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Yvette needed a pick-me-up.

Her life was relatively lackluster lately due to her situation. She went to high school, despite not wanting to be there anymore due to her age. Immediately after school, she had to go to the mall to work a 5 hour long shift in Elizabeth's Secrets. Then after that, she had to go home on the bus and work on homework until she practically passed out from exhaustion at her work desk.

In all honesty, her shoulders were aching like crazy these days due to sleeping in such an awkward place each night. Each morning when she was moping in her first class of the day, she couldn't help but wish that she could weasel a shoulder rub out of someone like how some girls were able to do with the flutter of their eyelashes. It was mind boggling how the popular girls could manage such a feat and not feel absolutely embarrassed about it.

Everyday on her walk to the Elizabeth's Secrets store, the small adult had to walk past the Ice Cream Parlor. Every night when she left work, she had to pass the Ice Cream Parlor. Every time she passed, the dark haired girl couldn't help but crave something sweet and cold.

Today was the day! She had managed to save herself 5 spare dollars from one of her paychecks. Maybe it was a bit greedy of her, but considering all of the icky things in her life at the moment, she was entitled to spoiling herself a little.

Even if her conscious was nagging her slightly in the back of her head.

Once her shift was over, the girl slipped into the ice cream parlor, hoping the line wouldn't be too long.

I don't want to be late getting home... Daddy would worry, and that was the last thing she wanted to do.

Thank goodness the line was short. The dark-haired girl could let out a sigh of relief.

If there was any sort of person in existence that didn't make Yvette feel small, it was when she was around a child. So when the little girl in front of her waved and smiled, there was no sudden burst of embarrassment coloring her cheeks. No, for a moment, Yvette didn't seem to react, thinking that perhaps the child was waving to another person who was outside. However, when those golden eyes didn't seem to falter from Yvette's face, the young adult seemed to wonder.

Her own purple eyes glanced to the side and looked behind her. There was nobody there. Turning back, she pointed to herself and mouthed to the child "Do you mean me?"

When she got the signal that it was indeed her that the girl had been waving at, she lifted her hand to about chest level and wiggled some of her own fingers in a shy wave. Her tiny mouth curved into a smile suiting for her lips, which was equally as small.

Apparently this was not satisfactory to just wave and smile for the girl. Oh no, the little girl's arms boldly gestured for Yvette to come closer. Seeing no harm in it, the girl eased herself forward so she could be closer.

"Uh..." Deep purple eyes blinked at the request. Yvette was the sort who knew what sort of ice cream she wanted when she got into line for the frozen treat. If the place had Cake Batter, then she'd get cake batter. If not, then she usually got plain Vanilla. Though she did have to be careful and ask if the ice cream was remotely close to the strawberry ones in storage.

She could never be too careful.

"...um... wh-what sort of flavors do you like?" That was always a good place to start. In addition, she added quietly "Or, are there any you do not like?"

Yvette's head bobbled up and down, nodding with each thing the child listed. Eventually, when all was said and done, she leaned forward so she was closer to the child's height. It wasn't much leaning, since she was already so short.

"Do you have any food allergies? That is always something a bit tricky with trying new things is avoiding any food allergies." She offered a smile after offering her two cents of advice. However, she had to add her third cent in as well.

"I usually stick with what I know and like."

Yvette's head rattled from side to side.

"Uh... I d-don't really know... I would need a friend to try it... or even a list of ingredients..." Her cheeks seemed to grow rosy at such simple prompting. It was the infamous burden of being allergic to such a relatively common ingredient in foods.

Sure, strawberries weren't nearly as bad as being allergic to wheat, nuts or dairy, but they still required Yvette to be extra careful. Foreign food flavors that didn't list the ingredients were a potential hazard that could require a shot from her Epi-pen.

Epi-pens were never fun. "I usually stick with Cake Batter, because I like how sweet it is!"

This girl was more clever than she let on. Or, maybe she was just normal and Yvette really failed at trying to keep her ailments a secret. Either way, it was a good reason for her cheeks to be rosy.

"Oh um... I... I'm allergic to strawberries..." She hadn't always been allergic to strawberries. In fact, she used to eat strawberry shortcake all the time when she was much younger. However, she had overdone it to the point of aggravating her body where there was no recovery.

She offered a smile and explained the situation a little more. "It means that I can't eat strawberries... but if I accidentally eat any, then I have to give myself a shot in the leg, like how the doctor sometimes gives shots in the arm. I don't like shots very much, so I just do my best to not eat Strawberries." The dark-haired girl couldn't imagine anybody who enjoyed shots.

"...i-if you want... I am sure I could get someone to tell us the flavor if anybody gives you a hard time..." One of the few things she had learned as a result of her food allergy was that legally, a company needed to be able to supply her an ingredients list. That way, she could avoid even the smallest hint of strawberry. Other people who had nut, dairy, or wheat allergies usually had an easier time though.

Dumbly, the adult asked "Our turn?" It was the little girl's turn, not Yvette's. At least, Yvette seemed to think their transactions were going to be separate. Had her promise to assist the child if she had any problems suddenly turned to her being in the same sales transaction?!

Her lips made a momentary frown, since she knew she didn't have the money for two ice creams. Only enough for one, and Yvette needed it more than the child.

"N-no... it is almost your turn..." Had she even gotten a name yet for the child? No, probably not. "Um... i-if you need any help, you can ask me, b-but otherwise, you can order on your own."

Yvette messed up again. She knew it. The little girl shouldn't have apologized to her. She hadn't done anything wrong. Cautiously, the dark-haired girl edged forward a bit.

"Uh... um... excuse me..."

Having such a naturally quiet voice was horrible at times. The man behind the counter was so involved with the little girl's order, he couldn't hear her. Or maybe he had heard her and decided to ignore her since it wasn't her turn quite yet. Regardless, Yvette tried to get his attention once more.

"E-excuse me... I... I had a question..."

She still went ignored. With a tiny frown, she waited for her turn.