A small but lively crowd filled the Ice Cream shoppe and went about their business of talking, studying, or working. Zoe went inside a step before Jon, and no one paid her much attention. She was just a sort of ordinary girl who mostly wore black.
Jon walked in just behind her, a mostly normal boy but for the apple red tights he wore under a pair of track shorts that just happened to be made for girls. He waited just a moment at the door, gauging the reaction of the crowd. But no one there seemed to care. The tights, he figured, weren't the problem anymore, thanks to the wish. The girl's shorts. . . not so much.
Though he didn't rule out the idea that, from a distance, no one noticed the gender of his shorts.
Still, Jon was ecstatic that he could be himself and wear the clothes he wanted to wear out in public. He walked up to the counter, where a short girl with thin glasses and short brown hair waited for him.
"What can I get you?"
"A strawberry banana sundae for me, and a chocolate chip cookie dough cone for the brat."
Zoe ughed when he called her a brat, "I'll just be over there with the, you know, cool people." She stepped away to some high tables where a few kids her age were sitting and gabbing.
The counter girl gave Jon a sympathetic smile. "I have one of those." She said while scooping up the ice cream for the pair. Jon was going to let the conversation fall then and there, until she said something else. Something that made his heart start beating a little faster. "By the way, I love your tights. Very cute."
His mouth went dry as what the girl had said sunk into him. Was cute good? Or was she teasing him?
"Uh, thanks." He said. "That's a good thing, right?"
"It's a good thing." The girl smiled, and slid down to the next station at the counter. Jon slid down down with her. His heart still racing, and his confidence still high. "My name's Jon." He said with a wave.
"I'm Ellie." She said with a smile, "are you waiting for anyone?"
"Just a friend. She should be here soon." Jon turned to look around and saw Karyn walk in the door, as if it had been scripted in a book. Except she wasn't alone. A tall, muscular guy just about her age walked in with her. At first it seemed like he was coming in separately. But he said something to her, and Karyn laughed. She said something back to him. And he laughed.
Who was this guy? Was it just a passing stranger and he was overrating. Or did Karyn see more to this guy?
