Fawkes

Panic at the Bistro

Joey's was a fancy restaurant, so it was actually for the best that I was dressed up. I needed to blend in, or else it would be much easier for me to be spotted. I was the last one to arrive, finding the table with my friends after one brief scan of the place and walking over.

Sandy held the conversation, which was no surprise to me. Her blonde hair was out of her usual tight ponytail, falling just past her shoulders in curls. She wore a blue dress that had a lace pattern on the chest and splayed out at the waist. Next to her sat Mindy, who was wearing a long green dress that went to her shins, making her look even taller than I knew she was. Her hair was in some complicated up-do that must've taken hours. She and Justin clearly weren't listening, the latter clad in a nice dress shirt with black pants as he sat across from his girlfriend and spoke lowly over the table. Sam, who was adjacent to Sandy, was listening intently, a silk, mint green shirt on his torso that matched his eyes nicely. The last seat was on the end, which was left for me, a fact made clear when Sandy abruptly stopped talking and stood up to tug me over, hugging me the whole way.

"I am so glad you came," she gushed, all but pushing me into my seat as I shared a look with Sam, both of us amused with the blonde's antics though not expecting anything less.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," I said, smiling at her genuinely and feeling relieved that she was seeming as happy as she used to be.

"Yeah you only showed up twenty minutes late," Justin quipped, looking at his watch, "we were thinking you forgot."

"You're acting as if I don't have this day circled ten times on the calendar I've got hanging over my bed," I responded, getting comfy and picking up the menu idly.

"Right, that explains why I had to remind you earlier today." Mindy rolled her eyes, but she had a smile on her face. I chuckled dryly, scanning over the food choices, all of the names jumbling together as I listened to my surroundings. Sandy continued the story she was telling before as I carefully let my eyes drag across the busy restaurant, counting the doors and windows.

Rule #24 of Being a Criminal: always know where your exits are.

"Anyway, she and I are going to this really cool new Italian place on Sullivan Street," Sandy was saying with a bright grin, "she's really into trying new stuff around the city, which you wouldn't guess by a first impression—"

"Wait wait, who are we talking about?" I interrupted after planning thirty different possible escape routes.

"Dana," Mindy said with a knowing smile, "Sandy won't shut up about her. It's agonizing."

"You literally told her you were happy for her a couple minutes ago," Sam said, and Mindy shrugged.

"I can be happy for her at the same time as not caring about it."

We all laughed, and Sandy didn't take offence. No one took offence by the things Mindy said, if you did then you wouldn't be able to hang out with her considering half the things that came from her mouth were insults.

"So are you and her together?" Justin asked the blonde, who shrugged, stifling a smile as she stared down at her menu.

"I don't know."

We all shared looks of amusement.

"You are so far gone." Mindy shook her head with a grin, "You're pinker than Hershey's hair."

"Shut up," Sandy groaned, pressing her palms to her cheeks as we all chuckled.

"Yeah, shut up," I repeated, tucking my hair behind my shoulder pointedly, "jealousy isn't a good colour."