Cira was in the middle of her shift at Ellie's Cafe when Astrid walked in. The girl's hazel eyes flicked up to meet Cira's own pale blue ones. Cira felt a flush rise to her cheeks as she broke the stare. "Hi," Astrid said, leaning against the cashier counter.

"Hello," Cira grumbled. "What can I get for you?"

Astrid took a long look at the assortment of pastries and then the coffee menu, shoving her hands into the pockets of her jeans. She grinned wickedly. "What's the most difficult thing for you to make?"

Cira pressed her eyes closed, willing herself not to smack Astrid in the face. "An espresso," Cira lied after she had regained her composure.

Astrid raised her eyebrows. "I'm not stupid, you know."

"Sure seems like you are," Cira snapped before thinking better of it. Tori (the manager) shot her an alarmed look from the corner.

Astrid just let out one of her low laughs. Her eyes caught on the empty platter that was usually filled with cookies. Cira groaned internally. "I'll have a dozen cookies and a coffee please." Astrid's eyes glittered with laughter.

"Fuck you," Cira hissed, turning around to grab an empty pan to make cookies in.

"You'd like that," Astrid replied with a smirk.

Cira was this close to punching her in the face. "I'm straight," Cira said shortly. She strode into the kitchen, stopping dead when the door squeaked open behind her.

"I've been known to turn straight girls gay," Astrid drawled, glancing around the room before taking a seat on the only table not covered in flour.

Cira glared at her, setting her hands on her hips. "Get out of the kitchen."

"Make me," Astrid said, raising her eyebrows in a challenge.

In the end, Cira could not make her. She set to work, fuming, under Astrid's watchful eye. "You know," Astrid said, half an hour in, "I think I might get a job here just to annoy you."

"Why are you such a bitch?" Cira asked, her temper flaring up as she spun around. "What's your fucking problem?"

Astrid grinned. "You're cuter when you're mad."

Cira flipped her the finger. "Yoohoo," a familiar voice called from inside the cafe. "Anyone home?"

"Shit," Cira swore, dusting some of the flour off of her hands. She ran back to her cashier post. "Hey," she said casually to the boy on the other side of the counter, though it was difficult to maintain an air of cool nonchalance when she was covered in flour, talking to her crush, and being trailed by an insanely attractive lesbian.

"Hi," Jai replied, leaning against the counter in the same way that Astrid had. His dark curls had been tousled by the October breeze, and his light blue t-shirt clung to his toned, brown skin in all the right places. "Who's this?" He jerked his head at Astrid.

Astrid crossed her arms over her chest. "I could ask the same of you," she replied, a teasing smirk curling her lips up.

"I'm Jai," Jai answered with a disarming smile. "You?"

"Astrid," Astrid said.

"Are you new or something like that?" Jai asked, fixing her with his intense, chocolate gaze.

"Something like that," Astrid agreed.

"Um," Cira said, since she had been standing awkwardly behind the counter during this exchange. "I'm going to go finish the cookies."

"Can I have a latte when you're done?" Jai called as she quickly made her way through the kitchen doors.

"Sure," Cira called back. She took a breath as soon as the doors swung shut. Astrid and Jai were laughing now on the other side of the door. Just her luck, Cira thought to herself. She had been hung up on Jai for as long as she could remember. Most girls were, in all fairness, and it wasn't hard to see why. He was undoubtedly gorgeous, and smart on top of that, not to mention a pretty nice person. His family was definitely on the richer side of things, but he was never a dick about it. Cira could respect that.

When she returned to the cafe from making the cookies, both Jai and Astrid had disappeared. Cira heaved a sigh, sitting down on the counter and picking up one of the chocolate chip cookies. Tori walked up, her break finally over, and grabbed a cookie herself, taking a bite. "Wow," Tori said through a mouthful of cookie. "These are really good."

"Mmm," Cira hummed in agreement, munching on her own. "Do you know where Jai and Astrid went?" she asked after a moment.

Tori shook her head. "They left together a while ago."

Cira rolled her eyes. "Astrid ordered all these cookies."

Tori laughed. "What's your guys's deal?" she asked. "You were pretty rude to her when she came in."

"She's kind of annoying," Cira replied. "And rude."

"Like you?" Tori teased.

Cira swatted at her. "What're you talking about? I'm the nicest ever."

