AN: A continuation of Cantina HS (Chapter #5) and some more meta stuff thrown in for fun. Or, my take on the Good Boi Sweater.

Hungry nights, once again
Now it's getting unbelievable.
'Cause I could not have it better,
But I just can't get no play
From the girls, all around
As they search the night for someone to hold onto.
I just pass through...

Perfect Situation, Weezer

Rey has parked herself in one of the furthest booths from the door - her favorite spot at Waffle House. Perhaps not the most obvious place to study, but it was where she got the most work done. Away from Plutt. Away from judgy classmates. Away from her life…

Of course, tonight, it was raining. And she didn't have any money. The team at this particular Waffle House was kind enough to look the other way. Sure, Rey could scrounge up money for the cheapest item on the menu (with a side of neverending water), and she didn't take up that much space. Once she'd reached a peaceful understanding with the wait staff, she'd found a way to hijack a wifi signal from a nearby business and so, could stay in touch with friends and remain online on her antiquated cell phone.

On this rather cold and damp Tuesday, she settled in for a night of studies, and maybe a bit of drawing. There were the other regulars, Old Thomas, who stopped in after a shift of long haul driving. The rotating group of Uber drivers. And her unofficial best friend outside of Cantina HS, Kaydel, who was a few years older than Rey, and in law school. Kaydel occasionally brought some of her study group buddies by the diner, but for the most part muttered about tortes and cases, while looking over note cards and frantically highlighting things.

Maz stops by to ask if Rey needs a refill on her water, but she declines.

The door to the diner opens, and Rey has to do a double-take at who's entered. It's Ben...Benjamin Solo, from school. He's wearing a massive black sweater, with a hole in the corner. The gap seems so out of place, but his white undershirt shines through (not that she's looking that closely). Shivering, Rey wonders jealously where the sweater was purchased. She more or less lives on finds at Goodwill, and can't remember the last time she bought something new. At the moment, her worn flannel isn't really doing am adequate job of keeping her warm.

He looks...tired. Angry. Frustrated. All of the above. He is the poster child for emo. Sensing something of a kindred spirit, before she can stop herself, she calls out, "Hey!"

He looks up, and for the briefest moment, his sour mood lightens when he sees her, then quickly returns. Irritated at being ignored by Ben Solo of all people, Rey says, "Benjamin Solo, come over here and sit with me."

Fortunately, he appears to have some degree of manners and glumly moves to sit across from her in the booth. Unlike Rey, who's interaction with the rain outside came together to form an altogether frizzy hair experience, Ben looked like he'd stepped in off the pages of a magazine, his hair wet and shiny. If she could see more of his ears than normal...again, why was she looking?

"Coffee," he says to Maz, then adds, "Please."

"Coming right up."

Rey glances at her phone. 8 PM, a time when most kids would be at home with their families… Doing whatever it was that families did. She wouldn't know. She had been in the foster system for years. She usually worked, went to the library until it closed, or hung at Waffle House until she was sure Plutt was passed out.

She knew he wouldn't tell her why he was there, so she wasn't going to ask. Instead, she went back to sketching.

After receiving his coffee with a gruff 'thanks,' he seems to notice what she's working on, and asks, "Is that… Is that Kira and Kylo?"

He is referring to her favorite fictional couple, the star crossed lovers from Space Battles, a movie series. She places her pencil down and asks, "And what would you know about them?"

"Just… They're cool, okay?"

"Yeah, I think so too." And then Rey launches into some fan theory she has for the upcoming film, and they spend the better part of two hours discussing the series.

When it is time to leave, Ben notices her shivering. With some degree of grace and dexterity, he pulls off his sweater in a perfect singular movement and thrusts it in her face. When Rey looks bewilderedly at him, he shrugs and says, "You said you're going to walk home."

"I…"

"And you won't ride with me?"

"I…"

"Exactly what I thought."

Rey can't tell him it was because she was embarrassed about where she lived. In any other scenario, she would be happy to get in a car with the mystery transfer student who seemed to love Space Battles as much as she did. "I…" Instead, she reaches across and takes the still warm black sweater. It was a heavy cable knit. Given his height, it would almost be like a dress on her. "Thank you."

Ben retrieves his keys out of his pocket and says, "Maybe I'll see you around here some time."

She guesses it was too much for them to be friends inside the school walls. Maybe he was embarrassed to be seen with her. Still, she wouldn't mind talking to him again. As she walks through the door he's just opened for them, she says, "May the Force be with you…"

"And also with you," he answered with a half-smile.