[b]Spencer[/b]

Today had been a busy one for Spencer O’Connor. There was hardly a moment where Spencer wasn’t shouting coffee orders or fumbling to prepare drinks. The smell of vanilla and hazelnut filled the air as Spencer clawed her way to the sink, scrubbing out past substances and preparing it for a vanilla bean frap. Spencer dowsed the beverage with whipped cream and topped it with a lid, whisking a straw from the container before the woman could manage to ask. She thanked Spencer, to which she nodded curtly, bustling about until her lunch break which came to be a measly fifteen minutes. 

Removing her apron, Spencer sighed heavily. “I’ll be back,” she told a coworker, one she doubted even knew her name. Bolting out of the coffee shop, Spencer headed for one of the empty tables set for two, restlessly slumping into the chair farthest from the door. Rummaging through her pockets, she revealed a battered pack of Marlboro and a thin lighter. Her fingers shaking, she lit the cigarette and took a drag, releasing the smoke as it gradually tickled the back of her throat. 

Craning her neck, Spencer gazed at the clouds loomed over her and the rest of New York, threatening to storm on this beautiful afternoon. Spencer furrowed her eyebrows and put the cigarette to her lips, breathing in the smoke only to exhale it into the luminous sky, where it floated through the—

“Is anyone sitting here?” 

Wincing, Spencer retracted, pulling herself upright with her widened eyes on that of another girl’s. She was smiling wryly at Spencer, her hands perched on the base of her bag, her posture tense as if she were prepared for Spencer to say no. She didn’t, however, for reasons unknown, as both girls stared at one another, utterly entranced. 
Swallowing, Spencer shook her head. “Um, no, why – do you need the chair?” A stupid question on her part. If she’d needed the chair, she’d be standing, leaning the object in her direction ready to take it. But instead she was sitting, relaxing a bit as she raised the strap of her purse over her head to drop it directly at her feet. She was preparing to stay. 

The girl laughed. Soft and light. “No, I was actually hoping I could sit with you.” 

She cocked her head. “Sit with me,” she repeated, replaying the words over and over in her mind. Was this girl planning to embarrass her? If so, Spencer was capable of doing that all on her own. So, if that wasn’t the case, what did she want? She couldn’t possibly wish to just sit here with her. That would be preposterous. 

The girl nodded. “Is that… okay?” she asked gingerly, tucking brown curls behind her ear. She had a single piercing in either ear, plus a cartilage in the left. She was beautiful, this girl, with brown hair that draped over her chest, a cute nose that dipped just at the very end, piercing blue eyes, and a smile that curled, creating dimples. She was a sucker for dimples. 

“Uh, yeah, yeah, that’s okay.” 

“I’m Zoe,” she told her, placing her hands on the table. 

“Spencer,” she responded. 

“Do you, ah,” she said, motioning to the building, “work here?” 

“I do.” She pointed wearily at the Starbucks. “Right there.” 

“So you’re local, huh? What school do you attend?” Spencer hadn’t even realized she smoked, as she, too, began to pull out cigarettes. She had camel, though, and had also forgotten a lighter. Spencer offered her lighter and the girl puffed smoke. Spencer tightened her jaw. 

“Xavier,” she replied halfheartedly, to which the girl’s face brightened. 

“What? That’s so cool! I wanted to go there, but I heard it’s pretty difficult to get in. You have to be invited or something. How’s the campus?” 

Spencer ran her fingers through her hair, uncertain of how much information she was permitted to tell about her school. Even if the questions were quite vague, she didn’t want to risk being expelled for a rule she hadn’t even been informed on. So Spencer said, “It’s alright. I, uh, I have to get back to work…” 

The girl – Zoe – made a bit of a pouty face, her shoulders dropping as her eyes saddened. “Aw. Damn, that sucks… Well, before you go.” Grabbing her purse, Zoe pulled out an old receipt and a pencil, scrawling on what appeared to be a number. Handing it to Spencer, Zoe pulled the girl into a hug as if they’d known each other for a while, kissed her cheek, and whispered, “Call me sometime, okay?” 

Then she was gone. 

Spencer was awestruck. The rest of the day went by in a blur, and before she knew it, she was climbing into her car heading home. She wanted to tell Mila about this strange encounter (considering she was practically her only friend) but she wasn’t anywhere to be found. She figured she’d probably be in her room, but Spencer didn’t want to disturb her if she was sleeping. 

After all, this was the day before that stupid group building thing, or whatever the fuck they called it. She thought that seeing as she was over the age of eighteen, she was entitled to say no if she didn’t want to attend, but supposedly it was mandatory. Not that it mattered much to Spencer. At least Mila would be there.