Started With a Lie

Chapter Twenty-Seven

        After setting down the plates in front of Lee and I, she smiles and says, “Enjoy your meals, kids!” She’s about to turn away and but she adds, “Oh, and the jukebox works if you kids wanna use it, by the way! It’s brand new.”

        “Thank you, it’s fine,” I tell her, grinning. Sally nods and walks away to talk to the bearded men that haven’t ordered yet.

        Lee picks up a knife and fork. “We could be having the Pancake Supreme, but, nooo, we had to get this plain, stupid, normal breakfast.”

        “Don’t be so immature,” I say, smiling. I’m still recovering from the series of kisses from just two seconds ago. I’ll never get used to it. Or used to Lee, for that matter. Before I launch myself into thoughts, which lead to negative thoughts, which leads to reality, I pick up my utensils as well and dig in.

        Lee and I eat in silence and just talk about small things. It’s relaxing and probably the best way to start my morning. Simple and bright.

        “Brent is probably calling the cops right now,” I say. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the FBI came out of nowhere and surrounded this diner right now. One time, I forgot to tell him I was going over a friend’s house for a sleepover when I was, like, nine, and he biked around looking for me. It was so embarrassing when he barged into the house all sweaty and muddy in front of my friends.”

        Lee chuckles as he eats his toast. “That’s not embarrassing. That’s great. Brent cares about you a lot. Not many brothers are like that these days.”

        “I know, I know, I’m lucky,” I say, smiling down at the table. “I do love my brother but he’s such a worry-wart. What’s contradicting is that I’m the only thing he worries about because he parties and doesn’t really do good in school.”

        “That’s good because you matter to him.”

        “Yeah,” I say, “I guess.” I add more salt to my eggs. “So, what about you? Any siblings or anything?”

        Lee’s smile wavers. “No, not really.”

        “Any other family?”

        “No, just my mom and me. I don’t really have close relatives, just distant aunts and uncles, and a lot of business partners,” he answers.

        “Business partners aren’t really family.”

        “Well, in my family, our uncles and aunts are business partners because they all own their own subdivision of the hotels and resorts.”

        I nod my head at this new information. “Any best friends? Secret girls?”

        Lee chuckles and I relax mentally because his smile is back. “No, no actual girl friends. There was this one girl, but we weren’t together. But other than that, maybe a couple of small ones I had when I was young and stupid, but no.”

        “You still are young and stupid,” I tell him. “You just act like you’re eighty.”

        He glares at me and drinks his juice. His face scrunches up. “Ew, what is this? Orange juice? I don’t think I’ve ever actually drank this in my life.” He sets the glass down in disgust. “And I am not eighty, I am twenty-one.”

        I push the drink back closer to him. “Well, you need the nutrients. I bet you’ve drank coffee since you were taught how to even eat. Coffee’s not even that healthy. It makes you short and your teeth turn yellow. Orange juice is healthy and nutritious.”