You Were What You Eat

33. Can't Get a Break

Anna finished brushing her long, raven hair and put on her favorite green shirt. She was going out tonight, but not to hunt. No, this time she was going out for fun. She put on her coat and checked herself in the mirror one last time. Even she had to admit, she looked pretty nice.

After making sure she had enough money on her, Anna sat down on the couch to wait. Luke had agreed to pick her up at 6:00, and it was now, according to Anna's watch, 6:02.

By 6:18, Anna started getting anxious; she was starting to wonder if she'd made a mistake – if she'd gotten the time wrong, or maybe even the date. When the doorbell finally rang, Anna hurried off the couch to answer it.

Even though she knew who'd be on the other side, she looked through the peephole anyway. Just as she'd expected, Luke was standing there. His hands were shoved into his pockets, and he was bouncing on his toes anxiously. Anna quickly grabbed her keys and swung the door open.

"Hi." Luke said as soon as he saw her. "Sorry we're late. I would have called you, but..." he trailed off, looking vaguely apologetic.

"It's ok." Anna told him. Then she added, "I'm sorry I don't have a phone...maybe I really should get one." The two started down the hall towards the elevator.

They waited for the elevator in silence, Anna's mind racing desperately for something to say. She never had been good at making conversation, even when she wasn't woefully out of practice. Fortunately, the elevator came almost immediately for once and quickly sped them to the ground floor. Once outside, Luke only spent a minute looking around.

"Over there." he said, pointing across the parking lot to a car idling in the center of the isle. "Come on – we better hurry."

They strode quickly across the parking lot. As they approached the car, Anna could see that Conner was sitting in the front seat while Zev was lounging in the back. Anna recognized the driver as one of the players from the football game she'd been forced to attend. Luke walked straight up to the passenger's seat where Conner was sitting happily and opened the door.

"Out." he said simply, looking down at the small, fair-haired boy.

"But – I'm already here, see? I've got my seatbelt on and everything." Conner replied, tugging at it in demonstration. Luke, however, was unmoved.

"Out." he repeated, this time with more force. Dejectedly, Conner unbuckled his seatbelt and slid out of the car.

As Conner climbed into the back seat next to Zev, Luke opened the door wider and looked at Anna, who'd simply stood there, watching the scene. Luke smiled at her as he gestured that she should sit.

"What about Conner?" she asked, feeling guilty at the prospect of taking someone else's spot. Out of the corner of her eye, Anna could see Conner sitting up straighter, hopeful that he might get his way after all. But Colin leaned over the passenger seat to talk to her.

"He knows he doesn't get the front seat." he told her. "It's reserved. Ladies first."

"Oh," Anna replied. "Alright then."

This was logic Anna understood perfectly; she'd been raised with this idea. It was only recently she found out not everyone thought this way. So without further ado, she got into the car.

Luke got quickly into the back seat, forcing Conner into the middle. As soon as Luke's door was shut, Colin took off. "We're gonna be late." he mumbled to himself.

Conner, however, had more immediate concerns on his mind. "I was already sitting there...why can't I ever have the front seat?"

"That's not the way it works, and you know it," Colin said over his shoulder, a trace of annoyance in his voice. "Even if there weren't a lady in the car, you still wouldn't get the front seat – Luke would."