Chapter 2

It wasn't that I hated Point Pleasant. Seriously – I didn't. But I hated living here with a passion. It was a really cute place that had the feel of a small village instead of a city. It's the kind of town I might've wanted to retire in when I was older. Much… much older. But when my parents moved here last year, I thought it'd be a fun place to visit in between semesters. Perhaps I would spend the holidays here when I began working.

Then…

I hate that word when talking about this.

Then – I dropped out my senior year. I didn't know what to do. I had partied way too hard the semester before and flunked half of my classes. Some were classes that I had to have an A or B in since they were in my major. I got really depressed and started being way too hard on myself, and before I knew it, I had missed weeks of classes while I sat in my room playing X-Box and feeling sorry for myself. The only option I had at that time was to drop out. It sucked. I sucked. There were also other more lascivious reasons, but I didn't like to think about them.

Telling my parents that I was quitting school was really difficult. My dad worked a nine-to-five job for the Point Pleasant Electric Company, and my mom was a teacher's assistant at the elementary school, so they didn't have the money to put me through school, and I sure as hell didn't have a high enough GPA to get a scholarship. I had hopes that I'd get lucky and find a soccer scholarship, but I guess being second string wasn't good enough – so, student loans. To say that the parents were upset at my situation would be an understatement.

Student loans meant I had to keep a good standing at the college in terms of grades. Dropping out meant I had to make up those hours on my own before I could get another loan to finish. I totally fucked my future up. So here I was – living at home and taking one online class at a time. My future was on hold while I fixed my mistakes. I had no friends in town either. So… I was bored. I did, however, have to get a job to be able to afford my online classes and to help the family out while I was living there. I owed that to them. Hell, I owed it to myself. But finding a job in Point Pleasant hadn't been as easy as I hoped. I got a part-time job and also put myself out there on Task Rabbit for handyman and assistant services.

I didn't mind the part-time job, though. It was a nice break from sitting in front of my computer. Online classes sucked. So, my job at the coffee shop had been a lifesaver in just getting away from the house. I also had the coolest boss. Crystal was a firecracker of one-liners and attitude. She hired me on the spot and gave me the nickname Hot Stuff on my first day. She's something else, and her group of friends come into the shop a lot. They sit and gossip while I make drinks and serve the customers for the lunch shift. It's not that hard, and I kind of like it. It pays me almost enough to take my classes and have a little money in my pocket. I rely on Task Rabbit to make up for anything else I need.

Crystal and her friends aren't that much older than me, which is cool, too. I've met them at the gay club a couple of times for drinks. They think I'm straight, and I've not told them any differently. Crystal says she has perfect gaydar – I think she may be wrong about that! I mean, I am Bi. So, maybe her bidar is broken. I just smile when they talk about their straight tagalong (me) and see no reason to tell them anything different yet. It's fun. Besides, boy or girl – who the hell am I gonna date in Point Pleasant? I'm just biding my time to get the fuck out of here.

"Hey, Hot Stuff." Crystal grinned wickedly as she wiped her hand on a towel. "I just pulled the last of the muffins out of the oven. They can cool for the next hour and then get packed to go to the women's shelter in the morning. What do you have planned for the rest of this glorious Spring day?" She walked around the counter and sat down on one of the stools, still grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

"Nothing, I guess." I scooped the crumbs that one of the customers had left off the counter and into the trash. "I'll just go home and try to finish the next assignment and maybe watch a movie. I don't know. Mom's making tuna noodle, which is my favorite. So maybe I'll eat myself into a comatose state."

Crystal threw her head back and cackled. Her long hair bounced with her shoulders as she filled the room with the sound of her laughter. It was intoxicating. "I weirdly love tuna noodle. Does she put peas in it?"

I held up my hand in front of her face. "That's an affront to tuna noodle, and there's nothing weird about it. It's the best casserole on the planet, hands down. It's a known fact."

"Hmm… Is it better than Chicken Divan? Because that's my mother fucking jam." She spun around on the stool, quickly throwing her arms up in the air.

"I can't hate on a good, gooey chicken and broccoli casserole. I mean, it's good. But tuna noodle is much better. Mom makes it with curry powder and dill weed. It's like a mouth bomb of flavor." I chuckled – enjoying this free time with Crystal, as always.

"How's your class? What are you taking again?" She grabbed the edge of the counter to steady herself as her spinning stool slowed. "Wow… dizzy."

