The Contract

II - Lure

6:00pm rolled around faster than I would have liked. I was rather comfortable on the couch, lazing around and watching TV while trying not to become distracted by the fan that blew cool air at the side of my face. Anthony was laying on the other side of the couch, his hair messed up and tangled. His eyes were half closed; he looked exhausted out of his mind. I couldn't help but smile at his innocent state. Sometimes he could be the most evil little kid, so I basked in the rare times that he was peaceful.

I wasn't exactly looking forward to going to this café. Cafés weren't the most interesting places you could go to—they were too quiet and stuffy. If you coughed, everyone in the building would look at you like you had just announced you were going to blow up the world.

I slipped a stick of gum in my mouth just as I heard a car horn honk from outside, from the driveway. Most likely, it was Amanda.

I got up and glanced at the clock above the TV; 6:05pm. I peeked out the window, through the blinds, and saw Amanda's piece-of-crap jeep in the driveway. I smiled slightly. Her vehicle had to be the ugliest thing on wheels that I had ever seen.

"Is that Amanda?" my mom asked, coming in the room with a disapproving frown on her face. I looked back at her and nodded while Tony tiredly hauled himself into a sitting position. The side of his hair was sticking up, completely in disarray.

"Honestly," my mom shook her head and turned to go back into the kitchen, "teenagers have no respect nowadays."

I rolled my eyes and snatched some money off the coffee table before heading outside, after slipping my shoes on. I really did not want to see humanity at the moment, but being antisocial wasn't going to help me in any way.

I jumped into the passenger's seat of Amanda's car and she motioned for me to slip on my seatbelt. She was an extremely cautious driver. I glanced at her outfit, noting that she had dressed up. Just what was she expecting? A large dance floor with a bunch of shirtless guys drinking themselves to death?

-

We arrived at the café at a quarter after six and headed inside the small building on the corner of the street. It was a fairly stuffy place, dimly lit by a few ceiling lights. Circular tables were scattered here and there, while two particular tables seated by a window viewed the busy street. The carpet was a deep, dark purple while the walls were a cherry maroon. The music was soft and calm, suiting the air of the café perfectly.

It was nice, to put it bluntly. In fact, I found myself liking it.

"Let's sit over there," Amanda suggested, pointing towards one of the window tables. I nodded and followed her as she meandered through the many tables until we reached our destination. We both sat down and Amanda clasped her hands together, letting out a breath. She bounced a little in her seat and grinned at me.

"This is a really nice place," she said, nodding her approval, "except it's really, really dark."

"It's to make you hungry," I explained. "Dim rooms are supposed to do that, or something."

Amanda raised a thin, recently waxed eyebrow. "I never knew that."

I licked my lips, which were becoming exceptionally dry, and glanced around the room at all the others in the café. My gaze lingered on a girl who was laughing at something her boyfriend had said and I found myself silently wishing that I could smile like that; that I could laugh like that.

"I'll be right back," Amanda said, breaking off my thoughts as she stood up. I watched as she walked towards the washrooms, a bit awkwardly on her large pumps. When she closed the door behind her, I found myself admiring the way the word "women" was scratched into the door in neat, flowing handwriting.