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 Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2014 4:39 pm
There were many things that would set Scott Erlea off and the list seemed endless: waking up and having to deal with his sibling's shenanigans, finding out that he had misplaced his homework assignment, waking up in a rush to catch the bus only to realize it was a Saturday, missing out on breakfast, getting a list of chores to be done the moment he got home, and so on and so forth. Truth of the matter was, there were a lot of things in this world that seemed to dig deep under Scott's skin, and while that may have been a personal problem with him and his short temper, he knew that it was also equally the world's fault as well.
Today, what really seemed to piss him off was this line! He had gotten up early and had plans for the day, plans that he could not afford to put off. He had all of this paperwork to fill out and an SAT to study for, and so he had left the house early to grab a coffee, a snack, and get to the library as fast as his lanky legs could take him. All he wanted was a coffee, and it would figure that the world had it out for him as the line practically reached the door!
It blew his mind how long the line was, and even more so with how long the wait was, as he had been standing in front of it for a few minutes now and no one had moved. No one was moving, and Scott couldn't see why! He heard murmurs from a few people ahead that someone was having trouble, but he couldn't get the full details. Whatever the hold up was, his fuse was getting shorter and shorter by the second, and after the twentieth time of looking at his watch, he let out a deep groan and stepped out of line for a moment, just to lean over and see what the hold up was...
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Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2014 4:59 pm
Today had been a lucky day! A very very very VERY lucky day indeed! Why so luck? Because lady fortune decided to Marot's dirty cheek and graced him with a crinkled, wadded up five dollar bill in a pair of his not-as-dirty-as-the-other pants! What a kinda and beautiful and generous person lady fortune was! And that was a sign! For everything was paid off for ONCE (except the water bill, who needs water! Water bill can wait until next payday!) and he had groceries in his house, so that means that this could be spent right away without so much guilt! Not that there was ever any real guilt in the first place. Nope, not at all! Sadly, none of his friends were around today, he was going to treat someone to a snack or something. But no worries! No worries at all! He could treat himself!
If only life wanted to be so kind the entire day.
Here he stood at the front of a line at a local coffee shop, with a muffin and an order for a small smoothie because coffee is so gross, so very gross, nasty stuff it was! But the last time he ordered this, it was just four dollars for the giant yummy chocolate muffin and the teeny weeny little bit of water and fruit. When did the prices get so high? Oh no.. Oh no no no! He couldn't but the muffin away! No, he couldn't, because he touched it. No one wants stuff back after he touched it! People never wanted his stuff after he touched it! They said he was gross, and that was okay, he knew he was gross, but STINK IS BEAUTY. No, not really, it was just stink, and he knew about the water thing and.. No. No no.
Fine, fine, okay, he'd just cancel the smoothie then. No biggie. He liked muffins and water just fine! BUT IT WAS THERE! Right there, on the counter, had he really taken so long to contemplate what to do that the smoothie could have already been made! It wasn't fair, it wasn't fair!!
Placing the raggedy five on the counter, he began to search the pockets of his worn out coat, not really caring about the people behind him, only about the fact that he was going to be seen as dishonest! He was never dishonest! He was good boy, Marot was a good person, he swore! But today just wasn't his day. Lady luck wasn't a nice person, no, she was the BIGGEST douchenozzle!
"I.. I can pay, I swear." He muttered to the poor barista, who seemed to be feeling his anxiety about the entire situation. Damn all these pockets! It just wasn't fair!
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Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2014 5:19 pm
From where Scott was in line, entire body out of it and a single foot within as though that should have been enough to keep his spot, he could clearly see what the problem was now, or at least he thought he could. There, at the front of the line, was what he figured was a young man, dressed in some rather drab attire and by his appearance Scott was grateful that he wasn't that much closer to him as he was certain that he would have smelled fairly stinky (he assumed this as the person directly behind him left a good space in between them and that seemed just a good a reason as any in Scott's mind.) On the counter was a bottle of water and muffin, and behind the counter were obviously disgruntled employees, seemingly distressed that they could not get this guy out of their store, and the way he was digging around his pockets brought Scott to the unmistakable conclusion that he didn't have enough to pay for his purchase.
What Scott didn't know what what the Barista and other employees said to him, nor how flustered the poor guy really was, but he didn't need to have been present for that to have a good idea of what the poor guy must have been going through. Scott experienced his fair share of public shame himself and more often then not he was the champion of public humiliation. The very definition of it! Yes, he could only imagine what the poor guy must have been going through, but he also realized that more time spent pitying the guy was more time for him to wallow in the rage of his studying being delayed.
What good did pity do in this kind of situation? Scott could think of none, and it seemed like there was only one possible solution for this problem, one that no one else seemed willing to take right now. He let out a sigh, maybe a little louder than he meant, and he pulled himself completely out of line now, knowing that he'd have to go all the way to the back when this fiasco was over, as he stormed to the front. He tried not to look at the silver-haired man, keeping his gaze on the barista and hoping he didn't gag as he drew close to the counter. "How much is his purchase? I think I can cover it, if that's okay?"
