Elliot offers me a ride to Rose's, to which I'm happy to accept. In her unassuming black sedan, we follow the baby blue truck back into town. Erratic yet intricate guitarwork plays over quick rhythmic drums as we cross over town limits. The instrumental track makes me wonder how anyone could be so talented to craft music so fast yet so beautiful, and how difficult it was for all of the musicians to find each other to make such songs that are a blend of classical, electronic, and metal. A well-earned achievement, to say the least.
She's still only in her bikini top and short denim shorts as we round the town square and pass all the shops there. We proceed to the next block eastward, and I wonder if they'll let her in with such minimal coverage. The parking lot is decently packed; our quartet take two of the few remaining spots, thankfully right next to each other.
"So you haven't been here yet?" Elliot asks, cutting the engine. She reaches into the backseat, arms and torso stretched toward some unknown thing.
"No, not yet," I tell her. "My mom and I either order in or make something at home."
"Well, you'll have to bring her sometime," she says, returning with a white cloth in her hand. Unfolding the fabric, she slips on the plain white T-shirt. The orange with yellow dots is barely visible underneath.
Having only the black tank top leaves me feeling a little underdressed. My concerns regarding entry now pivot toward myself; a dumb crumb of paranoia, I'm sure, but that dreadful what if is persistent. We get out of the car and meet the others at the rear of the vehicles. Timbo puts on a gray Heritage Grove Knights tee. Leah sports an oversized green football jersey, the number 99 in blocky gray font on both the front and back.
"Here," Timbo says, tossing a ball of something my way. "For school spirit."
Soft cloth lands in my hands. Unraveling the little bundle, I find a shirt just like Timbo's: gray, a bust of an armored knight drawn in green, and the words "Heritage Grove Knights" in a mild arc above. The tags says it's a Large, and when I put it on it leaves me with some room. Mom would suggest that I'll grow into it, but it feels like my growing days are done.
"Consider it your Welcome to Hell gift," Leah adds.
"Thanks," I grin. "I'll cherish it forever."
"Atta boy!" Timbo claps a hard hand on my shoulder and gives me a little shake. Seeing stars, we head inside.
Rose's appears to be a run-of-the-mill 24-hour joint ala Denny's. The entrance is tiled, a clay color, but the dining area is carpeted in a dark red. Four-tops and their cream-colored wooden chairs fill the space in both dining areas as they form a V leading to the cash register. Lining the walls are booths separated from each other by opaque frosted glass. Several families and other groups go about their conversations as they fill their mouths with burgers, pasta dishes, and assorted appetizers. Big flat-screen TVs hang here and there, each playing a different channel so the patrons can (as they likely do at home) have something to watch while they eat.
"Welcome in!" a high female voice comes. A short girl with long and dark curly brown hair steps up to the hostess stand. A black tee and jeans sit underneath a pink apron, the diner's name written in black elegant cursive on the front. With pale skin, red lips, and bright blue eyes behind thick black-rimmed glasses, she makes me think of a modern Snow White. Her name tag, however, reads MARISSA.
"Just you four tonight?" she asks, collecting menus for us all.
"Yes, ma'am," Timbo answers.
"Sounds good," she says. She digs into a pile of silverware, taking four sets. "Table or booth?"
"Booth, please," Leah chimes in.
"Can do! Right this way, guys."
Marissa leads us down the left-hand half of the diner, passing several occupied booths until we reach the one at the end. It sits in the corner of the back wall, and the seat wrap around the table to accommodate a larger group. Leah and Elliot take the inside, leaving spots next to them for Timbo and I respectively. The leather, dark red like the floor, squeaks as I scoot into a comfortable spot.
YOU ARE READING
Incinerate
ParanormalWhen Ash Woodward moves to a new town before the beginning of the school year, he makes it his goal to befriend anti-social track star Sera von Abaddon. As Ash traverses his new life with his new friends, mysteries arise as to who Sera truly is. But...
