Graveyard Shift.

4.

The nights were coming slower as the winter winded down. It was still pitch black by 7. I decided on a diner, just to make it not seem like a date. Mitch had only opted for a cup of black coffee, picking at the basket of french fries in front of me. " Is it better than Boston?" I asked.

" In some ways." He shrugged, " Everyone is kinda mean up there. Granted, you're all mean here too, it's a different kind of mean. Up there someone calls you a jerkoff for being on the sidewalk when they drive off the road, I got called a jerkoff here for holding a door for someone's wife but not her husband who was 30 feet behind her."

" Sounds about right." I laughed, " All of Pennsylvania isn't that mean, I promise. The Poconos are nice, so is Hersey."

Mitch nodded, " Okay, so that is a real place. And it's a whole amusement park that's chocolate themed? Like the shit I buy at the gas station?"

I leaned in for dramatic affect, " The Sweetest Place on Earth, Mitchell, it's amazing."

He smiled, " I suppose I'll have to go eventually. Enough about me. So, all you do is go to concerts and work is what I'm hearing?"

" I wouldn't call it work, like yeah we work, but it's kind of just hanging out. All of our friends come and see us, and we do make decent money. I guess Johnny has these producer friends that get us some unique records and such."

" Can you get me a first press of Paranoid?" He raised his eyesbrows, reaching across the table for my hand, " Could you be the bestest best friend ever?"

I grinned, allowing the contact happily, " I could certainly check. All it took was one night and I'm your bestest best friend? You hardly know me."

" Well I seem to know the best parts."

I pinched his hand, " Pig. Is that all I'm good for?"

" Of course not. Free cigarettes too."

He was so charming it was actually somehow addictive. That smile. Those beautiful warm eyes. " Do your friends call? I'm sure they miss having their buddy with them."

Mitchell's face turned sour for a moment. He was very good at hiding it. " Um, yeah. Sometimes. It's been a long time since we really hung out, it's just like that sometimes after high school."

" No I get it." I picked at my nails, " I had a few friends in school, but it's mostly just been me and Johnny since I was 16. Most of my friends went off to college, doing the whole boyfriend, get a degree thing."

" Not interested in college?"

I shrugged, " I was never the smartest cookie. I always wanted to get into marketing, I love organizing and promoting music and art events. I guess a degree might help." I laughed, " Im definitely not cut out for passing calculus for a piece of paper that says I'm good at making people famous."

Mitch narrowed his eyes, " I find it unbelievable you aren't smart."

" Believe it. C's in everything but English and Art. Typical ' not like other girls ' bullshit. It makes me sick. I've become my own walking stereotype. I like The Stones and Stephen King, how oh-so-unique of me."

Mitch grinned, shaking his head, " I think the obsession with everyone trying to be the coolest most individual on the planet is fucking stupid. Pretending to like these subgenre burn disks for the sake of saying you don't like a popular band makes you just as unoriginal as everyone else."

" I suppose so."

Mitchell refused to accept my $3 for the meal, insisting his mother taught him better than that. The streets were frigid, my leather jacket and tights not doing much to keep the shivers away. " Do you wanna go back to mine?" He asked, " My mom is on the overnight, we could invite your friends?"