“Fancy seeing you here,” I said, a small smirk playing on my lips. “Oh god, you again?” “Not *that* bad,” I countered. “You just need a sense of humor.” “I *have* a sense of humor. You’re just an asshole.” “I’m depressed and cold-blooded. What can I say?” The smirk widened, my gaze fixed on my fingernails as if I had somewhere better to be. “Alright, whatever. What do you want?” He asked, pressing a button on the register. “A mocha frappuccino with whipped cream so I can get white-girl wasted.” He grumbled something under his breath and punched the order into the machine. “That’ll be $3.75.” I nodded, fishing my wallet out and handing him a five. “Keep the change,” I said with a lopsided grin. “Thanks.” He mumbled, turning to make my drink. I leaned against the counter, pulling my phone out, already anticipating the selfie opportunity. I opened Snapchat, ready to document the sugary indulgence. “Hurry up, peasant. I want my drink sometime today,” I called, watching him grab a Sharpie. “What’s your name?” he asked, removing the cap from the marker. “Hunter.” He nodded, scribbling on the cup, then handed it over. He leaned back against the bar, texting someone, a small smirk playing on his lips. I grabbed the cup and stared. He’d spelled “Hunter” with two ‘t’s. “How the hell did you spell Hunter wrong? It’s the easiest name to spell, and you butchered it.” I sighed, shaking my head in annoyance. I held up the cup, snapping a selfie, a forced smile plastered on my face. In the background, I saw him flipping me off, but damn, he looked good doing it. I posted the picture on Instagram, captioning it, ‘anyone know his @?’ Minutes later, a comment appeared with his username. I clicked, followed him immediately, and watched as he saw the notification. “So your name’s Grayson?” I pondered aloud, eyes glued to my phone. “How the hell do you know my—you followed my Instagram?” He sighed, sounding utterly exasperated. “Can I not catch a break with you?” “Guess not.” I grinned, my lopsided grin returning. “Jesus, did you have to post that photo? I look like shit.” He sighed, probably mentally facepalming. “I thought you looked pretty hot myself.” I shrugged, scrolling through my feed. I turned just in time to see him blush, but he quickly averted his gaze, likely embarrassed. “Please don’t hit on me…” “I didn’t say I wanted to sleep with you, I just said you’re hot. Big difference, buddy.” I chuckled, taking a long sip of my drink. “Don’t flatter yourself.” I added, licking the whipped cream off my lips instead of using the straw. “Whatever…” He grumbled, leaning back against the counter, looking moody. I snickered, savoring the last of my drink. “Alright, nice meeting you, oh what’s-his-face. Forgot your name again, sorry.” I stood up, ready to go. “It’s Grayson.” “Right, right. Grayson, Grayson. Got it. Should stick in my head now. Nice meeting ya.” “Hopefully not.” He murmured under his breath, but I heard him. “I’ll make sure to visit every day, just so I can hopefully ruin yours.” I smiled, tossing my empty cup in the trash and grabbing my phone. “Bye, have a shitty day.” I waved, turning to leave. He grumbled something under his breath—something about ‘fuck you too’—and flipped me the bird. It wasn’t exactly a friendly wave. I walked out of the café, the sun beginning to set. I checked the time: 6:50. Still time to kill before heading home. I spotted a small park near the café and headed over, settling onto a bench. I watched two birds chirping at each other, probably discussing how sexy I am. I smiled to myself, thinking how much of a sexy beast I am. Although I am pretty hot, Grayson takes a close second. Damnnnn that boy is fineeeee. No homo, but damn he’s hot. I noticed a small pond with ducks swimming in it, and oh my god, ducks are so cute! Ha, see what I did there? I love puns. I stood up and walked toward the pond, admiring the variety of ducks. They were adorable, with their long beaks and fluffy feathers. I continued staring at the ducks when I heard footsteps behind me. I tensed, ready for a fight, but it was Grayson, smiling slightly. “Do you like ducks?” he asked, standing to my right. “Yeah, they’re cute as hell. I used to have some before my parents kicked me out and sent me here.” He raised an eyebrow, surprised. “Why’d they kick you out? Are they homophobic or something?” “Nah, they couldn’t deal with my suicidal shit so they pawned me off on my aunt.” I sighed, the shitty memories flooding back. I could still remember the look on my parents’ faces when they saw me in that hospital bed, machines all around me, keeping me alive. They thought I was asleep, so I knew what they were going to do before they did it. ——— “Oh Hal, what are we gonna do? This is the third time he’s done it! I can’t keep putting up with this.” Mom sighed, blowing her nose on a tissue. “Maybe your sister can take care of him until he turns 18… She’s always been real well with kids.” Dad whispered, sniffling slightly. “Okay, I’ll give her a call in the morning.” Mom murmured. “Oh, he’s waking up. Nurse!” ——— I shook the thoughts out of my head, trying to bury them permanently. “It doesn’t matter anymore. The past is the past.” I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “I should probably get going. I’ll see you around, Grayson.” I waved. Then I turned and walked towards my house, not looking back. + 