The Boy Next Door (R5 fanfic)

Chapter 18

Mary’s P.O.V.

After driving for about fifteen minutes we had finally arrived at the restaurant and I could not wait to get out of the car.  Barely anyone talked on the way here and the inside of the car felt thick with anxious and nervous tension.  As soon as Ellington put the car in park, I opened the side door and jumped out, watching as Riker pulled into the parking spot next to us.  Everyone else climbs out of the cars and we follow Riker into the restaurant and are led to a large booth in the back of the room.  Almost immediately our waitress comes over, introducing herself as Haley.  I could not help but notice the way she kept looking over at Rocky with her stupid doe-like eyes and kept smiling at him with her white teeth lined by dumb, deep red lips.  She takes our drink orders and walks away but not before winking at Rocky.  I pretend to not notice anything as I look down at the menu and scan the different entrée choices.

Suddenly, Rocky nudges me with his elbow, causing me to glance up at him, realizing just how close he was to me.

“What are you getting?” he asks, keeping his voice low. 

“I was thinking maybe the spaghetti parmesan,” I respond. 

“Me too!” Elizabeth, who was sitting on the other side of me says.  A few minutes later Haley walks back to our table and takes our orders, her eyes on Rocky the whole time but this time I notice that Rocky is not paying her much attention; only making eye contact with her for a split second.  I knew Rocky was gorgeously sexy but I do not know how comfortable I would be if girls were always checking him out.  I guess that is just the price girls have to pay to be involved with a Lynch boy. 

Since the restaurant was not very crowded it did not take long for our dinner to be served and we all hungrily dove in to our Italian dishes.  We all agreed to not get dessert and planned on buying something at the movie theater instead.  When Haley came to give us our check, she still felt the need to flirt with Rocky since she placed the bill right in front of him and laid her hand on his shoulder, telling him to take his time.  Apparently Rocky was able to hear my sigh rather loudly because he glanced over at me and smiled.  Then I watched as his arm came up to wrap around my shoulders before he turned back to Haley whose hand was now at her side. 

     

Rocky’s P.O.V.

“Thanks, we will,” I tell her as I squeeze Mary’s shoulder.  Haley glares at me and Mary before spinning on her heel and walking off.  I do not mind girls flirting me but when they can clearly tell I am on a date with a different girl, I find it rude and inconsiderate and annoying.  Besides, I think I may even be starting to like Mary.  She is really funny and I love hearing her laugh.  After all of us guys pay for our meals along with our dates, being the gentlemen that we are, we leave the restaurant and drive over to the movie theater, getting to our seats about thirty minutes before the movie starts.

“So do you want any snacks or anything?” I ask Mary. 

“Well if you’re offering, I’ll have some popcorn, with extra butter, and maybe a Coke,” Ellington, who is sitting on my right, tells me. 

“I don’t think I was asking you,” I say, rolling my eyes at Ellington in an exaggerated way. 

“Fine, I’ll just get it myself,” Ellington bursts, abruptly standing up and storming off.  After taking about five steps, he turns around and stands in front of Rydel.

“Do you want anything?” he asks as Mary starts laughing at the soft tone Ellington was using compared to the one he had when talking to me. 

“I’ll just have some candy.  Surprise me on what kind,” Rydel says. 

“And could I have some popcorn?” Mary asks me. 

“Sure,” I say as I stand and followed Ellington out of the theater. 

“Wait up,” Ross says as he and Riker join us as we are walking towards the concession stand. 

As we stand in line waiting to order our food, Ross breaks the silence by asking the question I can tell he’s been wanting to ask for a while.  “How’s it going with your dates?” Ross asks Ellington and me. 

“Oh, you know, it’s going good, same as always,” Ellington says nonchalantly but I can tell he’s keeping something from us, probably because Rydel is our sister.  Even though “Rydellington” has been something all of us have become accustomed to hearing, we always knew there were no real emotions or chemistry behind it.  But if the two did end up dating in real life, I would not mind at all.  We know Ellington so well and I trust that he would take care of my sister.   

“What about you Rocky?” Riker asks me after deciding that Ellington was not going to elaborate any more with his response. 

“Well…,” I start, thinking of Mary which causes a smile to break out across my face as I glance down at my shoes.  “It’s been going real--”

“Rocky?” someone from behind me interrupts and my smile immediately vanishes after hearing that voice.  I let out an audible groan and turn around, confirming my suspicions when I come face-to-face with her.

I try to stop the memories from flooding back, but find it to be harder than I had initially expected.  “What do you want, Alice?”