Teenage love story

  ‘We got lights!’ Staci yells through the commotion of the looming lunch rush at the popular fast food chain.

  ‘Meat down! fries down! and get in your station! Robert fry side! Kane burger side! Mae is the floater! Where is Blake!’ Staci barks, her flat mid western accent drawling her words as she positions herself behind the speaker, back ramrod straight and ready to slams orders into the kitchen.  The thick smell of grease saturating the air as the various foods begin to cook.

  ‘Bro have you seen the new carhop?’ Robert grins at Kane as he drops the metal fryer baskets with French fries, onion rings and chicken tenders into the grease causing a symphony of popping and hissing.

  ‘Naw.  Something special about her?’ Kane nonchalantly responds as he puts several hamburger patties and sliced onions on the sizzling grill then gracefully moving to the conveyor toaster to toss buttered hamburger buns and toast into it.

  ‘You will see, she’ll be here soon.’ Robert grins mysteriously.  ‘All I’m going to say is, I got dibs.’

  ‘Dibs? You two need to get your head outta ya ass and on getting these burgers out on time, not the newest big booty.’ Mae barks as she scowls at the two teenage boys; her weathered mahogany face wrinkling with annoyance as the front door flies open.

  ‘About time Blake! Get your changer on and hurry your ass up, we got lights!’ Staci shouts between orders as Blake races around the counter to get her coin changer and cash envelope.

  ‘Yes ma’am! Sorry I’m running late; my teacher made me stay after to make up a test.’ Blake explains nervously as she fumbles with the metal clasp on her money pouch; the chaos around her causing her hands to start shaking.

  ‘Order up!’ Mae yells as she shoves a foil wrapped hamburger and paper container of cheese covered fries into the brown paper bag-quickly thrusting it towards the flustered carhop.  Blake sets the brown bag on the red plastic tray, along with the strawberry milkshake, before scanning the small plastic card that was Attached to her wrist.

  ‘Order out!’ Blake yells as she races out the door to deliver the tray of food to its awaiting patrons, a million dollar smile plastered on her petite face.

  ‘Damn.’ Kane mutters as he watches Blake smile sweetly at the customer- her long curly red hair loose down the back of her black uniform shirt and black athletic pants clinging to her voluptuous rear.  Those big blue/grey eyes twinkling with amusement as the young man slides her a twenty dollar bill- mouthing keep the change as he suggestively winks at the young carhops freckled face, as loud rev of the engine of his brand new mustang finish’s the juvenile flirtation and won him a jovial eye roll as Blake turns to retrieve her next order, pocketing the five dollar tip.

  ‘Pick your jaw up and make my burgers!’ Mae laughs as she elbows Kane in the ribs.

  ‘Yeah, yeah’ Kane grins as he tries to focus on the scorching hot grill and getting his orders out -not those big blue/grey that had his mind in jumbles.

  The silvery moon and twinkling stars shine down on Blake as she climbs into her fifteen year old grey dodge neon to head home after a laborious eight hour shift.  She grins as she reaches into her pocket and pulls out her tips- fifty four dollars, the one perk of working a long shift.  That and the sexy cook she got to watch all day Blake grins as she slides her key into her ignition.

  Click,click,click the engine sputters to Blake’s horror.

  ‘No!! Please no!’ Blake pleads to her car as she tries again with no luck.  ‘Damnit!’ She growls as she punches her worn steering wheel.

   ‘Everything ok?’ Kane asks as he thumps lightly on Blake’s driver side window.

  ‘I don’t know.  My stupid car won’t start and I don’t know anything about cars, which means I’m going to have to wait on my slow ass brother to come help me.’ Blake groans dramatically. 

  ‘Well lucky for you my daddy built race cars, so I can look at it.’ Kane grins at Blake, his full lips framing pearly white teeth.

  God He’s gorgeous Blake thinks to herself as she takes in the tall muscular man in front of her.  His impeccably cut curly black hair and flawless deep brown skin; his warm chestnut eyes, high cheekbones and magnetic smile.  His broad shoulders, muscular chest and long athletic legs.  He was definitely something dreams were made of Blake thought as she stares, well past the acceptable amount of time to ogle someone, finally answering quietly ‘ok.’ 

  ‘Cool… pop the hood so I can look.’  Kane winks humorously as he points to the lever at the bottom of Blake’s seat.  

  ‘So how you liking the job so far?’  He casually asks as Blake pulls the lever and he props open her hood.

  ‘It’s cool.  Great tips and everyone is nice so far.’ Blake responds nonchalantly as she peers up at the clear dark sky; the moon and stars glowing an iridescent light against the deep background.  

  ‘Yeah it ok, im just working here till I get through barber school; if I ever get to finish.’ Kane says somberly as he wiggles a couple wires.

  ‘Seriously? I’m going to cosmetology school.  I plan on owning my own shop in Manhattan one day.’  Blake confides with a dreamy smile on her pink lips.

