Once In A Lifetime

Twenty Two

It's Saturday morning, I'm dead asleep and dreaming sweet dreams that revolve around a certain boyband and meet & greet passes. Until I'm abruptly awaken by Charlie and Nathan, "Get up you lazy bones!" Nate yells.
Charlie yanks my covers off, exposing me to the cold morning air.I search for warmth but all I can find is Nate, so I curl into his warm chest, "Noooooooooo!" I groan. Nathan scratches my back but Charlie has no sympathy,
"Nathan Knight! Stop coddling her! Once a month the fantastic four works the early bird shift. We have an hour till opening, people! Chop chop! Knight, get your ass downstairs and fire up the grill. Sinclair, get your pretty self dressed."
I sit up and frown at my best pal, "Yes, master." I say sarcastically. Charlie smirks and Nate sits up with me,
"And what are you going to do oh master of all?" Nate asks with no enthusiasm in his voice. Instead of answering Charlie smirks and turns on his heals to walk in my bathroom, he takes the trash bag out of my little black plastic trash can and sticks it in my bathtub to fill it up.
Without a word he walks right out of my room carrying the filled up trash can, seconds later we hear Elena scream and Charlie laugh. Charlie sprints back into my room and dives onto my bed, following right in after him is a soaking wet Elena.
"CHARLIE HAZARD! YOU ARE A DEAD MAN!" Elena yells.
Charlie fights off laughter, "Excuse me, Elena Rose..you are dripping on Sam's floor." he says. El grabs my pillow and smacks Charlie repeatedly,
"THAT. IS. BECAUSE. SOME. IDIOT. POURED. A FLIPPING. BUCKET OF. WATER ALL OVER ME." she yells as she hits him. Charlie holds a finger up to make a point,
"Actually it was a trash can. Not a bucket."
Elena gives him one hard smack with the pillow,
"Sleep with one eye open, Hazard."
Charlie laughs, "Is that a threat or a promise, Parker?" he asks with a smirk. Elena flips him off before stomping back to her room.

An hour later El and I are bleary eyed and laying in the brightly color diner booths. Nathan walks over with a beverage in each hand, he hands a mug to El, "Coffee for you." I frown and before I can ask where mine is Nate smiles at my expression, "Pibb Extra for you. Diet Dr. Pepper does not cut it for you this early in the morning." he says as he hands me a big red cup filled with the sweet liquid.
"Bless you." Elena says.
"You're an angel. You've got wings, Nater." I say after a long gulp.
Nathan rolls his eyes and mumbles,
"Caffeine addicts."
I give him my biggest smile,
"You know you love us, Nate." I say.
Nathan shakes his head,"You girls think a lot of yourselves."
Elena and I exchange a look of mischief before be launch ourselves at Nate and plant kisses on his cheeks,
"Ohhh Nate!! We love you!"
"You're our KNIGHT in shining armor!"
Nate tries wiggle away but we are latched on to his arms, "Get off of me!" he giggles. Charlie walks through the kitchen door, "Hey hey hey! Leave the poor man alone." I muss up Nate's blonde hair as several old people walk in the diner, seriously why are these people even awake?

By 10:00 I've served so many pancakes that I seriously want to vomit at the sight of another flapjack. As I take another order slip back to the kitchen someone grabs my wrist,
"Wow it must be hard to find good service in this town." Zane says. I rip my arm out of his grip,"Get the hell out of here." Zane shakes his head,"I have to talk to your man." This time I grab his wrist and drag him outside,
"Listen here, Mason and Luke are done with you. So you can just go get in that crap car of yours and drive back to hell, I'm sure they are wondering where you went."
Zane cockily smirks and crosses his arms over his puffed up chest, before he can say anything back Nathan and Charlie are storming out of the cafe.
"I thought we told you to get lost, Ford!" Charlie says.
Zane rolls his eyes and looks down at me,
"Tell Mason I'll be in touch." and then he walks away. I glare at his back for second before going after him, Charlie and Nate both grab my arms and pull me back.
"He's not going to listen to you, let it go." Nate says as he all but drags me back inside.

