Clifford

After sending my mom off on her date, and not having Thatsnotmywallet online to play with, I do what any normal teenage male does when he's home alone.

I take my shirt off and raid the cupboards for junk food. Well, that's what I normally do anyways.

Don't get me wrong, I do work out. Just not enough to have a six-pack or those abs that all the girls love. And I have had girlfriends. Just because I'm gaming most of the time doesn't mean that I don't date or exercise... It simply means I don't work out as much as I game. I'm not into bodybuilding, if anything I just go for jogs. And when it comes to ladies...

As a senior in high school, I kind of lost interest in dating. While most others disagree with me, I just don't care for it. Because even if I meet someone, they might have entirely different plans than I do for when the school year ends. And if they plan on doing the same thing as me, what if things don't work out? College is about fresh starts, I don't want an ex to be there.

My friends tell me that it's a sorry excuse for not dating, but I don't care. I just don't want to have any regrets when I go onto college.

Finding half a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos in the cabinet, I look for something to wash them down with. God, Mom needs to go grocery shopping. All we have is prune juice.

"Maybe I should just go out to eat. That, or call Dustin." I think aloud. "Or I could do both." Debating my options, I decide to search for my phone. 

Dustin is one of my best friends, we've been stuck like glue together since the fourth grade. Unlike me, he has a car and can drive around wherever he wants.

The phone rings, and rings, and rings, and rings, and rings until there is a click on the other end and my friend picks up.

"You've reached Dustin." He says, violence and gunshots blaring in the background. He must be playing some shooter game.

"Hey, what's up?" I ask him, wondering if he can even hear me over the blaring noise of his television.

It's noticeable that he pauses the game because the noises cease to be heard.

"Um, just some light gaming. Wbu?" Dustin replies.

"Dude, what the- Oh, whatever. I was just wondering if you wanted to go out to eat with me."

"Me? Why, why... why, Clifford... this is awfully forward of you!" I could just imagine Dustin was batting his eyelashes and cradling his Gears of War special edition controller to his well-built chest. Unlike me, he worked out and had big muscles.

"How could I not be forward? I crave your... juicy pectoral muscles..." I shake my head with silent laughter, he is definitely going to bring this up again.

"And, I, you. And your sweet manhood." Dustin barely contains his laughter.

"What the fuck, dude?" I laugh uncontrollably. This friendship is not normal.

"I'll explain where I got it from when I pick you up. Bye, loser." Without giving me time to respond, the phone call ends with a click.

About two pit stops, and two hours later, (we saw a Game Stop), we finally made it to a restaurant that Dustin picked out. The place looked weathered and old, like it would fall down at any given time. Maybe that's why they call it the Patty Shack. There was a sign that towered high over the restaurant that said

"THE PATTY SHACK: NOW OPEN

WITH A DRIVE THROUGH TOO!"

Without a word of question, I open my car door after Dustin parks, and glance with confusion at the decently filled parking lot. I wonder why it's so busy?

"Dude, where did you hear about this place?" I finally ask him as we are about to walk inside.

"I dunno. Just heard about it." He shrugs off my question.

I roll my eyes at him, but follow him inside anyways, a hand on my growling stomach. Once inside, I smell the best things, buffalo wings, chocolate cake, key lime pie, apple pie, hot, delectable burgers on the stove, and fresh root beer and lemonade sitting in large barrel-like tubs near the counter.

My eyes widen, and my stomach rumbles loudly beneath my hand. "Holy shit dude, I think I'm in love." I say right as a voice goes over the intercom. Any doubts I had about the exterior of the restaurant immediately left my mind when I saw the food.

"Number 82, come right up and get your order!"

That voice. I knew that voice, it was light, but with an ominous tone inflected in it, full of emotion but perfectly monotone. No. It couldn't be, could it?

"How bout we go order? I'm starved." Dustin says, slapping a big hand onto my shoulder.

"Sure, sure." I reply, and let my light haired friend lead me to the order station.

"Welcome to The Patty Shack, what can I get for you today?" The girl behind the counter was the only one holding my attention, with her curves and long, blonde hair with black tips at the bottom. She had on some sort of makeup that accentuated her hazel eyes, and dark red lipstick that made her small lips seem voluptuous. Her lip piercing reflected light from the ceiling, and I couldn't stop staring.

Dustin murmurs something to the cashier, but my mind is tuned out to it.

"Hello?" She asks after a minute, slightly annoyed. I suddenly notice that Dustin has disappeared, and I snap back to reality.

"Hey, sorry. I'll have the Patty Shack Special, a side of onion rings and an order of fries with the house root beer." I order quickly, basically going off what I semi-heard Dustin say.

"Okay, that'll be $13.48." The girl says in that same, intriguing voice. Then as a thought, she adds, "That will be for here just like your friend, right?"

I nod, shoving a hand into my pocket and pull out my wallet. I slap a twenty dollar bill onto the counter, tell her to keep the change, grab my number order then wander off to find where Dustin went.

