Page 86 of Talk to Me

“It’s okay,” he said. “I’m not all that broken up about it. We’re back now, baby!”

He lifted his hand and I gave him a high-five over the table.

Having finished our only class of the day, and it still being so early, Theo and I finished our coffees in record time. Without him requesting it, or my even thinking about it, I rose from the table and went to the counter to order a second round for us. Of course, we both had weekend homework to get started on, especially with the new semester starting, but taking advantage of the quiet coffee shop while we could was paramount.

The menu above the coffee counter proclaimed the “new flavor for a new year” was a “Winter Wonderland Latte.” Figuring that a little adventurousness never hurt anyone, I ordered us each a cup of the beverage. I watched the barista closely as she made our drinks, but I couldn’t quite tell what was going into each cup. Deciding that Theo and I didn’t have to wait long to find out what a winter wonderland tasted like, I gave up.

Back at our table, I pushed one of the cups across it to Theo as I slid into my coat-draped chair.

“It’s a Winter Wonderland Latte,” I said. “If it sucks, it’s free anyway.”

Theo chuckled nervously and brought his cup to his lips as I took a sip of mine. We both considered the taste for a moment, smacked our lips, and looked at each other.

“Peppermint mocha,” we said at the same time.

Laughing, we took another sip of the delicious coffee. As I was setting my coffee cup on the table, I was about to ask Theo if he wanted to come back to my room to do homework together. However, the barista who made our drinks stepped up to our table, drawing my attention.

“Are the drinks good?” she asked.

Theo and I both looked up at her.

“They’re delicious,” Theo said. “I never knew winter was so good.”

“Agreed,” I said.

She smiled and stood there. Theo and I smiled back at her for a moment, then glanced at each other, wondering why she was staring at us.

“I’m sorry,” the barista said. “I—I just wanted to say that I’m sorry for everything you’ve been dealing with, Theo.”

“What?” Theo asked, then glanced at me.

I shrugged.

“The online bullying stuff?” she said.

The barista glanced behind herself to make sure none of her coworkers were bothered by her taking a moment away from work. Then she pulled a chair over from another two-top and sat at our table.

“Everyone being mean to you,” she continued. “I mean, it’s hard not to notice.”

“Harder for some,” Theo said, then sipped his drink.

I wanted to shoot Theo a look to let him know he’d been unnecessarily snarky, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. After the months of abuse he’d put up with online and in person, I couldn’t really fault him. What he’d said was also true. If people looking in from the outside found it hard to ignore, one could only imagine how it felt for him. A little snark was forgivable.

The barista didn’t take offense.

“For sure,” she said, nodding. “I’ve been thinking about saying something to you for months, but I didn’t know if…well, it never felt like a good time. I guess now is a better late than never situation.”

Theo gave her a smile, and she relaxed.

“Thank you,” he said.

“I went through something like this when I was in high school,” she said, tucking into the table with us as if we were old friends.

“Oh?” Theo said.

I leaned in, putting my elbows on the table to listen to the barista.

“Yeah,” she said, waving a dismissive hand. “Another girl started a rumor. You know how high school kids are.”