Free Dream Smashers by Angela Carlie

right next to me gives me
the heebie-jeebies and could possibly cause me to barf my
cheeseburger all over the counter. This could also be an
opportunity to use my new friend making skills by approaching the
guy who sat next to me with conversation. He’s not very attractive,
and a total stranger, but these characteristics could be beneficial
because they will make my failure less painful. The negative of
this situation is not only the failure part but also the fact that
it most likely will happen in front of Angelica and James. Knowing
my luck, their fishy-lips will cease just prior to my total
humiliation. Not that I care about what Angelica thinks, but James
on the other hand, has always been my best friend’s hot older
brother. Of course I care what he thinks. That’s why I’ve never
really had the nerve to have an actual conversation with him. That
and he don’t talk much.
    “Hey, Autumn,” James says with a deep voice,
saving me from my dumb idea to follow Rule Number Six.
    I turn the bar stool around to face the two
love birds again. “Hi.”
    Angelica crosses her pale, smooth legs and
tugs her too-short skirt down so it at least covers half her
thighs. She pulls a small mirror from her purse, wipes her lips and
fluffs her hair as if kissing messed it up.
    “Thanks for ratting out Rainy.” He smiles and
then laughs under his breath. “That didn’t sound right. I mean,
thanks for saving her from Ace. When I see him again I’m gonna kick
the crap out of him. He’s a real ass-head.”
    “You can say that again.” Angelica glides
cherry lipstick over her full lips and then pries her emerald eyes
away from the mirror to look at me. “What’s your name again?”
    “Autumn Winters.”
    “Are you serious?”
    I nod.
    She grins. “Ha! That’s cool.”
    “Yeah, well, that’s not the full of it. My
middle name is Spring.” I roll my eyes.
    “Was your mom high or something? That’s crazy
cool!”
    Probably. “My mom loves those seasons I
guess. I’m told she hates summer.” Umm, I have no idea why I’m
being nice to her.
    “That’s real cool. I just have a simple lame
name. I’m Angelica Cox.” She holds her hand out for me to shake.
“Why haven’t I met you before?”
    I hesitate before returning the official-like
handshake. “I know who you are. We’ve gone to the same schools
since, like, elementary school.”
    Angelica shrugs and goes back to admiring
herself in the mirror.
    James grins or maybe it’s a smirk. I don’t
think I’ve ever been around him when he’s smiling so I can’t tell
if it’s real or not.
    I grab the bottle of ketchup and squeeze it
all over my fries, turning them into a pile of bloody fingers. “So,
James. You know Ace?”
    James reaches over and steals a few fries.
How rude. “Yeah. We hang with the same people.” He stuffs them in
his mouth. “You do realize you just met a new friend, don’t you?” A
crazy grin stretches his face so that ketchup stained teeth taunt
me.
    “Who?” I ask.
    Angelica waves. “Uh, hello.” She bats her
eyelashes.
    “It’s about time,” James says. “You can’t
have only one friend your entire life.” He grabs Angelica’s
untouched cheeseburger and chomps half of it in one bite. Like
sister like brother. “I love my sister and all, but you’re gonna
need someone to hang out with until she gets back.”
    “So, uh, have you talked to Rainy?” I ask.
“She isn’t returning my texts.”
    “They took her phone away. Don’t worry.
She’ll be back quicker than you think.” He winks at me and stuffs
the remainder of the burger in his mouth.
    Angelica seems cool enough. Nicer than her
reputation led me to believe and not as evil as Rainy always said.
He’s right, though. I haven’t met a new friend since I met Rainy
forever ago.
     
    ***
     
    Our meeting was just one of those things that
happened. On the first day of kindergarten Gramps stood next to me
at the corner, waiting for the bus. He held my lunch box