FOUR. MIKE AND OTTO

Eli eventually found herself stepping inside what appeared to be a local diner. She entered the Forks establishment with her hands tucked deep into her pockets and a wide eyed stare checking the place out. It was pretty busy considering the fact that it was peak dinner rush, but luckily she found an empty booth by the far window. She removed her jacket as she approached, taking a seat and picking up a menu, scanning over it. Her foot tapped against the ground, as she was quite anxious to be in the environment. Despite having grown up in the area, she had never been to the diner before, it was only the fact that her stomach rumbled did she bother coming inside .

"What can I get you, darlin'?" a middle aged woman approached her with a notepad in hand. Eli looked up with a polite smile, wringing her fingers together as she held the menu with her other hand.

"Uh, can I just have a cheeseburger and fries please?" she asked, and the waitress nodded, jotting the order down before wandering back to the kitchens. Eli was left on her own once more, and she sighed softly, relishing in the warmth of the place, glad she was out of the cold. The truck, it turned out, was just as shitty as it looked, and had began to splutter whenever she tried to turn up the heating.

The girl reached into her large pocket, trying to see if she could find anything to keep her entertained. She didn't think to bring a book with her, so she was stuck with...two pieces of gum, an old receipt and a sharpie.

Sighing softly, she began to doodle on the paper, trying to keep herself entertained for the ten minutes it would take to get her food. It wasn't much help, and she was out of room within two of those ten. She hated doing nothing. It was boring, and she despised the feeling.

"Cheeseburger and fries," the waitress returned, though in her other hand she held a kids menu and a set of crayons. "I thought I'd bring these over as well, you looked a little bored."

"Thanks," Eli chuckled softly as everything was slid in her direction. Funnily enough, her hands went straight to the crayons and the black and white paper, ready to colour in the drawing of a bird. The waitress smiled at the sight, before turning around and heading back to serve other customers.

Eli sat in her own world for a few minutes, no longer paying attention to the world around her. She didn't really care, to be perfectly honest. She was just glad to be somewhere where no one knew who she was.

"Hey, you new around here?" an unfamiliar voice joined her, and Eli looked up from her paper to see two boys in front of her; one blond and round faced and the other brunet and chiselled in features. The blond was the one who had spoken, welcoming himself to her booth, sliding opposite her. "Hey, I'm Mike, this is Otto. I haven't seen you around school."

Eli's mouth slacked a little as she was put on the spot. Otto noticed this and quirked an eyebrow, nudging Mike with his elbow. "Dude, you're freaking her out. What he means is, what's your name?"

"Eli," the girl answered promptly, picking up a fry and biting the end. Now that she had her food, she wasn't actually that hungry. She should've just gotten a sandwich or some garlic bread. "I, uh, live in La Push. I go to the school on the Reservation."

"Ahh," Mike hummed, eyeing her meal. Eli smiled slightly and pushed the plate towards him. His face cheered up considerably and he stared over at her with an unsure expression. She nodded encouragingly, so he took a few fries, before digging into her burger. "That's why I didn't recognise you. Did you just move here or something?"

"Uh, I moved back," she responded, shifting a little. She didn't feel a chill, she just seemed a little more exposed now that there were people actively acknowledging her. "My Mom and brother live here. Grace and Nick Kamai?"

"Nurse Kamai?" Otto piped up, and Eli nodded, already regretting having mentioned the woman. "She's badass. One time Tyler and I were skateboarding and I broke my arm; the bone was sticking out and everything. She didn't even flinch; she got it checked, x-rayed and in a cast before Doctor Cullen could even step in the room. I swear there's some kind of competition between the two."

"Who's Doctor Cullen?" Eli tilted her head curiously and Mike shifted a little, scratching the back of his head.

"He's just...a doctor," he responded awkwardly. "He's got a bunch of weird kids that go to our school, you probably won't meet them cause they never go anywhere."

"Gotcha," Eli smiled a little. Mike brightened as she shrugged the subject off, clearly uncaring towards the 'freaks of Fork'. "So, uh, you guys just hang around here for fun, picking up new friends?"

