You are a drug and it is quick

Chapter Two

The following week, Abigail hurried out of Kelly's condo and toward her car, nearly late for what was only going to be her third shift at The Coffee Bean. As she drove toward the Brady District she thought about how excited she was to only be living with Kelly for another two weeks. She adored her friend, but crashing at someone's house left her feeling very unsettled and as though she was living in limbo. Not only that, but the reason she was running late was because two girls sharing one bathroom was never a good thing when they both had places to be. It was beginning to feel pretty cramped.

Abby was so relieved that she only had to look at one home before deciding that it was the perfect fit for her. She may have plenty of money now, but it was only going to be her living in the house, so she didn't feel the need for anything too extravagant. It was a modest, two story home with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. One of the bedrooms would be her own, one would be set up as a guest bedroom in case she actually made some friends and wanted to have people stay over, and the third would be used as a library and music room, where she would set up all of her books, CD's, records, as well as her guitar and piano. The house also had a decent sized living room and tons of closet space. It was much larger than anywhere she had ever lived, but still small compared to what anyone else with her bank account was likely living in. In a few short weeks, the deal would be closed and it would officially be hers.

Jumping out of her Volkswagen and looking down at her watch, Abby realized she had just over five minutes to spare before her shift began. Proud of herself for beating traffic and actually making it on time, she pulled her cigarettes from her purse and brought one to her lips, lighting it as she leaned against her car. She closed her eyes and let the sun hit her face. It was late April, and back home in Maine it may as well have still been winter. Here in Oklahoma, the heat had already fully set in and to her it was warmer than most mid-summer days in Portland ever were. She could get used to this.

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when a car whipped into the parking lot and skid to a halt in the spot next to her, a little too quickly and a little too close for comfort.

"Hey! I nearly lost my toes!" She yelled at the driver as he climbed out of his car. She realized instantly that it was the handsome but not so majestic blonde haired man that she had seen with Zac a few nights earlier.

"Sorry about that." The man said, stepping toward her. "I was totally distracted. My friend just called and I was looking on the passenger seat for my phone...but it had actually dropped on to the floor. I guess I wasn't really watching where I was going."

"Not a very good excuse." Abby responded, pursing her lips and pretending to be more angry than she actually was. "But, you're forgiven. Just cut that shit out before you kill someone." She finished, putting her cigarette out under her black slip-on Vans sneaker and walking into the coffee shop.

Abigail was just positioning herself behind the counter, when the blonde man walked in, the bell chiming above his head. He smiled at her before looking down at the phone in his hand, and then back up at her.

"Are you seriously still distracted by your phone?" Abby joked. "Have you not learned anything today?"

He laughed and leaned against the counter. "I'm Liam." He offered with a smile.

"Abigail." She responded.

The bell above the door chimed again, signifying that another customer had arrived. The two continued to briefly hold eye contact, before Liam glanced away and toward the door.

"Oh, hey man." He said.

Abby followed his gaze to see that his friend who had arrived to meet him was, of course, Zac Hanson. She should have known. Abby quickly glanced down at herself and hoped her black, baggy, faded Weezer tee shirt and the black leggings she wore as pants didn't look too stupid. She had haphazardly thrown her hair into the worlds messiest pony tail and was suddenly deeply regretting that decision. She started to wonder when she became one of those girls who cared about what other people thought of her. This was not normal for her.