Disclaimer: I do not own I am Number Four. This is the property of Pittacus Lore (James Frey and Jobie Hughes)
A/N: This is a two-part moment introducing new characters. May or may not be connected to the others. Not sure yet. =) Hope you enjoy it.
Flirting pt. 1
"Are you sure this is the right town?" Sam asked as he pushed his face out the window and studied the tiny town. Bernie was sitting on his lap, sticking his head out, panting his doggie heart out. "This is even smaller than Paradise and that's saying something." John rolled his eyes as Six pulled the blue truck into a diner which was packed at lunch time. The town was maybe one street before branching out towards the ranches in the distance. There were even more horses than cars tied to the post outside of the diner.
"Exactly." Six answered as she pulled out a faded newspaper. It had the town's name printed with a picture of the diner. Underneath it was a picture of a handsome young man with an older one beside him. The caption read: Greetings Christ and Logan Brown. Welcome! "He's Five." John turned to look at Six. She sat there comfortably in tight jeans with cowboy boots and a white tank top. Her pendant was tucked under her shirt. Her dark hair was loose from its restricting ponytail.
"How do you know?" Sam fanned his hand, trying to fight off the hot Texas heat. Six handed John the paper, allowing him to look at the young man. He was tall, almost as tall as the older man. Broad shoulders and chest. A playboy smirks that girls would fall for. Long legs that looked strong even on faded yellowing paper. It wasn't the physical appearance that made him Number Five. John looked at his face. A face weathered by years of running, years of hiding, years of knowing that one day you might have to face an army of aliens right outside your doorstop. John just knew as soon as Six gave him the paper, let him look at the picture that the young man is Number Five.
"That's him." John answered for her as he handed it back. Six checked the town's name one more time with the paper before crumpling and lighting the page into flames with her legacy. The ashes fall from her hands onto the dusty road before she open the door to the truck. John and Sam followed wordlessly with Bernie paddling behind them. When they open the door of the diner a combination of A/C, noisy chatter and the smell of home cooking hit them.
"Ooh, that's smells great!" Sam muttered to John who nodded in agreement. Six glanced around, looking for anything suspicious or out of place. A waitress walked up slowly, checking out John with appraising eyes. "Six-" The girl shot him a warning glare. "Jane, can we stay for a bit? I'm starving." Six just rolled her eyes and waved him off.
"Hey you're cute and not from around here." The waitress greeted boldly as she smiled at John, ignoring Sam and Six completely. She was cute in a brainless cheerleader kind of way. Her blonde hair was curled at the ends. The light pink waitress uniform she wore hugged her curves with the standard white apron over it. "Table for three?" She asked, frowning when she noticed Six standing behind John. Before he even answered, she turned and walked into the crowded restaurant. The locals glanced at the three teens curiously as they walked through. "Here you go, call me over when you're ready to order." She said, winking at John before sashaying away.
"Is it just me or is everyone looking at us?" Sam asked nervously as he hid his face behind the menu that looked like no one ever used before. Six rolled her eyes and leaned against her chair, looking for a middle age fit man or a young arrogant brunet. She kept her hazel eyes hidden behind her reflected sunglasses. John glanced around, also noticed the increase attention, especially from the younger guys and gals. A mob of girls huddled in a corner booth giggled as John glanced their way. Their waitress was part of the group, gushing about something to a blonde. They both pointed look at John before bursting into another fit of giggles.
"Wow, John already has a fan club." Six said as she pulled her sunglasses off and waved to the waitress. But before she could step away from her friends, a male waiter appeared beside Six. He wore a white shirt paired with faded jeans in sneakers. He smiled down at Six and asked for their orders, never taking his eyes off her. Six smiled up at him and twirled her hair as she rattled off her order of a burger, milkshake and fries. The boy blinked, not expecting such a huge amount from a slender girl.
"Oh yea, what about you and waiter boy?" John asked when their waiter disappeared into the kitchen. The two Loric teens stared at each other, daring the other to look away. John caved first, as usual. "How do we find Logan?" He asked when their plates were set in front of them. Bernie and Sam immediately dived into their food as their friends discuss their next move. Six sipped her milkshake and glanced around before landing on the mob of girls.
"That's how." She said, nodding towards them.
"And how is a mob of girls going to help?" Six rolled her eyes at his stupid question.
"Flirt with them. Tell them you're his cousin or something. God John, it isn't a rocket science." Six explained as she bites into her burger. John returned her hard stare, not liking her plan for one second. They ate the rest of the meal in silence, glaring at one another whenever they can. Sam and Bernie could sense the tension in the air but didn't comment in risk of losing their limbs or something. "Fine, I'll do it." Six said as they stood up to pay for their meal. The same waiter that served them before smiled at them. "Hi again." Six greeted as she handed him a few bills for the meal. She leaned against the counter, twirling her hair again and looking at the boy with her dark hazel eyes. "Do you think you can help us...?"
"Robert." He supplied, handing her the change. His fingers lingered on Six's hand but she didn't pull away. Sam quickly excused himself to the restroom, muttering he'll meet them in the car, leaving John there to watch their flirting. A scowl settled on the Loric teen face as he crossed his arms, not please with this plan at all.
"Robert." She repeated as Six batted her eyelashes at him. "So Robert, can you tell me where Logan Brown lives?" The smile on Robert's face fell at the mention of Logan's name. It seems like the young man didn't have a good repetition in town.
"What do you want with that playboy?" Robert sneered as he crossed his arms in a defensive position. Six quickly jumped to reassure him nothing was going between the two.
"He's only family." She lied quickly, patting Robert's lean arm. "Wow, do you work out?" She asked, rubbing small circles on his arm and giving it a playful squeeze. "You see, Logan is terrible at giving directions and we got lost. I really need to see Logan. It's our grandfather. He's sick and Logan refuses to see him. I'm here to drag him to the hospital. My cousin, the stubborn horse in the family." Robert visibly relaxed and rattled off the directions to the Brown's ranch.
"Losing a relative must be tough. I am very good listener if you need someone." Robert interjected smoothly. He touches Six's cheek, tipping her face up to look into his eyes. "If you need a pair of ears..." Ok, John thought as he stood up from the side and marched over. This has gone on way too long for him. When in distance, John reached over and pulled her away from wannabe cowboy. His arm slid around her waist and John tried to ignore how perfectly she fit against his side. "Hey buddy, what are you doing?" The waiter asked as he return John's glare.
John focused on Six instead of Robert. His dark sapphire eyes bore into her hazel ones, showing how displease he was. "Jane," his voice dropped an octave as he gently touched her cheek. "You got what you wanted, can we leave?" John moved an inch closer, feeling her curves against his lean body. "You know I'm the jealous type." He added, not sure where that came from but it had its desired effect. Six nodded her head wordlessly before giving Robert a sorry smile. John just glared at Robert one last time as he held the door open for Six and followed her.
"You play possessive boyfriend really well." Six commented, her voice a little breathless as they headed towards their car. John smirked smugly before looking up to their truck. Sam sat there ramrod straight. Both teens noticed and instantly grew defensive. "Sam?" Six asked cautiously as they approached the truck. A figure appeared from the side of the truck they couldn't see.
He wore a pair of dirty faded jeans and a light blue collared shirt. An old cowboy hat was tipped down covering his eyes. A confident smirk spread across his face as he notice John and Six's defensive posture. He leaned back on his cowboy boots and against the truck hood, looking at the both with dark gray eyes.
"Well, if it isn't my beautiful cousin and her lovely boyfriend. It's been too long, cuz.