Chapter 6 - Wing Dings
Author's Notes: I own nothing, save for Dahlia, Amanda, and the new character I'm about to introduce. And I know I said I'd update once a week, but since I'm going away this weekend, you guys get a chapter today! YAY! XD
In a sense, I'm not really too surprised Dahlia and Amanda led us to a bar. After all, it's college, and if you're not heading out to a bar at least once a week, something's not right...at least according to my roommate. Granted, Simon and I couldn't get any alcohol...not that either of us would our first night here (or ever, in Simon's case), but we weren't here for that tonight anyway. Tonight was wing night, and Dahlia said that as a way to celebrate new friendships, a sampling of the Steel City's best wings was in order.
Which, naturally, Simon had to refute with logic.
"I'm just saying, do you know how many bars that serve wings are actually in this city?" He was saying as we claimed a table for ourselves, plunking down in the seats and grabbing menus. When none of us answered, just studiously ignored him, he continued on. "Hundreds. If not thousands. So, for us to actually find the best wing place, we'd end up having to go out every night for most of, if not all of, our college experience."
"And that's Simon Lewis' useless fact of the day!" I cracked, making Dahlia bust out laughing, and Simon give me a mock wounded look. He opened his mouth to keep going, but I stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "Simon, I think she just means that out of all the places she's tried, these are the best, and they're close, which in her book, completely works."
"Exactly." Dahlia said happily, a smile on her face as she pointed at me with her menu. "Thank you, that's exactly what I meant."
"I don't think it was useless." Amanda spoke up, looking between the three of us with a smile, her menu flat on the table in front of her. Her gaze went to Simon, smile still in place."If you'd ever want to go out looking for a few more places, I'd be happy to join you."
His eyes went wide behind his glasses, and he laughed a bit awkwardly. "Oh, no, that's alright. I was just saying to them that the statistics of all the bars that serve wings in the city, to us actually finding the best wings in the city would be kind of-"
I stepped in quickly, saving him from more embarrassment. "He just geeked out and went on a fact binge. You'll get used to it." I told Amanda, who simply nodded, her smile faded a bit. "But, if you'd like to go out food hunting with him, look for an Asian place. Thai, Chinese, Japanese, or Korean. He can't get enough of that stuff."
The strawberry blonde's smile was back, looking at the tallest member of our group. "Really...?"
This time, he laughed freely, nodding his head honestly. "Yeah, that's nothing but the truth" He pointed to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "Just ask her, almost every week, I ended up bringing in leftover Asian food to school for lunch."
Amanda rested her head in a hand, still smiling at the form my best friend. "Well, I'll have to show you a few places, then. I'm pretty good at restaurant hunting, I'll have you know."
"Hey, don't count us out of that!" Dahlia spoke up quickly, glaring slightly at the shortest member of our group, though her voice held no trace of any such look. And why would she be glaring at her, anyway? "What if we want to go with you guys?"
"Oh, uh...yeah." Amanda sounded slightly dumbfounded...like she even forgot we were there. Not that I blame her, Simon was an easy guy to get lost in, just because he was the complete opposite of Jace. He actually had the personality of gold to go with his good looks...which I've told him for at least three years when the subject of dating would come up. "You guys can come, too, of course."
Dahlia's mouth open to probably snark out a reply, but it was interrupted by a waitress coming over to take our drink orders, which went quickly, as Dahlia ordered a Diet Coke, Amanda ordered a Dr. Pepper, and Simon and I both took Cokes. Amanda reported she was ready to order, but the rest of us needed time, which we were given as the waitress, Holly, walked off.
"What are you going to get?" Simon asked the strawberry blonde.
"Yeah, that was quick." I agreed with him, curious myself.
"Uh, I come here about twice a month, so I know my favorites." Amanda replied honestly, laughing a bit. "And I'm gonna get the parmesan garlic wings. One of my favorites."
