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she also had no a choice
at the time. We were all so shell shocked from the murder.
    The whole scene made me
curious about Lindsey’s lesbian experimentations and how far they had gone. I’d
always assumed she wasn't gay. I didn't want to be too obvious as I leaned
against the counter and watched as they small talked themselves to near death.
    “So, you
driving to the city?” Lindsey asked, brushing her short dark hair behind
her ear.
    “Oh. Uhm. Yeah. It’s not
far. I like the drive, especially in the fall.”
    “Cool. Driving into
Crimson Cove is nicer than leaving though.”
    “Yeah.” She finally handed
Lindsey her drink. It was steaming so much from the overheating the milk took
that I was sure it was burning her hand through the sleeve. “I guess I’ll see
ya around.” Loss and regret filled the beautiful girl’s eyes.
    Lindsey smiled wide.
“Yeah, I mean, in the city maybe.”
    I cocked an eyebrow,
wondering if they meant New York and what the chances were of actually running
into each other.
    “I mean, maybe I’ll see
ya at a coffeehouse.” Lindsey laughed, making even less sense. “If you work at
one.”
    It was just getting more
and more uncomfortable, even for me.
    “Right. Take care. And if
you are walking by coffee shops look in and see if I’m there.” Coffee Shop
Girl’s voice trailed off as she realized what she was saying, “’Cause I have to
have a job to pay for school.”
    “Right.” Lindsey nodded
eagerly. The rambling and senselessness was aggressive.
    They stared at each other
for a full minute before Coffee Shop Girl turned and smiled at me. “Nice
meeting you.”
    “You too.” I started
backing up, hoping they wouldn't get their awkward on me and waved, confused by
the whole thing. Especially considering I hadn’t met her, not formally.
    Lindsey paused and then
waved and walked to the door with me. Her face was the color of the trees
outside.
    We took our drinks and
walked out to the cars. “So, what was that?” I gave her a side-glance and a
grin.
    “Nothing.”
    “Didn't look like
nothing. Looked like you were crushing hard there. Was that what Sage was
talking about when you guys got into the fight?”
    “What?”
    “Emo Coffeehouse Whore?”
    “No.” Lindsey sighed and
squeezed her eyes shut. “It wasn't like that.”
    “Okay.”
    She stopped and nodded,
with her eyes closed and her face pinched. “It was totally like that. I thought
maybe and then I knew no. But I still sort of think she’s pretty, and I wonder
if she thinks something or if it’s all nothing.” She opened her eyes. “Does
that even make sense?”
    “It makes perfect sense.
I know what you mean.”
    “Like how you love Ash?”
Her mocking face became something of confusion. “Is that Vince?”
    I followed her eyes to
the silver car next to us. “Did you invite him too? I thought he was with his
dad.”
    “No, I didn't invite him.
He must be stalking my cell phone again.” She said it like she was annoyed but
not angry. Being stalked was becoming old hat for her. But there was no
fighting the look on my face. The way he watched her so intensely and the
stalking would have been hard for me to endure.
    “Ladies.” He climbed out,
pulling off his sunglasses and grinning. The sunlight glinted off his handsome
face, taking away the wickedness I knew lurked in him. It always vanished when
he saw her. His look explained the stalking. He was always relieved to see
her—maybe relieved she was unscathed. His affection for her changed the
way he looked, maybe even acted.
    Without her, he would
have always been skeezy Vincent Banks, king of the nasty and disgraceful.
    But when he was with her
all the low-life nonsense washed away, and I saw what she saw. He lost the
Banks in him and became just a regular guy.
    “Miss me?” He cracked
more of a Vincent grin. He was cleaned up from the surfer bum he had been all
summer. Now he was polished and shaved with his hair cut and styled and