Out to Lunch

 

It was a perfect Saturday for friends to get together. At midday, the cheery family restaurant was about to get busier as friends met there for lunch.

 

(Background Music)

 

At a large table, Jesse Lein, his girlfriend Titania Ross, and their mutual friend NT Dawson awaited the arrival of LJ James and Indianna Who. They talked and listened to the pop music playing softly until a group of teenage girls walked in, chattering noisily.

 

A couple of the girls spied Jesse, and their expressions gave this away. The girl in front turned and whispered something to her companions, and, much to Titania's annoyance, the group took their places at the very next table. Some of them immediately began to make eyes at Jesse.

 

Titania rolled her eyes at them, while Jesse completely ignored them, he was far too interested in reading the menu to even notice them.

 

The server came around, but Jesse said they were still waiting for some friends and weren't ready to order.

 

One of the girls at the next table was actually heard saying, "Oh fine, there goes that idea."

 

Another one wasn't so easily discouraged. "Maybe not, those friends could be more cute guys."

 

Titania shot them an annoyed glance and muttered, "Oh, mind your own business."

 

"What?" Jesse looked at her, puzzled.

 

"Those girls at the next table," she hissed, "They're making total fools of themselves."

 

Jesse looked in their direction.

 

"Oh, he looked right at me!" one of the girls said in excitement, flicking some light brown hair out of her face, and grinning back at Jesse. She mouthed the word "HI!"

 

He turned red and looked away. "Well, they're just kids, Tani...But I don't like them staring at me...Maybe we should move to another table." he looked around and spotted another large table at the other side of the restaurant.

 

"Why should *we* be the ones to move?" Titania protested.

 

There was no time to reply, because at that moment, another small group walked in, this included LJ and Indianna.

 

"Crap." one of the teenagers groaned when they saw three girls take their seats at Jesse's table.

 

"It smells good in here." Indy remarked as she took her seat.

 

"You're telling me." LJ agreed.

 

What followed was the usual exchange of "Pleased to meet you." and "How do you do?" as they all got acquainted.

 

Three more people made their way to their table, this time, one woman and two men. One of the men was Robbie Colins, LJ's and indy's friend. His hair was black, same as Jesse's, but only a bit longer, and he didn't wear a mustache. He was the same height as Jesse, but a slighter build. He completely ignored the young girls at the other table, and smiled at his friends as he sat down next to NT.

 

A moment later, something happened that came much to Titania's relief, and to Indy's annoyance.

 

LJ's friend Orisha came in just behind Robbie, and she brought a friend with her, and it was this friend who really set off the girls at the next table.

 

Jack Sisco was taller than Jesse and Robbie, with purple black hair, he wore a black and green headband, leather pants, and a muscle shirt. He was immediately recognized by the teenage girls, who forgot all about the other two men.

 

"There's Jack Sisco!" one of them giggled.

 

The others groaned, swooned, and giggled, making comments about what a hottie he was.

 

Indy rolled her eyes, disgusted at their lack of manners.

 

Orisha introduced Jack to all company present, and when she said his name, a collective swoon could be heard from the next table.

 

Titania shook Jack's hand heartily, glad he was there to take those idiotic girls' attention off of Jesse.

 

LJ and Tabia greeted him warmly, and Tabia even made a comment about Jack's impression on the girls at the next table.

 

"Interesting..."Jack said, trying to appear as if nothing fazed him. But he did have an air about him, as if this was all old hat but that he expected to be entitled to it. He almost seemed a bit smug or swell-headed in his manner.

 

This combined with the collective adoration from the fangirls at the next table, put Indy off right from the beginning. Compared with the others at the table so far, her demeaner toward Jack was barely lukewarm.

 

LJ, being Indy's friend, was first to notice this, and she knew what it meant. Indianna was going to be a tough one for Jack to win over, maybe even impossible.

 

When Jack shook NT's hand, the girl recoiled a little, as NT did with all strangers.

 

"She's really, really shy." Titania explained.

 

Nt turned red.

 

"Hmph...Interesting." Jack replied, looking at NT as if she was some kind of alian specimen to be studied.

 

Indy responded rather abruptly. "If you knew her story you'd have a little more to say than just...'interesting'" she lowered her voice in mimicry of Jack's own on the last word.

 

NT shook her head and squirmed, her dark eyed gaze silently begging Indy not to tell these people what her story was.

 

Jack gave Indy a puzzled look.

 

"Nevermind." Indy muttered, shaking her head. Then, she picked up her menu and began to look it over.

