1

William had arranged a trip to the movies that day with his friend, Alex. Alex was a slender young man, bred out of dark Italian blood and the hearty Saxon build of his parents. His nose was slightly hooked, with dark brown wavy hair that was usually combed and oiled to match Al Pacino's look in The Godfather. His eyes were a pale green, which contrasted with his slightly tanned face.

William knew that Alex was the better looking of the two of them. His skin was paler, and his hair was thicker and blacker than Alex', and he had a slightly shorter and stocky build as opposed to Alex, who was over a foot taller than William. It was funny, though, that Alex was the perfect blend of all the stereotypical images that a German and an Italian were meant to have.

Alex and William loved to go to the movies. They would spend a lot of time talking about the latest films, which were better, or which would win more Oscars. Alex was a major fan of Rock Hudson, and he always maintained that had James Dean not been in "Giant", Hudson would have won. They had gone to see his horror movie "Embryo", directed by Ralph Nelson, and Alex had been stunned when neither Hudson or Nelson received Golden Globes for their work. William had personally hated the film, thinking that it was a miracle that Ralph Nelson continued to have a career.

William didn't feel like going to see a movie this particular day, however. He sometimes had headaches that only got worse in a cinema. No aspirin or pain killer seemed to get rid of them, so he just tried to ignore them and distract himself.

So he and Alex headed over to their favourite hangout aside from the cinema. That place was without a doubt the diner called Big Bob's Cookout. It was a diner that had been standing since the 50's and had somehow kept its name in all those years. Based on the old photos it kept on the walls, the cafe had grown considerably with a lot of great new additions. A bigger kitchen, more space to sit, the usual stuff that shows business was steady and plentiful.

The original owner, who had given his name and size to the cafe, had retired a while ago, and had left the cafe to his son Eddie Henderson. Like his father had done, Eddie employed his children in the cafe in the hopes that they would either inherit the place, or would earn the money to go to college. Eddie was in his middle age, with two sons Brendan and Frank. Frank was twenty-three, and was working part time at the cafe while he attended Brooklyn College. Brendan was one of William's close friends: he often worked in the kitchen, where his father taught him how to make the best steaks around. William knew that they were the best steaks because he'd sampled some at a bunch of other places and knew there was none better than Big Bob's Cookout.

That day, William and Alex headed for the diner. William had told his mom that he wouldn't be home for dinner; he did this at least once a week.

When the two of them entered the diner, Eddie Henderson was behind the counter, as well as two waitresses in their teens. Business looked good that night, so Alex and William sat up at the counter.

Eddie peered at them, and spoke to them in a thick Brooklyn accent, "Well, if it ain't you two. What's going on?"

"Nothing, Ed." William had been here so often that he was quite comfortable calling the owner by his first name. Alex was more formal, given that he wouldn't have known about this place if not through William.

Brendan suddenly poked his head through the kitchen door, "What'll it be, Will? Alex?"

Alex glanced at the menu lazily, "How about chicken with fries, and a Coke."

Brendan frowned as though he was used to this sort of thing, "Specific? What kind of chicken? Roast? Wings? Tenders?"

"Roast."

Brendan turned to William, "You?"

William smiled, "That special steak with my name on it." He was talking about the fact that their steaks were carefully trimmed of fat and gristle, which was something many diners didn't bother to do right.

Brendan raised an eyebrow, "Anything to drink?"

"Yeah, I'll take Alex' Coke."

Brendan grinned and went to make the food.

Eddie leaned over the counter, "So what'll it be for tonight, boys? Another movie?"

William shook his head, "Bowling alley."

Eventually the food came and they tucked in hungrily. William hadn't eaten much for hours, and was in a ravenous mood.

Brendan came out of the kitchen to lean on the counter just as another employee took his place, "So what kept you from the movies?"

"Headache again,' William muttered through a mouthful of meat. Brendan nodded sympathetically; he knew about the occaisional pains his friend went through.

Suddenly, Alex poked William in the ribs, "Don't look now, but there's two girls eyeing us."

William waited ten seconds before glancing. Two teenage girls, one a curly haired blonde, the other a sleek brunette, were talking to each other, taking turns to give Alex and William rapid glances.

Brendan grinned, "I don't know about you, but my headache's starting to clear up!"

William gave a nod of his head, "Well, I doubt you two would want me around now. I'll do something else."

The others glanced at him sharply, "What?"

William shrugged, "I'm not interested."

Alex raised an eyebrow, "Are you okay? I thought you said there hadn't been anything between you and Samantha." Samantha had been the last date William had had; almost three months ago.

Brendan patted his friend's shoulder, "And even then, you're coming with us, man. We couldn't leave you out."

William sighed, "I doubt I'd fit in. And they might not want to go bowling anyway."

Alex made one last look at the two girls, and turned on his stool so that his back was to them, "Well I'm not leaving you behind. If that's how you feel, then that's that."

Brendan took off his cook's apron, "Let's get going once you two are finished."

The three of them headed to the bowling alley, which was only two blocks away. There were three pool tables, some arcade games, and the usual bowling tracks.

Brendan usually took this time to brag that he could beat them any time at pool, which made Alex always challenge him to a game, with William taking on the winner.

William took a seat near the table, watching the black eight ball whizzing across the green surface like a torpedo, slamming the other balls around the table. Alex would swear foully when he missed, and Brendan would laugh loudly, prompting Alex to curse at Brendan, who would continue to laugh.

William suddenly thought about the two girls at the diner and sighed. Every time he had gone out on a date, it had felt more awkward than the last. The date with Samantha had gone wrong quickly, and William had ended it quickly. He didn't know what was wrong with him, but he felt slightly intimidated by girls. They seemed to have something secret that they could always use against him, and arguing only made it worse. Whenever he'd argued with a girl, he felt at a total disadvantage, intimidated by her for some reason. He didn't understand it- he wasn't a homosexual, yet he could not help but feel the way he had felt. It seemed to get worse the more he had gone out with girls, because it certainly hadn't been as bad in the beginning.

His thoughts were interrupted by a yell of laughter. Brendan had won, and Alex was foully swearing as he passed the pool stick to William, "Kick his fucking ass, Will. Please."

William grinned, and spoke in a mock Italian accent, "Come now, Alexandros, we're not animales. This is America!"

Alex aimed a swing for William's head, though half-heartedly. Will ducked him and went for the table. Alex grinned good-naturedly, "Maybe that rabbit's foot will help you for once!"

William stopped dead, and all the thoughts that sprung from a mention of his rabbit's foot flooded his brain. Hastily repressing them, William aimed the eight ball towards the nearest ball. Now was not the time to dwell on his father.