RYLIE

FRIDAY MARKED THE last day of homecoming week, and I've been spending it at the school's auditorium with my friends, somehow figuring out ways to save Taco Fiesta. Elias practically dragged us all down here to discuss what we can do to save the restaurant chain. Even if it would have to be a collaborative project, I was in for it. I couldn't bear seeing the restaurant closing down. I adored that place with all my heart. It brings back memories I'd never want to forget. So of course, when Elias consulted me about everything, I couldn't decline.

Nora was grilling Elias with questions about Taco Fiesta to figure out ways the restaurant could be promoted. Out of all four of us, Cannon, Elias, herself, and I, she knew most about social media and its algorithm, so it's safe to say that she is a huge boost to what we have planned. Well, to be fair, we didn't have much planned yet. We were just getting started.

"Does Taco Fiesta have any social media accounts?" Nora questioned Elias as she typed something onto her phone. "I'm looking on Instagram right now, and so far, there's nothing for it."

"Yeah . . . there's no Instagram for the restaurant. In fact, I don't think there's any accounts for Taco Fiesta on any other platform, either," Elias replied with a grimace.

Nora started to explain how people paid all their attention to social media and the internet in modern times, not so much on paper or anything anymore. She reasoned that there would need to be a social media account set up for the restaurant to advertise the meals they serve. She suggested that it wouldn't be easy, considering that Taco Fiesta is a small business and only has one location.

It made sense. It would take quite some time for the social media posts to earn attention, but if everything is done properly, Nora says that the restaurant should gain some more customers.

"We can pull this all off, but only if we have nice pictures of some of the foods that are served at Taco Fiesta, along with some great filters, and maybe a bit of editing for the photos," she hummed. "Oh, and I can't forget tags added to each post."

"I took photography in junior year as an elective, so I can take photos of some of the foods," Cannon recommended. "I can even help edit them."

"I can help with that," Elias offered.

"I guess I'll help with that, too," I gave in while biting my lip. I couldn't just sit and not do anything. It would be no help to the group, whatsoever. Even if this will require communication, I guess there's no other way to pull this off. It is what it is.

"That settles it. I'll manage the Instagram account, in that case," Nora announced with a grin.

Another voice from a distance away directed towards us. It was feminine, and was a bit familiar. To me, at least. "Hey, what are you all working on?"

From her features, I could tell who she was, but I wasn't too familiar with her name. I think her name was Adrienne or Andrea? I'm bad at names, but all I know is that she's Axel's girlfriend. Adrienne had her wavy, brunette hair freely draped on her shoulders. She wore sleek, black leather pants and a fuzzy, white sweater to match.

Nora was the first to respond. "Hi, Adrienne. We're working on promoting Taco Fiesta. Wanna help?"

"Sure," she smiled with glee, gesturing to her boyfriend who trailed behind her. "C'mon Axel, let's help."

He looked as if he just wanted to get back in his bed and sleep, but he mustered a sluggish smile. "Fine." They adjusted themselves and took seats in the row of seats in front of us.

Adrienne reached her hand to meet mines and mustered a genuine grin. "I don't think we've talked before, but I'm Adrienne. What's your name?"

"I'm Rylie," I extended my hand to shake hers, mustering the best smile I could in ages.

"It's nice to meet you," she beamed before turning to everyone else. "So, have you all made any arrangements yet?"

"So far, I'm in the process of making an Instagram account for Taco Fiesta. We're planning on posting pictures of some of their meals," Nora explained briefly, gesturing to her phone screen, which had the account setup page on it.

Adrienne nodded. "I suppose I can help by promoting the page on my account. It'll probably attract a bunch of teens like us, though."

"It'll be something, at least," Cannon shrugged. "We should meet at Taco Fiesta after school today to start taking pictures and get the editing process going. There's no time to waste."

Elias insisted that he'd be free, while everyone else said that they may not be able to make it for different reasons. Adrienne and Axel already had plans to go to the homecoming dance tonight and Nora had a dentist appointment and had to go to work afterwards. That left Elias and I to start working on the project.

I have no problem working with only him today. The less people to work with, the better. There wasn't much of an issue, really. This could give me time to hang out with him outside of school, at least. I was looking forward to it for the sake of Taco Fiesta. Hopefully, our plan will bring back customers.

After school, I headed straight to Taco Fiesta. The establishment isn't far from school, so to my advantage, I was able to walk here without taking too long. The downside is that I smell like outside. I sniffed the sleeve of my hoodie, only to find that I somehow smelled like grass. I went out of my way to shower and spray on plenty of perfume this morning. How was it possible that I already smelled like I rolled around in grass, like an overly hyper child?

I didn't have my own car, and it was completely unknown when I'll get one, so the only way I can get from places is to walk (if it's within walking distance) or to get a ride from my Mom or from a friend. I learned how to drive last year, and even have my license, but I still don't have my own ride. I wish I did, considering that I wouldn't have to depend on others for one.

Referencing my current situation, I was inside Taco Fiesta, searching around to see if I could find Elias anywhere. All I saw was the golden yellow hue of the walls with tiny sombreros plastered across it. Finally, I spotted him at a table with his backpack, a camera in one hand as he tapped the table with his fingers with his other hand. I approached him, my mouth dropped open as I stared at the camera.

I didn't quite expect him to show up with that. I expected for us to take pictures with our phones, edit them, and post them on Instagram. I guess my expectations were low.