"Sure you are," Tori grinned. She grabbed the tray, sliding the remaining cookies onto the white cookie platter. "Well I'm off," Tori informed Cira, hanging her apron on a hook. "I've got work until seven thirty today." Tori made a face.

Cira smiled. "See you," she waved.

"Bye," Tori said, the bell above the door jingling as she walked outside. After a while, it seemed apparent that nobody was going to walk into Ellie's anytime soon. Cira sat down in a corner, pulling out her notebook, and began to scribble into it. This particular notebook was filled with mindless musings and plans, ideas for when she finally got a job at the local newspaper, bits of prose and poetry. She was so engrossed in her work that she barely noticed as the door swung open and Minnie walked in.

"Hey," Minnie said wearily, plopping down across from Cira and pulling out her laptop. The back was decorated with anime stickers, most of which Minnie had drawn herself.

"Hi," Cira replied, scratching out a line of a poem and writing in another.

"Whatcha working on?" Minnie asked, peering over the top of the notebook.

Cira shut it with a snap. Nobody got to see this notebook but her. "Just some homework," Cira lied.

"Nice," Minnie replied. "You know," Minnie said slowly after a moment, "we're, like, two months into the school year, and I still haven't found a new crush."

Cira snorted. "Why do you want one? Crushes are a pain in the ass." Cira would know. Her crush on Jai was probably the most debilitating facet of her existence. Whenever she was around him, she ended up making a fool of herself. At the school talent show in ninth grade, for example, she had tripped over her own shoe and fallen on her face in front of everyone. That had been absolutely mortifying. Cira had managed to avoid him (for the most part) for a year. Then she and Jai had been lab partners for chemistry last year. It was safe to say that the only chemistry between them had been the about-to-explode vial on their desk (spoiler: it exploded). As if to add insult to injury, Jai always happened to be in more than two of her classes. By now, they had a sort of easy acquaintanceship, and Cira was long past hoping for more than that.

"What do you think about Jeremy?" Minnie asked abruptly, cheeks pinking just enough that Cira noticed.

Cira's jaw dropped. "Oh. My. God."

"What?" Minnie sounded nervous. She fiddled with a string on her sleeve. "I was just asking. You know what, never mind."

"You like Jeremy?" Cira gaped.

"I never said that!" Minnie protested, her cheeks fiery as an over-dyed Hot Cheeto.

"You're interested in Jeremy?" Cira corrected herself.

"I-- Well--" Minnie spluttered.

"No. Fucking. Way," Cira said, her voice hushed. "I did not see that one coming."

Minnie crossed her arms over her chest with a huff. "He's cute!"

"Yeah, but he's, like, our brother," Cira pointed out.

"Maybe yours but never mine," Minnie said with a firm shake of the head. "I was always closer with you."

Cira groaned as the reality of the situation dawned on her. "If you and Jeremy get together, I'm going to be third-wheeling for life!"

Minnie loosed a laugh at this. "He doesn't even like me."

"How do you know that?" Cira asked skeptically.

"I just have a feeling," Minnie said vaguely. "Whatever. I don't think I'll like him. It's too weird."

Cira studied her for a moment. "If you like him, that's cool. You guys would be kind of perfect for each other."

A crooked grin spread across Minnie's lips. "Now we've just gotta find someone for you."

Cira rolled her eyes. "You know I like Jai."

Minnie heaved a sigh. "When are you going to get over him? Or at least do something about it? I mean, you've liked him for years."

"What's wrong with that?" Cira asked.

Minnie only raised her eyebrows. "How about Astrid? She seems overly interested in you."

"I'm straight," Cira replied stiffly, though she was becoming less and less sure of the fact every time she caught a glimpse of Astrid's infuriating smirk.

Minnie shrugged. "Okay."

"Do you really think she's overly interested in me?" Cira questioned after a beat.

Minnie stared at her for a long moment. "I really don't know."

"We got paired up for journalism," Cira told her.

"Ooh!" Minnie wiggled her eyebrows. "You'll be spending a lot of time together."

"We're just classmates," Cira said.

"For now."

As Cira's eyes fluttered closed that night, she let herself think about it. Would it be so bad to fall in love with a girl? No. Would it be so bad to fall in love with Astrid? Yes. But if Cira fell, she was determined to make Astrid fall with her. Maybe October would be more fun than she had originally thought.