  ‘That’s funny.’ Kane chuckles to himself before announcing, ‘I think it’s your battery…Hopefully not your alternator but you will have to get it checked at auto zone to make sure.  I can jump you off but you gotta go straight home in case it dies again.’  

  ‘Should I call my brother to get me ? It’s a twenty minute drive to my moms.’ Blake asks nervously.

  ‘I can drive you.’ Kane offers as he motions to his beige 1989 Lincoln town car.  ‘It’s not fancy but drives good.’ He grins mischievously.

  ‘Sounds better than waiting on my brother.’  Bryce responds as excitement sends the butterflies fluttering in her stomach.  She quickly grabs her belongings and turns toward Kane’s car to find him grinning as he holds open the passenger door for her.

  ‘Thanks.’ She blushes as she slide in to the tan soft worn leather of the older car.  

  ‘Which way am I going?’ Kane asks as he cranks his car up, his engine softly purring as rap music begins pulsing out of his speakers.

  ‘Out towards county road 23.  You sure you don’t mind?  I can give you gas money.’  Blake offers as she pulls a five dollar bill out of her wad of tip money.

  ‘I don’t mind.  Kinda would like to get to know you better so this will give me plenty of time to do that, huh?’  He confesses as he watches Blake, a smile tugging at his sensual lips.  ‘Unless your type is like that meat head who was flirting with you.’ 

  Heat creeps into Blake’s face as she meets Kane’s warm gaze, ‘No he definitely isn’t my type.’ 

  ‘Am I?’  He bluntly asks as he breaks their eye contact to change the song currently playing and to avoid letting Blake see the vulnerability seeping into his eyes. The fear that she would only see the thug that everyone else sees.

  ‘Maybe.’  Blake murmurs as her heart softens to the vulnerability in the question; the expectation of rejection that she saw in his handsome face.  

  Kane’s beaming grin was the only response as he pulls out of the parking lot and heads towards Blake’s home; 2pac’s lyric filling the cab of his car.  

  Twenty minutes later, Kane pulls into the long gravel driveway of Blake’s parents modest red brick house.  

  ‘He did not stab you with a fork!!! For some pizza? Come on!’ Blake squeals as her laughter fills the car.

  ‘My baby brother is serious about his food!’ Kane exclaims, that broad smile still gracing his lips, as he puts his car in park and rotates his body to face Blake.

  ‘Looks like we are here.’  He murmurs as he surveys the quant home.

  ‘Thanks again. It was really sweet of you to drive me all the way out here.’ Blake mumbles as heat rises in her fair face.  ‘Will I see you tomorrow at work?’  

  ‘Naw.  I got some business to take care of up state for awhile.’  Kane quietly explains, ‘got in trouble a couple years back, thought I was past it but it’s crazy how the past can come to haunt you at the worst times.’ 

  ‘Seriously? That is bad timing. I’m sorry.  What about barbering school?’  Blake inquired as she searches Kane downcast gaze.

  ‘Hopefully I can do it up there, otherwise I’ll just have to wait.  Sucks.’  

  Blake glently reaches across the center console and lets her fingers gently graze those angular cheekbones.  ‘All I see when I look in your eyes is tenacity.  You can accomplish whatever you set your mind to.’  

  ‘I really hope you’re still here when I get back.  I’ve never meet anyone like you before. The way you look at me..’ Kane whispers as he leans close enough for Blake to smell his minty warm breath and woodsy cologne.

  ‘Ditto.’  Blake breathes as she gently presses her lips to his; his large calloused fingers gently wrapping around her waist.

  ‘I will come back for you.’ Kane states as he slowly backs away from Blake’s tantalizing kiss; watching as she exits his car and slowly walks to the front door- the occasional glance back as if to make sure he wasn’t a figment of her imagination. 

  Two years later Blake and Kane run into each other again; just one random disastrous night At a club in Brooklyn.  Their eyes locked from across the bar; drawn like magnets together.  They danced for hours, hips grinding together erotically till alcohol and adrenaline ends their night In Kane’s one bedroom Bronx apartment.  Liquor and chemistry fueling a night of passion and sweat that ended with them entwined in each others arms.  But again, timing was off Blake realizes as she reads the note Kane left with a simple ‘im sorry. I can abandon my son.’ scribbled on it.  With tears in her eyes and her heart shattered, she returns to her college classes in NYC and left Kane in Bronx and in her past.

  It would be eight years before Blake and Kane cross paths again.  

  Eight years before he logs onto Facebook and sees those blue/grey eyes peering back at him under the ‘people you might know’ category.  

  Eight years before he would send that message ‘damn you’re hard to find. How have you been? Are you single and where are you living now? Why did you cut your hair off? Looks good though… get at me.’  

  Eight years before they would see each other again at that little bodega on 54th street, unable to rip their eyes from each other the whole date. 

  Eight years before they lay in Blake’s bed, nothing between their naked sweat slicked bodies but eight years of built up emotions. 

  Eight years before  Kane whispers in Blake’s sleeping ear ‘I’m never leaving you again.’  

  Eight years before they finally began the rest of their life together.