"Mental health when dealing with a sports injury." I groaned – leaning onto the counter and resting my weight upon my arms.

"So hetero." She cackled. "It's nice to have some macho man energy around here."

"Your friends are pretty macho, actually. I think that Danny could bench press me if he really wanted to, and macho is highly overrated."

"He could, and it is," Crystal nodded and grinned at me. "They all really like you. You can always come to hang out with us whenever you want. You know you don't need an invitation, right?"

"Thanks. I appreciate that. But I'm not really into the bar scene very much. Never really have been. Frat parties were more my thing," I chuckled as I cleaned the counter. "But maybe I'll join you all the next time you go. If I stay at home all the time, I'm gonna get really bored and really boring. Mom hovers to make sure I'm getting my classwork done. It's annoying but sweet, I guess." I played coy.

"We're going out tomorrow night, and I expect you to be there. Consider it work time without pay – well, I'll buy your drinks, so, paid by alcohol." Crystal winked.

"Sure. Tomorrow sounds good. I still need to settle an argument with Danny over the best-starting quarterback of all time." I chuckled. Danny was pretty fucking hot, and if we were both single – who knows? But he isn't, and honestly, never would have been my type, anyway.

"Danny and his sports. He and Kris were the only jocks in our group. Oh, Hunter, too! I always found sports boring." She glanced over her shoulder at the front door. "But the sports boys were very cute."

"I know you like cute boys. Speaking of… Did you get a delivery today?"

"It's too early for… Oh!" Her eyes widened before narrowing as she stared at me. "Aw… Did Danny gossip about me? He's a very bad boy."

"Nope! It was totally Sam. But I didn't need him to tell me what I already knew. I do have eyes, Crystal. I asked him about it, actually. I see the way you and mailman Larry look at each other when he delivers your packages."

She cackled. "You make that sound so dirty, and I appreciate it. But Larry and I tried, and it didn't work out. I'm damaged goods, sweetheart, and damaged goods don't get a happy ending like in the movies. It's not the way life works."

"So, you did have a thing?" I raised my eyebrows and grinned.

"You are so bad. We did have a thing for a bit. But I managed to… Well… We're better off as friends."

"You don't seem damaged to me. You seem like a badass, boss lady."

"Badassery covers up the cracks in the veneer. Don't look too closely." She flicked her red hair off her shoulders and moved around to the back of the counter again. "Maybe you never met a person with a past since you are just a baby."

"I'm like six years younger than you."

"That's a lifetime, boo. I lived a lifetime before I ever graduated high school. Momma road hard." Her eyes got this far-off look as she stared past me and saw something beyond the place we were. It kind of freaked me out for a second, and I shuddered as I stared at her. "But the past and dwelling in it doesn't help you ever get over it. Just remember, all you ever have is happening right now, kiddo. Don't let your chance at happiness pass you by. Revel in it and grab every opportunity you get because one day you'll wake up and realize that it all passed you right on by."

I stood up straight and frowned. "Ok… That got deep and kind of dark."

"It happens. Wait until you see me on my second bottle of wine when I feel sorry for myself. Thirty is not a cakewalk." She huffed and glanced back at the door once again.

"Well, I still have some time." I chuckled. "So…"

"Larry and I are done – done. Trust me. He's not a glutton for punishment. Don't you have some work to do? I'm sure I'm paying you for something." She smiled wryly. "Just kidding, boo. Why don't you sit for a bit and chill until the next customer comes in? It looks like it's gonna be a slow day, and this place is about as clean as it can ever get. I think I'll take a walk in the park and sit under the gazebo for a while. Some fresh air would do me good, I think. I'll shake the last vestiges of winter off and enjoy this warm day."

"Crystal?" I couldn't stop myself. You're amazing, and I think you deserve that happy ever after, too—even if you don't think you do."

"Thanks, honey. I'm very glad I hired you at the start of the year. You're good people, and I know that you'll find whatever it is you're looking for, too. See you in a bit." She tossed her apron over onto the counter and walked out the door. The tinkling of the bells echoed through the empty shop. Whatever she was thinking was… darker than I had ever seen from her. Was it something I said, or was it a thought she woke up with? Whatever it was, it had her in a bit of a bind.

I sat in the shop"s window for a while, scrolling through the gram. Liking the posts from my friends who were living the life I left behind. I could see Crystal sitting on the gazebo and staring out into the garden. I didn't know her well, but she had become one of the only people I cared about in Point Pleasant. I wish I could help take away her pain, whatever it was.