The Beauty of Hunger

FIVE

              Sythe finds a booth while I go to talk to Pop Tate. "Hello Makeda, what can I do for you?" He asks. He wears his same smile, but I can see the sadness in his eyes. I look down at the spot were Mr.Andrews and I almost bled to death, some how Pop got the blood stains out all in the same day.
        I pull a wrinkled piece of paper from my bra, handing it to him. It's the application, I'd finished it while I was waiting for Toni to come back with my clothes.
       Pop unfolds it, he eyes it wearily. "You want to work here, Makeda you were shot a few short hours ago in this very diner." He looks at me as if he's worried for my sanity.
              I simply shrug. "I've been through worse, bedsides I need the money." I say.
"Well, if you're willing to work with close to no pay. I don't think anyone will want to eat here much after what happened to you and Fred." Pop says sadly. I haven't known Pop Tate long but I know he isn't one to frown, so seeing him like this is kinda weird, and hurtful. "In that case don't pay me, I'll work free of charge until we get this place back up and running."
      I try to be as cheery as possible, but I think the scowl that seems to be permanently etched into my face prevented me from smiling. Pop doesn't seem to mind, instead he hugs me saying thank you and that anything Sythe and I want is on the house today.
             I lead Pop over to the booth Sythe has picked out, taking a seat across from him. Pop pulls out a note pad, ready to take our order. "Um, a bacon cheeseburger with extra cheese and bacon, some of my own cheesy fries, some fires for the table, a slice of chocolate cake, and a chocolate shake no whipped cream." I say. Sythe laughs a little under his breath.
           "I'll have a bacon mac and cheese burger, some cheesy fries, and a chocolate shake extra whipped cream."  When pops walks away I scoff. "What?" Sythe raises an eyebrow. "You just ordered the same amount of food i ordered when I was five." We laugh at my joke. "Well we have fries for the table and I was just gonna steal your cake." he admits.
        I place my hand over my heart, feigning shock. "Gasp, not my chocolate cake?" I say. I pretend to wipe a fake tear. "And here I thought we were happily married." I laugh, Sythe joining in. "So, tell me about Betty." I say. Sythe blushes a deep red. "What do you mean?"
         "I mean how'd you meet, who asked who, when did you start dating, all that lovey dove shit."  He turns an even brighter shade of red. "Well we were solving a murder, case"
         "Damn so you two were like. . .Batman and Batwomen? Wait they don't end up together." I interrupt. "Basically, I mean I'd liked her for awhile but she was in love with my best friend, then she asked me to help her solve the murder, and one day I got up the nerve to kiss her." he sighs happily, as if he's remembering the moment. "Don't look so happy Jones, technically we're still married." I joke. He shakes his head smiling.
       Pops brings out our food, and the cake? A whole damn cake! I was hoping for a slice! "Thanks Pop, you'll definitely be getting a huge tip." I say. A whole got damn wallet in fact. I took Mansa's wallet yesterday because I wanted a pack of gum from the store, glad I kept it. I pick my burger up, biting into it I moan. "I wanna marry this burger!" I mummer, food still in my mouth.
       "Does that mean we can get a divorce?"
       "No, the burger will just be my side hoe I love more than my actual husband." I say shrugging my shoulders.
     I take another bite of my burger, shoving some fries into my mouth, Sythe copying my actions. "You really know how to eat." Sythe says as I'm drinking some of my milkshake. I grin at him. "I'm proud to call you my friend." He finishes. "And I'm proud to call you mine." I say, hand over heart. We still have a bunch of fries left over by the time we've finished our burgers and shakes. We work our way to the cake.
        "So, this best friend that your girlfriend was in love with, he's the red head right?" I ask.
         "Yeah."
         "Well she's totally into you now, the red head is all forgotten." I dig into the cake with my spoon, taking big bites. Best chocolate cake ever. "How do you know?" He laughs. "Because I saw the way she looked at you, I also saw how she looked at me when I hugged you, and gave you that kiss on the cheek." I wiggle my brows.
         He blushes again. "Sythers, you're in love!" I say happily. He lowers his head, rubbing the back of his neck. "Okay what about you? Anyone special?" He asks. I laugh an ugly laugh. "Oh, Sythe honey, I don't do the whole datibg thing." I tell him.
I shrug when he raises his eyebrows, confused.
          "I just don't date, I mean nothing lasts forever, Sythe. I don't believe in love, it's evil to me, nothing good ever comes from it. Only jealousy, and heart break if you ask me." I call Pop over asking if we could get the fries to go once I took the last bite of the cake. I hand Pop half of the bills in the wallet, leaving with one-fifty out of the two hundred that was in there. He thanks me graciously.
       I put Mansa's wallet back into my pocket, I grab the bag of fries, and walk out of the diner, leaving Sythe alone. I know he'll want to ask me all kinds of questions.
             "Duchess, you never did tell me what happened to your brother?" he says as soon as he gathers enough wits to come outside. We stand by his motorcycle.
       I run my fingers through my hair.
     "My twin Mansa? He's here in Riverdale too, actually." I play dumb. I know he isn't asking about Mansa, he wants to know about Luka. "No you had another brother he was a couple of years older than us."
I sigh.
      "Uh, yeah, I did." I say. I think Sythe knows not to ask anymore question about Luka, but he still asks, "Is that why you moved from Riverdale?" he asks. I stare into his eyes for a moment. "Oh, Sythers, there were so many reasons to leave this place back then, still are."

                                                                                                      
                                  ******

            Sythe and I make our way to the Wyrm. But leave it to Pea to make you wanna punch em in the face. It's like this guy can't get enough of being beat up. "Look who it is." Pea says to Fangs. "Cool it, babe he's with me." I say. Forsythe raises an eyebrow at me, I just give him a silencing look.
        I sit on a stool, Forsythe, following my actions sits next to me.
"So what made you decide to hang out at the Whyte Wrym?" Fangs asks. Forsythe looks at me, I shrug.
     "Uh. . ."
     "We got lost on our way from Pop's." I say.