[ WP ] You have a very shitty type of precognition .

I stood on the corner of Post and Van Ness, waiting for her. As the minutes went on, one past the hour, two past the hour, three past the hour, I was growing more and more anxious. I noticed my chest was tight and it felt like someone's hands were gripping my throat. `` Take a deep breath,'' I said to myself, `` she'll come.'' At seven past the hour, I look up and see a girl on the other side of the street watching me, waiting for the light to turn. `` Is that her?'' My heart shook in my chest. She started crossing and smiled at me. I half-smiled back, willing myself to relax. `` You need to be more friendly, you always look so grumpy, grump-face'' my mom's words ringing in my ears. 
 
 `` Hi, are you Anthony?'' she asked. 
 
 `` Hey, yeah. Are you Anne?'' 
 
 `` Yeah, nice to meet you.'' She opened her arms for a hug. I stiffly bent forward into her arms and tried to act cool as I hugged back. 
 
 `` You seem a little nervous,'' she teased. 
 
 `` Oh, um, yeah. This is my first time meeting someone online. I mean, I've never been on like a blind date. Well, I guess it's not technically blind but, um, well I mean, sorry...'' 
 
 She giggled, `` That's OK, I know what you mean. So, where do you want to go?'' 
 
 `` Well, I thought, um, I mean if you wanted we could grab Thai food here around the corner, there's a little place...'' 
 
 `` Oh. I'm not really that into Thai. Actually there is a Starbucks a block up. I'd rather have a coffee.'' 
 
 I smiled inside, in a secret part of me, trying not to show my amusement at her request.'Should I tell her? Maybe I'll surprise her. Is that dumb of me? Am I trying too hard to impress her? Would that be too much on a first date?' The thoughts started racing through my head. 
 
 `` Sure.'' I blurted out. 
 
 `` Cool,'' she said. 
 
 I started walking in the direction of Bush Street, hands in my pockets, fumbling the three dimes left from the night before. 
 
 `` So, how's your day going?'' I asked. My mom helped me with that one. She gave me a list of things I could say. `` You have to ask HER questions about HERSELF, Anthony'' I could here my mom prompting me in my head. 
 
 `` Pretty good so far, I guess. I'm a little tired because I worked this morning.'' 
 
 `` That's cool.'' Wait, what? Why did I say that? `` No, I mean the pretty good part is cool. That sucks that you had to work.'' 
 
 She giggled again, `` That's OK, I know what you meant.'' 
 
 We arrived at the Starbucks and I jumped in front of her to open the door for her. I was taking her in as she walked past me. She was really beautiful. Maybe I should tell her... 
 
 We walked up to the counter. There were three people in line ahead of us. A young blond, an older man dressed in a shirt and tie, and a teenager absorbed in a text conversation. 
 
 As Anne was looking up at the menu, I took a deep breath and decided I'd go for it. `` You want to see something cool?'' I asked. 
 
 `` Um, sure... what do you mean?'' She seemed hesitant. 
 
 `` Oh, no, it's nothing big. Just something I have a strange talent for.'' 
 
 The Starbucks cashier returned to the register and looked up at the blond in line. `` Hi, can I help you?'' said that cashier. 
 
 I turned to Anne, smiled, and whispered `` skinny raspberry white mocha, no whip... and I'm going to guess tall.'' 
 
 The blond in front of us said, `` Can I get a raspberry white mocha?'' 
 
 The cashier said, `` OK, what size?'' 
 
 The blond added, `` How about grande. Oh, and no whip please. Actually, I'll take a tall instead.'' 
 
 Anne looked at me with wide eyes. `` What you know her or something?'' 
 
 `` Nah.'' I replied. I was gaining some confidence back. `` It's just something I can tell. I dunno, I can read people or something.'' 
 
 Anne laughed. `` Nuh-uh. OK then, do it again.'' I could tell she absolutely thought I was talking shit. 
 
 The man in the tie walked up to the counter. 
 
 `` Fine. This guy is going to get a venti coffee with a shot of espresso.'' I whispered. 
 
 The man said to the cashier, `` Can I get a red eye, venti?'' 
 
 Anne laughed again. `` What, do you work here or something? Do you know these people?'' 
 
 `` No, I can just tell.'' I shrugged my shoulders. `` This girl in front of us is going to get a tall caramel frapuccino and a chocolate chip cookie.'' 
 
 Sure enough, the teenager walked to the counter and ordered my prediction to a tee. 
 
 `` You're totally shitting me.'' Anne laughed but a solemness started to spread across her face. `` OK, write in your phone what you think I'm going to order and then show me after I order it.'' 
 
 `` Yeah, I can do that.'' I pulled out my phone, typed in `` tall chai tea latte''. 
 
 Anne said, `` OK, let me hold your phone so you ca n't cheat.'' I handed my phone to her. 
 
 Sure enough, she walked to the counter and ordered a tall chai tea latte. She handed me my phone and demanded that I unlock it in front of her while she watched. I turned the screen of the phone to face her. 
 
 `` Um, you're shitting me.'' 
 
 `` No, it's for real.'' I started to second guess myself. Anne was looking at me with a deer in the headlights glare. She was crossing her arms, her body language was protective. 
 
 `` You know,'' she said, `` I do n't feel right about this. Nice to meet you but I think I'm going to head out.'' She turned to the cashier and said, `` Sorry, nevermind, can you cancel that?'' She avoided making eye contact with me and started toward the door. 
 
 `` No, wait!'' I said but my plead fell on deaf ears. 
 
 Fuuuuuck. I fucked up. Too much too soon? My mom is going to be pissed. 
 
 I went to the table in the corner and looked out the window as I watched Anne cross back to the other side of the street. I watched her until she was out of sight. 
 
 `` Fucking stupid idiot.'' I muttered to myself under my breath. I started to imagine myself as an X-Men, looking for a scenario in which predicting the villain's Starbucks drink could somehow save the day... 
 
 `` OK, Anthony. The villain is somewhere in this Starbucks but he has shape-shifted again. We know that he has a peculiar taste for Pumpkin Spice Lattes with an extra shot of vanilla,'' says Wolverine to me in my fantasy. I look in the line and quickly identify two people with that order, though one wants a tall and one wants a venti. `` Wolverine, tall or venti? Which one?... WHICH ONE??'' Wolverine pauses, I can tell he is searching inside for the answer. He eyes become darker and his brow furrows. `` Venti'' he answers with certitude. I raise my hand an point to the little old black lady hunched over at the back of the line. `` Get him.'' Wolverine flexes his arms to unleash the metal claws from the tip of his knuckles. `` It's over for you!'' he yells at the villain. Wolverine takes him by surprise and slashes the black lady across the gut with one fell swoop. The customers scream in horror and run out the door. The cashier cowers behind the counter. `` Anthony, you saved us all'' Wolverine says pointedly to me as the little old lady's spilled entrails spew a pool of blood out onto the floor of the Starbucks. 
 
 I sigh, stand up and head toward the door. Time to go home and face mom.
