Consequences of Breaking a Heart

Chapter 2

Dad went home after we moved all my stuff, and we made plan to have dinner next weekend.

It took all afternoon to clean up my room and organizing my stuff. By six p.m., I was all unpacked and ready for a shower.

"Hey, Hermione. Wanna' get something to eat?" Daphne called from the couch when I stepped out of the bathroom.

"Yeah, sure." I shrugged. We didn't have anything in the fridge and I wanted to see around too. "You know a place where we could get a satisfying meal without being broke?"

Daphne chuckled. "You just leave that to me. Go get ready."

I went into my room and changed my towel for jeans and a loose T-shirt. My bushy hair was a mess, and it took me about five minutes to comb them down.

When I get out, Daphne was ready in her wrap coat and a small Gucci chained bag hanging on her shoulder. She also had put on a little makeup which accentuated her cheekbone and made her cerulean-blue eyes pop.

She looked stunning... and it made me shrink a little. Shaking my head at my insecurity, I straightened myself. I always prided myself for being smart, so I tried not to be bothered by my appearance.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked, putting on my puffer jacket.

"It's a surprise." She winked.

We walked for about fifteen minutes along the street, in which we discovered there was a gym and pool for students across the apartment, a grocery store two blocks away and a bookstore right next to it, before stopping in front of a small diner with a crooked sign above the door that said Hagrid's.

"They say this place has the best chicken soup in town."

"Who's 'they'?" I asked as we made our way inside.

"Friends." Daphne shrugged.

The inside of Hagrid's left an impression of warmth, probably because of the earth tone palette the diner went for. The wall was made of dark brown woods, the burgundy upholstery on the booths, and the copper-colored counter with matching seats. But what I found interesting were paintings of different kind of animals above each booth. Horses, sheep, cows... even mythical one like the Loch Ness monster.

The diner was almost empty, aside from a plump man who sat near the door with a pitcher of beer in his table, and a girl in mustard waitress uniform who was wiping the counter absentmindedly.

I raised my brow. For a place which was known to have the best chicken soup around town, this place looked pretty dead.

"It's a hidden gem." Daphne said quietly, as though she could read my mind.

We took the booth at the very back where a painting of a puppy was hanged above bottles of condiments.

"Wow, this place feels..." I looked for a right word, "...homey?"

Daphne nodded. "Yeah, I kind of like it. My friend said the owner was a huge animal lover and has his own ranch somewhere on the outskirts. Hence the pictures."

"Must be a nice man." I commented just as a waitress came over and handed us the laminated menus.

"I'll have the chicken soup and water." Daphne said, not even touching the menu.

"I'll take the burgers and ice tea, please." As much as I loved to taste the soup, my body needed something heavier after all the labor I put all day.

I was relieved Daphne didn't make a disgusted face at me like my friends usually did whenever I ordered anything other than a salad.