While I'm searching for my best friend, I take a moment to look back at the girl behind the counter. From waist up, I could tell that she had a nice body. She wasn't skinny, nor was she fat, but she had full curves and had a nice height about her. She stood tall and straight, rolled her eyes three times in the minute I watched her, and had quite a lot of piercings. The girl had a lip piercing- a stud right under her lip, and then three piercings on one ear. Two at the floppy bottom part of the ear, and then a ring at the top. I couldn't tell what was on the other ear because her curled hair hid it.

I shook my head and turned around. While that girl was attractive and had a similar voice, she definitely could not be the girl I was thinking of. But, there's no harm in testing it out, right?

"Dude?" Someone calls out and grabs my attention.

"Uh, yeah?" I pry my eyes away from the chic at the counter.

"I'm right here. I got us a table." The person says.

I whirl around and see Dustin standing behind me, eyebrows raised.

"Oh yeah, okay." I follow him and take a seat, fiddling with my order number.

"What's going on with you?" He sits across from me, eyes questioning.

The table we are at is a booth, cushioned, two on either side of a table. Dustin sits at one end, flipping his phone around in his hand, looking at me.

I clear my throat, trying to grab my bearings. "Um, so you never did explain why you said that thing on the phone?"

"What thing?" He asks innocently.

"Are you really going to make me say it?" I groan, glancing around to make sure the curly haired beauty wasn't walking around.

His dark blonde eyebrows knit together in thought. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

I lean forward on the table. "You were like 'I crave your sweet manhood.'"

He falls against the back of the booth, just staring at me with a reddened face.

"Ahem."

Embarrased, I turn my head to look at the person standing before us.

The girl with the familiar voice and curled hair. She cocks an eyebrow at us.

Oh no. Did I really just say that in front of her?

Dustin jumps into action almost immediately. "Yeah, you heard him right. My manhood is pretty sweet. If you ask nicely, you can have a taste." His eyebrows waggle as he speaks.

Dustin may play a lot of games, but his favorite is with girls. He has some serious game when it comes to flirting and dating.

The waitress however, rolls her eyes at his obvious play. She's carrying a tray of food in each hand, both consisting of similar foods. "Number 104." She states and sets one tray in front of Dustin. "And 105." The other is for me.

When she's about to leave the table, I grab her attention again by doing something incredibly stupid...

I chuck my wallet at her feet. She stops, midstep. Her head moves as she glances around. Finally, she squats down in those acid wash skinny jeans, and picks up my wallet.

Dustin hisses at me, "what the fuck are you doing?" But my attention is solely on her.

The cashier lady flips open the wallet, takes a card out and looks around at the faces. She stands back up, and turns around. Spotting me, she waltzes back over here.

"I think you dropped your wallet." She declares, placing it on the table gingerly. She backs away as if to leave.

"Oh?" I raise my eyebrows questioningly.

"Yeah, I found your driver's licence in there."

"That's not my wallet." I state, watching her eyes to see if she recognizes me.

"Sir, I'm pretty sure this is your wallet." She says again, confusion clouding her eyes.

"I said that's not my wallet."

Dustin eyes the both of us, and then intervenes. "Cliff, that's totally your wallet, just take it."

I don't even turn to look at him, focusing on the girl. She gives me a small grin.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" She asks.

"I believe you do."

Dustin is growing more confused by the second, I can tell by the way he's anxiously rapping his knuckles on the table.

"You guys know each other?" He impulsively dives into his basket of food and latches onto a french fry.

"Yeah. Dustin, meet..." I trail off, inviting her to tell her name.

"Oh, um." She wipes her hand onto the towel in her apron before offering her hand to him. "I'm Raegan."

Dustin eyeballs her, his attention resting on her chest more than anything else. His eyes meet hers again, and he winks. "Dustin." Uh yeah, I'm pretty sure she knows your name, buddy.

They shake hands, holding onto each other for an awkward amount of time.

"So, Raegan." I test her name out, letting it echo in my mind. Deciding it suits her, I go on. "What is your opinion on Grand Theft Auto V?"

Raegan tears her eyes off of Dustin's muscles a little unwillingly, before focusing on me again.

"Oh its great. The graphics are just amazing. Rockstar has outdone themselves."

Dustin's eyes widen a little. "Agreed. How about Halo 4?"

I watch them exchange conversation easily, her taking a seat next to him after a  moment. Jealousy brewing in my stomach, I turn to my phone and start playing a game on my phone to distract myself.

They talk long enough for me to beat 3 levels of my favorite game, Zombie Smasher, which is saying something.

At last, someone calls out, "Waitress!" And she gets up reluctantly.

"Hey, I'll text you later?" He calls out as she saunters away.

"You better." She winks at him.

After she leaves, we don't see her again, and we hardly talk after. I'm stewing angrily in my own jealousy, and we're both stuffing our faces.

We leave shortly after eating, and when I make it back to the apartment, I faceplant in my bed.

That restaurant and Raegan were both not even close to what I expected.