The Hooded Girl (on hold)

||Chapter 33||

We enter in the diner to see a few guys on their way to work sipping black coffee as they skim through the local Newspaper. "Hey there's our booth" she says walking toward the booth we normally sat at during our study dates. I smile at the fact she called it 'our booth' she must've caught herself too considering the awkward pause which followed. I slide in across from her not wanting to crowd her. "Mmm I'm starving" I smile glad she wasn't hiding her hunger from me like most girls would. I hand her a menu and watch as she flicks through with starlit eyes as if she hadn't read this menu a thousand times "Morning y'all welcome to the diner what can I get you kids" Mary the morning lady says with her pad in hand. I look at Elena who was still nose deep into the menu "I'll have the classic breakfast with a glass of warm milk and she'll have..." I look at her even though I already knew she probably wanted a milkshake and Pancakes "I'll have the bacon and waffle breakfast and an orange juice please" she says as Mary writes her order down.

Mary leaves back to the kitchen and I shift my gaze back to Elena "No pancakes?" I say confused "Oh yeah right...there's just this  pancake place Jamie and Cole took me to and I loved it I couldn't eat another pancake since it's amazing we haveee to go there sometime" I smile looking forward to the direction our relationship was going she was already making future plans which can only mean she actually want to hang out more "I'd love to" I say playing with the container of straws on the table "it's a date" she says just as her phone goes off . I look away as she checks it not wanting to pry but can't help but notice how quickly she put it back in her pocket "What wrong?" I ask noticing something was annoying her "Nothing it's just River it's fine" she says tucking her hair behind her ear.

Judging by how hungry these truckers look and the lack of food that was in front of them I'm assuming I have a good 20 mins to talk to her as much as possible before our mouths are distracted by our food "Hey speaking of River what happened that night at the party when you came running out?" I ask hoping the girls hadn't said anything to her "Oh it was...." she looks down at the table "you don't have to tell me I just wanted to make sure you were alright" I say not wanting to push her "Well I may as well tell someone since it's been doing my head in" she says exhaling "When we got there Mas- Dallas was being really persistent regardless of how many times I said no even Cole had to step in...anyways he touched me in a way that triggered some memories and I was already upset from that" my jaw tightens as she relays her night to me "then I went into the room and had a little moment and that's when River and allowing walked in sucking each others faces off" her voice cracks at the end of her sentence. My fist clenched under the table as I try to mask my anger not wanting to scare her.

I only asked River to keep her happy just one rule the one condition that meant me staying away from her and he couldn't even do that. I'd wondered why she'd been acting weird lately and why Liv said she'd been crying. It was over my idiot brother. I look outside not wanting her to see how pissed I was.

Once I calmed down I turn to her and ask how she is "yeah I'm fine I guess, what did I expect he'd choose me over her? Who was I kidding" she says with a smile that didn't meet her eyes "don't say that" I say hoping she didn't think so little of herself. Did she even know how I felt? Did she know I'd choose her over any girls in that school or any school for that fact. I huff trying to think of a way to make her realise while simultaneously trying to think of ways to get back at my brother in a way that was legal and wouldnt hurt Elena. She just nods her head in response following my gaze to out the window "Please don't get mad at him I know what you're thinking and I'll be fine yeah it's sucks but I'll eventually get over it just as long as I never have to see him again" she says with a small laugh "that can be arranged" I say smiling she laughs at my response before her face drops "ughhh camp" she says shaking her head as she slips out a straw from the container in my hands "don't like camp?" I ask "Not this one" she says fiddling with the straw "Speaking off..." I clear my throat "Why didn't you tell me about your family?" I ask bluntly. She looks up at me with wide eyes.