Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
VERONICA blew out the heaviest sigh of her life as she stood outside Scoops Ahoy on a Tuesday afternoon.
The sign hanging above the entrance to the ice cream parlor was only half-lit, one of the Os in "Scoops" blinking continuously. Veronica couldn't bear to look at it. She balanced on the balls of her feet, wondering whether it was time to walk away or not. Leaving was probably a good idea – it was what the rational side of her brain told her to do – but the logical just had to remind her how much she needed to save. The economy was going up steadily, and she refused to be one of those college students who arrived with a couple of pennies in their pocket.
God, she thought to herself, why can't I just grow up, be an adult, and die?
Scoops Ahoy was filled with teenagers enjoying the last few months of summer break, along with parents trying to corral their wild children into a booth. Veronica wrinkled her nose at a kid pressing his face into a hot fudge sundae. She realized a line was starting at the register, two girls standing at the front, clearly wanting to leave with their ice cream, but a certain hair freak wasn't going to let them out of his flirtatious grasp. Now this, Veronica had to see.
"Alrighty, one scoop of chocolate." Steve announced, sending the girl in front with a mane of brown curls her ice cream cone. "That's a buck twenty-five."
Veronica watched the girl hand him two dollars as she slid in back of her friend, managing to hide behind another frizz ball of hair.
"Purdue? Fancy." He chuckled, pointing to the dark-haired girl's shirt.
"Yeah, I'm excited!" She nodded with a huge smile.
Steve continued to giggle, keeping eye contact with the girl, even though she was trying to look away. He took it as a sign of attraction. (Steve Harrington was an absolute whiz with the ladies.) "Yeah, you know ... I considered it. But then I was like, you know what? I really think I need some real-life experience before I go to college." He began punching the change amount into the register. "See what it feels like to earn – I don't know – a working man's wage."
Veronica cocked her head to the side, brow creasing together. This wasn't going well for him.
The girls continued to stare at him, completely uninterested. Steve somehow managed to screw up the cashback and a receipt began to print out before the drawer opened. "Oh, sorry," he muttered, a deep crimson color appearing on his cheeks. "I just – um – I think that's, like, really important."
"Yeah, totally," the girl replied, trying to turn away.
"Yeah, anyways, this was, like, so fun." He released an awkward snort. "We should kinda, like – you know – I don't know. Maybe hang out this weekend or something?"
