Disclaimer: 1) The Tennessee Promise was not put in place until 2014, though the story is set in 2008. 2) I know nothing about how colleges or coffee shops work. And I don't know the requirements for a business management degree. 

 Please, cut me some slack. I'm just a girl in the world trying to write fanfics..

~+~

Wednesday, November 05, 2008-

Lilith had been in this basic biology class for three months now. She had wanted to opt out of it when her counselor was walking her through the classes she was scheduled for, but it was going to give her extra credits and she was hoping it would look good on her resume. And more importantly, it would look good on her application for the business management program she wanted to join next fall. She had never really wanted to go into business, or financing (which she recently learned you needed to know to be able to do business management), but her uncles bar was not doing good, and she was hoping she would be able to help him run it a little smoother, cut back unnecessary costs, and make more revenue. She did not want to take over and run the bar, just be able to give her uncle pointers. And since she was going to have a business degree, she figured she would use it to her advantage and get a high paying job in the field. Though she wasn't yet sure what she wanted that job to be.

Lilith had chosen to take all of her basic classes at a community college, because thanks to the Tennessee Promise, all community colleges were free of tuition charge for all Tennessee residents with a high school diploma. Which meant she would not have to pay for her first year of college. The only downside to her ingenious plan was that the closest community college was over an hour away from her house. Or, well, Garrett's house which she had been living in since she was 12.

After having talked it over with Garrett after first applying they agreed that an hour one way twice daily was going to be not only too much for her, but also for her 1969 Mustang, a relatively old car. So she had started looking for apartments or rooms for rent in the area. During her search she came across a three-bedroom house with two girls currently living there just needing a third person to make ends meet. After having contacted the two and talking it out a bit, they decided she would be a good fit, and she moved in the week before school started.

Neither of her roommates were on the same schedule as her, so she didn't see either of them often. Though she knew them both well enough from talking as they passed each other on the way through the door. Their names were Clara and Avalon. Avalon was a tall, slim brunette, with olive color skin, who really enjoyed partying. Though Lilith learned that from the girls public Instagram. Clara, a shorter dark-skinned girl, often with brightly colored hair, was a lot softer spoken and spent a lot of time at local animal shelters. Which was something Lilith had found out when they were discussing her moving in. One of the terms and conditions was that Lil had to be okay, or at least not allergic to, pet hair because it often came home on Clara's clothes.

So far living in the shared house was going great. She had plenty of space, was not having any problem with either of the roommates, and was only a six-minute drive to and from the main building that she had classes in. And about twelve minutes from the cafe she had gotten a job at. To keep up with rent, school supplies, and for a little extra spending money, she had applied for a job at a few places in the area. Out of the five places she applied for, she only got two call backs. After the interviews were over she had a pick of a sandwich shop or a cafe. She decided on the cafe and started two days before classes started.

She had expected the experience to be pretty close to what she had dealt with at the Blue Oyster Bar, the bar she was going to college to save, but was surprised to find it wasn't. The process was pretty similar, take the order, make the drink, bus the tables. But it was odd for her to not be doing all the jobs. And, thankfully, she was hit on less often. If she was being hit on, it was often by someone in her age range. At the bar, the majority of her customers were male, but at the coffee shop they got an even split between the two. It was interesting to compare and contrast similarities between the two.

"Group projects. Great," She mumbled to herself as she gathered her supplies into an organized pile. She had chosen a seat relatively close to the board, but still far enough back that those really interested in the class could have a good seat. On her left was a walking aisle, and nobody had sat down on her right, so she often took that space to set her supplies as she worked using the tabletop in front of her. Because there were no table partners next to her, and she never really borrowed supplies from anyone, she had not socialized much. Which meant she didn't have a go-to partner for group activities. Even worse, this group activity was worth a third of her overall grade.

She was looking around the lecture hall, waiting to see if anyone else seemed like they were needing a partner when she heard a voice behind her. "You need a partner?"

Lilith hadn't really thought that the person was speaking to her, and she didn't want to be nosy, so she hadn't turned around to see who it was.

"Hey, blondie. I'm talking to you." The tone was teasing, and this time Lilith definitely knew they were talking to her. So she turned around.

While she wasn't really sure what she was expecting, it was not a male with medium length light brown hair. So light it almost looked to be a dirty blonde color. He had a large nose and full lips, with piercing green eyes and a chiseled jawline. And she would be lying if she said she didn't find him attractive. She couldn't assess how tall he was, because he was leaning over the table of the row behind her, but based on his wide shoulders, she would have to place him at least six feet, and most likely athletic.

Lilith made eye contact with the stranger and nodded. "Yea. Yea, I do." She nodded once.

"You wanna work together?"

"Oh, sure." She left her items on the table and stood up so she could reach her hand out to the man. "I'm Lilith."

He grabbed and shook her hand firmly, though not with enough force to potentially injure her. "Dean." He was wearing a smirk as he spoke.

