were my favorite then.”
    "Mr. Flanders literally stopped class
and started sniffing the air like a bloodhound.” Fran lifts her
nose so her nostrils flare and lowers her voice to imitate his,
“Who's eating candy?”
    I remember it like it was
yesterday. “I can still see chubby, bald, old Mr. Flanders walking
in between the two aisles tapping desks and startling kids, the
smell of sweet watermelon hovering in the air. Everyone knew it was
me. He leaned in close to my face, and then you piped up, “It's me,
Mr. Flanders,” saving me from having to
write “I will not eat candy in school” a hundred times on the
blackboard during a detention. Why did you do that,
Fran?"
    She shrugs her shoulders. "You were
always saving me, Gabby. Maybe I wanted to save you for a
change."
    My phone rings, disrupting our
nostalgic moment. It’s my Mom. Looking down at my watch, I notice
it’s 8:15, which means it’s only 5:15 in California. It’s awfully
early for a mother-daughter chat. I guess this must be my monthly
call. Ugh. I consider not answering it, but for a split second hold
out hope she’ll be different, so I do. "Hi, Mom," I answer with
bland enthusiasm.
    "Hi, dear. How are you?"
    The sound of her voice causes me to
start shredding napkins into tiny pieces and piling them in mounds
on the table. "I'm fine, Mom."
    "How’s work?"
    My voice gets smaller and I’m trying
to breathe. "It's fine."
    "You getting there on time every
day?"
    What does she think I am, twelve?
"Yes, Mom,” I reply, crossing my eyes and wiggling my nose
obnoxiously at Fran, who’s pretending not to eavesdrop.
    "Good. Have you thought about applying
to any schools for a master’s program?"
    I’m silently screaming at her. "No,
Mom. Not right now."
    "Well, you should. This job you're in
will only lead to a dead end. You really need a Master’s degree if
you're going to get anywhere in this world."
    My skin starts to crawl, and inside
I’m cringing. Gotta love family pep talks. "Yes, Mom." A change