"Ally's not here yet?" Lauren asked with a puzzled look on her face, sitting down across from you in the Joe's Diner booth.
"No, not yet."
"Hm," Lauren checked her phone, "she's ten minutes late."
"So are you, Lo."
"Yeah, but that's expected."
You yawned and ran a hand through your hair. It was only ten in the morning- an unusual time for you to be up on a Sunday. That said, you were babysitting with Dinah at noon and you wanted to meet with your two closest friends before then.
"So, how are you and Ally doing?" You inquired through another yawn. You stayed up pretty late last night trying to come up with ways to ask Dinah to homecoming; another reason you wanted to see your friends.
She shrugged. "We're good, I guess. We're in that weird middle ground between dating and not."
"Are you gonna make it official soon?"
Lauren slipped off her jacket and laid it next to her. "Yeah, maybe at the dance. Maybe sooner. I don't really have a plan."
"When do you ever?"
Just then, Ally's white Prius pulled into the parking space next to your black Jeep Wrangler. She rushed into the restaurant, probably not wanting to be any more late than she already was.
"Oh my gosh, you guys I am so sorry I'm late!" She apologized, sliding in the booth next to Lauren.
Lauren shot you a wink, then looked at the shorter girl in feigned annoyance. "Allyson, I'm very disappointed in you. Me and Y/N here have been waiting for about thirty minutes."
Ally buried her face in her hands. "I'm sorry."
Lauren laughed and kissed Ally's forehead. "I'm kidding. Glad you made it."
Ally hit the other girl lightly but seemed relieved. Under the table, you saw her take Lauren's hand, and you smiled gently to yourself.
The shorter girl picked up a menu with her free hand and searched through it.
"What's good here?" She asked, Lauren now looking with her.
"Everything here is good, honestly."
"I think I'll get pancakes. What about you, Lo?"
"I'm getting a sausage biscuit. Y/N?"
"Um... I'm going with an omelette. Dinah had one once and it looked amazing."
Lauren smirked and held back a chuckle.
"What, Lo?"
She bit her lip. "You come here with Dinah?"
"Yeah. What's wrong with that?"
"Nothing. There's absolutely nothing wrong with you and Dinah going on dates in this diner."
"They weren't dates. And we've only been here twice."
A waiter named Shawn then took your orders and left you three to converse further.
"How was the game on Friday?" Lauren inquired.
"We won 28-27."
"Damn," Lauren whistled, earning a gentle slap on the arm from Ally. "Did you have fun with Dinah?"
"Yeah, I did. I, uh, think I'm gonna ask her to homecoming."
"Yes! Ally, you owe me five bucks!" The green eyed girl exclaimed, raising a fist in the air.
You looked at her in disbelief. "Did you two bet on me asking Dinah to the dance?"
Ally shrugged, crossing her arms. "Maybe we did. Maybe we didn't."
"We totally did," Lauren added. "So, how are you gonna ask her?"
"No clue. Guess I'll just see what happens."
"Now look who has no plan."
You shrugged off the comment and decided to bring up your babysitting endeavor.
"And I'm babysitting with her later, so..."
Lauren raised her eyebrows. "Y/N, you're terrible with kids."
"Thanks for the confidence, Lo."
"Don't listen to her," Ally told you. "I'm sure you'll do fine."
Lauren took a sip of her drink. "Who are you babysitting anyway? Her cousins?"
"No, siblings. The youngest two."
"Ah."
You three were silent for a bit after that. Lauren messed with Ally's hair, Ally played around with her straw wrapper, and you watched them, amused. Lauren then got tired of the quiet and broke it, still attempting to braid the shorter girl's hair.
"So, do you still not know why Dinah transferred?"
Your brows furrowed together. "No, not really. Why?"
She shrugged. "No reason, really. I've just heard things."
"Lo, not now," Ally interceded, giving Lauren a stern glance.
Your eyes narrowed. "What have you heard?"
"Maybe she didn't transfer."
"What the hell does that mean?"
"Exactly what I said."
"What? Are you saying she got expelled or something?"
She didn't answer, confirming your question.
"Are you kidding me, Lauren?"
"Think about it. It makes sense. Who transfers three weeks into the school year?"
You said nothing.
She raised her hands in defense. "Look, I'm not saying she did get expelled. But it's a possibility. Just ask her about it."
"Okay."
Lauren stopped messing with Ally's hair and took her hand. "But on a less serious Dinah topic, I hear she's really good at basketball."
"You hear a lot of things," Ally mused.
"I know a lot of people, know a lot of things. Is she any good?"
"Yeah, she's great. I'm trying to get her to try out for the team."
"Think she will?"
"I hope."
Just then, Phil brought out your food and you began munching. Ally and Lauren traded bits of their meals, making you smile. They were so damn cute.
"Have y'all heard about next month's art project?" Ally asked, wiping a bit of pancake off her lip.
"No," you answered, and Lauren shook her head. "What is it?"
"It was kind of ambiguous, really. It's just called 'what inspires you'. I have no idea."
"Huh," Lauren thought for a moment, then smiled. "You inspire me, Ally."
Ally beamed. "Aww, Lo. You're so sweet."
The couple hugged and you couldn't resist the smile forming on your lips.
Lauren broke the hug and looked toward you. "What inspires you, Y/N?"
You bit your lip and took a deep breath. "I don't know. To be determined, I suppose. What about you Ally?"
She huddled closer into Lauren's side. "Gosh, I don't know. I mean, Lo of course, but..." She frowned. "I have no clue."
The green eyed girl looked down in thought. "I don't know either."
"When is this due?" You questioned.
Ally paused for a second. "Three weeks from Monday, I think."
"And what is it? A painting?"
Ally nodded.
"Hm. I have to get thinking."
The shortest girl sighed. "Looks like we all do."
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why are 75% of my chapters in restaurants.
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