Five Dollar Mocha: 10
"So, how old are you, Sydney?" Jack asks before shoving chilli cheese fries into his mouth.
"Twenty. I'll be twenty-one in a month."
"Ooh, we've got an illegal in here!" Amy exclaims in a suspenseful whisper. "I feel like I'm hiding something from the government; Mike, don't tell!" They all laugh, Sydney included.
"Well, you picked the perfect legal guy to go out with," Brian says. "Mike doesn't drink."
"Oh." She looks to Michael, surprised. He replies sheepishly.
"I drink, just not as much as the rest of you. I have to stay sober for my job."
"Which," interrupts Seth, "no one knows about."
"What do you do anyway, Michael?" Sydney asks, turning to him once more.
"I see that you know as much as we do," Seth laughs. "And we've known him longer."
Michael smiles and leans back, putting his arm around Sydney. "I let them believe that I'm a secret agent working for the CIA," he tells her. "It keeps them happy." Several types of appetizers hit him from all directions. "Hey!"
Their waitress appears once more. "What'll it be, boys? Feel like Sam Adams tonight?" She glances around at them with a large grin, but she stops when she sees Sydney. Her voice sounds a little different as she speaks, her eyes flickering across Michael's arm. "I never noticed you! New here?"
"Yes. I'm Sydney."
"Well, first beer's on the house."
"Thanks, Jess," Michael says. "I think the two of us will have Michelob Light, everyone else will have Sam."
"Except me," Jack adds, "only imported in my beer belly!" Caitlin punches his shoulder and says, "Then don't expect to see me any longer."
"Green bottle for you, then," the waitress, Jess, states. She walks away.
"I see you guys are regulars here," Sydney says to Michael as conversations restart around them.
"You could say that," he laughs. "You don't have to drink the beer if you don't want to."
"So you think I haven't been to any Frat parties?"
"I didn't say that. But keg beer is... well, you get drunk in about thirty seconds."
"I have a friend who can make it in less."
Before they can laugh, their ears suddenly become filled with a repetetive beeping. Michael looks down and touches his waist, taking off his beeper. He frowns, and looks at Sydney before turning to his friends.
"Who was it?" Amy asks.
"Work. I'm needed."
"It's final," Brian says, "Mike is a secret agent for the FBI."
Michael chuckles. "I guess Sydney and I will be leaving."
"You will?" Amy raises one eyebrow. "Didn't hear you asking her."
He turns to Sydney, flustered and cheeks about to tinge. She smiles and replies. "It's fine. I'm just sorry I couldn't spend more time with you guys."
Caitlin returns the smile as Sydney and Michael stand up. "We'll have to get together sometime."
Sydney's smile falters a bit. "Work and school take up a lot of my time."
"We can still do it." She grabs a pen from Jack's pocket and holds it above a napkin. "What's your phone number?" Sydney tells her.
Michael puts his hand on her back to guide her out, and she quickly adds, "I hope I'll see all of you again soon."
"You will," several voices chorus as they leave.
After they sit in the Volvo, Sydney turns to Michael and says, "I like your friends."
"I do, too, except for the constant drinking and making fun of my job."
"I like the laughing."
"That's part of the reason I still hang out with them. They're a pretty happy-go-lucky group, at least around me." He turns on the radio and they sit listening until Sydney's apartment appears in the front windshield.
"Thank you, and I will most definitely come to the next game."
"I kind of hoped you would."
Sydney touches his cheek with her right hand and leans in to kiss him. The kiss quickly deepens but she pulls away and says, "You have to go."
"I know."
She kisses him again but stops it too quickly. "You really have to go." She opens the car door and gets out. "Call me, okay?"
"As soon as I get there."
She laughs. "You know what I mean." She pushes the door shut and watches him drive away before entering her apartment.
"So, how old are you, Sydney?" Jack asks before shoving chilli cheese fries into his mouth.
"Twenty. I'll be twenty-one in a month."
"Ooh, we've got an illegal in here!" Amy exclaims in a suspenseful whisper. "I feel like I'm hiding something from the government; Mike, don't tell!" They all laugh, Sydney included.
"Well, you picked the perfect legal guy to go out with," Brian says. "Mike doesn't drink."
"Oh." She looks to Michael, surprised. He replies sheepishly.
"I drink, just not as much as the rest of you. I have to stay sober for my job."
"Which," interrupts Seth, "no one knows about."
"What do you do anyway, Michael?" Sydney asks, turning to him once more.
"I see that you know as much as we do," Seth laughs. "And we've known him longer."
Michael smiles and leans back, putting his arm around Sydney. "I let them believe that I'm a secret agent working for the CIA," he tells her. "It keeps them happy." Several types of appetizers hit him from all directions. "Hey!"
Their waitress appears once more. "What'll it be, boys? Feel like Sam Adams tonight?" She glances around at them with a large grin, but she stops when she sees Sydney. Her voice sounds a little different as she speaks, her eyes flickering across Michael's arm. "I never noticed you! New here?"
"Yes. I'm Sydney."
"Well, first beer's on the house."
"Thanks, Jess," Michael says. "I think the two of us will have Michelob Light, everyone else will have Sam."
"Except me," Jack adds, "only imported in my beer belly!" Caitlin punches his shoulder and says, "Then don't expect to see me any longer."
"Green bottle for you, then," the waitress, Jess, states. She walks away.
"I see you guys are regulars here," Sydney says to Michael as conversations restart around them.
"You could say that," he laughs. "You don't have to drink the beer if you don't want to."
"So you think I haven't been to any Frat parties?"
"I didn't say that. But keg beer is... well, you get drunk in about thirty seconds."
"I have a friend who can make it in less."
Before they can laugh, their ears suddenly become filled with a repetetive beeping. Michael looks down and touches his waist, taking off his beeper. He frowns, and looks at Sydney before turning to his friends.
"Who was it?" Amy asks.
"Work. I'm needed."
"It's final," Brian says, "Mike is a secret agent for the FBI."
Michael chuckles. "I guess Sydney and I will be leaving."
"You will?" Amy raises one eyebrow. "Didn't hear you asking her."
He turns to Sydney, flustered and cheeks about to tinge. She smiles and replies. "It's fine. I'm just sorry I couldn't spend more time with you guys."
Caitlin returns the smile as Sydney and Michael stand up. "We'll have to get together sometime."
Sydney's smile falters a bit. "Work and school take up a lot of my time."
"We can still do it." She grabs a pen from Jack's pocket and holds it above a napkin. "What's your phone number?" Sydney tells her.
Michael puts his hand on her back to guide her out, and she quickly adds, "I hope I'll see all of you again soon."
"You will," several voices chorus as they leave.
After they sit in the Volvo, Sydney turns to Michael and says, "I like your friends."
"I do, too, except for the constant drinking and making fun of my job."
"I like the laughing."
"That's part of the reason I still hang out with them. They're a pretty happy-go-lucky group, at least around me." He turns on the radio and they sit listening until Sydney's apartment appears in the front windshield.
"Thank you, and I will most definitely come to the next game."
"I kind of hoped you would."
Sydney touches his cheek with her right hand and leans in to kiss him. The kiss quickly deepens but she pulls away and says, "You have to go."
"I know."
She kisses him again but stops it too quickly. "You really have to go." She opens the car door and gets out. "Call me, okay?"
"As soon as I get there."
She laughs. "You know what I mean." She pushes the door shut and watches him drive away before entering her apartment.
