Agony Uncle. I Guess?
A little plot bunny that just won't leave me alone.
Part 1
He needed a job.
Life in Seaford was fun. He had school, the dojo, his friends. Things seemed great. Except for his allowance.
He wasn't ungrateful for the $100 he would get for allowance for the week. But, well, he felt spoilt.
Being the son of two extremely wealthy people (even if they were estranged) meant that Jack could have, well, just about anything he wanted, whenever he wanted (well, almost everything) and Jack didn't like that.
So, when he found out that the newly opened diner (christened Marco's) was looking for waiters. Jack jumped at the chance to earn some 'honest money' and came to the dojo the next day pretty proud of himself,
"Someone's in good mood." Eddie said as Jack waltzed in,
"What's up bro!" Jerry said, in his usual laid back, cool boy tone, "Falafel Phil actually making good food?"
The 4 boys present laughed,
"Nah. Guess who got a job down at Marco's?" Jack went on,
"The new diner down town?" Milton asked as he stretched off,
"That's the one, $150 wages, I can keep my tips and all the milkshakes I want." Jack said with a smirk,
"Sa-weet!" Jerry said, holding up his fist to be bumped,
"That's great Jack." Milton said, the ginger boy smiling.
"What are you doing? Get training!" Rudy called from his office window and the 4 of them jumped and went about their routine.
With his job being highly successful (money-wise) and the feeling of earning an honest pay for once in his life, Jack felt good. Settling into a routine he found comfortable, school, 1 hour of the dojo, work, home. Then on weekends, running the early dinner run and occasionally the late night hours.
(*****)
He had been working there for 5 months when it happened. Late Saturday night, the diner frequented a man who stared at the counter staring into a half empty glass of milkshake and a group of elderly men in a corner booth eating nacho's whilst playing cards.
Jack found himself doing his Physic's homework. The time was 9:30 and it was pouring it down with rain. The already dark night sky full of dark, angry clouds, assaulting the world with liquid misery.
Anyway, Jack was completing the task when the bell above the door tinkled and someone dragged their way in out of the rain.
Jack straightened his red and white apron and his black pants before looking to the door to see a slightly wet and bedraggled girl heave herself in. Pulling the hood of her pink hoodie down and straightening her damp brown ponytail and glasses. She walked up to the counter and Jack closed his book and looked up at the clock. His shift ended in half an hour.
"Can I help you?" Jack asked the girl before he registered her face, "Julie?"
She seemed to have more trouble recognising him as her brown eyes were crinkled (adoreably in the back of Jack's mind) in concentration,
"Jack?" She asked cautiously and Jack shot her a grin the Julie saw as encouragement and she grinned back, "Wow, fancy seeing you here."
"Hmm. What would you like?"
"Just a hot chocolate please." She said half cheerfully, half melancholy.
"What's up?" Jack asked, beggining the process of making a hot chocolate.
"Nothing." She said, twirling her hair arounf her fingers and staring off into space,
"Then what brings you down here at this time of night?"
She didn't reply, she simply placed the money for her drink on the counter as the kettle signified the waters boiling. So he made her hot drink and gave it to her and she smiled whilst blowing on the hot drink,
"Thanks." She said, smiling up at Jack who smiled back,
"No problem."
"Are you doing your homework?" Julie asked incredulously as she spotted the sheet,
"Erm… Yeah?"
And so conversation began. Starting with light hearted comments about Jack's homewotk environment before they began to talk about school and other general and neutral topics. Their conversation interupted by the elderly gentlemen, finishing their dish and asking for the bill, and a rather noisy and disfunctional family out for a late meal.
They talked and talked their way through Julie's third hot chocolate and a half hour after Jack's shift. Causing him to curse as he only had ten minutes to get home before his curfew and Julie to sigh as her uncle wanted her home.
"See you around then?" Jack asked as he slipped into his coat and held the door open to the young lady he had been spending his time with.
"Yeah. I'd like that." She smiled before the two shared a round of goodbye's and braved the fearsome onslaught of rain…
Tell me what you think.