Chapter 2: Dinner at Roland's Seafood Grill
The next evening, I drove up with my childhood friends Sarah, James, and Henri to Roland's Seafood Grill in the Strip District, where I also met up with more of my best friends Alex Russo, Justin Evans, and Max Greenwald. "Hi, guys!" I greeted my friends. "Hi, Angel!" Sarah greeted back. "I hope they have lots of good food at this restaurant," James stated. "I hope they have good desserts here, too," Henri chimed in. Alex, Justin, and Max were already sitting at a table and waved us in. "Hi, guys!" Alex greeted us. "You're just in time for some really good seafood," Max told us. "Max, how would you know that the food here is good when you haven't even tried it yet?" Justin asked. "That leaves us with a question to ask you guys: Why did you want to come to this restaurant for dinner?" James asked. "Good question, James," Justin replied. "Well, we wanted to try something new and different," Alex added. "Okay then," Sarah remarked. "We were originally going to take you to Cenacolo's Restaurant in Irwin, but Carly and her parents said that they would rather go with us instead in September," Alex explained. "All right," I agreed. "I think that Sarah, James, Henri, and I were willing to try something new tonight." "This reminds me of my 7th grade year where I had to take gym class for the first time," Sarah remembered. "I had to change gym clothes in front of all the girls and use a locker." "I remember when I felt that way in middle school, too," I told Sarah."Also, doing basic exercises like stretching, sit-ups, push-ups, and pull-ups "Same here," Alex agreed. "When was a time that you had to try something new and different, Alex?" Sarah asked. "Well, I had to try a new restaurant once- the Pasquerilla Restaurant," Alex remembered. "What was their food like?" Sarah asked. "They had a variety of good food choices to eat, and I was able to try some yummy foods," Alex stated, looking at the menu. "I think the restaurant's specials look rather interesting," I told my friends. "I would love to try their oven-fried catfish and carrot cake, just so I can be in the "Trying New Things" group, just like my BFFs, Sarah and Alex." As a matter of fact, all of us were ready to order our meals. Sarah ordered broiled swordfish, Alex ordered lobster tails, James ordered jumbo lump crab cakes, Justin ordered shrimp and grits, and Henri and Max decided to split a "Meat Trio" pizza. "I think you guys all made good choices," I told my friends. I also ordered a glass of juice to drink with my meal. "It seems like you girls are always ordering healthy things to eat, as am I," Sarah told me and Alex. "The best thing is that I already get dessert with my meal since it is the special of the day!" "Sarah, this is almost like what we ordered last weekend at Monterey Bay," Alex remembered. "That's right, Alex," Sarah agreed. "What kind of dessert would you like to split with me?" "How about the Raspberry Lemon Drop?" Alex suggested. "Okay," Sarah agreed. "It looks yummy." "Justin, would you like to split the Peanut Butter Explosion with me?" James offered. "Of course, James," Justin agreed. "I love that dessert, too." Meanwhile, Henri and Max ordered the Tuxedo Bombe to split for their dessert. Before they knew it, they ended up with chocolate on their faces. "Henri, do you always get chocolate on your face when eating a dessert?" Max asked. "You have chocolate on your face too, Max," Henri pointed out. They quickly got napkins and wiped the chocolate off their faces. As soon as we paid our checks, Alex handed us our Sandcastle tickets for next weekend. "I can't wait to go to Sandcastle with you guys," I told my friends. "It should be lots of fun!" Then, Sarah, James, and Henri drove me back to Mom's apartment in Highland Park. "Thanks for a great dinner and evening, guys!" I thanked my friends. "You're welcome, Angel," Sarah replied. "Bye, guys!" "Bye!"