Two Worlds Collided (Ace Merrill)

What Happened

"Okay, what happened?" I question as Lisa starts to drive away from my house.

She hesitates, her face lighting up again.

"I can't tell you right now."

I frown. "But... why?"

She shrugs.

"It sounds stupid, but I'm really excited about this. I don't want to get too distracted and crash the car. Not after my dad..."

I nod. Her dad was badly injured in a car crash about a year ago. He almost died. He's alive now, using a wheelchair and all. He's incredibly lucky to be alive, though, and now Lisa is an overly cautious driver. I can't say I blame her.

"That doesn't sound stupid. I understand. I'm just excited to hear about it," I tell her.

She grins. "Soon."

I've never really seen her this giddy. She's been excited around me, of course, but never so smiley and bouncy.

My theory? She's probably getting involved with some boy. That's good, though. Now she doesn't have to keep feeling bad about her blatant rejection the other day.

I allow myself to feel the wind. In the heat of the sun, the warm breeze feels nice. Before long, though, she's pulling up and parking outside of a little diner I've passed a few times.

"Let's go," she squeals.

We head inside. Despite the hour, the place is close to empty. There's an old couple in one corner, and a family sitting near the middle.

We choose a small booth and I sit across from her.

"Tell me everything," I prompt. But then the waiter comes over with a polite smile, holding a little notepad and a pen.

"Hello, ladies. What can I get you to drink?"

Both of us order a sweet tea. With a grin and a promise to be right back, he walks away.

I look at Lisa, raising my eyebrows. She grins.

"So, I did a thing," she starts.

I chuckle.

"Yeah?"

She nods.

"And what exactly might that thing be?" I question.

Her cheeks turn red. To avoid eye contact- I think- she grabs a small stack of napkins from the dispenser. She sets them in a neat little pile right in the middle.

"You can't judge me, okay? And I still want you to be my friend. But, um, it might upset you a little."

I furrow my eyebrows. That didn't go the direction I expected. What could possibly upset me that would make her so ecstatic?

"What are you talking about?" I ask.

The water returns then, handing us our drinks and asking what we would like to eat. Neither of us have looked at the menu, so we both scramble to pick ours up.

Unfortunately for vegetarian me, the entire first two pages are full of meat. Sighing, I flip through and scan over the names. I find a salad that looks pretty good, and go with that.

The waiter writes our orders down and smiles.

"Okay. It'll be out shortly."

We thank him, and watch as he walks away. When he's out of hearing range, I turn to Lisa again.

"Now, what is going on?" I ask.

She grins. "Don't be mad? It sort of affects you, too."

I sigh. "I won't be mad."

She nods, and drops her gaze to the table. She's quiet for about ten seconds, then she sighs. Her next words come out so quick, I'm not sure I hear them right. But there's nothing else she can be saying.

"I slept with Ace Merrill."