Trick Me Once - 20. Lunch Interrupted

“Hey, man, wake up,” Brad nudged Trick gently until he opened his eyes. “Come on, rise and shine!”

“Ugh, what time is it?” Trick mumbled, still only half awake.

“It’s almost ten, you told me to wake you up,” Brad replied, pouring coffee for both of them. The enticing aroma of his favorite morning drink started doing its magic and Trick was soon sitting on the bed, fully awake.

“Yeah, I need to get ready.” He got up from the bed and started looking for his clothes.

“When are they coming?”

“Three, but I wanna get dressed and go through the questions once more.”

The interview Trick was doing for his app was supposed to take place later that afternoon – he arranged to meet the reporter at a nearby coffee shop at three and do the interview there. He didn’t really want them coming to Brad’s and his dorm room and seeing their college way of life in all its glory. Neither of them were thrilled about cleaning their room, and besides, what if the reporter wanted to take his picture for the article? The dorms weren’t exactly the best location for a photoshoot.

The reporter – a woman named Alana – sent Trick a list of questions he’ll be asked so he could prepare a bit beforehand. Cody was also supposed to meet him at the coffee shop around three, for moral support.

“Mmm just what I needed,” Trick sighed with pleasure as he sat down at the kitchen table with Brad, taking a sip of coffee and putting some scrambled eggs in his plate.

“Thanks for making the breakfast today!”

“No problem, I know you got a big day ahead,” Brad nodded. “I hope you’re not too nervous about it, you know it’s gonna go great, right?”

“I don’t, but I definitely hope so,” Trick shook his head, smiling.

“Come on, we checked out the other interviews on their website, they all seem relaxed and informal. It’s not like they’re gonna grill you for some dirty secrets – not that you really have any.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“If you want, I can come with you,” Brad spoke, his mouth full of scrambled eggs and bread.

“No, I’ll be fine. You’ve got classes today. But thanks!” Trick smiled in appreciation. He didn’t really want a big audience, it would make him feel even more self-conscious and nervous. He would just have to deal with it as best he can.

--

Standing in front of her closet, Angela was deep in thought about what to wear for her date with Mason. Her best friend Marissa was next to her, trying to give her advice, but it seemed she really wasn’t helping much. All of her suggestions were quickly shut down by Angela, who managed to find a flaw in every single combination her friend picked.

“Ugh, I literally have nothing to wear,” Angela said, frustrated with her entire wardrobe. “Might as well go naked!”

“Maybe save that for the second date?” Marissa teased.

“Ha-ha, you know what I meant.”

“Just kidding, guuurl! Look, you’re starting to obsess right now. He’s a guy, he’s probably gonna show up in some old pair of jeans and the first t-shirt that he pulls out of the closet,” Marissa said. “Besides, it’s a lunch date, you don’t have to dress up for that.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Angela said slowly as she studied two pairs of jeans, before taking them both and holding them up in front of her. “Ok, which of these do I wear?”

“Umm, the black ones,” her friend said, pointing with her finger.

“Are you saying I’m fat?”

“What? No, your body looks snatched! It’s just that those jeans would go great with that silver shirt you have!”

“Yeah, I think we have a winner!” Angela proclaimed ceremoniously as she took the silver shirt and matched it with the black jeans. Changing into the new outfit and looking herself in the floor-length mirror in her room, she was looking very pleased with her choice of clothing.

However, later that afternoon, the more she approached the café where she was supposed to meet Mason, the less sure she was.

“I should’ve worn that blue dress,” she murmured to herself as she entered the café, only to find Mason waiting for her in ripped jeans and a grey t-shirt with a random print on it. “Or maybe not,” she corrected herself. “And to think I was gonna wear high heels for this!”

“Hey, I’m Mason,” he stood up and gave Angela a hug as she approached their table.

“I’m Angela, nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too. You look great, by the way,” Mason said with a charming smile. He looked surprisingly handsome – even his long hair was not a greasy mess it usually is. Instead, he neatly tied it back in a ponytail. The t-shirt was tight enough to show off his muscled body, which was his intention. Got to make a good first impression, right? That was his motto anyway.

“Thanks, you too,” Angela replied, flattered by the compliment. “I gotta say, I still can’t place you, but I do think I’ve seen you around somewhere.”

“Yeah, I have the same feeling,” Mason replied, returning to his seat. “Maybe we ran into each other on campus?”

“Doubt it, I’m not in college yet. Umm, I’m seventeen, I hope that’s not a problem.”

“Of course not,” Mason flashed a smile, thinking how high school girls are much easier than college girls.

After a brief interruption by the waiter coming to take their orders – a diet Coke for Angela and a latte for Mason – their conversation resumed.