Dean and Lilith had stood and discussed the basics of the projects and what ideas they had come up with, making a loose plan of how they wanted to go about it. Now on the topic of when they wanted to meet up and actually do the work. They had figured it would go smoother if they did all of the work together, versus having done parts separately and then trying to combine their work later.

"What about tonight?" Dean offered.

"I can't tonight. I work from four to seven." Lilith checked the time on her watch that she wore around her left wrist. She didn't want to be late for her shift, and they had already spent twenty minutes talking about the project when the class ended at 3:20pm. She still had twenty minutes before she needed to clock in, but it was a seven-minute drive and she still needed to get into uniform. She would have to go soon if she wanted to avoid being late.

Dean thought for a moment before offering a different option. "Well, I don't go to bed until ten, on a good night. So if you are up to it, we could meet after you get off?" He wasn't trying to pressure her, he just figured she would probably want to get started on the project as soon as possible. "I mean, I can bring the supplies and we can meet up somewhere."

Lilith considered how tired she thought she would be and then nodded. "Sure. That will work. Give me your number and I'll text you when I get off." She had her phone open to the contacts and faced the screen towards Dean.

Dean took the phone, typing his name as 'Dean (Biology)' and then entered his number, handing the device back without clicking the save button.

Lilith saved the information, shot Dean a smile, and then turned around to grab her items from the table where she had left them mumbling about how she was going to be late to class if she didn't get to work soon.

Dean watched as his partner grabbed her items in a mildly frantic manner, chuckling to himself silently as she practically ran out of the lecture hall. Hopefully she wouldn't forget to shoot him a text, he hasn't got her number to be able to message her first.

It was 6:30 before Lilith had gotten around to sending Dean a text.

(xxx)-xxx-xxxx: Hi. This is Lilith from Biology. Sorry, we have been swamped and this is the first time I've had more than five minutes for a break. Did you still want to work on the project tonight?

Dean (Biology): Yeah. I just got everything on the list. Where did you want to meet?

Dean added the number to his contacts.

Lilith: (INSERT ADDRESS of the cafe she works at)

Dean (Biology): you get off at 7, right?

Lilith: Yea, but I'll need a few minutes...

Dean (Biology): No problem

Dean (Biology): See ya then

Lilith put the phone back in her bag hanging on a hook in her labeled staff locker before heading back to the counter. She technically had five more minutes for her break, but she didn't mind cutting it short. Her shortened break meant her coworker got extra time for her break. Or at least that's how they used the time. Management most likely would not agree, but everyone in their store was happy to treat it that way. And the coworker on register today, Zava, often needed longer breaks as she had medical/health issues. Lilith wasn't sure what those issues were, as she never asked about them. She simply knew Zava needed more breaks and was easily overworked. Plus, Lilith hated standing around and doing nothing.

After half an hour, her shift was officially over. As she clocked out, she turned to talk to a second coworker. "Hey, Emma. Will you make me a caramel iced coffee? I'm gonna go change." When she saw a thumbs up, she went to the bathroom to change back out of her uniform and into the clothes she had been wearing earlier in the day. As she came out, she stepped into the breakroom and grabbed her bag, grabbed her coffee from the counter, placed a dollar and some loose change into the tip jar, and made her way to a table near one of the large front windows.

It was 7:03pm when she saw Dean walk up to the building. He was in a brown knit sweater and a pair of jeans, classic for the month of November. As he walked in the door he looked around and spotted Lilith waving at him. With the bag of items around his wrist he made his way over to the table. He set the bag onto the table, careful to not knock over her coffee, then climbed up into the chair opposite to Lith across the high-top table.

"I thought you said you were going to need a few minutes. You sure got here fast for getting off at seven." Dean was smiling, but one eyebrow was raised in questioning.

"This is where I work." Lilith looked around the small cafe.

"Well that makes more sense." Dean started pulling items out the bag.

"Do you want a coffee or something. Employee discount.." Lilith wiggled her eyebrows slightly as she added the last part.

Dean shook his head at first. But only shook it twice before changing his mind. "Actually,

why not? But I don't need your employee discount." He stood up from the table and made his way over to the counter to order.

Lilith had heard him say he didn't need the discount. And she was sure he didn't need the discount, but she was willing to let him use it. It didn't take away from her at all, and as long as he still tipped Zava and Emily were not missing out either. So after she finished hearing him make an order for a large caramel macchiato, she hollered over to Zava, who had been the one taking the order. "Give him the discount?" She gave a smile and a thumbs up.

Most times she wouldn't holler across the store like she just had, but there were only three other tables being occ, putting them at five customers in the store. And none of them seemed to be doing any hard focusing tasks.

Dean pulled out his wallet as he waited to be read his total. Three dollars and some change. He dug through his assortment of bills looking for the smallest, only finding a ten. He passed it over the counter. When he was given a five, a one and a handful of change, he dropped the five and the change into the cup labeled 'TIPS'. He knew that was more than warranted, but he felt bad giving them less than two dollars for a tip on a coffee that was made at a discounted price. After he had clearly said he did not need the discount.

