Chapter Three

Annie's POV

I was way more used to driving everywhere but for once, I was glad that I agreed to walk around instead. The city was decked out for Halloween and though I had zipped through these streets a million times on my deliveries, there was always had something new to see.

Of course, it was loads better this time because I had my best friend at my side (who was still making goo-goo eyes at her new lover), and a new friend to round out the fellowship. Besides, it was fun to watch Penelope gaze at everything like she was a kid in a toy store. Lemon and Johnny glanced at each other, then at me, and we all shrugged and smiled. Hey, I would be amazed too if I was seeing Halloween in this town for the first time.

We walked aimlessly for a while, admiring the city lights and looking into the shops. Me and Penelope would point to things we liked in the shop windows. It was fun, but I noticed Johnny looked uncomfortable every time we did that. I had plenty of experience with boyfriends, and knew that men usually felt uneasy if they couldn't buy you the things you liked.

Tactfully, I decided to change the subject. "Where are we going to eat?"

Lemon suggested a new restaurant on the edge of Midtown and we headed down there. Sadly, he couldn't remember exactly where it was and after tramping around for a while, we ended up eating at a trendy diner.

A bell dinged as we stepped inside. I was met with the smell of baking food and my stomach flipped with hunger.

The inside of the place was nice, too. Not what you would usually expect for a diner. Everything was decorated for Halloween with miniature pumpkins glowing in the windows and autumn leaves strung around the ceiling. Festive but not overdone, I decided. I quickly scanned the place for an open table.

"How about that one?" said Penelope, pointing to one nearby.

Penelope and Johnny slid into one side of a booth while Lemon and I took the other side.

Someone instantly appeared. "And how are you ladies and gents this fine Hallows' evening?" said a squat woman with the roundest face I'd ever seen. "I lick yer costume, mate," she said, winking at Lemon and his pirate get-up.

"What?" he said, bewildered.

"I seed, I lick your costume."

"She likes your costume," I translated for him.

"Oh," he muttered, blushing. "Thanks."

She laughed and handed us menus, then stood poised with her pencil to take our drink orders.

We all murmured something and then she left us to decide on what to eat. With everyone being hungry, it didn't take too long. Well, except for Penelope. Even though she was the hungriest, she just couldn't decide.

"Hey, keeds. I'm be-ack," the waitress said as she came near. "Or do you guys need ano'er minit'?"

"I think we're ready," said Johnny. He turned to me and Lemon. "You two go first."

Lemon looked at me and I shrugged.

"Just veggie soup and salad," I said.

"I'll have veggie soup too. And a veggie pita. And the pizza without the meat. Just spinach."

"Spinach pizza?" said Johnny and Penelope, both making faces. The waitress laughed.

"Now, now, veggies are goo' for ya, keeds." She said as she cheerily jotted down the order. "What abou' you two?" she said, jabbing her half-pencil in the direction of the ones making the faces.

"I'll…" Penelope seemed conflicted. "I'll just have your jumbo burger."

"Same for me," said Johnny, folding up his menu. "And more soda, please."

"Comin' righ' up," she said, catching up the menus and then pouring more soda in one fluid motion. What a pro, I thought as I watched her leave.

"Hey, I didn't know you were vegetarian," I directed at Lemon.

"Yeah, started a while ago. Forced me to eat healthy," he laughed.

Penelope looked embarrassed since she had ordered a huge burger. I sensed that Johnny had already caught on to that since he had ordered the same thing. I smiled to myself. Though I only knew a little bit about Johnny, I could already tell that he was shaping up to be good for her.

When the food came, steaming hot and enticing, we all stopped talking. It was amazing, almost like we had rehearsed it. At the same time, everyone got quiet, picked up our utensils (if we were using any), and dug in. Apparently, everyone was a lot hungrier than they had let on. I finished my food first and then watched everyone else. Penelope was scarfing down her giant burger and I could tell that, had she been alone, she probably would have eaten that huge burger in one go. I caught her eye. Slow down, I mouthed, amused. She nodded.

