| �Okay I�ve changed my mind. I�m never going out to eat with Justin ever again.� �Hey! Well, I didn�t know she owned the damn place. It�s better we�re not eating there anyway. What kind of freakish place doesn�t have wasabi?� Teresa sighed and shook her head doubtfully at Justin�s brain capacity that was obviously shrinking by the millisecond. �Well, where to now?� JC jumped up and down to warm himself up. There was a chilly November breeze in San Francisco that night. �Let�s get some coffee.� Teresa led them to a bright little Italian coffee shop down the street. They came in and were immediately relaxed by the sudden change from hurricane winds to the warm coziness of the caf�. It was fairly packed and a soft buzzing of conversations hovered lightly above them. Each of them ordered some coffee, but this time Justin didn�t ask for wasabi, and they found an empty table near the door. Luckily for them, no one else came in . �I�m still hungry,� Teresa whined, as she sipped out of a large styrofoam cup. �Hey,� JC said, warningly, �I didn�t get us kicked out. It was that -what�d she call you again, J? A pin cushion? Yeah, it was the pin cushion�s fault.� Justin patted his curly hair protectively and frowned. �It does not look like a pin cushion.� �Well, I like it,� Teresa commented, �It�s even better than �brillo pad�.� �You know what, I don�t appreciate the name �brillo pad�, either.� �I don�t see why,� JC said, thoughtfully, �It fits you well.� Justin frowned and crossed his arms. �You know it�s not very fair,� he pouted, �Just because you guys are a little older than me, you have this demented idea that you have the right to push me around. And you know what, I am nineteen-fucking-years-old and I think I desereve some respect!� He slammed his fist on the table and startled Teresa, who had pulled her knees up to her chest and had been temporarily balancing her coffee on one knee. The door opened quickly and let in a freezing blast of icy air into the caf�. Both JC and Teresa shivered and quickly sipped their coffee to re-energize the warmth flowing through their bodies. A figure in gray pants and a thick, puffy black jacket swept past them. �What the hell?� Justin grumbled, loudly. �That was really great of you to just fling the door open like that and ruin the crap out of the nice and toasty temperature in here. We were doing just fan-fucking-tastic until you came in, thank you very much.� The person turned around and looked in their direction, as if she thought someone had called out her name. She swept her eyes right over the threesome and then continued right along. Teresa�s mouth dropped open and she immediately slapped Justin upside the head. �Are you more of an idiot than I thought? She almost heard you!� �That was Julie Ruscioelli from Ruscioelli�s!� Justin hissed. JC took a sip of his coffee. �Go figure.� �She kicked us out!� he hissed again. �Like I said before,� JC continued, smartly, �It was all your fault, pin cushion.� Justin narrowed his eyes at his friend. �That was uncalled for.� Teresa rolled her eyes. They were quiet for a moment and Justin�s gaze wandered over to where Julie was. Julie was sitting alone near the center of the caf� at a small little table. All but her head was drowning inside the big black jacket that covered her and she leaned gently against her open palm. Occasionally, the large coffee cup, her only company, would meet her lips only to be placed back down across the table from her. She looked lonely and exhausted and defeated. There was a tiny, tiny, tiny whispering in the neglected area in the back of his mind where a conscience should have been located that caused Justin to feel an irregular pang of pity for this girl, but only because she was cute. �Stop staring; I know you love her.� Justin woke up from his day dreaming fest and stared idly at Teresa. �Where�s JC?� he asked, sleepily. �In the potty,� she replied, pulling her knees up to her chest and balancing her almost empty coffee cup on her knee again. �What do you mean?� �He�s in the potty? As in, he�s taking a piss?� �No I mean- you said �stop staring�.� �I meant, you were staring at the pile of black cotton and waterproof nylon over there.� ��Because I sure as hell wouldn�t be staring at you. I�d have to stab my eyes out or something.� �Hearing aids right down the Retard Aisle, J. I said you were making goo-goo eyes at Ruscioelli from across the room.� �Even more of a reason to stab my eyes out.� Teresa sighed and gulped down the rest of her lukewarm coffee. �Whatever. You like her.� �Yeah, that would glasses down the Retard Aisle, Reese,� Justin retorted. He stretched his arms apart. �This right here-� he said, wiggling his right hand, �is liking that bitch.� He wiggled his left hand. �This over here, is hating her. See that bald guy over there?� He motioned far across the room on his left side. �That�s where I am.� �You were mumbling to yourself when you were staring at her, too,� Teresa commented, as she began to pick apart the empty styrofoam cup in her hands. �You think she�s cute.� Justin�s mouth drop. �I so did not say that out loud!� Teresa shrugged and smiled. �Well, now you did.� �You did what?� JC asked, sitting down. �Justin likes Julie Ruscioelli,� Teresa told him. Imitating Justin, she added, brightly, �From Ruscioelli�s!� JC crumbled the rest of his muffin and pecked at each separate piece. �Thought so,� he remarked, wisely. Justin smacked his hands down on the table, arousing the attention of others around them. �I do not!� he hissed. �Yeah, right,� JC and Teresa mumbled together. �I do not,� Justin repeated, but more rationally this time. Teresa stood and brushed herself off. �Then you won�t mind me doing this.� Justin and JC watched in awe as Teresa weaved her way through the tables and seated herself right with Julie. �What is she doing?� Justin questioned, angrily. JC shrugged and balled up the waxed paper muffin wrapper. �The world may never know�� he said, dreamily, and then bounced the tiny ball at Justin�s head. �What are you talking about?� �Tootsie Pop ads? You know� �How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop? The world may never know�� Duh, where have you been?� �Whatever. I don�t really care about Tootsie Pop ads right now.� Justin looked over at the two girls in the center of the coffee shop and he tried vainly to read Teresa�s lips. Failing at that, he watched Julie�s face (which wasn�t too hard, since Teresa was right and he did think she was cute, though he would never admit it) for any expressions that might hint what Teresa was saying. Julie�s face remained expressionless and she listened to Teresa intently. Teresa, on the other hand, was full of expression, waving her hands wildly around and tossing her head back every five seconds. Oh, a lot of damage could be done |