Lou's Diner is considered a sanctuary in the town. It's got the nicest jukebox in a 20-mile radius, the best coffee money can buy, and some of the most delicious pie Lauren's ever had. That's why she goes there every Saturday afternoon with her friends.
Shawn and Ally sit together in one booth while Lucy and Lauren sit opposite them. The four of them are enjoying their milkshakes and singing along to Elvis' Heartbreak Hotel.
"And be so, where they'll be so lonely, baby
Well, they're so lonely
They'll be so lonely, they could die."
The girls all cheer as Shawn perfectly imitates Elvis' signature high baritone. He smiles and the three of them blow him kisses, which he pretends to swat away.
"So, are you guys gonna go through with your plan?" Ally asks. She takes a sip of her chocolate milkshake and winks at them. "I'm so excited to be in cahoots with you guys."
Shawn laughs. "If Lauren's willing to, I'll be more than glad to be her new man."
The green-eyed girl in question winks at the boy. "You gonna treat me right, Mendes?"
"Only the best for my dolly."
The four teenagers burst into a fit of giggles. They're sure this is going to work, as Shawn's sexuality has never been questioned by anyone at school, and he's much more sought after than Brad.
"He should be here any minute then. He knows I come here every Saturday, and he's gonna wanna chat about what happened last night."
Lucy playfully shoves her best friend. "You guys basically got caught necking."
"Keep your voice down! And we haven't even kissed!"
"Soon you'll be playing backseat bingo at the drive in," Shawn tells the girl, throwing her a wink. The mere thought of kissing Camila, much less seeing her shirtless, makes Lauren feel extremely warm.
The bell rings and Lauren sees a crowd of football boys spill into the diner. She knows Brad is in the group, he always is. Her heart races with excitement at the idea of finally ending things with him.
"Hey Brad, your girl is over there," Lauren hears one boys voice. She steadies her breathing and prepares for the onslaught of insults that are sure to be fired at her. She knows she can handle anything Brad says to her, there's nothing he could say that could make her still want him.
The boy pushes past all of his friends and makes it to Lauren's table. She hasn't seen him since she left with Camila that night and she can't help but snort when she sees his face.
It's obvious he's much worse off than Camila. While she has a black eye and a couple of cuts, Brad has one hell of a shiner as well as a swollen nose that's probably broken, and bruises blossoming all over his jaw. "Yikes," Lauren catches herself saying.
The boy narrows his eyes at her. "Where the hell did you go yesterday, I'm your boyfriend, you're supposed to be there for me."
Lauren sighs. "Brad, listen, I really liked you when we first started going steady. I really did, but I can't be around you anymore. You kept trying to go fast with me when I wasn't ready, you don't let me just hang with my friends, and you punched Camila in the face."
"She was coming onto you-"
"She was being nice to me. Plus, you were so caught up with thinking I'd be into a girl, you didn't realize how much I was falling for Shawn."
Brad's eyes widen and he shoots his teammate a glare. "Shawn?"
The taller boy shrugs his shoulders. "Sorry ace, guess Lauren prefers me over some wet rag."