 

For a few more minutes, there were general murmurs as everyone picked out their orders.

 

Presently, the server came around. "Are you ready to order?" Even she did a double take when she saw Jack.

 

"Jack, you go first," Orisha said.

 

"I'll have..." and he made his choice.

 

The girls at the next table fell silent, listening to what Jack was ordering.

 

"Right away, sir," the server said a little too eagerly.

 

"What I wouldn't do to have her job!" sighed one of the teenagers. That was followed by more excessive giggles and moans of adoration.

 

The others ordered, and NT handed her menu to the server, indicating with a finger what she wanted.

 

When the server went to the fangirls' table, conversation started up again at Jesse's. But they couldn't help overhearing the server's incredulous exclamation of:

 

"You're all sure about that? All of you??"

 

"Yes!" the fangirls all replied in unison.

 

"What is that about?" LJ wondered.

 

"Who knows?" Jesse replied, shaking his head.

 

"Who cares?" Indy said scornfully.

 

"Glad I'm passed that stage," Titania chuckled, then looking at NT, she grinned. "Guess what you have to look forward to."

 

NT shook her head vehemently.

 

All but Orisha and Jack laughed. Jack, because he was maintaining his cool, and Orisha, because she seemed to be pondering something.

 

Soon, the coffee, hot chocolate, and what other beverages ordered, were served, and the food arrived five minutes later.

 

"Mmmmmm, that looks good!" LJ commented.

 

Jack was served first, then Orisha, then the others according to where they were sitting.

 

The conversation died down a little as everyone dug in, but soon the table was full of chatter again. Only NT kept silent and was too busy eating to talk even if she wanted to.

 

Then, the food was brought to the fangirls' table, and that was when everyone at Jesse's table took a second astonished look.

 

"They all ordered the same thing!!? Will you look at that!" LJ tried to keep her voice down, but she was clearly incredulous.

 

"Say what!?" Tabia exclaimed.

 

"Yeah," Jesse mused, "Jack ordered that. They must've listened to what he ordered, and copied him." Jesse could not keep the laugh out of his voice.

 

"No kidding!" Titania laughed out loud. "They have it bad, don't they?"

 

"Ooooooh...boy..." Indy rolled her eyes but couldn't help laughing at their pathetic antics. "This is too much."

 

Jack smirked, and flashed a grin at the fangirls' table.

 

There came a loud collective outburst of giddiness from the girls.

 

"Are you having fun?" Jack asked them.

 

Their giggly, ecstatic responses made him smirk and flash them an even more roguish grin.

 

"Oh, there he goes again! I knew I should've brought my camera!" one of the girls tittered.

 

Indy groaned.

 

"Looks like Jack's making quite an impression." Tabia grinned.

 

Orisha smiled back at her, and LJ nodded.

 

"Slightly," Jesse snickered, "I should thank him for rescuing me from their clutches."

 

Robbie nodded in agreement with Jesse and laughed.

 

The lunch carried on smoothly until the bill came. Jack's order wasn't listed.

 

"That's interesting," Jack said, bemused.

 

"Oh, good grief, please don't tell me his is on the house." Indy whispered to LJ.

 

"Yes, that would be a bit much." LJ agreed.

 

"If it is, I'm walking out without paying, even if I have to lie and say the food was terrible." Indy growled under her breath.

 

the others at the table were looking disconcerted. There had to be a mistake somewhere.

 

When the server came back, Indy wasted no time pointing it out to her. "You forgot to include his order in the bill."

 

"Oh, that's right," she said, "The girls at the next table said they were paying for his meal."

 

Indy's mouth fell open, her eyes went wide. For that matter, everyone else showed similar reactions.

 

Jack grinned at the teenagers who were all nearly jumping out of their skin, absolutely beaming with pride and ecstasy.

 

When Indy recovered, she nodded. What was it to her if those silly girls decided to squander all their allowance money because of some mad crush? So long as Jack's meal wasn't on the house, Indy was satisfied.

 

When it was time to leave, the group of friends disbanded. Titania and Jesse drove NT back to her house, Jack and Orisha left together, and Tabia opted to go shopping with LJ and Indy. Robbie went home.

 

Once in the car, LJ and Tabia both laughed out loud over the moronic display the fangirls had put on in the restaurant.

 

Indy didn't help matters by saying that if they'd all gone shopping instead, and Jack had bought a pooper scooper, the fangirls would've probably gone and bought some too. "Wouldn't that be a crappy new fad?" she spluttered.

 

All three girls doubled over laughing.