Blue

Children fade into society. They're not made to stand out on their own. Children are meant to accompany adults whether that is in the form of teachers, guardians, or sitters. If a child is present between the hours of 8am to 3pm, Monday through Friday, without an adult, their presence is recognized.

Sarah was heavily aware of that. She hoped that she could hide herself away in her cardigan, she hoped that she could pass as a freshman in college, not high school. She knew she looked young.

The Brown Crown Cafe had a small number of patrons, the majority of which had laptops or notebooks scattered among the tables. There was music playing over the speakers, barely discernible, as people carried light conversations.

They were all much older. The lot of the group had passed their teenage years at least a decade ago, and she could feel their eyes heavily fall on her, questioning her presence.

Sarah could act like she belonged here. Straightening her back, tugging her bag's straps tighter, she marched to the front counter. The barista greeted her, she ordered a small vanilla iced coffee, and the barista seemed to give a knowing smile.

"A name for the order?" she asked.

"Pink," Sarah replied. She hesitated for moment, thinking about correcting it to her actual name. MusicHouse74 didn't know her name. She wondered if she should buy a drink for MusicHouse74, but they had never spoken about coffee preferences beforehand, and coffee was a hard thing to guess for someone else.

She decided that it would be better with just hers, and as soon as the barista finished making it, Sarah found a small table squared away in the corner to sit. It was towards the back, but there was still a large window directly to her left side where she could see any persons entering the cafe. Granted that Gerry Drake was MusicHouse74, she would be able to see him coming.

She felt a bit of ease that he was older than she because once he arrived, she would feel more comfortable. Like the wondering eyes would be lifted. She wouldn't be just some kid ditching school - she would be with an adult and therefore it would be valid that she was not in class.

Sarah still felt too nervous. She did not like putting herself into situations where she could get in trouble. She was adventurous to a fault. She kept thinking, over and over, that one of the patrons would call her out on her age or that the next person to walk through the door would be a truant officer. She had never been in trouble with school before.

She pulled out her phone and sent a message.

pinkxxpower: I'm here. Will you be here soon?


Sarah started to tap her fingers against the table, anxiously waiting for a reply. She felt too on edge to sip at her coffee.

What would her mother say if she knew Sarah was here? What would her friends think about her? Would she get suspended if the school knew she was ditching to see a man? Could she lie and say she was checking out college courses therefore she scheduled a meeting? Could freshman schedule those type of meetings?

She felt stupid and small. She should be afraid of MusicHouse74 kidnapping her or being an abusive stalker. Instead her heart was racing because she didn't want the school to call her mother. Sarah knew that MusicHouse74 couldn't possibly hurt her, anyways.

Sarah's phone chimed.

MusicHouse74: pulling in now


She closed her eyes and sighed in relief. She could focus on him now. Her anxieties would surely ebb away then.

When she opened them again a second later, she focused out the window. First, a woman in tall heels stepped out of an old blue car. She walked as if she was in a hurry, and before entering the building, she stopped to fix her hair. She went directly to the counter and ordered a coffee to go.

Then it was a silver SUV that pulled into the parking lot. Out stepped a man wearing a blazer and slacks, and directly after he locked the car, he stood and stared at the building. He fished something out of his pocket, a cell phone Sarah thought, and she caught a glimpse of glasses frames and a whisper of a beard. He was blonde.

As he reached the sidewalk, he peered into the glass. He was looking for her. Once inside, he stood in the entry way.

It reminded Sarah of a sitcom. Where there had been a blind date set up, and they're standing at the front of the bar, sweating bullets trying to guess who exactly their date is. MusicHouse74 just stood there, awkwardly, like he was trying to decide exactly who Sarah was. It was obvious who she was - the only child.

She stood up from her seat, and instantly his attention shifted to her. He visibly relaxed, he truly just hadn't seen her, and made his way over to her table.

"Pink!" He sounded like he was greeting an old friend.

Sarah couldn't help but blush.