✮

"Here are your assignments for November's issue," Ms. Melda announced, passing around sheets of paper. "I want your pieces in by the twenty-seventh. That means writing and photography," Ms. Melda said, shooting a pointed look at a pair of students who were often behind when it came to deadlines.

"What did we get?" Astrid asked, glancing over Cira's shoulder at the paper she was holding.

Cira blew out a breath. "We have to write a piece on the October scene here."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Astrid asked, frowning.

Ms. Melda walked over, beaming at Cira. "You finally got the feature story you wanted!"

"Yeah," Cira said with a smile. The joy at the success was somewhat dampened by Astrid, who cleared her throat loudly as though reminding Cira that there wasn't much to be happy about, since Cira had to spend the entire month gallivanting around town with the girl.

"What the fuck are we supposed to do for this?" Astrid asked.

"You're supposed to participate in some local activities," Ms. Melda waved a hand vaguely. "Create a comprehensive summary of the events that happen, or that are offered, this month. A recap of October, per say."

Astrid appeared unenthused. "I have to spend the entire month with her?" she jerked a thumb at Cira. Jeez, she was so bipolar. One day she was flirty, the next she was a total asshole. The thought crossed Cira's mind briefly that, while she had been somewhat flirty, Astrid had still been an asshole. At least she was consistent.

"Yes, unless there's some other way you plan to get the pictures and write the article," Ms. Melda said, gaze flicking between them.

Astrid was silent. Ms. Melda walked away. "Well there goes my October," Astrid sighed.

"I'm just as annoyed about this as you are," Cira reminded her. "We've gotta get the job done, though."

Astrid nodded after a beat. "I don't know this area. Make a list of places we should go," Astrid instructed, standing up. "Phone number?" she asked, taking out her phone and handing it to Cira. Cira typed it in. "I'll text you." With that, Astrid strode out of the classroom. Ms. Melda shot a confused look at Cira, who shrugged.

For the remainder of the period, Cira jotted down ideas as to events they could attend and places they could visit. She did her best to keep them to a very autumn theme (pumpkin patches, tree-filled parks, coffee shops, etc.). "Where did Astrid go?" Ms. Melda asked Cira as the bell rang.

"Oh, um, she's doing something for our writing assignment," Cira covered for the other girl. Shit. Why was she lying for Astrid? It had happened instinctively.

Ms. Melda gave a kind smile. "Okay. See you tomorrow!"

"Bye," Cira replied, scurrying out the door.

✮

Cira lounged casually behind the counter after school, scrolling through Instagram. She still hadn't received a text from Astrid, despite it having been a good six hours since they saw each other last. The bell tinkled, and Jai walked into the otherwise-empty cafe, a crowd of students from Madison Miller High at his heels. Cira noticed, with a spark of frustration, that Astrid was part of the group. It was mostly composed of football players, a few soccer and basketball boys sprinkled in. Cira wanted to stab something. If this was Astrid's new friend group, Cira was going to jump off of a building. Most of them were annoying and rude (Astrid would fit right in, Cira thought to herself) and Cira cared little for the lot of them. That is, the lot of them except Jai. He was currently staring at her with those dark eyes, a smile on his face. "Hey," Jai greeted her.

"Hi," Cira said, looking up finally as though she had been so engrossed in her exciting Instagram life that she hadn't noticed the group come in. "What can I get you guys?"

Jai did a head count under his breath. "Thirteen coffees."

"Thirteen coffees coming right up," Cira chirped, rushing off towards the coffee machine.

Jai leaned against the cashier counter as the group took seats at various tables. "You should come to the party on Friday night," he suggested.

"Party?" Cira echoed. She rarely attended parties. Then again, she had never been invited to one by Jai before.

"Yeah," Jai said, eyes scanning his friends as they situated themselves around the room. "Tara's best friend is turning seventeen, so we're throwing this massive birthday bash." Tara, Cira knew, was Jai's twin sister. She had the same brown skin as Jai, and dark curls that spiraled down her back. Cira knew Tara's best friend, Melody Chue, as well. She was (to put it lightly) Minnie's worst enemy, for some unknown reason. Minnie claimed it had something to do with an incident at their Korean church, but she had refused to divulge further information.

"That's cool," Cira said, pleased with her casualness.