At noon our shift is over and we all collapse on the boys couch. Just as we sit down Mason comes down the stairs in just a pair of sweatpants, that boy has some serious muscles. Nate notices me checking Mason out and pinches my arm, "Take a picture it will last longer." Nate mumbles. I whack his head and go over to Mas, "Good morning, sunshine." he says with a lazy smile. I laugh at him and hug him around his middle, "More like good afternoon."
Mason sarcastically rolls his eyes,
"Minor detail, love."
I was about ask him what time I should be ready for our date tonight but before I can say anything Nate calls over to me, "Hey Sammy girl, what's our plans for tonight?"
Before I can say anything Mason speaks up for me,
"Sorry mate, we have plans tonight." Nate's eyes have fire in them as he stands up,
"I was asking Sam. Not you. Why don't you go put a shirt on while I talk to my best friend." he says. Mason raises his eyes brows in surprise at Nathan,
"Nate, can I see you outside." I say. "Wow. With Mason here I'm surprised you'd even notice I'm here. I'm honored." Mason stepped forward,
"Mate just relax!"
Nathan comes over to Mason, "You know I don't want to talk to Sam. I want to talk to you." Nate says. Mason folds his arms,
"Well then, get it off your chest, mate." he says. Nathan jabs a finger into Mason's chest as he starts his rant, "You ruined everything the day you got here. You dragged two girls into a world they don't belong in. You knew going into this relationship that you were involved in some messed up shit and that it could be dangerous. You are no good for Sam and you are most certainly not good enough for her!"
Mason takes a step toward Nate, prompting me to put a hand on his arms.
"Mmm if I'm not good enough. Then who is? You?" he asks. Nathan's cheeks burn red and he shrugs,
"Sure. She'd be better off!"
Mason takes a step closer and both boys have clenched fists, I put myself between them.
"Guys! Calm down!" I say frantically.
Mason tries to move me gently behind him but I stand my ground, Nate moves even closer; I can practically feel his anger radiating off him. Finally Charlie intervenes, he comes over and tugs Nathan back, "Ok boys, let's take a breather. Alright?" Nathan shakes off Charlie's grip,
"Whatever. I'm out of here."
Nathan storms out the door, I try an go after him but Charlie stops me,
"Let him cool off."

Three hours later we still have not heard from Nate, Mason is blatantly trying to distract me with random questions,m"We're still going to your Aunt Karen's house for holiday next week, right?" I scoff at my British boyfriend,
"It's Thanksgiving not holiday. You're such a Brit."
Mason tickles my ribs, "American brat!" I call a truce and turn on the TV,
"No! Please! Not Vampire Diaries! I beg of you" Mason says while trying to take the remote from my death grip. Elena hears him and runs downstairs to join us,
"Shut up! Bring on some Damon!" she says as she dives onto the couch. I fist bump her,
"Preach. This is why we are best friends."
Mason rolls his eyes, "May I remind you both are taken." In unison Elena and I say "shut up!"
Elena continues to gush, "Plus he's going to be around a lot longer than you two and in 80 years he'll still be hot."
Mason throws a handful of popcorn at her,
"Fangirl!" I throw some back at him,
"Says the boy who about peed his pants when Ed Sheeran came on stage." I remind him.
Elena and I cackle at him as he accepts his defeat, Nathan walks in just as we settle down,"Hey guys." I just stare at him as I try to feel out his mood when Nate notices my expression he smiles at me, "No worries, Sammy. I'm fine."
Before I can say anything back he collapses next to El, "That werewolf dude is annoying." Mason leans forward to look at Nate,
"You actually watch this show?"
Nathan's eyes never leave the screen,
"Have you ever tried saying no to these two?"
Mason looks at El and I doing our best puppy dog pouts,
"You make a good point, mate."

Elena and I are lazy humans, we did not feel like moving after our Vampire Diaries marathon so we crashed on the boys sofa. The down side of this sleeping arrangement was that at about seven the next morning I not only wake up to El's snoring but to her foot in my face. I knock her foot away and sleepily trudge upstairs to Mason's room, hoping to get another hour or so of sleep. When I slip into his room I almost giggle at the sight of him,
Mason's mouth is hanging open making him look so much younger minus his tattoos. I tip toe over to his bed and whisper,
"Mas?"
He peeks one eye open and groans some sort of answer,
"Mas, move over a little."
Mason rolls over a little, exposing his tattooed chest,
"Only if you are planning to sleep, it's too early for anything else."
I roll my eyes, "Gross! It's too early for those kind of jokes."
Mason smirks lazily, "Who said I was joking?"
I hit his arm,"Move your butt, I want to sleep!"
He lifts his arm up to make some room,
"Come here, love." I snuggle up under his arm and he kisses the back of my head,
"Sleep dreams."

I wake up a few hours later when I feel someone kissing my shoulder,
"Is there a particular reason you are deliberately trying to wake me up?"
Mason chuckles,"I could of asked you the same question two hours ago."
I roll over so I'm facing him,"touché." Mason gives me a quick kiss,
"Good morning, sunshine." he says with a cute grin.
I close my eyes and push my face into his chest, "I could sleep another million hours, yesterday was exhausting." Mason puts his chin on top of my head and scratches my back,
"How was working the early bird shift yesterday?"
I squeeze my eyes tight as I bring up a touchy subject,
"Zane showed up."
Mason moves me to where he can look at me in the eye,"What?" I shake my head,
"It doesn't matter. You're done with all that." Mason lays on his back, "He said he knew you." he says sourly.I lean against his headboard as pick on my fingernail, "And?"
Mason looks up at me,"He said you two dated." I frown as I think back on all my Zane high school memories, "We went to prom, it didn't end well. That's all."
I see the beginning traces of anger on my boyfriend's face,
"What do you mean it didn't end well?"
I rub his arm and casually shrug,
"It just didn't end well. Let's leave it at that....please."
Mason starts to argue but he knows he's already walking on thin ice as it is.