A/N: Oy, me lovelies! Thank you again for reading! I have to give everyone a warning: I'm still in school (highschool sophomore) so I might get busy with schoolwork sometimes. If I don't post for awhile, pleeeeease don't get discouraged with me! I'll never give up on a story if I have dedicated readers like you all! Enjoy yer latest bit o' booty!
Chapter Two: Don't Forget the Tip(s)
"Work sucks." It was a cold Friday morning, even though the weatherman had predicted 'sunny skies and very little wind'. Alisa was on her way to the elevator with Will to begin the workday.
"Alisa. It's really not that bad. Isn't this what you want to do in life? Be an advertiser?" he asked as he held open the door a little longer for another employee who was dashing toward it.
"Well...not really," she confessed. "I'm actually kind of an intern/volunteer. I only do this to get some experience for what I really wanna be."
"And what is that?" Will asked. They got off and began walking down the tile floored hallway. He listened to the click-clacking of her pumps while waiting for an answer. Click, clack, click, clack, click, clack. Still no answer. He stopped her with a hand on her arm. "Well? Are you gonna tell me?" She looked at him sheepishly and continued walking until they reached her stop.
"The truth is, I don't really know. I just know that this is where I need to start," Alisa admitted to him, and she hadn't told any of the other employees that little personal tidbit yet. "Hey, don't look at me like that! This is only my first year at college so I still have the whole semester before I have to officially decide my major." Will nodded.
"Yeah, I remember those days." He leaned against the wall.
"What do you mean 'those days'?" She raised an eyebrow at him.
"Well, I remember them. And I remember them pretty well. Those days. The days when I was a college student." What doesn't she understand?
"Oh, you're not in college anymore?! Sorry, I must seem pretty ignorant. It's just that you look so....young...," she explained.
"Yeah, I'm only 19, but if you keep my secret, I'll keep yours," he said and he held out his hand for her to shake. She hesitated, which confused him, but finally consented and shook his hand.
"Ok. Deal," she said, but her next course of body language didn't confuse Will at all. In fact, this was what he was used to. She smiled a small, shy smile and held his hand just a bit longer than necessary with a look in her eyes that said 'I just might like you, Will'. He squeezed her hand and flashed her a smile of his own that said 'I just might like you, too, Alisa', before turning around and walking to Norrington's office.
"You're late." Those were the first words out of Norrington's mouth when Will walked in a minute later. Will glanced at the clock on his wall. It read 8:01. Ok, I thought that I start work at eight...., he thought while trying not to make a face of irritation. "Haha, just messin' with you, Turner. Go ahead and take a seat," he said and pulled out two rolled up pieces of poster board which he promptly snapped open. "These," he said, "are the pieces that we will discuss in your first meeting today, Will."
"We have a meeting today? When?" he asked, already feeling his stomach turn.
"Oh, in about...five minutes. Don't worry," he added when he saw the expression on Will's face that he couldn't help but show. "I know you're new and everything, that's why I'm prepping you ahead of time."
And such was Will's day at work It was choc full of meetings, charts, women, more charts, phone calls, faxes, unwanted advances, etc. By the time 4:30 rolled around, Will was sure that he had never been worked so hard in his life. He loved it. He loved every waking minute of it. 'Hard work soothes a man's soul' his father once said. His father had passed away when he was a young boy, his mother had told him, but that was the phrase he was known to live by. His family members always said that he and his father looked just alike, but Will couldn't remember. The only things he had of his father were a few pictures in the family album and a college ring that he never took off. It was gold with a red jewel in the middle and had 'Quarter Your Life' engraved on the inside of it. He never knew exactly what that meant, but he loved that ring anyway. One thing he did know was that he was named after his father- Robert William Turner. But that was in the past, and he was living the present.
He decided that since he was done with his work, he'd visit Alisa's desk around the same time that she had visited his the day before. On his way, he stopped in the break room to pick up some Twizzlers; both of them had concluded that they were avid candy freaks who needed their daily fix of sugar. When he reached her door, he paused before entering. Who's she talking to? he wondered as he pushed the door open just enough for him to see in and try to listen to what was being said.
Alisa spoke. "Well, he's really nice and I'm sure that you'll like him. We met yesterday and I gave him a ride home." The girl next to her rolled her eyes.
"Come on, Leese. He didn't even know when to get off of the elevator; how's he gonna hang with us??!" she said in an exasperated manner as she plopped down into a chair. Alisa gave her 'the look'.
"Liz, if you don't give him a chance, who will? I gave him one, now it's your turn. It'll be fun, I swear!" Elizabeth just looked at her. "Come on! You know you wanna meet him...you know he looks goooood, girl!!" Elizabeth laughed at this and gave her consent.
"Fine, but if he can't handle it, he goes. NO arguments. And NO making a scene," she added.
Out in the hall, Will was getting a bit frustrated. Damn, that's the girl we're going to dinner with tonight! And fucking shit, I can't hear what they're saying!! He threw in the towel on his eavesdropping attempt and walked into the room.
"Hey, Will!" Alisa said with enthusiasm and she and Elizabeth stood up together. "We were just talking about you! This is Elizabeth. Elizabeth, this is Will," she said.
"Hi, Elizabeth. It's good to meet you." The words came out less confidently than he would have liked, but he was grateful that the words came out at all. She's even more breathtaking in person... and when she isn't smirking at me, he thought.
"Hey. Good to meet you, too. And it's Liz," she said, and noticed, irritated, that he didn't correct himself.
Alisa was beginning to sense some tension in the room, and she didn't like it. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, she thought, but quickly pushed the negativity out of her head.
