Junebug - (On Hold)

Ch. 9 - The Introduction

Once the wrestling subsided and the movie drew to an end, the guys headed to their rooms for the night. I was still drowsy from the previous sleepless night, so I settled down with my blanket wrapped around me and fell into a quick sleep.

That only lasted for a few hours before I woke up once again. The thought of falling back asleep was so appealing, but after thirty minutes of tossing and turning I decided that it was no use. It was more humane to myself to get up and move than to lay restlessly with my thoughts. I checked the clock. 1:42am.

Tiptoeing through the living room to the kitchen, I grabbed my keys and headed out the door.

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Aimlessly, I drove the city streets. There was barely any people out at this hour, and the few people that I shared the night with always made me wonder what they were up to. Were there grand adventures from the previous day just ending? Or perhaps a new one was just beginning. Whatever the reason, the stories of others have always fascinated me.

I couldn't help but think back to the previous night, or more specifically the boy I had met the night before.

Just as I was pondering the story of my mysterious hero, I found myself on the road that led to the diner.

Almost instinctively I drove into the parking lot and parked the car in the same spot as before. I wanted to go in, I mean the french fries were to die for, but something stopped me.
Partly the fear that the creep from yesterday would be there again, partly out of fear that the curly headed boy wouldn't be.

So, I sat and watched. The same grumpy waitress lounge around the counter, going to check on tables every once in a while. The one light that flickered incessantly over the cash register. The cupcakes and pastries sitting in the display case that were by now, no doubt, dry and crumbly. But, most of all, the booth at the far end of the diner. I could tell there was someone sitting there, but all I could see was their elbow every now and then when it extended past the back of the seat.

And so I was left to wonder who was sat there. Was it a creepy old man that waits for some girl to come in so he can stare at her? Or was it a young man that comes to read in peace, until some girl needs saving from a creepy old man? Or was it someone else entirely?

There was an appeal to the mystery, so I put the car in reverse and started in the direction of the apartment, leaving behind the possibilites that lay within the walls of the diner.

Besides, that old guy really, truly, was too creepy to chance another encounter with.

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"Hey there, sleepy head!"

That was all the warning I got before a heavy weight settled on top of me. After I got back it was only 5am, so I settled back onto the couch and dozed off.

That is, until Finn jumped on top of me.

"Rise and shine, Junebug! It is already nine o'clock and the boys are coming over at ten. Get your butt of my couch or I will remove you myself."

It wasn't Finn's threat that caused my eyes to shoot open, but the statement he made before. The boys. More. Don't I already have enough guys to deal with?

Pushing Finn off of me, I came to a stand and brushed myself off.

"Now that is no way to wake a lady, young grasshopper," Xander chastised Finn as he watched us from the kitchen, "especially one as strong as Juniper there."

Finn let out a loud laugh at that statement even as I found a proud smile appearing on my face. We all knew Xander was joking around, but I couldn't let his proclamation go to waste, so as Finn stood there giggling to himself about my so called strength, I kicked out the back of his knees and watched as he collapsed to the ground.

"Hey, that is dirty play! That is not a test of strength. I'll show you what real strength is, little girl! Hey! Where are you going? Get back here!"

I slammed the bathroom door shut just before Finn reached me. I frantically fiddled with the lock until it clicked, and stepped back. With a distrustful look on my face, I stared at the door for at least a minute so I could be sure Finn wasn't going to break the door down to prove his superior strength. Satisfied, I got about getting ready for the day.

I had to, since today was the day I would meet the guys.