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THE FRIDAY SUN shines down through the windows of Novak's, and Ambar watches as Rhy sword fights a child with the little kids' balloon swords. He pretends to be wounded as the kid stabs him, and the laugh the little boy lets out makes Ambar smile. Rhy lays on the floor (the dirty floor, she grimaces) and breathes heavily. It's not busy that afternoon, because Friday's are busier at night, so they do their work with calm and steady fingers. Rhy, though, prefers to wreak havoc—as he does wherever he goes.
The little boy's mother is watching at the side, leaning on their booth's table and smiling as her boy keeps hitting Rhy with the balloon sword, to the point that he has to beg for him to stop.
"Mercy, mercy!" He cries, "I'm already dead! You can't stay stabbing a dead person in real war!"
"He's not going to a real war." Ambar rolls her eyes. "And the floor is dirty."
"Meh," Rhy makes a noise. He gets up and says goodbye to the little kid after giving him his sword back, and he turns to Ambar with a wide smile when he and his mother disappear through the door. "I love children."
She pulls a face. "They're horrible. So loud... Guess you are a child, huh?"
The look Rhy gives her makes her laugh out loud, putting her hands up in mock surrender.
Truth is, she'd been feeling a little down since Wednesday, when Jasmine found out Victorian Boy—Louis—has a girlfriend, and she felt silly because of it. You don't know the guy, she told herself that night. What's got you so upset? Despite the numerous words she used to try and talk herself out of her feelings, she couldn't seem to forget him. Bah, useless boys.
Her friends had tried their best to cheer her up, and they'd been strangely nice to her since their conversation that morning during Jasmine's shift, which she appreciates. But, again, she feels silly for feeling like this. She thinks it's the Libra in her, it must be. (Rhy said so, and she doesn't usually trust Rhy, but she's running out of options here).
Her shift today, which she shares with Rhy as she does every Friday, has brought her quite some joy in the slightly upsetting life she's had lately, and she's so grateful for her best friend. Rhy seems to read her mind, because he grins widely at Ambar and opens his arms for a hug.
Ambar, though, looks at him with disgust. "You were just rolling on the floor, no way I'm hugging you."
"Come on!" Rhy laughs. "Just one hug, for your best friend?"
Ambar shakes her head no, and he takes it as a challenge. It isn't a challenge, Rhy! She wants to scream. As the boy is busy trying to hug her, and she's busy trying to get away, they don't notice the looks they're getting from both their coworkers and their customers. It's Sienna who, by walking into the diner quite loudly, distracts them from their fight.
