
II. 𝚆𝚎 𝚖𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗
。𖦹°‧⭑.ᐟ
Jules sat on a stool at Spinners, the 80s-themed diner in Summerville, sipping her Oreo milkshake.
It wasn't quite as good as Luke's Diner, but it would do.
She scanned the room, taking in the familiar sounds and sights.
Close up on a jukebox. The button for "27" is pushed down. "All Your Love (I Miss Loving)" plays.
Trevor was two chairs away, filling out a job application. Lucky, one of the waitresses, rolled by and posted a new order.
Two teenage boys, Rufus and Zahk, were the cooks.
"Two taters, three Spinners, grilled onions, one no cheese," Lucky called out.
Rufus, dressed in military camo, glanced over at Lucky. "Lucky, there's—there's something wrong with the meat."
Zahk, wearing a red shirt, added from off-screen, "I don't feel so good, Lucky. Oh!" He pretended to barf, holding up a piece of raw meat.
Rufus laughed, pointing at Zahk. "There's something wrong! He's throwing up the meat! Heh heh heh!"
Trevor, amused by the antics, looked around the diner. "Cool place."
"I don't own it," Lucky added.
"I know you don't own it. You look pretty young to own a business," Trevor replied and lucky left with a nod
Trevor was then hunched over a piece of paper.
Curiosity piqued, she glanced at the paper and saw it was a job application. Under "Experience," Trevor had written "friendly" with a drawing of a smiley face.
"I don't think 'friendly' qualifies as experience, you know," Jules remarked with a smile.
Trevor looked up, a soft blush spreading across his cheeks. "I didn't really know what to put—it's a quality, I guess," he nodded.
"Mmhmm," Jules replied, finishing off her milkshake. She called out, "Hey, Zahk !"
"What?!" came the shout from the kitchen window.
Jules walked behind the counter, handed some money to Zahk, and said, "Keep the change."
As she walked back out, she glanced at Trevor. "Well, I'll see you later, new kid," she said, smiling.
"Yeah—" Trevor began, then cleared his throat, looking flustered. "Oh, I mean, cool, cool, cool," he said, glancing back at his paper.
Jules noticed lucky , heading towards Trevor.
Deciding not to intrude, she left and made her way back to Luke's Diner.
Jules felt a wave of comfort as she walked into Luke's Diner, a place that had always been a sanctuary for her. Since she was born, she could remember finding a safe space there, surrounded by the familiar smells and sounds that defined her childhood.
At one of the tables, her mother, Cassandra, was in the middle of a playful argument with Luke. "Look, Cassie, my shop is closed. You're lucky I even let you in," Luke said, his voice gruff but his eyes warm. At 35, Luke always wore a flannel shirt and a baseball cap backwards, a look that had become his trademark.
"Oh, hey kiddo," Luke greeted, smiling as he saw Jules approaching.
"Hey, Luke!" she replied, sliding into the seat across from her mother.
Luke set a plate of curly fries in front of her. "There you go. I know they're your favorite."
"Yes, my fav! Thanks, Luke," Jules said, digging in immediately.
Cassandra laughed, giving Jules a knowing look. "You always get the VIP treatment here."
Jules smiled around a mouthful of fries. "That's because Luke's the best. And I'm his favorite customer "
Luke chuckled, leaning against the counter. "So, how's your day going, Jules?"
"Interesting," she said, thinking back to her encounter with Trevor at Spinners. "First me and mom met the new fam "
"Ah, the Spenglers," Luke said, nodding. "Heard they moved into old Egon's place."
"Yeah," Jules confirmed.
Cassandra raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile on her lips. "Jules here found the new boy quite interesting "
Jules rolled her eyes, though she couldn't suppress her smile. "Mom, not like that."
Luke chuckled, shaking his head. "Young love," he teased.
Jules groaned. "Come on, Luke, not you too."
She put another fry into her mouth " anyways I was just at spinners and you know Zakh and how he is but hey I got an Oreo milkshake , so then I see Trevor he's the new boy and he was doing a job application it was funny really "
" oh so that's why you were all smiley when you walked in" her mom said in a sing song voice
" mom !" She groaned
The playful banter continued, filling the diner with warmth and laughter.
It was moments like these that made Luke's Diner more than just a place to eat—it was a second home, a refuge from the outside world where Jules could always find comfort and familiarity.
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