"Will, we'd better get outta here," she said and she grabbed her purse after slipping her jacket on. "See you tonight!" she called behind her as she and Liz left the room.
"Yeah," he whispered, realizing that he felt silly holding the licorice, but glad that she hadn't noticed the candy in her hurry to leave.
That evening was quite eventful for the trio. It would change Will's life... pretty much for forever, but he didn't know it yet. It started with him meeting the girls at Barnaby Pub and Grill on 43rd St. at seven. The moment he walked in, he felt at home; a strange feeling of ease and comfort fell over him. Maybe it was because of the large number of people in the restaurant, or that the restaurant itself wasn't very fancy, or perhaps it was the way the people acted. The waiters hustled and bustled about, laughing and talking with the diners and the diners ate whichever way they wanted, cursed, shouted, and roared with laughter, throwing all etiquette and manners to the wind. It wasn't really what Will was used to, yet it felt so oddly natural and inviting.
"Hey, Will, over here!" It was Alisa shouting to him from a table on the far end of the restaurant. She was sitting with Elizabeth and a couple of other people who he didn't recognize. He gave a little wave and pushed his way through the people and around the tables and chairs until he reached them.
"Wow, this is a great place. I've never been here before, but I like it," he said and sat down next to Alisa.
"Yeah, I've always liked it, but it's not exactly popular with everybody," Elizabeth said to him carefully. He was a bit surprised that she had spoken to him; he got the feeling that she didn't really like him, but he said nothing to give it away.
"Ok, this is Gibbs. This is Ragetti and this is Pintel," Alisa introduced the others by pointing to them one by one. Will frowned in confusion at their odd names, but shrugged it off, assuming that they were last names and said,
"Hey, what's up."
Alisa noticed the waitress coming towards them.
"Will, I know you've never been here before, so do you want me to just order for you? That is, if you like seafood," she offered and he nodded.
"Sure, why not?" As the waitress came to the table, he noticed that no one had even touched their menus. Before she had a chance to speak, there was a chorus of,
"The usual!" and she nodded at them. Will was impressed, but then he noticed that the waitress looked a lot like...Alisa? She had a twin?? As the waitress walked away, Elizabeth noticed Will looking back from Alisa to the waitress and back again in confusion. Alisa was immersed in conversation with the guys, so Liz explained.
"Sisters. Leese and Anamaria are sisters. That's why they look so much alike. Anamaria is the older one, by the way."
"Aaah, I see. That's cool," he said and this time he wasn't as surprised when she talked to him. When Anamaria came back she was loaded with entrees of fish and chips, or as we like to call it, fish and potato wedges. Before the woman left, Leese managed to introduce him to her and Will became uneasy at the way in which Anamaria was looking at him. She left though, and so Will began to eat and talk and laugh with the others- he even saw Elizabeth laugh after a couple of drinks. Alisa didn't drink, though. Somewhere towards the end of dinner, Will noticed Ragetti, Alisa, Pintel, and Gibbs giving each other surreptitious glances. Liz saw the looks, too.
"Hey, what's going on?" Will asked when Liz didn't speak up.
"Nothing. Nothing at all," Leese snapped at the men.
"Well, actually, some of us were thinking about hangin' out until late," Ragetti said.
"You wanna join us?" Pintel asked. Will didn't like the way that they were looking at him...he could tell that Pintel was trying to be casual, but he was definitely hiding something. Gibbs was silent. Will was about to decline the offer, but then Liz spoke for him.
"You guys! We've haven't known Will for but a day, but we know him well enough to know that he'd neeeever be able to hang with us!!" She gave a kind of laugh/snort and the guys began to laugh with her.
"Well, what's that supposed to mean?!" Will's face was red with anger. "I can do anything you guys can do and I can do it better!" he said indignantly. Why am I being such a child? he thought inside after the words slipped from his mouth. Who cares what they think? I don't even know them!
"Don't pay any attention to them, Will. They've just been drinking," Alisa said, putting her hand on his arm reassuringly. This just made Will want to prove himself even more.
"No. I think they're right. I think he should come." The voice was smooth and strong, full of authority and wisdom. Anamaria had come back to leave the bill, but she had overheard the whole conversation.
"But-," Alisa began, but she was cut off.
"I agree with your sister," Gibbs said.
"Will, take them up on their offer. Show us what you're made of." Her voice was dripping of challenge and testiness. He couldn't resist--he was never one to turn down a dare, especially when pretty ladies were around. That was one of his weaknesses; he hated for people to think that he wasn't able.
"Of course. Wherever you guys are headed, I'll follow. For tonight at least," he said and he put down cash and a tip for the entire meal, which brought on cheers from the table. Alisa looked at her sister in confusion, but Anamaria just bid them a 'see ya later!' and walked off.
"Well, I guess it's settled, then," said Liz.
"What's settled, exactly?" Will asked.
"Um, I don't know. What's settled, guys?" she asked them.
"We're goin' ter the lagoon, me bucko!" Ragetti announced, and Alisa kicked him underneath the table—hard.
"What did he tell you about talking like that out here?!" she hissed, looking around quickly as if to make sure that no one had heard him.
"She's right. Let's just get outta here," Pintel said and they scooted out of the pub and made their way to the lagoon. Oh, man, Will thought. I hope I make it home from "the lagoon" alive tonight!
A/N: So what do you think? I bet you're wondering what's gonna happen next, aren't you? Well, as usual, you send me a review, and I'll send ye another bit o' the tale, I swear on me hidden dubloons!