We’re interrupted by the server who’s finally returned with my club soda and a plastic glass filled with ice, which I’m thankful for, since I don’t want to admit I don’t know the band. Our server’s gaze settles on Cosy, and her eyes flare with recognition. “Oh hey, girl! I haven’t seen you in forever. I thought you were out in Boulder!”
Cosy pops out of her seat to hug the girl. I’m right about her shorts—when she stretches up, there’s a good inch of cheek that peeks out of the bottom. “I was. Came back a couple of months ago because I need to finish up this degree and put it to use.”
“You’ve been on and off in that program since we graduated high school.”
“I know, right? This is my last semester, though.”
“Then you can get out of here for good, not just a couple months at a time.”
“That’s the plan once this semester is done.”
“Wanna take me with you? This place sure gets old.” Her gaze darts to me and then back to Cosy questioningly.
“Oh, Griffin, this is Debbie, we went to high school together. Debbie, this is Griffin.”
She doesn’t provide any further details, possibly because our introduction was rather unconventional and she doesn’t know much about me. It’s also on the tip of my tongue to ask what year they graduated high school, but I figure waiting until Debbie is gone to glean that information is smarter.
“Hey.” Debbie gives me a nod. A ding comes from the kitchen behind us, and she glances over her shoulder as the cook slides plates onto the counter. “Do you want your usual?”
“Definitely,” Cosy says.
“’Kay, I’ll put that in and come back to take the rest of your order.” Debbie flounces off again, ponytail swinging.
“What’s your usual?” I ask.
“The creamsicle float.” She taps the extensive list of float and milkshake options on the menu. “I’ve tried a few of the other ones, but none of them are as good, at least in my opinion. What’re you drinking?”
“Club soda.”
She wrinkles her nose.
“You don’t approve?”
She shrugs. “It’s carbonated water, not very riveting, but if that’s what you like, go for it.”
Debbie returns with the float much faster than she did my club soda. “You two ready to order?”
“I’ll take the double cheeseburger, loaded, extra onions, and a side of onion rings.” Cosy looks to me, possibly waiting for my reaction to her seriously non-date-friendly meal.
“Nice choice.” I order a burger and fries, hold the onions.
Once we’re alone again, I start asking first-date-friendly questions. “So other than a concert, what were you in Colorado for?” I ask.
“I spent a couple months working there.” Cosy kicks off her heels and stretches out her legs, her yellow-painted toes curling around the edge of the seat beside my knee. There are lines on the top of her feet from the straps, which tells me she’s either been wearing them for a while or they don’t fit that well.
“Oh really? Doing what?”
“I had a job working at the Red Rock Amphitheatre, mostly so I could see all the concerts for free.” Her voice has a low and smoky quality, as if she’s spent all day talking over other people.
“That sounds like fun.”
She crosses one foot over the other, toes brushing against my leg. I can’t quite figure out if it’s meant to be flirty or she’s just this casual.
“It was. That venue is amazing and beautiful. I get restless when I’m in one place for too long, so I usually take a semester of courses, then take whatever I can online so I can travel for a few months before I come back and take more courses. It means I’ve delayed finishing the program a bit, but I don’t mind.” She stirs her drink, swirling the ice cream and soda together. “I don’t always think the straight path is necessarily the best one, you know?”
“How do you mean?”
“There seem to be these unwritten life rules that everyone follows. At least that’s been my observation. At the end of high school, we’re asked to choose this one thing we think we might want to do for the rest of our lives before we’ve even had a chance to experience anything independently. If we’re lucky and we can afford it, we go to college, get a job that we’re supposed to love for the next four decades, get married, have 2.1 kids, potentially devote our entire existence to their personal development, get guilted into buying a dog, and then go on a vacation a couple of times a year to escape the monotony. It all seems kind of backward to me. I want some of those experiences now, so I can frame my career path and the rest of my choices with something other than starry-eyed hope.”
“That’s an interesting way to look at it.” And smart. She’s right, most of us follow the path we’re told to because it’s what everyone expects.