A little something based off of hot chocolate baby(@ decreasingbloodsugar on instagram) and the "hatchetfield bee" ( @ beailbity on instagram), who we've named collin and bea

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At first, it'd been small. Collin had gone to a movie and found a girl sitting in his seat, his specially assigned seat. He vaguely remembered what she'd looked like, mainly due to the dim lights. All he'd done was politely stated that she was in his seat and watched her apologize and leave. After that, he hadn't thought much of it.

Then, during study hall, he'd recognized her; the messy bun in her hair, the bright yellow of her pinafore dress, and the tapping noise that the black flats on her feet made when she took a step. He hadn't recognized her as "that girl from the movie theatre" right away, but he did know that she was quite possibly the cutest girl he'd seen in some time. 

She was short, really short, but she dressed nicely in that sort of adorable charm. She'd walked around the room with a pep in each step and, as though fate was on his side, taken the seat beside him. "Is this seat taken?" He shook his head. "Oh, ok. My name's Bea, by the way."

If Bea were to be completely honest, Collin had made her heart skip a beat in that movie theatre. She'd always blame it on that 'teen spunk' the health teacher had gone on about, whereas kids, especially the girls, couldn't help but feel some sort of romantic connection towards nearly everyone they met. It wasn't something she was a strong believer in, but she'd still convinced herself it was the phenomenon that was in effect. So, seeing him in the classroom was a bit of a shocker.

Of course, she made an effort to sit beside him. She might not have believed the health teacher, but she was a firm believer in fate and the universe. Everything happens for a reason, she liked to say. At the very least, what was the worst that could happen?

Now they were simply two high school juniors with beet-red faces, sitting in consecutive school desks and trying to figure out how to make the first moves.

"So are you–" Bea had turned around and begun to speak.

"So do you like–" Collin had started at the same time, their realizations cutting both of them off. They exchanged glances before somehow communicating with looks alone. 

"You're the boy from the movie theatre, right? The one I had accidentally stolen a seat from?" Bea restarted for them, a soft smile set on her face.

He snapped his fingers as the memory hit him. "That's where I'd remember you! Uh, yeah, I'm Collin." 

Bea's smile grew a bit wider. "Bea Benson! Like. . .like The Bee Movie, which is kinda stinky." She'd gotten used to the comparison, though she'd rather get it out of the way.

That being said, instead of laughing as most did, Collin smiled. "What? That's cool, not stinky. Who said it was stinky?"

She shrugged. "Just some seniors when I was a freshman. It was that Future Freshman night and the kids started laughing at me when I said my name. It's not like I can control it though!" While she was talking, Bea had noticed the sticker on his phone case. "Is that a. . .Beanies sticker?"

Collin blinked twice before looking down to see what she was talking about. "Oh, yes. They give you a fifty-cent discount if you have a sticker on you. I like their hot cocoa, if the barista could ever manage to make it within the span of five minutes."

Bea let out a light giggle. "I'm sure she's just busy– no, wait! Isn't Beanies the place where that one barista works? The one who pees in the tea or something?" 

"Sorry, she does what now?" His eyes widened at the statement. "Well, I'm certainly glad I've never ordered their tea then."

Their conversation continued on for a majority of the hour, their only interruption being the hour bell and the hustle and bustle of rushing students. Bea was quick to grab her bag and stand. She was nearly out the door when Collin had caught her hand. 

"Oh– Uhm, should we exchange numbers or something along those lines?"

Days later, the two stood in a Target food aisle, perusing the different brands of hot chocolate. "Well, which one's your favorite?" Bea glanced over at him to gauge a reaction.

"Hmmm." Collin held a finger to his chin as he tried to rack his brain for what she would like best. "Do you prefer a sweet chocolate, like milk, or a more bitter, dark chocolate?"

She took a moment to respond. "Sweet, I think. Dark chocolate tastes a little too old for me."

Though he didn't agree with that statement at all, Collin couldn't help the smile that spread on his face. Nevertheless, he kept up his feigned professionalism. "I think. . .I think you'd like Ghirardelli's sweet ground chocolate and cocoa powder."

He reached out and took the canister into his hand, handing it over to her. "It's a little expensive but, um, I've got you covered."

Bea shook her head. "You really don't have to, Collin. That's too much!"

"No, no! I insist, Bea." He pulled out his wallet to subtly make sure he had a spare fifteen dollars lying around. To his relief, fifteen dollars was indeed there. He'd just have no cash for the upcoming days.

"Er– ok, if you insist, but I'm paying you back someday!"

Study hour was just about to wrap itself up. Normally the students were allowed to do as they wanted, but today, the teacher in charge decided to preach their life story to the poor kids. Something along the lines of "dreamt of Hollywood, ended up in Michigan". Like always, they were saved by the bell.

Collin was just about to pack his items up when he lifted his phone, only to find an envelope underneath it. Bea had already rushed out, which made more sense once he took the time to read what was inside.

Inside the small envelope were twenty dollars in cash, a post-it note that read 'for the hot cocoa + something extra!', and a paper sticker. Upon further inspection, the sticker was that of a cartoon bee, a smiley face adorning its features that Collin began to mirror at the sight of. 

The rest of the day, the notion hadn't left his thoughts.  Love wasn't exactly his thing, but this? Well, maybe he'd make an exception.