
Her dark eyes sparked with recognition when she spotted Leo, who began enthusiastically waving an arm in the air in front of Cafe Étude. Have to remedy that today, he thought.Ī slender girl with silky white-blonde hair that fell to her hips emerged from the crowded crosswalk. She was a good listener, too… although she didn’t offer up much information about herself, so it was a pretty one sided conversation.

Besides, she was way better at ASL than him, and she didn’t seem to mind helping him out. She was nice, and she was really sweet when they got paired up in class last week. Maybe her family is the hardcore hippy type– you know, like the ones who believe in chemtrails and don’t even own a microwave or a tv.” Josh started laughing– “Ey, maybe that’s the answer, Sam.
#Strawberry alarm clock merced crack#
Leo couldn’t help but crack a smile at this. “And her name is… Lilin? Is that some crunchy-granola white girl name? Like did they forget to add the ‘a’ for Lilian?” Josh looked up from his phone to add “…it’s a little sus, dude.” “What, like she hasn’t had internet at home the whole semester?” “I mean, she’s always zooming from this café in uptown, so she kinda has to.” You’re telling me she shows up to virtual class like that, every time?” “Bro, she was the only one wearing a mask in her video. The minute class was over, he stormed into the kitchen to glare at them. Leo had almost burst a vein when he spotted them in the corner of his screen, their goofy faces peering over his shoulder like a couple of kids, barely containing their snickering. Sammy and their other roommate, Josh, had crept into Leo’s bedroom during his ASL class yesterday to catch a glimpse of their friend’s mysterious crush. And second, there’s more important things than appearance, dick.” “First of all, she’s just mute, not deaf. “It’s practically a blind date– and she’s already deaf.” “How do even you know if she’s cute or not?” Sammy had demanded. Was this even a good idea? Asking out a girl whose face you’ve never seen? Leo’s friends had given him so much shit when they found out she didn’t have social media. But Leo didn’t want to get a table without his date it seemed more polite to wait so that they could go to the hostess together. “Maldita vieja bruja,” he muttered with an eye roll.

An elderly white lady stared him down and clutched her Chanel purse a little tighter as she passed him on the sidewalk.

Tall brown kid with a backpack lurking on the street corner, practically sweating with nerves despite the chill October air… and this café was in one of the nicer parts of the city, on top of that. He hoped the other café patrons weren’t getting creeped out. He still couldn’t get over the discomfort– it made him think of the face-huggers from Alien. Leo worked from home, so he rarely went into public spaces, rarely had to bother with putting one on. It took some getting used to, even after seven months of living through a pandemic. He fidgeted with the straps of his blue face mask. He ran a large, clumsy hand through his wavy black hair and glanced up at the rising moon. Leo Torres looked at his Apple watch again, his left foot tapping restlessly on the pavement. In 2005, the city became home to the 10th University of California campus, University of California, Merced.

It is approximately 110 miles (180 km) from Sacramento, 130 miles (210 km) from San Francisco, 55 miles (89 km) from Fresno, and 270 miles (430 km) from Los Angeles. The community is served by the passenger rail service Amtrak, a minor, heavily subsidized airline through Merced Regional Airport, and three bus lines. Merced, known as the "Gateway to Yosemite", is less than two hours by automobile from Yosemite National Park to the east and Monterey Bay, the Pacific Ocean, and multiple beaches to the west. It is named after the Merced River, which flows nearby. Incorporated on April 1, 1889, Merced is a charter city that operates under a council–manager government. As of the 2020 Census, the city had a population of 86,333, up from 78,958 in 2010. Merced ( Spanish for "Mercy") is a city in, and the county seat of, Merced County, California, United States, in the San Joaquin Valley.
