Hex Education

At the center of the block I spot a hanging sign - a cauldron shaped like a coffee mug. This must be Strange Brews, home of the "Spooky Scone." Striding determinedly through the door and past the quaint atmosphere, I lean into the counter and deliver my usual Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf order to a barista, who has his back turned toward me:"Tallhalfcafsoypeppermintmocha. Oh, and extra foam, please?" The guy turns around. And: whoa. Mythic's approval rating skyrockets when he smiles, squinting at me from behind his floppy blond hair. He's tall, but looks to be about my age. His name tag reads Linc Montgomery. The soap star name makes me feel like somebody might be messing with me - I mean, Linc Montgomery? His athletic build allows him to totally pull off a poly-blend coffee brown polo. His killer blue eyes match his apron perfectly. The expression in said eyes, however, is completely befuddled. "I'm sorry, but we just have regular and decaf." Suddenly, I feel really stupid about wearing sunglasses indoors. I try to remove them subtly. "So ... you don't have espresso drinks here?" Linc - Linc? - smiles kindly at me, and I inwardly swoon. "You must be new in town," he says. "We have an espresso machine, but it's on the fritz. Um, again." I return Linc's smile and silently promise to give Mythic the benefit of the doubt - for now. "Well, regular coffee then, please," I tell him. He turns to fill my order. "So, have you been to the museum already?" I blink. A museum? This dinky little burg has an art museum? "Oh yeah, I was really impressed with the collection," I bluff. "Definitely some beautiful pieces." Linc gives me a bemused look. "Have you been to a lot of witchcraft museums besides the Mythic Historical Society?" I'm glad I haven't gotten my coffee yet because I'd probably be spitting it out in horror. Talk about sending the wrong message! "Nonono. I don't know anything about that stuff," I say, backpedaling. "I just was so impressed because - because I'd never seen any Wiccan artifacts before." I pause. "Ever!" I wait for Linc to back away slowly and call the men in white suits to come and take me away. But instead, he smiles and tactfully changes the subject. "So are you sticking around in Mythic for a while, or are you just here on a day trip?" he asks as he turns back to the counter. "My family just moved here, actually. I'm about to start school at Mythic High. Do you go there?" "I will ... I'm going to be a freshman," he says. "Me too!" I say, trying (maybe not hard enough) to keep the excitement out of my voice. Linc leans toward me with squinched-up eyebrows, as if he's about to ask a difficult question. A moment passes, then another. "So, Sophie. Do you want ... ?" My brain begins to buzz. Oh my God. Is he going to ask me out? Wait until I tell Alexa/Jenny/Celeste that I got a date before school even started! "Sure!" I squeak. "... milk?" Linc finishes. I close my eyes. My face, undoubtedly, turns purple. I nod silently. He just smiles, though, and makes to top off my cup. Then he gives the carton a discouraged shake. "Pudder!" he shouts. Another brown-uniformed dude appears from the back. "Yes, Linc?" he says, already wincing. Linc holds the carton aloft. "Milk, Pudder. We're out." "Sure thing," says ... Pudder. I immediately see the reason for the humiliating nickname: the tag on his shirt reads Paul Pudnowski. I hate to say it, but he kind of looks like a Paul Pudnowski. Where Linc has muscles, Paul has posture issues. And while Linc's baby blues are the stuff dreams are made of, Paul's eyes are the stuff thick glasses are made to correct the vision of. But who am I to talk? I'm the new kid. Judge not, lest ye be, and all that. Linc gives me an apologetic glance, then opens his mouth to speak. The sound of a little chime stoGould, Emily is the author of 'Hex Education ', published 2007 under ISBN 9781595141187 and ISBN 1595141189.