Photograph

at this point in the morning , noel’s head was pounding - - a mixture between both her raging hang over and a caffeine addiction that had yet to be fulfilled. all noel could think about was a nice , ice cold vanilla latte which was why when the guy in front of her seemed to not notice that it was his turn in line , she took it upon herself to clear her throat to try and snap him out of whatever trance he seemed to be lost in. “you’re gonna get my coffee? today must be my lucky day” there was a sweet smile on her face as she looked over at him and then the barista before ordering her drink. “i did actually ! both of my parents used to argue back and forth about wether i should’ve been drinking coffee at 16 and that was the argument my dad used every single time” she chuckled , taking the liberty of putting a nice tip in the jar since someone had already paid for her drink. “and who’s the kind stranger i get to thank for my caffeine fix today?  i’m noel “ she smiled , adjusting the strap of her tote on her bag before leaning back against the counter near where they were waiting for their drinks. 

***

Carter honestly felt bad, he got lost in his own world all the time, but this time was at the detriment of someone else, so of course he bought her drink for her. Once she’d ordered, he placed his own order and paid for the two drinks, letting out a slight laugh. “Wait really? Of all the times I’ve told people that, you’re the only one to have heard it before.” He smiled, usually when he spouted facts people called him weird, but not this stranger. “Noel.” He repeated. “Nice to meet you, I’m Carter.”

Carter was on his way to Brynlee’s, he’d finished class early and thanks to doing his work ahead of time, he was completely free that night and he wanted to spend the time with her. Though he was distracted as he walked, not paying attention to where he stepped as he tried to weave through the crowd and he ended up in a small collision. “Oh- Sorry!” He started before realizing it was Theo. “Hey-” He said, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. He didn’t feel weird around the male all the time, but since he started having feelings for Brynlee, he felt a bit more awkward.

Carter had his nose in the books, which wasn’t unusual for him, he loved to learn and read, even if he remembered everything. The speed he could read at was higher that most, and he could feel someones eyes on him as he flicked through the pages at a speed that most people would consider to be skimming. So the man paused, looking around himself before looking at the person who seemed to be watching him. “I have a photographic memory, so I don’t need to spend much time on each page..” He explained, feeling a bit awkward now.

Carter stood in line at the coffee shop, he just needed a bit of caffeine to get him through his classes, that was all. Even with a photographic memory, the male needed to work hard in school if he wanted to start teaching. He must’ve zoned out as he stood because he suddenly heard someone clear their throat behind him and he blinked to see it was his turn. The male stepped forward to order then turned to the girl behind him. “I’ll get whatever she is getting too, since she got my attention.” He said before looking at her. “Did you know people who drink coffee tend to live longer?”

(brenton thwaites, male, he/him) CARTER O’MALLEY is the newest evergreen eagle! they’re 21 years old from DUBLIN, IRELAND joining us at evergreen to study ENGLISH. have you heard PHOTOGRAPH by ED SHEERAN? it reminds me of them because they’re so INTELLIGENT and COMPETENT, but also super AWKWARD at times. i hope we catch them around campus soon!