Zava thanked him for the generous tip and moved on to making his beverage. After a minute it was ready at the other end of the counter. Dean thanked the worker, took the drink, and made his way back over to where Lilith was still sitting. She had already taken all of the supplies out of the bag and was setting up her laptop to the side to record the process of them setting up the project. Which had been a part of the requirements. Full documentation of the process each group took to complete the assignment.

After an hour and a half of working and idle chat mixed in, Lilith was getting tired and decided to call it quits for the day. Not to mention the fact that the coffee shop was going to close in less than half an hour and she knew everyone was ready to go home. So she and Dean were packing up the majority of the items on the table. The only thing not being put back in the bag it had come in was what had been crafted together at the table.

"Okay, so I'm taking this home.. Do I need to take anything else? Do we need any other supplies?" Lilith was looking around the table to make sure she had grabbed everything she had come with. Most items were in her back, other than the project, her phone, and the second coffee Dean had purchased her. "Oh," She rushed to set down the things she was holding. "How much do I owe you for the supplies you bought today?"

"I'm not worried about it." Dean waved a hand dismissively.

"No, seriously. How much?" Lilith had her wallet in her hand, reaching in but waiting to hear the amount that Dean was going to tell her.

"I got it."

"Are you sure? I would hate for you to pay for everything when it's a group project."

"Fine, you can pay for coffee next time." He gave a smile as he watched her put away her wallet and regather the items she had set down. "I'll walk you out." Dean waited for her to pass then followed her to the door, pushing it open for her seeing her hands were full. "So what was it you were saying earlier about your dad owning a bar?"

Part of their idle chat had been about Lilith's career path and why she was going into said career path. "My uncle, actually. And yea, it's called the Blue Oyster Bar. up in Byrdstown."

Dean thought for a moment, trying to remember where Byrdstown was. "Huh, I'll have to check it out some time." Dean was not yet twenty-one, but he would be in about two months.

"It's just a dive bar. Nothin' fancy. But if you're there without me, tell them I sent you."

"Let me guess," Dean rolled his eyes playfully. "They'll give me a friends and family discount."

Finally they reached Lilith's vehicle. "Fine, pay full price for your drinks. What do I care." Her tone was a little snarky, but she meant it teasingly. And she was sure Dean knew that, considering how sarcastic he had been the entire time they were working. She was reaching out to open the car, but the way things were positioned in her hand, she couldn't quite grip the handle well enough to tug it open.

Dean saw that Lilith was struggling opening the door, so he reached around to help. His chest accidentally pressing against her back. Had the lighting been any lighter out he would have seen a slight blush tinting her ears at the contact. Thank the lord for shortened days and less hours of daylight. Which is not something Lilith would say often, but right now it was doing her favours.

"No way." Dean had just finally gotten a look at the car that Lilith had wandered up to. "This is your car?" He moved further away from the vehicle to get a better look at it. He was not a fan of the maroon color of it, but the style and age of the car was beautiful. "Is that a seventy-one?"

Lilith pulled herself out of the car, where she had been leaning over the bench seat to set their project safely in the back. "Um, no. A sixty-nine actually." She placed her hands on her hips as she moved to stand next to Dean. She didn't often admire her car in the way that strangers did, simply because she was used to the look of it. She had been driving it for four years and had seen it every day for sixteen years before that. "She was my mother's." Dean being interested in her car gave her a sense of pride.

Dean let out a low whistle as he walked around the car, assessing the condition it was in. "Will you start her up?" He was speaking casually, but Lilith could tell from the slight squint of his eyes that he was excited.

Instead of giving a verbal response, Lilith slid into the driver's seat, and started the car, revving the engine twice before simply letting her idle in park.

The look on Dean's face made Lilith smile a little. Old cars must be his version of a kid in a candy shop. She stood up, keeping one foot on the floorboard and planting the other on the asphalt of the parking lot. "Her name's Death Rose." She wasn't sure Dean would care about that piece of information, but that was Lilith's favourite part to tell. When he inevitably asked why, she pointed to the sugar skull steering wheel cover, and then to the flaming rose decal at the tail end of the car. The decal was on either side near the back end of the car.

Dean gave a small laugh at the two pieces of decoration, though it wasn't mockingly. "I drive a '67 Impala." Dean paused for a minute. "Named Baby. 'Cause she's my baby." Dean had put his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "I'll have to introduce you next time." The last statement was Dean's version of a goodbye. Or at least a transition for them to say goodbye.

"I'll look forward to it." On that note she got back into the car. Took a sip of her coffee that had since gotten cold, considering her second coffee was hot when she ordered it, and put her car in reverse.

As she was pulling out of the parking spot, Dean turned to walk back around the front of the building. Turning halfway to wave at Lilith when she gave him a honk. From the corner of his eyes, he watched as she pulled out of the parking lot and started to drive away.