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hamburger and potato thots
We're all staring at our burger menus in silence.
I don't know why I thought this was a good idea.
See, the thing is, it was. I whispered in Justine's little ear that Trey was organising a meet-up to kick start a play practice, and my plan was to leave her with him. But I knew Justine wouldn't have shown up if that happened, so I had to pull out my different moves.
"You owe me big time, Addie," Liv breathes next to me.
Maybe I overdid myself. Because now there's six of us.
And so Number Three begins.
...at least, when someone freakin' talks.
It's not like a surprise or anything. I specifically debriefed Trey on the plan before we arrived here, but clearly he's not taking it well.
You think Justine would've come if she found out it was only us three, or worse, you two? I called out to him earlier. She's not dumb, Trey!
I didn't say she was, he had replied with his stoic tone.
Whatever. We'll start with the six of us. Then I'll make up an excuse and force Liv to go with me. You'll have to get rid of Vic by yourself, but Jude will take the hint one way or another and leave.
Jude knows about me?
Uh, yes?
And what led you to such an imbecile thought?
I can sense his otherworldly eyes on me.
The old lady in the apron clears her throat. "Uh, have you kids decided what you're ordering, then?"
"Yes definitely — "
"Of course — "
"Don't mind if I do — "
Everyone responds at the same time, our words getting mixed up with each other's because of the utter awkwardness oozing out of us. It's in that moment I realise: this is the first time my two worlds are colliding. Liv's just meeting the Reynolds twins. Trey brought Vic, and I'm guessing it's his first time sitting face-to-face with the blonds as well. The only other connection in this table is Trey and I.
And out of all that, this was my plan.
Somehow that puts even more pressure on me.
"I'll have the Hamburger and Potato Tots," Jude finishes in the end, his voice rough. I don't think he even notices it.
I mock gasp. "Did you just call her a thot?"
He's not amused.
"Apologies for our friend's childish behaviour," Trey gives a charming smile. "It's not everyday she goes out in social events."
The old lady chuckles in nervous laughter and the table snickers. Even Liv, that traitorous human being. But my embarrassment dwindles down when I see Justine cracking a smile. Huh.
I guess I'll let Trey off the hook this time.
***
Everyone stares at my broccoli and cheddar burger.
"What the fuck is that?" Jude's nose scrunches.
"It's a delicious piece of food," I state matter-of-factly. It's not my fault that everyone ordered some standard burgers. Except for Justine, who's weirdly sticking to a salad. I'll get back to that later. "Want to try a bite?" I hold it out in front of him.
"Fuck no."
"Rude."
"Okay, let's not waste time and chit-chat," Justine suddenly cuts in, stealing both our attention. She pulls out the script of the play from her bag and drops it flat on the table.
All of us take our time staring at it.
She raises her eyebrows. "You're telling me none of you brought your own?" she gapes. She turns to me and I gulp. "You said this was an advanced practice!"
"Improvisation," Trey quips smoothly. "Not much unlike an ensemble of ethos. A Greek word meaning to convince an audience via credibility of the persuader — "
"I know what ethos is." There's anger in her eyes, but something else. Surprise?
Jude rolls his eyes. "Why can't you just fucking chill for a second, J? And eat some real food. I know you skipped breakfast today."
Justine turns her head at him, very, very slowly, like he wasn't supposed to say that. Even Jude — rude, abrasive, fuck off Jude Reynolds — shrinks underneath his sister's glare. I don't know whether to laugh or be scared myself.
"I'm not hungry," she says quietly, but her stomach clearly rumbles.
Everyone's too nervous to say anything.
Liv and I have had our fair share of doing diets back then. We're not an exception to the female obsession of maintaining a perfect slim frame. But some girls take it harder than others.
Trey starts off smoothly, "You know, a hamburger can be a good source of protein."
"Thanks doc — "
"I wasn't finished." Justine blinks. "It also has several vitamins, one in which keeps your blood cells healthy and prevents you from becoming tired and weak. Then there's the minerals — hamburgers are packed with them. Mostly with zinc, which supports our metabolism and boosts our immune system. Did you know that?"
I don't know where Trey is going with this playing-the-doctor game. Justine only purses her lips. "But the calories — "
"Yes." He shrugs. "There is the inevitable weight gain. Let me fix it to for you, then."
He takes his own burger and peels the buns out, throwing them aside on the edge of his plate. Then he takes most of her salad without her asking, wrapping it around the surrounding meat. Justine watches him like a hawk. He sticks a fork into the finished wrap and places the handle towards her direction. Leaving her room to refuse it.
Because even Trey Gonzalez knows to be careful with a girl's eating habits.
"Hey, have you guys heard of that Ice Bucket Challenge?" I blurt all of a sudden.
Liv meets my gaze and gets the gist. "Yeah, the whole downing a bucket full of ice on your body?"
"Mhm," I grin. "It sounds ridiculous. I'd totally do it."
"You're crazy," Vic scoffs near me.
"I'm not particularly surprised," Jude rolls his eyes.
Trey turns to him in amusement. "Did you just use the word particularly unironically?"
We all continue talking and the conversation flows like the whole burger thing isn't a big deal. It's really not. I think we all want Justine to feel like she's not restricted to certain foods and to eat whatever she wants. I want to tell her that she's not in her "girl group" anymore and that she doesn't have any expectations.
But she seems to be having her own ordeal, quiet as she stares at the piece of burger Trey lent her.
A few minutes into the chat, though, Justine's hand floats to the fork. The whole table holds its breath.
Then, as if she tells herself fuck it, she grabs the fork and takes the last bite, cringing at first but then munching it like she has no care for the world. It's when she swallows it that she meets our intrigued eyes.
I'm the one who whistles first. Then Jude joins in, and everyone's cheering and clapping. It looks crazy from an outsider's point of view, but Justine's lips lift at the attention. She shakes her head in embarrassment and continues taking bites of her salad, like nothing special happened.
Trey catches my eye at this moment. Stay, he seems to say.
In the end, I do. I realise maybe it's better with us here. Maybe it's good to not immediately rush into bringing the two of them together, but to build a dynamic first instead. To make Justine feel comfortable around him.
And as I look around the table, at the six of us laughing, I see something I can get used to.
A/N: Short chapter, but important lessons.
Also, this story is not set in this year — so you'll notice a few trends that are a bit over-dated. Hold on to your belts, boys.
It's the year of fucking 2014.