"Yep," Jai agreed with a nod. Cira set down six of the coffees on the counter, walking back to the coffee machine to grab the other seven. "It's at my place. You know where that is, right?" Cira nodded slowly. Pretty much everybody knew where Jai's house was. Jai fished out a fifty dollar bill, then finger-gunned awkwardly at Cira as his friends walked up, grabbing a cup of coffee each. "See ya."

"Wait," Cira said as he turned to leave. "This is too much." She pulled ten dollars out of the register, attempting to hand the bill to him.
Jai chuckled. "Keep the change." The group of boys (and Astrid) filed out of the coffee shop. Astrid herself was the last to leave, tossing a roguish wink at Cira as she went. Cira felt her face heat slightly. Astrid smirked. The door swung shut behind her, bell jingling slightly.

A few hours of writing and homework later, it was time to head back. Cira trudged to her car, checking her phone for a text from Astrid. Nothing. Slamming the door of her Corolla, Cira scowled as she started the car and began to drive. The cup of half-finished latte that she had brought with her slid dangerously on the center console where Cira had balanced it upon getting into the vehicle. She grabbed it with one hand, taking a long sip before setting it down in the cupholder and putting on a playlist.

✮

The following day passed without consequence. Astrid still hadn't texted Cira, and she had apparently decided not to show up to school that day. Complete. Utter. Total. Fucking. Asshole, Cira was thinking to herself as she stabbed at a croissant in Ellie's Cafe after school. Her shift hadn't started quite yet, and she had taken the liberty of grabbing a croissant before settling down in a chair.

They had a deadline to keep to, Cira remembered, October 27th. Cira had jotted down about ten ideas for places they could visit, but the events were dispersed throughout the month. For example, if they missed the traveling fair on the weekend that it was in town, they wouldn't be able to attend at all. Cira had considered getting Astrid's information from the office, but she highly doubted they would give it to her. As though summoned by her thoughts, the door swung open and a red-cheeked Astrid walked in. Cira was getting the idea that daily visits to the coffee shop were becoming Astrid's thing.

"Hi," she said, plopping down across from Cira.

"You didn't text me," Cira said accusingly.

"Apologies," Astrid smirked. "Were you really waiting for a text?"

Cira sniffed. She had forgotten how intolerable Astrid could be. "No. We need to get started on our journalism work, though."

Astrid nodded. She pulled out her phone and unlocked it, typing something into the screen. Cira's phone buzzed where it sat on the table. "Now you have my number. Happy?"

Cira rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"Are you coming to the party tonight?" Astrid asked.

"The party?" Cira repeated.

"Yeah. Tara's party," Astrid said, raising her eyebrows as though she was annoyed that she had to specify.

"Are you going?" Cira asked.

Astrid grimaced. "That depends on whether or not you're going. I'd rather not ruin my Friday night by being around you."

Cira glared at her. "Fuck off."

"No can do," Astrid grinned cheekily. "We're journalism partners, remember?"

"Sadly, I don't suffer from amnesia," Cira muttered.

Astrid snickered. "I'm just as annoyed about this as you are," Astrid said mockingly.

"I'm not going to the party," Cira said suddenly. "I'll text you about when we should meet for our first October event." She stood up, tossing the remainder of her croissant in the trash and stalking out of the cafe. Of course, Cira had walked right back in a few minutes later, remembering her shift. Astrid, who hadn't moved in this time, smirked at her. Cira flipped her the middle finger.

Astrid stood up as Cira put on her apron, stretching her arms over her head. She was wearing a black leather jacket today. The hem of the vintage t-shirt that was under it raised slightly, allowing Cira a peek at smooth, cream-colored skin. Cira averted her eyes quickly, dropping them to the Doc Martins on Astrid's feet. Astrid gave a cat-like yawn, walking towards the door. "Good bye, Weston."

"Good riddance," Cira snapped under her breath as Astrid walked away. Astrid's hazel eyes caught hers through the glass windows that made up the front of Ellie's, and Astrid grinned crookedly. Cira swore her heart rate increased tenfold. But that was crazy... Right?

---

hi lol :) i finally decided to get off of my ass and publish another chapter :)

what did you think? advice?

i'm gonna submit this book to the onc thingy ASAP so i don't forget/miss the deadline haha

xx,
scarlett