table for two {rebecca}

[Carlin Drave]

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[atrb=style,padding:0; margin: 0; background-image:url(http://i42.tinypic.com/i6fhav.jpg);background-repeat:no-repeat;width: 511px;height:350px;] "No, thank you. I've got company coming--I promise you. I'd like to wait to order; just give her five more minutes." Carlin sighed as the waiter left the table again, progressively getting angrier every time Carlin refused to place an order. If Becca doesn't get here soon, we're going to lose our table. He worried silently. He had spent awhile collecting enough money to pay for the two of them, and he was going to be disappointed if he couldn't treat her like he wanted to. No matter. This was Becca he was talking about. She wouldn't purposely--what was the word?--"stand him up". There had to be a reasonable explanation for her tardiness. Maybe a class was running late, or she was with Lucas. Carlin frowned. What if she was with Lucas? He thought back to freshmen year of high school. It had been one of the worst years for him; he had just finished Year 9, and over the summer moved to the States from his hometown in Barnes, England, as affording a flat for him and his brother had become too much for his mother. It was cheaper to live in America, and the day that his mum had received her citizenship they were packing their bags and off to board a plane. At the time he had high hopes for this new country--his cousin Bevan was to attend university there, and Bevan had talked about the States in high regards. For Carlin, actually being there himself was not as grand. The kids teased him for his unruliness: his short and skinny body, giant, messy curls, and of course his thick accent and low voice. Rebecca was the only thing that had made high school bearable; after befriending her (along with the senior, Lucas) he became to feel at home, making additional friends and returning to his usual, cheery self. Bevan left England a few years later, and got accepted to a college in North Carolina. Senior year, Rebecca got accepted to the same college and--no surprise--Lucas also happen to be attending there was well. All signs pointed to his attendance at Miala University. He wasn't the best with book smarts, but he got away with numerous humanitarian scholarships and hours of volunteer work. Now, that the three were together again, Carlin wanted to remind Rebecca how much her friendship meant to him; if only she would hurry and show up! The waiter returned to the table, with a grin on his face and the manager standing beside him. "Son, I'm sorry, but if you don't order some food soon, we're going to have to ask you to leave. We've got people waiting to sit down and eat."

dedication: rebecca words 444 listening to: taken by one direction

[Rebecca Ollymi]

[height]Rebecca was minutes away from punching her professor. She was seconds away from punching the boy standing next to her. It wasn't her fault that he was drunk. It definitely wasn't her fault that he'd passed out during the teacher's lecture and ended up leaning on her. He'd probably done it on purpose, too. She'd noticed he'd been sitting next to her more and more often. Probably wanted to cheat off her notes. He wasn't exactly one of the brighter ones. Rebecca had no idea why she was even standing here, in trouble. Of course she was going to knock him away. If he hadn't been drunk, he wouldn't have fallen off his chair. Being drunk is fine, and as long as you stayed out of Rebecca's way when you were seriously inebriated, everything would be fine. But he had acted drunk, and that was unacceptable. Rebecca hated drunk people. They were stupid and loose-tongued and did things unpredictably. They were all over the place with their emotions, and it was impossible to understand what they really meant. And Rebecca hated not being able to know that. Really, really hated it.

"Do you promise not to knock him off his seat again?"

[/i] The professor raised an eyebrow at her the moment she opened her mouth. It wasn't the first time she'd gotten in trouble with this professor, and she could see the crinkle of amusement in his face. "Ms. Ollymi? You do realize this situation could get worse?"[/i] the professor continued. Rebecca knew he was right. She knew he could have easily taken this all the way up to the college dean. She knew she might even get expelled, and the boy next to her certainly would. Still, she could make this interesting. But she had a date. She'd tried to explain this to the professor, even offering to say a quick apology, but the professor wouldn't let her.

Stupid teachers.

"Of course, Mr. Beaci. Never, ever, ever. Thank you for not taking this to the dean. Now, may I be excused. I'm dreadfully late for a meeting!" She knew the professor wasn't taking her seriously. She also knew that he knew she knew this. And the fact that she'd just said more words now than she'd said all day in class was another large indicator, but the professor really didn't care. Rebecca quickly thanked him, slapped the boy next to her's back a little too hard, and dashed off. Carlin was going to kill her. He'd spent a bunch of money on this date of his. She'd told him not to. That the diner was perfectly fine, even with that blonde ditz working there. But he'd gone along with it anyways. Mumbling quite a few words that Carlin would've been annoyed to hear her say, Rebecca ran through the streets at as fast a jog as she could. She wasn't exactly going into a fancy restuarant in jeans in a t-shirt. Her black slacks and blouse were extremely hard to run in. And she was no runner anyway.

When she finally burst into the restaurant breathless, her temper had peaked. She spotted Carlin, and then she spotted some guy talking to Carlin and a smug-looking waiter right next to him, mentioning the words 'leave.' Ignoring the seater-person, Rebecca stalked over to the three men, her sandals clicking on the floor. She wasn't exactly a typical red-head, but she did have their stereotypical temper, and she'd been on the verge of loosing it for quite awhile now. Clearing her throat, she flashed a quick smile at Carlin before turning her steely gaze onto the two workers. "I apologize for my tardiness, suits. I'm here now, and I'm sure you can wait five more freaking minutes for me to get my freaking order figured out. Thank you, sir. My fault. Leave my friend out of it, sir."[/color] Rebecca flashed a heavily sweetened smile and quickly slid into the seat across from Carlin. Pointedly ignoring the people there, she looked innocently at Carlin. "Hey. How's it going?"[/color] The red head smiled cheerfully as she opened the menu placed in front of her.
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[Carlin Drave]

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"See? There she is!" He was relieved when he caught sight of that familiar long, red hair rushing into the restaurant. Per usual, she skipped all opportunities for manners, pushing passed the greeter in the front, and rudely making her way to the table. Normally Carlin would have scolded her for such behavior, but under the circumstances her poor attitude helped save their seats.