I winced in disgust, and Simon caught the look on my face, because I heard him break out into uproarious laughter. "What's so funny?" I ask him in return, rolling my eyes as he wouldn't stop laughing. "You know I hate the smell of parmesan!"
"You hate more than the smell!" He retorted, through laughs, a grin still plastered on his face.
I glared at him petulantly, before huffing out a sigh. "Yes, fine! I hate all of it! Smell and the taste! Happy?" I retorted, as he calmed down and I tuned back to my own menu.
"I've been happy since you got out of your mother's car." I heard him whisper into my ear. "Or, wasn't that obvious enough for you?"
Immediately, a grin stretched it's way across my face, any and all annoyance at him disappearing. "I dunno...maybe you'll have to make it more obvious." I told him teasingly in return, turning to look at him once more. I blinked twice...because I swear I saw his cheeks color a bit in the dim lighting of this place, and I just kept staring at him, purely in an attempt to see if I was right.
For all of three seconds, until Holly set out drinks down. "What can I get you guys?" She asked us all with a smile, notepad in hand.
"I'll take a half dozen of the parmesan garlic." Amanda told her, having been done the first and needing no more introduction than that.
"Half of the wasabi ranch." Dahlia told her, closing her menu and placing it on top of Amanda's.
"Half of the teriyaki?" Simon made it like a question, and it just made me look over at him. Had they all ordered while I was busy staring at Simon or something?
"And you?" Holly asked me, green-blue eyes looking at me.
Quickly, I scanned the menu for the first thing that looked good. "Half dozen of the hot garlic?" Next to me, Simon grinned, hearing me make my order into a question, too. Dahlia's look was about the same, while Amanda rolled her eyes.
"Can we also have a large order of waffle fries, too?" She asked Holly, oblivious to a questioning look from me, and a glare from Dahlia.
"Comin' right up." She assured us all, collecting our menus and heading off to the kitchen.
"Where'd the heck you go to just now? Off to Mars or something?" I heard Dahlia ask me, just before she took a sip of her soda, foregoing her straw entirely.
I shrugged honestly in reply, laughing quietly as I took my straw out of it's wrapper and submerged it in my glass. "I dunno, really...it happens with me sometimes." I admitted sheepishly, taking a sip of my own drink. The liquid did a good job of keeping me grounded, mainly because it was so cold. And why did it cool me off so much? It wasn't like it was warm or crowded in here...
"She means that it happens sometimes when I'm around." Simon piped up, grinning jovially. "I like to think that she likes to think she has temporary mind reading powers and thinks she can figure me out if she stares at me long enough."
"You swore you'd never mention that again!" I protested honestly, pointing an accusing finger at him with wide eyes as Dahlia snorted into her soda in the midst of taking a sip and Amanda looked at the both of us with a gaping mouth. "And I was seven when I said that!"
Dahlia was too busy laughing to actually formulate a reply, while Amanda stirred her soda with her own straw, a contemplative look on her face. "It sounds like you guys are the type of people I could talk to for years and never truly know."
I was too busy plotting murder under the cover of nightfall, so Simon had to answer that one of us. "We are." He agreed with Amanda honestly, nodding as he picked up his own glass. "We both know so much about each other, some things we can remember right away, and others, it's almost like a trigger. Seeing or doing something will bring back the memory, like what just happened now."
"Wish I had someone like that." Amanda said wistfully, watching Simon take a drink of his own soda.
"Don't worry." I told her honestly, now managing to stop thinking about the ways I could murder my best friend quietly and dispose of his body in the same way. Mainly because I reminded myself not to get carried away with my thoughts. This was Simon, after all. Not Jace. "You will, Amanda. Besides, I got lucky from the beginning. Who knows where I'd be without this lunatic in my life?" I laughed innocently as I pointed at Simon, who didn't take playful offense to that like I thought he would.
Instead, he calmly kissed me on the cheek for the comment...rendering me completely speechless.