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Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2014 5:46 pm
"He's two dollars short." The barista glared at the man who still was raking though his pockets, coming up with a penny here and a nickle there.
And then the young blonde man stepped forward.
Who was this... This Magnificent boy who had aided him so?! How kind he was! How sweet and handsome the boy was! A little knight in this infinite cosmos of people who didn't want to help. Not that he wanted help! He could have been fine! Marot was a responsible adult, except for this moment. He couldn't just rush away though! That was rude, so very rude! Instead, he lingered there, with his paid for muffin and hastily shoved at smoothie.
He needed to thank this young man. but he knew, from the look on his face, he was not really wanted, was he. But he would stay! He wanted to stay.
"Thank you so much, You are amazing, thank you! How can I pay you back?"
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Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2014 6:16 pm
Two dollars? He was two dollars short? Scott had hoped that the barista couldn't see the building fury in his green eyes though he was certain that the way his lip twitched would have given her an idea of just how much he wanted to scream at that given moment. That's why the line was so long? Because he was two dollars short? Did no one else in line have two dollars to spare? It almost disgusted him to the point he wanted to whirl around and scream at them all for being so selfish as not a single one of them could have spared change between all of them, but somehow, just somehow, he managed to bite his tongue and keep these bitter thoughts locked away inside. Perhaps it was Penelope's influence, but what was two dollars in the grand scheme of things. So long as it kept the line moving and he got his coffee.
"Yeah, I got two dollars for him!" Scott said, realizing that the smell that was resonating from the other customer wasn't nearly as wretched as the person behind them made it out to be, and perhaps it was that, as well as Marot's explosion of gratitude, that made this altercation much more easier to swallow for the agitated young adult. He pulled the cash out of his wallet and all but slammed it onto the counter, loudly, as though to be making a statement to not only the employees at the coffee shop but the line of people behind them. "Here you go. Let him keep the change, too. I don't need it."
He was certain there'd be some negative repercussions to his actions, either it be pissing off the employees, the people behind him, or even the guy he was trying to help, but he'd take it. All he wanted was to get some coffee and get to studying- surely no one could blame him! Yet, Marot's expression of gratitude did a great job of warming his heart, almost making him forget about his troubles for a moment, and just like that, the natural and more awkward side of Scott shown through, as he shook his head and tried to explain. "I'm... I'm not really amazing, just... you looked like you really wanted that muffin. And I wanna help whenever I can, you know? You don't have to pay me back, okay?"
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Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2014 6:49 pm
It was obvious that the barista wanted him out. He wanted to get out. There were no friends here, not except for that sweet boy who had helped him out. A lovely lovely friend indeed, but he was not welcomed here. They were shooing him away with their eyes, which wasn't something new. But this time, he was bothered by it, for not only was he getting the looks, but so was his friend. He couldn't keep those looks directed against the kid. It was wrong.
"Well, thank you so much anyway! You are amazing, and perfect, and I hope you have a wonderful day!" That was okay. Lady luck was still very sweet to him. She was nice enough to bless him with this friend. And maybe she would allow him to see the friend again. It wasn't that big of a city though, right? Surely again, once again, they would meet, and she'll actually allow him to learn the young man's name.
Marot scurried out of the store without a second though, merrily biting into his gifted muffin. There must be someone out there looking out for him!
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Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2014 7:26 pm
For all of his anger from the ordeal, there was something oddly fulfilling about helping someone else out, and Scott couldn't help but flash the man a genuine smile at his gratitude. Maybe it was also the praise that came with it that softened him up, and Scott hoped that he didn't blush too much from such an onslaught. That would have made things weird for the both of them, and everyone else in the coffee shop, for that matter. He did manage speak up without stuttering, and that was certainly a relief in the grand scheme of things. "It's no problem, really. Enjoy your muffin!"
Seeing him smile and scurry away with his food was enough to put Scott into a better mood, and though it didn't seem like much, Scott swore he could feel a weight being lifted from his shoulders. Maybe that's what he was missing? Maybe he just needed to help others out more, see the bigger picture and look beyond the SAT and his other troubles? Perhaps there was still hope for him, even after the things he had done for the Nega-
"Hey, you going to order your drink or what?!"
And just like that, the mood was ruined. The person that had been keeping his distance from Marot shouted at him and shot him a fierce glance, forcing Scott to remember where he was, and without arguing or snapping back, he turned around and made his own order. While he was rudely snapped at, he was letting him cut the line, perhaps as penance for his good deed, and Scott wasn't going to squander that chance. "Tall mocha, with extra whip cream, please?"
Perhaps it wasn't much, but it was something... and for Scott, this small ray of hope was all he needed for the rest of the day.
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