Page 18 of Total Shutdown

At the sound of a young male voice, I turn with my tray. Initially, I only see Kendra, her black Storm beanie pulled low over her blonde hair. Then I set eyes on a much smaller, younger version of a guy I essentially told to fuck off two days ago. Same dark hair, same green eyes. Same everything.

Ezra.

Kendra doesn’t say anything, eyes scanning my leathers.

I take the opportunity to throw my friend awhat the fuckglare. She could’ve told me she was bringing him here after soccer practice.

She smiles sweetly, and I pull my attention back to the twelve-year-old giving me a once-over.

He cocks his head to the side and smiles.Jesus, even their facial expressions are identical.

“Youarethe pink-haired girl.” He adjusts the training bag thrown over his left shoulder. “Do you only wear black?”

Kendra rolls her lips together, fighting back laughter. “That’s the exact same thing I thought when I first met you,” she giggles.

I’m not good with kids. I’m terrible with people in general, but kids? Yeah, I’m at a whole new level of ineptness. They’re a bit like bear cubs—unpredictable, but kind of cute. And I don’t know what to do with that. Other than when I was one myself, I’ve never been around them, and with no experience to guide me, interacting with or knowing what to say to them doesn’t come easily to me.

“I like black.” I lift a shoulder and start for the reserved bench at the window.

“Ezra, why don’t you go ahead and follow Collins? I’ll get our order in.”

“You are the pink-haired girl in the pictures with my dad, right?” He repeats his question as we reach our seats.

The last time I was in this café, Kendra told me Ezra was withdrawn and not very sociable.

Unlikely.

“You ask a lot of questions, don’t you?” I bite down on my sandwich as he takes the stool next to me.

While he plays with the toggles on his dark blue hoodie, I take in his profile. He has a smattering of freckles across the bridge of his nose, and I wonder if they’re also from his dad or if his mom had them too.

“The other kids at school, they said Dad definitely had a girlfriend, and he was lying when he denied he knew you. They said he was dating a ‘college girl.’” He studies me for a couple of beats. “How old are you?”

I am so out of my depth right now.

I stir my coffee profusely. “How old do you think I am?”

He twists his lips to the side, deep in thought. “Twenty?”

I scoff. “I wish. I’m twenty-six, meaning your friends are doubly wrong. I’m not a college girl, and I’m also not your dad’s girlfriend.”

His shoulders drop an inch, and I don’t like that they do.

“They aren’t my friends.”

“Okay, I ordered you a grilled cheese.” Kendra sets a strawberry shake down in front of Ezra, and he immediately starts playing with the straw. “I’m going to use the restroom.” She flashes me another smile and heads off quickly.

I turn back to Ezra, uneasy over his last comment. “But you have friends, right?”

He puffs out a breath. “Some, I guess, mainly on Fortnite.”

“As in the video game?”

He takes a pull from his shake. “I’m good at it, so that makes me popular with them.”

I sip my coffee, searching for a way to brighten the dejected look on his face. “I get that. I’m good with bikes and refurbishing them. I have an Instagram page dedicated to my girl outside.” I tap the glass in front of us. “I documented her overhaul from start to finish, and my page got popular really fast.”

“Wait.” Ezra leans toward the window, craning his neck to look down the sidewalk. “That black motorcycle is yours?”

---