Mornings in the coffee shop were the best; the people were sweet, the aromas even sweeter. The smell of freshly ground coffee was a gift from heaven, roaming the low lit cafe with the intention of bringing happiness. Yes, freshly ground coffee was that powerful. My fingers cupped the glossy white mug in front of me, tempting coffee scents wafting up to tease my taste buds. I wanted to take a sip, but it was too hot.

" So your grandmother has to move to a nursing home up here? You'll have to go all the way through the country just to get her, and the drive back.... the gas will kill your wallet." Chasity chimed, her sweet chocolate hair up in a french braid, wide honey colored eyes lined by a set of soft thick lashes, " How are you gonna do it?"

I shook my head, " I don't know yet, Chas, but I will."

" Are you doing this for your mom?" She asked, heading bowing towards me as her voice dropped a level. She acted as if it was some dirty secret - it wasn't.

I watched her, glaring, " No, I'm doing this for me."

The girl nodded, wiping her hands on a cream colored rag as she leaned away from the counter. A small sigh slipped past her plush, light pink lips, " You know, Carter, if you really wanted to do something for you, you'd go to college, learn something. Do something great for the world."

I rolled my eyes, moving to stand and walk way from the conversation. I had heard her side of the battle before: I needed to do something with my life, become something other than a house rat that delivered newspapers and made subway sandwiches during the evening hours, " that would be for the world, not for me." Sarcasm was dripping off my tongue.

I attempted a sip at my too-hot coffee, nearly dropping the mug after burning my tongue. Heated coffee sloshed over the sides of my cup, splashing caramel puddles onto the white marble. Chasity threw her rag down on the mess. I leaned over and swiped a rag from two seats down, balling it up and pressing it to the stains, " stop dreaming," I started, " going to college is a waste of my time. I don't know my interests, what my major would be, and halfway through I'd find out I hate whatever it is I ended up studying in."

" I'm just saying." She shrugged, innocently, " you have a lot of potential." She offered a smile, ducking her chin slightly and averting her eyes to the spill.

I fell back into my chair, one hand moving to hold my steaming mug. The porcelain stung my skin, " Sorry Chas, it's not happening." College and I, we didn't mix. While other people found themselves through books and football and sometimes chess matches in the late afternoon sun, under a shady oak tree with acorns popping the earth, I was drawing in a sketch pad behind the high school, eyebrows creased in dense concentration.

She nodded, chewing her lower lip. Her doe-like eyes flicked up to look at me, irises focused through a set of long upper lashes, " how are you going to get there, and pay for all the gas?" She knew me better than to assume I would buy a ticket. Trains and planes weren't on my list of automobile services I'd like to use one day.

" Haven't gotten that far." I focused on my mug, refraining from attempting another sip. I rolled my lower jaw, thought through my limited options.

" I'll drive you."

Simultaneously, Chasity and I turned as Nicholas Arson slipped into the seat to my left. A scowl bent the corner of my lips to the floor, " I'm surprised you have a license."

He smiled, the right corner of his mouth tilting up just that much more than the other, " Angel please, I could drive nascar." The mocking lilt in his tone made me want to smack him. I refrained; hitting his cold cheek would erase the effect of the warm mug on my soft palm.

I huffed, " Across country? With you?"

" You know you want to." He winked. Charming.

" I'd rather die, pretty boy." I hummed, turning my stool to face Chasity. Nick was wasting my time. Where I needed a plan, Nick was proposing a catastrophe. His timing was uncanny.

He pressed a hand to his heart, loosely, still mocking me, " That hurts Angel, it really does."

I rolled my eyes. Nick could have possibly been the person I hated most in the world. It wasn't his appearance: the six foot type, with the dark (black, but dark sounds better) hair, the foggy grey eyes, and the faintly tanned skin. He was one of those people. Beautiful on the outside, ugly on the inside. Kind of like an avocado, except avocados weren't really all that beautiful to start out with. The problem was that I had lived next to Nick for roughly two years, and not once has he called me Carter. It was always Angel with him. And through the entirely of those roughly two years, he's continuously blasted old rock music, worn cruddy batman beanies, and raped the leather of his combat boots. Speaking of which:, " I'm surprised those don't have holes in them." I flicked my gaze down to his shows, briefly, before looking back at his face.

" Give me a chance, Angel." Avoiding the boots. And applying a crooked smile.

I shrugged him off, not interested in his shenanigans, " maybe when you lace your boots up all the way I'll consider it." It wasn't a realistic bargain. Nick hadn't laced his boots properly in the last two years I'd known him. They were always done up halfway, loosely, sometimes ripping at the tassels.

" I'll even pay for the gas."

My eyebrow shot up. Chasity gave me one of her wide eyed, deer-in-the-headlights look, " Carter, you aren't actually thinking about this, are you?" She knew me, she knew the kindling hatred and psychopathic need to rid the earth of Nick. She also knew my wallet, or purse, and it's lack of content.

I looked over at Nicholas, taking in his batman beanie, light blue flannel button up, and black jeans, " all of it? Even on the way back?"

" Every last drop." He smiled, corners of his mouth uneven.

I sighed, and ran my fingers through my mess of blonde hair. I couldn't believe I was actually thinking about letting Nicholas Arson drive me across country and back, just because he could pay for gas and I couldn't. At this point, I wasn't sure I had a choice, " Listen up, Nicholas Arson. One wrong move and i'm taking your car and wallet. understand?"

He nodded, eagerly, " crystal clear Angel."

" and stop calling me Angel!" I said, shoving his chair with my foot.

He laughed at caught himself, " I can't agree to that one."

Chasity gave me a worried glance, " Carter, you'll kill him..... and yourself."

I shrugged, " right now, Chas, I don't have a lot of options do I?"

She watched me for a moment, and I couldn't tell if she was studying my blonde hair, white BOREDOM shirt and cut off shorts, or if she was trying to look deeper and understand how I could possibly agree to Nicholas Arson taking me across the grand United States of America.

Nicholas smiled, " Chasity, dear, can I have a coffee please?"

She smiled, and nodding, right away making another one of her world famous cups of coffee. I went to take another sip at my beverage, when Nicholas stopped me, " it's hot." His smile was geniune, as he took my coffee and blew on it for me. I wanted to break his nose. When he gave it back, he arched an elegant brow. Hesitantly, I took a sip. Waves of relieve washed over me when I found the liquid was cooled off and actually drinkable, " I hate you." I muttered to him. He only smiled, " you're welcome."

And that, was how Nicholas Arson became my key to going across country for my elderly and sickly grandmother.