“So, what do you do for fun?” Angela batted her eyelashes, trying to be flirty. She never dated a college guy before, but having heard stories from her friends, she was ready to experience it first-hand. High school guys were way too immature for her, and she had no more patience for their antics.

“I play football, I’m actually on the college team… I like anything outdoors, really,” Mason replied casually, knowing that he probably already had this one in the bag.

Meanwhile, a few tables away, another couple were enjoying their iced mocha lattes. It was Theo’s day off, so he and Zoe decided to go out for a quick meal together before she had to go to some afternoon classes.

As Theo was looking at the menu, trying to decide which sandwich to order, Zoe looked around and saw a familiar face she wasn’t exactly pleased to see. Wait, no, two familiar faces!

“What the hell…” she muttered to herself, but loud enough that Theo heard her.

“What’s the matter?” he put the menu down, looking confused at Zoe. She looked halfway between angry and perplexed. Even though they had been dating for a little over four months, he wasn’t exactly able to read her mind. He didn’t mind it, actually – he always found those couples who finish each other’s sentences to be annoying. In his opinion, it’s better if your partner can surprise you – it makes the relationship much more interesting.

“Nothing, I just… Look at those two behind you – but don’t be too obvious,” Zoe told him as Theo started to turn around and see who she was talking about. “That’s Cody sister with Mason, a menace from high school. He used to bully Trick, he was horrible. And still is, from what I’ve heard from Trick and Cody.”

“Then why is Cody’s sister on a date with him?”

“Don’t know, but I intend to find out,” Zoe said, pulling her phone out of her purse. As she unlocked it, she vigorously started typing a message.

“Does Angela know Mason? Because it seems she’s on a date with him.”

Cody was just leaving his last class for the day when he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He fully expected it to be Trick, since he was about to go and meet him for the interview; instead, he was surprised to see Zoe’s name pop up on the screen. They had each other’s numbers mostly because of Trick, but they never actually communicated by phone.

“What on earth…” Cody frowned as he read the message and immediately started typing a reply.

“What? Where?”

Zoe replied quickly: “The Madrid Café. I’m here with Theo.”

“What the hell is he trying to pull now,” Cody thought, wondering if he should do something about it. His sister was clearly free to date whoever she wanted, but just in case she didn’t know who she was dealing with, Cody was going to let her know. He certainly wasn’t going to let her believe she was going out with some hot college football jock, when in fact he was a smug, self-centered bigot.

“Ugh thanks, I’ll call her now & explain.”

Zoe put down her phone and took another sip of her drink.

“So, what did Cody say?” Theo inquired, glancing at her phone and then at her.

“He’s gonna call her now and explain everything.”

“Oh, ok, seems reasonable.”

“Of course, I’m not gonna wait for that. I’m just gonna go say hi real quick,” Zoe smirked as she pointed a finger in the direction of where Angela and Mason were sitting, and got up from her seat. “Be back in a minute, babe.” Theo couldn’t do anything but roll his eyes and smile.

--

Wearing a smart, dark green button-down shirt and dark grey pants, Trick was sitting in a café near the dorms, waiting for the reporter to arrive for the interview. He didn’t want to dress too smart, but not too casually either. Hey, if his picture is going to appear in an online article, he wanted to make sure he looked good!

Blissfully unaware of everything that was going on with his friends at that moment, he sat there wondering why Cody isn’t showing up yet. Of course, Trick arrived twenty minutes early as he was just too excited and restless; he couldn’t stand to be in his dorm room a minute longer. He had already gone through all of the questions at least three times and was fairly confident he could answer all of them without making a fool of himself.

Sipping on his cappuccino, he pulled his phone from his pocket and sent a quick text to his boyfriend, all the while looking up at the door every few seconds, checking to see if the reporter has arrived.

“Hey babe, coming?”

As he was checking his phone to see if Cody had texted him back, he heard the chimes at the café door and looked up to see a young woman enter. She had shoulder-length black hair and was dressed in faded jeans and a brown-grayish long-sleeved shirt that looked like it’d seen better days. Yeah, maybe the life of an online reporter wasn’t so glamorous after all – Trick thought. The woman stood for a second and looked around, holding a phone and a black purse. Noticing Trick waving at her, she went to his table and smiled politely.

“Hi, you must be Patrick,” she offered her hand. “I’m Alana, from the IT Spot.”

“Nice to meet you,” Trick stood up and shook her hand. “Please, take a seat.”

Although he tried to maintain the smile and be all relaxed and casual, he felt his heart starting to beat a little faster. While Alana was busy looking through the menu and giving the waiter her order, Trick checked his phone to see a reply from his boyfriend.

“On my way baby! Sth came up, tell you later. xoxo”

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