The Milkshake Project

Rave On

~

Jack rang the doorbell at seven o'clock on the dot. I waved to my mom before heading out the door. Jack greeted me as I stepped out onto the porch.

"Woah," he said, "You look great."

"Why, thank you, Jack," I replied.

That evening, I had curled my hair and put on a little more makeup than I usually do. Not too much but enough to get some attention, and all I wanted was Jack's.

We got in his car and drove to Freddie's. The drive wasn't filled with any interesting conversation, just small talk between Jack and I. When we got to Freddie's, the restaurant was packed with the Friday night dinner rush. Inside, though, Jack's teammates had saved us a booth along the windows. They waved at us when we entered, giving up the table as we made our way into the diner. Across the way, I could see Bonnie and Dusty sitting at the counter. Bonnie glanced at me before turning back around and whispering to Dusty.

As we walked across the diner, a tall figure suddenly stood up from a booth and bumped into Jack.

"Woah, man," Jack said turning to face the clumsy guy, "Hey what's..."

Jack trailed off as the guy turned, and Rider glared down at Jack. Coming to Rider's side form the booth was Chrissy, all dolled up with a brand-new shade of red lipstick. I mimicked her, grasping Jack's bicep looking from her to Rider. The diner had fallen quiet as the other patrons looked on at the tense scene.

"What the hell are you doing here, Hale?" Jack snapped.

"It is a free country, Jackie," Rider retorted.

Jack stepped forward, winding up his fist. Rider didn't flinch, but I jumped in and held back Jack's arm.

"Come on, Jack," I said, pulling his arm down, "He's not worth a sock."

Jack continued to stare down Rider as I pulled him back towards our booth.

"Yeah, Rider," Chrissy said, dragging him in the opposite direction, "Just forget him."

We sat down in the booth right behind them, me sitting with my back to Rider. A waitress from the kitchen came over to Jack and I.

"What'll it be, you two?" She asked, popping her gum.

"Oh, I'll have the hamburger and chips," Jack said.

"Gotcha."

"I'll just have French fries and a milkshake," I said, "Strawberry, please."

"Alright, I'll put it in," the waitress said, taking up our menus and walking away.

"Only fries and a milkshake?" Jack asked.

"Yeah," I said, "I'm not a big diner-person."

"That's okay. We're not here for the food anyway."

"Right."

Once the food came, I nibbles on my fries and made small talk with Jack. I just smiled along as he talked about this, that, and the other; though, all of which seemed to be football oriented. About the time he got around to telling me about the greatest plays he's made, I bumped my fork off the table and it skittered across the floor.