Speechless(75)

                “Guess I’ll see you after school,” he says, after he realizes                     I’m just staring at him. He does this awkward mock salute thing and walks away.                     He is such a dork. It’s sort of endearing.

                I see him later at Rosie’s. When I walk through the door, he’s                     cleaning off the grill, his back to me. He glances over his shoulder when the                     bell chimes and flashes me a quick smile. I smile back, starting to approach                     him, when Asha calls my name.

                “Chelsea!” She waves me over to the booth where she’s sitting.                     “How was detention?”

                I make a face and slide into the seat across from her, pushing                     my bag aside. The hour I spent in the detention room after school seemed to                     crawl by at a torturously slow pace. I really hope Mrs. Finch gives up on this                     punishment method soon. If not, she may just break me yet.

                Asha and I sit in a booth, rolling silverware as she explains                     quadratic expressions, while Sam and Andy cook behind the counter.

                I avoid Andy as much as I can. It’s not too hard, since he                     seems to be doing his best to avoid me, too. The only time he acknowledges me is                     when he comes over to wipe off the table next to ours. His eyes meet mine for a                     fleeting second, his mouth pulling down with displeasure. He looks surprised,                     like he didn’t expect me to show my face here again.

                To be perfectly honest, I’m sort of surprised, too.

                “I got this, Andy.” Another girl, tall and curvy with a tiny                     diamond stud in her nose, comes up to him and swats him in the arm. “Get your                     ass back in the kitchen.”

                Andy rolls his eyes. “Bossy, bossy.” He tucks his rag in his                     apron pocket and heads back behind the counter.

                “Hey, Asha,” the girl says then cocks her head at me. “Who’s                     your friend?”

                “This is Chelsea,” Asha explains. “Chelsea, this is Lou. She’s                     Dex’s other half.”

                Lou laughs. “I think my official title is Head Bitch in                     Charge.” She smiles at me. “Do you want something to drink?”

                I feel myself blushing, but Asha, thank God, steps in for                     me.