Lemon was surprisingly a fast eater too. He was already halfway done with his many entrees before Johnny and Penelope had gotten through most of their burgers. Johnny was eating slowly but I didn't know whether that was because he wanted to eat politely or because the food wasn't all that good.

A minute later, he put down the burger and the look on his face told me everything.

"What's wrong?" asked Penelope, stopping abruptly.

"This…" he lowered his voice. "This burger's burnt. Really burnt." He said, grimacing. We laughed.

"Here, try some of the spinach pizza," said Lemon, holding up a slice with gooey cheese spilling off the side and dark green spattering the surface.

"Um…no thanks," said Johnny.

"Aw, come on," said Lemon, waving the pizza slice comically in front of his friend's face.

"I'll try it," said Penelope, surprising everyone.

"You will?" I ask incredulously, staring at my junk food-loving friend up and down.

"Sure," she said, taking the pizza slice from a very stunned Lemon. Penelope took an enormous bite, chewed, rolled it around in her mouth and then swallowed. She smiled brightly. "Tastes good."

"R-r-really?" Johnny stammered.

"Yes, won't you try a piece?"

Johnny stared at her.

"Come on, just one bite," said Penelope innocently.

"Now you sound like my father," Johnny laughed. He shrugged. "Okay, gimme," he finally conceded, gallantly taking the spinach slice of goo and, like Penelope, taking a large bite.

"Auf!" he mumbled as he swallowed it. "If that wasn't the most—" but he stopped himself when he saw the look on Penelope's face. My usually sweet-natured friend was grinning devilishly from ear to ear.

"Don't feel bad," she said, smiling wider and wider. "I thought it was pretty awful too."

Johnny's eyes widened. "You tricked me just so I would take a bite?!"

Penelope couldn't help it anymore. She burst into full laughter. "The look (gasp) on your face (chuckle) as you were chewing it (squeal) was so worth it!"

Lemon and I couldn't help laughing too.

"Some girlfriend I have," Johnny sniffed, but he was laughing as he said it.

"Well, at least it was better than that burger," she said, grinning. I raised an eyebrow.

"Gee, from the way you were wolfing that thing down, I would have thought it was the best burger in the world," I said.

Penelope gave me a mock gasp of indignation. "Well, I never! And I expected a lady of high society to be treated with more class. For your information, young lady, I was famished and had every right to…what was the term you used? Wolf it down!" she said, sticking her nose in the air and giving a dramatic wave.

I chuckled. Johnny then reached up his hand and intertwined it through hers.

"Come, Your Highness. Forgive the unwitting girl. I'm sure she was just jealous."

Penelope didn't say anything. She just stared into Johnny's eyes.

Uh-oh. I nudged Lemon. We better go soon. It looks like these two lovebirds want to be alone for a while.

He understood me right away. "Check please!" he called out.

***

By the time we were outside, the air had turned much colder. Lemon and I had stepped outside first and I almost ran right back into the diner. The air was frigid and the wind cut at my face.

"You that cold?" asked Lemon. I looked over at him and then realized that I was violently shivering.

"Here," he said, taking off his pirate's coat. "It's not much, but…" he handed it to me anyway.

It did make me a bit warmer, I thought, even if it didn't quite fit over my bumblebee costume. That's when I realized that my face didn't hurt because of the cold anymore but because I was smiling so much.

Johnny and Penelope came up to us then. "Hey, I'm going to take Penelope home, okay?"

We said our farewells to them and waved goodbye. Lemon turned to me. "You going home too?"

"Yeah…" I said slowly. "Wanna walk me home?"

He brightened. "Sure."

We grinned at each other and set off down the street.

There was something about that night. Not just that the stars were brighter. Or that Penelope had pranked Johnny on their first night together. Or that it was Halloween even. Whatever it was, I just knew I had made the right decision when the road forked after a while and I took the longer path home. As it turned out, Lemon and I never stopped talking that whole walk. Something had to be said for all that had happened after all.