“I don’t see why this counts as a double date” Max huffed from his seat.
He and his companions sat on a corner booth of a diner. Painted in different shades of blue, plus a few details in red, the Stitz Diner stood the test through time. From the 1950s up to the present, it retained its reputation as a famous place for people of all ages to visit and satisfy their appetites.
The place’s exterior resembled an old rail car. The various shades in the blue tiles almost replicated the waves of the sea. The curved ceiling had been painted in creamy white, matching white sand beaches. A jukebox stood at one end and played vintage records. An arcade machine took the spot from the other end.
Instead of two rows of booths like a steam train, a kitchen and preparation area had been built against the back wall. It was also surrounded by an end-to-end service counter with floor-mounted stools. They were crafted from marble porcelain and stainless steel. The seats of the booths had been made of red vinyl. Other than the door, the booths were separated by the backrests of two benches pressed against each other.
Max sat diagonally on the inner seat. One elbow rested on the backrest while the other rested on a windowsill. Fresh from basketball practice, his hair was still damp.
At his remark, Lauren snorted beside him. She had her legs and arms crossed, “Well, you said you wanted to use this as a way for us to forgive you. I only changed the terms in a way I found acceptable.”
Max hung his head for a second, “This was also supposed to be about teaching Alex on dating.”
“He already has a girlfriend,” Lauren groaned. A scowl appeared on her face, snapping, “He doesn’t need your advice.”
“How do we even know this girl is real? And it’s a long distance relationship. Girl, that needs more work. I’m only looking out for him.”
“You only say that because you haven’t met her.”
“Have you?” Max blinked.
“Of course.”
He snapped his gaze in surprise, landing it on Alex. One look at his bewildered face, Alex wanted to hide under the table. The urge to kick Lauren’s leg came as a close second. She really didn’t want to bring up Emily in the conversation. The less people knew about her, the better.
In response to Max’s stare, she merely shrugged. Then, she returned to her notebook. Unlike the two people in front of her, she had other things in mind. Her pencil scratched against the paper. Her handwriting remained neat and organized despite her hand speed.
It didn’t take long for Max to realize that Alex wouldn’t provide him answers. He turned his attention back to Lauren, “How come I didn’t meet her?”
“Because you weren’t there” the cheerleader rolled her eyes, biting her inner cheek. She realized a little late that it was probably not a good idea to bring up Emily. Yet, she was also the most logical reason to use in this situation. Max wouldn’t drop it either if he didn’t hear such a development in the relationship.
“How did you meet her?” Max questioned skeptically.
“She met with Alex last week. She came to the school herself.”
Lauren smiled smugly. She knew that it would make him pout. Her presumption would have been true—except her expression made Max frown instead. She felt too happy about his misery.
He huffed and shifted his head towards the seat across the table from him.
“Did you meet her, Logan?”
“Of course” Logan replied, his eyes on his own notebook, “Why would I miss meeting my best friend’s girlfriend during her visit?
Max gaped at his companions. First, he thought Logan had a girlfriend. Next, it turned out to be Jae, who didn’t deny that he had a girl. Now, Alex’s girlfriend came to visit and he missed the chance? Did the world hate him or something?
“Who ordered the chocolate milkshakes?” A waitress asked as she reached their booth. She had a tray propped up in one hand, lifting it near her head, with four glasses of drinks. She picked up a tall glass and raised her eyebrows at the teens.
Logan looked up and answered, “We did.”
He gestured between him and Alex.
The waitress smiled and set down their drinks respectively, “We hope you like them. This diner stayed true to the 50s style of milkshakes. Handmade with vanilla ice cream, whipped toppings and a maraschino cherry on top.”
“Thank you,” Alex slid her glass of milkshake and sipped through the straw. Swallowing, she nodded, “It’s very delicious. I might order another one later.”
“It would be our pleasure to make another” the waitress took another glass. She faced the other side of the booth, “The root beer float?”
Max raised a hand, “Over here. Thank you.”
After the waitress handed him his drink, she grabbed the last one and placed it near Lauren, “This vanilla-flavored coke must be yours then. Your food will come up shortly. Enjoy.”
Alex and Logan went back to their notebooks. The two of them agreed to brainstorm by themselves for a bit. That way they could discuss their project easier and quicker. It would also help if they somehow said the same thing about one of Shakespeare’s works. If that happened, they would have a clear choice of which play to report about.
Max knocked on the middle spot of the table, “Hey, hey hey, I know I’m paying for the food but if this is supposed to be the double date that I was promised then, please stop studying.”
Logan pressed his lips together. Just a few hours ago, he found out that the ‘hangout’ Alex mentioned previously turned out to be a double date. He huffed at the memory. Before he could protest, Alex reminded him that Max actually talked about it the day before they did the roleplay. So much happened since then, how did she expect him to remember it?
It did little to calm his simmering blood. In the end, she proposed for them to not talk for a bit and write in their notebooks. Honestly, if they already had it planned, how did it count as a way to make up for his actions at the party?
“Aw, come on, let them be” Lauren said, slapping Max’s hand, “We should be doing the same thing anyway. Those were my terms.”
“Yeah, you said it would be a study date” Max snorted.
“Exactly. Then, why would you stop them?”
“Fine, fine” Max scooped out a spoonful of ice cream on top of his float. Then, he ate it in one bite. He took out his phone and opened a web browser, “I’ll look up several plays. Or do you already have something in mind?”
Lauren folded her arms on the table. Her eyes flickered the pair in front of them. Although she had been there when they had an argument, the tense atmosphere between the two aggravated her. She set this up as a chance for them to experience a date—even if it involved school work. Instead, they stayed silent and minded their own business.
Just how long would they keep it up?
“I have a play that I think would be good for Alex and Logan to report on” Lauren finally voiced out. She couldn’t help it. She tried to wait for a chance to talk about it but the two made it difficult, “I think if it’s the two of you, you’ll do great.”
Max looked up at the ceiling, his tongue between one side of his teeth. He shook his head and placed down his phone, “Why are you helping them when we have our own project?”
He was her partner in this. Yet, she paid more attention to another pair. She would even go as far as to help them out pick a topic. What for? Was this her way to impressing Alex? Then, what was the talk about his girlfriend about? Get a rise out of him?
Ah, how pathetic, Max mulled to himself. He should be used to this by now. Even if he gave her all of his attention, hers would be on someone else.
Since when did he become this sappy?
He slapped his cheek.
All of the people in the booth looked over at him. It seemed like the noise around them faded. Pindrop silence engulfed their area. It was as if an invisible bubble appeared and formed a barrier between them and the rest of the diner.
“You okay, dude?” Logan asked, a crease in between his eyebrows.
Max brushed off his concern with a hand and avoided his gaze.
“Yeah, I just felt a fly land on my face” he nudged Lauren’s foot gently, using the tip of his shoe, “So what play do you think Big Brain 1 and Big Brain 2 should do?”
Lauren continued to stare at him, a squint in her eyes. She couldn’t put her finger on it but something clearly bothered him. Max simply blinked and raised his eyebrows, pressing his lips together. That move confirmed her thoughts. For a talker like him, silence became his ‘tell’.
She shook her head and put the matter at the back of her mind for now. It might be better to tell Jae about it. After the time she witnessed Max in a dark moment, he avoided showing it to her ever since. It’s been years but the thought still left a sour taste in her mouth.
With a sigh, Lauren faced the two top students of their year.
“I think you should do ‘Twelfth Night’.”
LINK:
https://discord.gg/5V89qkc