"Hey, Elias. I see you came here with a camera," I planted my hands on my hips, still kind of surprised.

"Yeah, it'll give us decent quality. Mr. Mercado, the owner, agreed to lend this to me," he explained as he rose up from his chair. "We'll be taking pictures back in the break room for a bit more space, if you don't mind."

I nodded as he gestured to me to follow him out into the back. We went behind the counter that contained the cash register and other necessities. I followed him into a small hallway that led to what appeared to be the break room. A man, who I assumed was the owner and a woman, who probably was his wife, were making adjustments to a display they made on a long, folding table, which had white table cloth spread above it. On the table, there were tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, and just about anything else you can think of to expect to be sold in a Mexican restaurant.

"Good afternoon," the owner smiled as soon as he saw me. "I'm Miguel, and this is my wife, Isabella."

Isabella grinned with a wave after making one last adjustment to a taco. "Hi, sweetie. Thank you again for this."

"Really, thank you. You two didn't have to do this," Miguel acknowledged.

"We won't be the only ones working on this, but it's nothing. We just don't want this place to close down," Elias replied. "We can handle this for now, so you two can get back to the kitchen."

"Just holler if you need us," Isabella proclaimed before she gestured her husband back into the kitchen. Once the couple was out of sight, Elias and I were left alone. No one else was in the break room, not even any employees. It was just us.

I cleared my throat. "So, should we get started on the pictures?"

"Yeah, we should," Elias nodded in agreement as he turned on the camera. Before he could take pictures, he made a couple more adjustments to some tacos and burritos and observed what they looked like in the camera frame. Once everything was placed correctly, he took a couple of photos. While this happened, I started to adjust the quesadillas, enchiladas, as well as the cinnamon rolls. To add detail, I sprinkled basil from a small square-shaped bowl on and around the enchiladas and quesadillas.

"Thanks," Elias smiled genuinely as he took a few shots of the quesadillas and enchiladas separately. He also took a few pictures of the cinnamon rolls, his hands steady throughout the entire process. All the food that was on display was real and recently cooked, judging its appearance. It wasn't anything old. Once Elias took enough pictures for a start, he motioned back to the front area where he was sitting before I got here.

Without any questions, I followed. Once we were seated, he pulled out a laptop from his backpack, as well as a USB cable from the camera's case. "I'm going to upload the pictures onto my laptop so I can send them to Cannon to edit, since he's good at editing," he explained as he lifted the screen of his laptop.

"While you do that, I'll just start gathering all of the food in the break room," I offered as I got up.

"I'll be right there. This will take a minute or two," Elias said as he plugged in the USB cable.

I wandered back off to the break room and brought a small waste bin that was laying around towards the table so I could dispose of the food. It was nearly cold and was touched, so there wasn't much of a point in saving it. Bit by bit, I scooped the food into the trash and swept the basil leaves from the table into the bin with my hand.

By the time I was done, there was only the tablecloth left. There weren't any stains on it, so I picked it up from the table, folded it, and placed it on a nearby shelf. There were foldable chairs standing around nearby, so I pushed them under the table one by one.

"I see that you're already finished," Elias said while he approached me. "So now what do we do?"

"I don't know. Maybe we can . . . stay here for a bit? If you want to, of course," I blurted out.

Okay, I have to admit that I would never have expected myself to just say that out of the blue. I'm not much of a social person, but asking him to hang out here with me was a bit much for me. Perhaps hanging out with people instead of sitting in my bedroom sulking was a bit of progress for me.

Goosebumps crawled on my skin as I waited for his response. "I can stay here for a little while."

He motioned me to a table in the front area. He sat on one side, and I sat on the other, so we were across from each other. At first, it was awkward. Neither of us said anything, up until he cleared his throat.

"Do you know what you want to be when you're older?" He questioned, curiosity gleaming in his eyes. "That's if you want to share, of course."

"I haven't figured it out yet, but I want to major in psychology. I'm fascinated by human behavior and mental processes, somehow, but I don't know what I'd particularly choose as a job," I grimaced.

"Psychology is indeed interesting, but have you figured out what exactly you want to do?" Elias suggested. "With a degree in psychology, you can become a counselor, psychologist, or something like that."

"Maybe, but I still haven't figured out what exactly I want to do. Thanks for the suggestions, though," I acknowledged as I mustered a smile.

"It's no problem," he hummed as his eyebrows danced.

After that, it was silent again. The only thing I could hear was the drink fountain making an obnoxious whirring noise like it usually does and music playing in the background over it. Elias was adjusting and began to adjust things inside his backpack while I just stared at him. Not in a bad way, but probably in a good way. He has nice, full eyebrows that are arched so nicely, yet they were completely natural. His forehead was covered by his naturally brunette curls. Come to think of it, I never actually took a good, detailed look at him. I have to admit, he looks kind of cute.

Right at that moment, he finished adjusting his things and looked back to me. My entire face heated up. I was perplexed as to why it did, but it happened. After a few long, awkward moments of silence, he started rambling and questioning me about future aspirations. We discussed and laughed a bit. It wasn't inappropriate and it wasn't boring.

It was normal.

//

Hi! Hello! I may or may not have let you all hanging at that last part.

Really, this is just the beginning of Rylie and Elias' friendship. I'm making this story to be a slowburn, so I'll keep you all waiting for a bit longer.

But on the bright side, we got to see more of Adrienne. What do you think of her?