3. The Diner

"Oh Soph, I'm sorry." Emily said after listening to Sophie recount her date with Oliver.

"Really Em, I'm fine. It's better this way I really care about Ollie but I'm not falling in love with him. I think being friends is all that's written in the cards for us. I mean do we seem like a couple falling in love to you?"

"I guess not." Emily shrugged with a frown on her face, "but he was just so nice and sweet to you all the time, you guys are so good together."

Sophie smiled and pulled her best friend in for a hug. "Em stop, really I promise, I'm fine. I gotta get ready for work. I've got night shift tonight and you know the dinner rush can get pretty crazy."

Sophie got up from their brown leather couch they scored at a yard sale 2 months earlier. Emily rolled her eyes in disgust when Sophie suggested they should buy it. Emily hated buying stuff used, but Sophie was still a poor college student and she liked finding good deals and saving money.

She walked into her bedroom. It was the first door on the left as you walked down the hallway off of their tiny living room. It was basically just one small room including the kitchen and a small table they would keep folded down and against the wall. Another one of Sophie's yard sale finds. It would sit 6 when full extended, but both sides dropped down making it perfect for just the two of them. There apartment was a very small two bedroom. The kitchen was just one wall with 2 sets of cabinets above, and two sets of cabinets below, a sink and a fridge. But it worked for them, they didn't need anything fancy. 

She sat on her bed, took her shoes off, grabbed her uniform from the closet, and changed, She slipped on a pair of white Keds and then walked over to the mirror to inspect herself. She took her messy bun out so she could fix it as it a lot of loose hairs had fallen free. She wrapped it tight and put it back into a messy bun on top of her head using a few bobby pins to secure the spots that always seemed to find there way free from the pony tail holder. A small smile crept onto her face as she looked at herself in her uniform. It was a light blue 50's style diner dress. She tucked her necklace under the top of the dress, grabbed her keys off the bedside table, snatched her purse off of the vanity and walked out of the bedroom.

"Later Em" she said as she walked towards the front door. "It will probably be about one AM by the time I get home, if we're not too busy."

"Alright Soph, tell Carol and Ed I said hi."

Sophie nodded her head and waved goodbye. She walked out and over to her car, an old 2005 Ford Escort. The paint was peeling off in spots after it had been keyed by a previous owner and it had well over 150.000 miles on her. But it always started and got Sophie where she needed to be.

It was a 20 minute drive to the diner so Sophie turned on the radio and cranked it up loud. She loved music and knew pretty much every song that came on so she would sing along loudly. When she arrived at the diner she parked on the back side almost to the end next to Ed's truck. Carol and Ed liked to keep the closer spots open for customers. As she got out she heard thunder in the distance and looked up. Dark clouds were rolling in, rain was in its way.

"Hey Sophie" and older gentleman said from behind the counter as she walked in. The diner was an old 50's style with a  black and white checkered floor. White melamine tables with metal rims lined 3 walls with huge windows from the tables up to the ceiling across all 3 walls as well. A long counter top wrapped around making a U that matched the white and metal tables and stood about 8 feet from them. Red vinyl bar stools side by side stretched around almost the entire counter leaving a space of about 4 feet for the cash register. Behind the counter was a wall with a  large open order window that peaked into the kitchen and 2 swinging doors next to that.

"Hi Ed" Sophie replied with a smile as she walked behind the countertop and placed her purse underneath the counter by the register.

"How was your date with Oliver?" An older woman said as she walked out of the swinging doors that led to the kitchen and store room. She walked up to the order window and grabbed 2 plates, then walked over and set the plates down in front of two older gentleman sitting at the counter.

"Oh we broke up, decided to just be friends." Sophie said as if it was no big deal while tying a white servers apron around her waist.

"Oh honey I'm sorry." The lady replied.

"Carol it's for the best, I'm fine we're going to stay friends."

"Does that mean you'll give me a chance now Sophie?" One of the men sitting at the counter said.

"Oh Henry" Sophie said with a smile "you know you're the only guy for me."

Henry cut into his steak "I told you she had a thing for me Frank" elbowing the man sitting next to him and they both laughed.

Frank and Henry had been coming into the diner as long as Sophie could remember. 8 years ago when she was just 15 she came into the diner. She had gotten done with school and decided to stop there to do homework. She had just been transferred to her 10th foster home and much like the others it wasn't a great one. The diner was just a couple of blocks from the high school and the middle school she was attending. So she thought she could hide out there for a little while before heading home.

She remembered it like it was yesterday. She dug out what little change she had in her pockets and had just enough to buy a soda. She ordered a cherry sprite and sat down at the farthest booth and worked on her homework for hours. Carol's hair wasn't grey back then it was a beautiful blond and Sophie remembered wishing she had hair like that instead of her red hair that often made her the but of jokes at school.

"Earth to Sophie!" Ed said, snapping her out of her trip down memory lane.

"Oh sorry!" She said turning bright red.

Ed laughed "No worries sweetheart, a group just walked in and sat down will you take care of them?"

Shed nodded and grabbed an order pad from under the counter and made her way over to the table. "Hi guys, welcome to Carol's, what can I get you all today?"

The 4 teenagers looked up at Sophie and then back at their menus. A handsome brown haired boy in a Varsity leather jacket said "I'll take a bacon cheeseburger, fries and a coke." "And I'll have a strawberry milkshake." The cute blond girl sitting next to him said. "How about a chili dog and a coke for me, Babe do you want anything?" The blond boy also in a letter jacket sitting across from them said. The pretty brunette sitting next to him smiled I'll just have a sprite please."

"You got it! I'll be right back with your drinks."

Sophie took the order over to the order window "Order up Greg" she said as a young man popped up and grabbed it from her with a smile.

"Thanks Sophie!" he replied

Sophie went over to the drink area and put 4 scoops of vanilla ice cream into a metal cup, then topped it with some milk and pureed strawberries. She slid the cup onto the metal spindle and pushed the button, spinning it into a milkshake. Then she grabbed 4 glass out of the little freezer, filled one up with the milkshake, topped with whipped cream and a cherry on top. Then filled two with coke and one with sprite. She placed them on a tray and then walked back to the table with the teenagers.

"Here you go!" She said, placing each drink in front of the person who had ordered it.

All 5 of them jumped as thunder crashed outside, so hard it shook the windows. They all turned to each other an laughed.

"Well I guess coach was right cancelling practice today" said the brown haired young man.

"Looks like a pretty nasty storm is rolling in. Your food will be up shortly, probably best if you guys hang out here until its passed" Sophie said tucking the tray under her right arm.

"Ok" the 4 replied in unison. Sophie smiled and headed back behind the counter.