Saturday.
A day held sacred by teens world wide, school year and summer alike. It was the day when no adult would hold a teen to anything…except maybe mowing the lawn. A day when teens could sleep in as long as they wanted, watch what TV they wanted, or get out of the house with out a third degree interrogation.
Except for those who had jobs.
Warren had a job. It wasn't your typical arrangement; the owner of the restaurant was an old family friend. So it was more helping out than an actual job, but it sure beat being home alone. It used to be that he would work the morning shift then go spend some quality time in the local library. Then go home. Sometimes his mother would be home and they would have dinner together, like a real family…sort of.
That was before the conspiracy began.
What conspiracy you ask.
Friends.
At least that is what the gaggle that followed him around like lost puppies decided they were. And unfortunately his boss, old family friend, Mrs. Chang, grandmotherly type that she was…thought it was wonderful.
Which meant that his Saturday shift was history.
And what is it that replaced his Saturday shift?
"Ok." Ethan said, "Superman vs. Gladiator?"
"Superman dude!" Zack answered enthusiastically.
"Gladiator." Magenta answered.
"No way, Superman could totally kick Gladiator's trash." Zack stood by his opinion.
"All Gladiator would need is a pebble of Kryptonite." Will said, "And Superman would be toast."
Warren rolled his eyes and continued to subtly guide the group toward the bookstore. He was almost ready to tell Mrs. Chang that he'd take dishwashing over this any day. Not that she would listen to him. She was the one that practically forced him to come. What kind of boss does that?
"But Superman is an American icon." Zack protested, "Gladiator is some obscure alien form some random planet in another galaxy."
"Superman isn't form Earth either." Warren mumbled.
"What was that?" Layla asked. She had latched onto his arm as soon as she saw him after the lot of them exited Ethan's mom's minivan. She had ostensibly explained that it was so that he wouldn't accidently ditch them. Everyone except for Magenta believed it. Magenta however knew, well at least suspected, what Layla's real motivation was.
Warren just glared at her and went back to pretending to ignore the group of teens and trying to guide them toward the bookstore.
"Ooooo." Will blurted out. "Smoothies!" and then ran off toward the new smoothie stand, unknowingly thwarting Warren's plans to spend the rest of the afternoon in the bookstore.
The group followed, Layla dragging a scowling Warren with her.
It took a few minutes but the group eventually had their smoothies. Will had the Peach Mango Tango. Magenta had the Blueberry Extravaganza. Zack ordered the Pinacolada and Ethan the Orange Julius. Layla ordered the Wheat Grass Carrot Jubilee. Everyone was rather surprised, but wisely didn't comment, when Warren ordered the Strawberry Banana Gala. They commandeered two of the small tables near the stand and pushed them together to continue their debate.
"How bout this one?" Zack said after taking a long sip form his Pinacolada. "Batman vs. James Bond?"
There was silence while the group enjoyed their smoothies and contemplated the proposed match up.
"Bond." Warren unexpectedly answered. As he had yet to contribute anything but snide comments about their ability to think, the group was understandably stunned. But they were floored as well as baffled by his choice.
None of them could come up with a suitably intelligent rebuttal so they just looked at him expectantly for an explanation.
"Bond will blend in; Batman has to dress up in a stupid costume before he can act. Not to mention that Bond wouldn't have any qualms about just shooting the guy." Warren said after rolling his eyes and returned to enjoying his smoothie. "That and Bruce is squeamish around guns."
"Bruce?" Will asked with eyebrows raised.
Warren threw him a look that said don't push it.
"Great." Magenta deadpanned, "Now we won't get anything out of him for another month."
Warren shifted his death glare to the purple goth. Knowing there wasn't any heat behind the glare, she just stuck her tongue out at him before returning her attention to her Blueberry Extravaganza.
"Dude," Zack said, "You can't disrespect the Batman like that."
Warren didn't even bother to acknowledge him.
"As stimulating as this conversation has been." Layla said, "I still need to find something for my dad."
Yes folks, it was the third Saturday of June. Which meant the next day was the third Sunday of June…Father's Day. The small group of teens were still leery of mentioning family matters around their reticent friend, but they weren't as hypersensitive about it as they had been the first week after homecoming. And because they were all worried about their own procrastination, they failed to really digest the situation, else they probably would have opted for a different Saturday activity and left the shopping to their mothers.
"I just got my dad a tie." Zack said.
"That is so lame." Magenta said, "I was going to pick up season 3 of 'Sons of Anarchy'. Dad's been going on about it for weeks."
"I was thinking about stopping by Ultimate Aquarium and picking up some decorations for the 50 gallon fish tank he just ordered." Ethan said.
"Mom's going to pick something up for me," Will said. "I think she enjoys the chance to do something so normal."
"What are you getting for your dad?" Zack asked. The question was out of his mouth before he realized who he had directed it toward. He along with the rest of the group froze; each of them oscillating between terrorized horror and morbid curiosity.
Warren fixed Zack with a muted glare. The second he saw the kid's face freeze he was certain that he had asked before he thought. But that just went to show how much this particular group of kids had come to think of him as normal. And as much as habit told him to, he really couldn't bring himself to hold it against them.
So instead of tearing into the human glowstick, and before he (not as roughly as he once would have) extricated himself from Layla's grip, he growled "A visit." He then walked away, toward the bookstore that he had tried to guide the gaggle of teens toward earlier.
The others sat in awkward silence.
"So." Will dared to break the awkward silence. "Since you still have some shopping to do, I guess I'll brave the fire breathing dragon this time."
Layla gave him a look that clearly said she wasn't amused by his name for Warren's bristly mood; however accurate it may have been.
Will took one last dramatic sip from his smoothie, making sure that he got every last drop with the straw. Unaware of his dramatic posturing and the group rolling their eyes at his antics; he silently gave them one last goodbye before bravely heading toward his doom…er…following his friend.
Layla and Magenta both shook their heads. "Don't think he'll have a problem getting the lead in next years play." Magenta remarked dryly.
Layla daintily snorted her amusement and then said, "Stick together or split up?"
"We should probably split up." Ethan said. "We'd be able to complete our shopping faster and be available to back up Will in case he needs it."
"Don't think he will." Zack said in one of his rare moments of insight, "Warren would never burn down a bookstore."
"No," Layla agreed, "but he might do something to Will."
There was a moment of contemplation.
"Ok the." Magenta said, "Meet at the book store in 30 minutes?"
Everyone nodded and then they split in their different directions to get their father's their presents.