The Problem with Those Independent Places

Story Sent in by Billy:

Kristy and I were on a local volleyball team together, and after several games, we became friendly, closer, and I finally asked her out for coffee. We agreed on a Starbucks.

We met just outside the cafe, and she said, "Would you mind if we went somewhere that wasn't Starbucks? I have a thing about giving money to big chains."

Fair enough. I asked her, "Did you have another place in mind?"

With that, she walked right past me and into the Starbucks. It was an unexpected act, but I followed her in. She ordered a latte right before my eyes, and I ordered a tea.

Once we sat down, I asked her, "So you're cool with Starbucks, then?"

She replied, "Yeah, whatever."

We spoke for a bit, and then I saw her slip a large white pill into her coffee cup. I asked her about it, and she told me that it was for her nerves. I didn't ask her anything else about it, but after she took a few sips, she stood up and said to me, "I'll be right back."

I waited for her for about 15 minutes when she returned with a coffee from someplace else, bringing her coffee cup collection to a total of two. I asked, "You... got more coffee?"

She said, "I felt guilty about drinking here at Starbucks without supporting a local place."

I joked, "Two cups of coffee will work wonders for your nerves."

She replied, "I don't have coffee in here," then picked up the second coffee cup, popped off its white plastic lid, and spilled what looked like a clump of dryer lint down onto the table.

I asked, "Okay, um, what's that?"

She shook her head and replied, "I have to go," and carried her Starbucks coffee out of the cafe, leaving me with a small pile of... I don't know what.

I grabbed my coffee and the lint, made for the door, threw the lint out, and caught up with her outside. "Kristy," I asked, "What's wrong? Are you all right?"

She put a hand to her face and asked, "What did you do with my coffee?"

"Your coffee?"

"The one I brought in from the independent place?"

I raised my eyebrows. "The... lint? You're asking me what I did with that? I tossed it."

She rolled her eyes and said, "That just proves my point. Goodnight, Billy. Don't follow me." She pushed past me and went on her way. I didn't follow her, and since then, I've never attempted speaking to her again. It's made volleyball games a bit awkward, at least for me, but to look at her, you'd never even know that our "date" had happened.