Chapter Three
"Did you wanna grab something to eat before we get on with our homework?" I asked Charlotte pulling my car into reverse to back out of the parking spot. A car behind me pulled right out causing me to jolt my foot onto the brakes with difficulty. I could see him giving me the finger from outside his window as I attempted to pull my composure together again. "Sorry about that." I apologized trying to get back onto the road.
She shrugged waving off the minuscule mistake.
"Yeah, I'm actually quite thirsty now that I think of it." She giggled a bit pulling out her phone and scrolling through her messages I assumed, "I'm craving a strawberry banana smoothie."
"Then the diner it is," I laughed driving down the road trying to keep my concentration foreword.
The diner, also called 'The River Side' was Charlotte and I's favorite place to eat and spend time. Occasionally Liam and Niall would join but usually it was just the two of us. It was quiet and rather far from the hustle and bustle of the busy town which was one of the main reasons why I liked it. We did homework there, projects, and sometimes just talked for hours before I got a rude text message from my Mom saying she expected me home for dinner.
Charlotte and I continued light conversation about our days as I pulled onto a lessened paved road off of main street. Only a few cars passed me before I pulled into the little paved lot of the diner. No other car's were here, which happened a lot. Even though it was our favorite, it wasn't many others. It had been in trouble for bankruptcy many times through the seventeen years that I've been alive.
"Ready to go?" I said twisting the keys out of the car and jumping from my seat onto the lot. I heard a little mumble like "Yep" before Charlotte joined me on my side as we linked arms and walked in together.
"Hi Ladies," the main waitress there, also a teacher from my school said to us from behind the counter. Her name was Miss Smith. A forty year old women with three children and no father. She's always been my favorite teacher ever since I took art classes at school. Not only does she waitress but she's an incredible artist. Regardless, her work never really got out into the world of art so she settled to be a teacher of teenagers like us. I was glad she worked here as well, it made everything even more pleasant. She was kind and treated us like equals. Not falling into the silly trap of adultism.
"Hi Miss Smith," Charlotte said slipping into one of the chairs behind the counter.
"You know you can call me Natalie beyond school hours." She smiled. "Any who, what can I get you girls? After a long day of school I bet your starving!"
She continued to smile at us the whole time she spoke which I couldn't help but catch onto. My smile lasted from ear to ear as I scrolled my eyes through the menu.
"I'm just gonna have a strawberry banana smoothie." Charlotte said handing her back the menu. Miss Smith nodded and turned to me for an answer.
"Just a black coffee is fine." I heard Charlotte's laugh as in to make fun of me, she never truly understood why I liked my coffee without anything to flavor it up. She thought it was bizarre, but I thought of it just the same if you put sugar or half and half in it.
"Black coffee's the best coffee," Miss Smith agreed smiling her large smile yet again.
"Thank you." I spoke kindly handing her my menu. When she left to go back into the kitchen to full fill our orders I spun to face Charlotte as she typed away on her phone.
"Earth to Charlotte - want to have a conversation, with you know - a real person?" I waved my hand in front of her face and her cheeks tinted pink.