"You wanna be friends with us?" Otto quirked his eyebrows, his face lighting up in excitement. At Eli's nod, he beamed and bounced up and down where he sat, nudging Mike with his elbow. "No way! Dude, it sucks you aren't at Forks High, it would've been great to see you everyday. You seem pretty cool, Eli."

"Thanks," Eli chuckled softly, picking up the last fry on the plate, as Mike was chomping through her burger. She didn't mind, she wasn't really that hungry. At least the food wasn't going to waste. There was a brief moment of silence that washed over them, and strangely it didn't feel uncomfortable in the slightest. Eli looked around the diner, seeing a noticeboard by the entrance. She pursed her lips, before glancing back at the boys across from her. "You guys know anywhere that's hiring?"

"My parents own a store," Mike piped up, his mouth full with the remains of her dinner. "Newton's Olympic Outfitters. We're always looking for new staff in the afternoons and on weekends. I can fix you up with a job, no sweat."

"Really?" Eli smiled gratefully, knocking his foot under the table with her own. "Thanks, man."

Mike waved her off with a grin, more than happy to have made an impression. Eli reached for her water glass and took a sip as Otto reached into his pocket, slamming down a twenty dollar bill. Eli furrowed her brows as she looked over, opening her mouth to object. Otto laughed a little at her expression. "Mike's eaten most of it. Don't worry, I've got it."

Eli shut her mouth promptly, before nodding a few times. She sat back and smiled, her mood having lifted significantly since entering the place. She looked across at the boys, glad they had randomly popped up to speak to her. "What do you guys do for fun around here? We should hang out sometime. The guys in La Push are cool, but they're pretty same-old-same-old."

"If you find La Push a drag, I doubt we'll be interesting," Otto snickered, running his fingers through his dark hair. "We've got the movies, bowling, laser tag, paintball, but nothing rad like cliff diving and dirt bikes."

"That's not really my thing," Eli shrugged. While she enjoyed the activities from time to time, she wasn't entirely keen on the whole 'adrenaline rush' business. "I love movies, though. And bowling? God, I haven't done that since I was like, twelve. I'd be down for whatever, honestly. If that's okay with you guys."

"Yeah, of course!" Mike straightened his posture significantly, nodding quickly. Otto was a little more laid back, though happy to be making new friends. "What you're number? You got an email? I'll keep you updated. We got a group at school; Angela, Eric, Jess, Tyler, Bell...well, there was Bella but she's hanging around Edward Cullen."

"Should I ask?" Eli joked, noticing Mike's expression turn sour. Otto shook his head and smiled in amusement.

"Poor guy asked her to prom and everything," Otto patted Mike on the shoulder, causing the blond to roll his eyes. "She said no and then starts dating Paleface-McGee instead. They're going together now."

"I'm sure he's not that bad," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. Mike's lip curled a little, and she laughed lightly, before checking the watch that sat on her wrist. "I'd best be getting home soon, my brother will be pissed if I have the truck all night."

Just as she was about to grab her jacket, Mike's phone vibrated and he picked it up off the table, flipping it open and reading the screen. "Jess and Angela are going to see Tuesday, Break My Heart. They want us to come along. You guys down?"

Eli pursed her lips, her eyes flickering back to her watch. She hesitated, before thinking about her brother. When she wanted to use the car to get to school, he'd always taken it before she had the chance, so maybe it was time for her to let herself have some fun. She exhaled, before smiling. "Sure, I'd love to."

★☆

thick uwu cause i honestly love mike,,, also introducing otto!! baby boy who i was gonna make a possible love interest but i love his dumbass so he's just gonna be here chilling like a legend

ALSO i've finally decided where in the movie universe this is gonna be set

it is currently pre prom in twilight, before paul's transformation <3

oh and because i hate smeyer's writing, i'm gonna be changing a few little things, not enough to make it a wild au but just enough so that i'm comfortable with some of the characters and how they're presented (jacob will be keeping his long hair and won't kiss bella without consent, rosalie will actually be presented as intelligent and will be an engineering badass instead of saying the whole 'my monkey man' bullshit, imprinting won't be an excuse for child grooming (cough, cough, resume + claire) with it instead having jacob and quil as older brother/best friend/fatherly figures, jasper will understand the faults in being part of the confederate army, etc etc)

much love!