The waiter and manager glanced at each other; it was obvious the waiter was just waiting for the cue to kick us out. The manager sighed, shrugged, and looked to Carlin. "Just keep your girlfriend under control, order something, and we won't have any more issues. Thank you, Ross." The waiter glared at the two one last time, before huffing away with annoyance across his face. The manager gave a short nod and followed suit. "Ross will be with you in a minute."

Carlin thanked the man, before turning to Rebecca. Even sitting, she was a tad taller than him; it was worse than being shorter than Lucas! Being shorter than another guy is one thing, but having to look up to a girl. Carlin smiled despite these thoughts. He enjoyed Rebecca's company too much to let a bit of height difference tear them apart. Though tonight her rough exterior was getting the best of her. "...Glad you decided to show up. Where were you? As enticing as Lucas can be, I have had these reservations for weeks..."

[/font][/color] He told himself he wouldn't be upset with her, but he was never good with hiding emotion. He needed to spend more time with his cousin Bevan--that boy could hide anything!

The waiter had called him Becca's girlfriend. He got that a lot from people; for some reason the world couldn't see a girl and a guy just being friends. Maybe the world was right, because he had had a small crush on her in highschool---but that was a long time ago. He was over it, mostly. Though, he had stopped correcting people who mistook them for a couple--unless they thought Lucas and Becca were together. In that case, he always pointed out the truth.

Carlin opened his menu, glancing around. Apparently their little conversation with the waiter had attracted attention; a few pairs of eyes quickly glanced to the ground as Carlin's green hues met theirs. Figures--when he was with Becca or Lucas, they always found a way to meet with trouble.

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[Rebecca Ollymi]

[height]Rebecca - unlike her overly nice friend - had no qualms what-so-ever about glaring back at the waiter. She knew that he'd probably take forever to serve her and Carlin. Or he'd try to rush them. Either way, he was going to be a total, stuck-up... - Carlin would probably know if she was cussing at the waiter in her head, wouldn't he? - jerk. But he was way worse than a jerk. Rebecca was only being well-mannered. The manager wasn't much better. She only barely kept herself from snapping at him. Girlfriend? When I said 'my friend'? Is everyone here an idiot but me and Carlin? Rebecca refused the satisfaction of snapping at the mentor in respect of Carlin. After all, she was probably ruining the special night he'd been planning for her.

Weeks. Weeks. He'd been planning it.

And it'd barely taken her two minutes to mess it up.

Taking in a deep breathe, Rebecca just barely allowed herself the satisfaction of seeing Ross turn and trot away on his scrawny arrogant legs. The red-head muttered something under her breath that started with 'a.' Then she glanced up at Carlin, forcing herself to calm down. She dearly loved her friend, and she knew that any sort of temper, tension, or hint of ugliness in the world unsettled and disturbed him. So, she did her best to avoid using her sailor's mouth - courtesy of her father - around him. But sometimes, she just couldn't help it. How could Carlin just let people walk over him? He never stood up for himself, which annoyed Rebecca ever so slightly. However, this annoyance wasn't even close to the wrath she executed on anyone and everyone who abused or used Carlin. Lucas could - for the most part - take care of himself as long as there weren't explosives and extra math problems involved.

Then, all bets were off.

She flashed a quick, unaggressive smile at her friend and then scowled darkly. If she'd gotten a chance to order food already, she would've started stabbing at it ferociously. But she didn't. Because she was late. Which was one of the reasons she was so grouchy. Cool it.

[/color] Taking a deep breath, she glanced up at Carlin with a casual shrug. There was just a little shame in her expression. Carlin seemed to bring it out in her. Lucas would be laughing, but Carlin would be the sort to heave a sigh and lecture to her about manners. Which wasn't fair. It was bad manners in the first place to be drunk in public. It was against the law! "Wasn't Lucas. Stupid dunk kid passed out on me during class and I... nudged him a little. But he kinda... fell out of his chair. Totally not my fault."[/color] Rebecca thought about adding a few choice words to the situation, but decided not to. They were already getting enough stares.

Which reminded her.

The red-head quickly glared about the room, silently daring anyone to speak. Everyone's gaze lowered to the ground. Then, she returned her gaze back to the menu sitting in front of her. How nice of Ross to provide her with one! That bum better not spit in my food.[/color] Narrowing her eyes at the choices for awhile, she let them wash over her. There were burgers, yes, but she doubted Carlin brought her here for those. Besides, burgers were rather greasy and diner-ish. She waited a few more moments before groaning and looking at her older friend. "What do you recommend out of the meats? Makes sense for me to ask. After all, you've been here longer."[/color] The red-head's lips curled slightly.

Carlin would know what she wanted - meat. She didn't care what was on it or how cheap it was. As long as it wasn't fish, she'd eat it and enjoy it. There was nothing vegan about her. She nudged her friend as Ross approached. "Think fast. Butthead's coming,"[/color] she muttered under her breath - only loud enough for Carlin to hear.
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[Carlin Drave]

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Drunk. Carlin wrinkled his nose at the word. It was disgusting, getting drunk--just the word made him cringe. The word always brought back memories of his aunt--Bevan's mom; after losing her husband, she had turned to all sorts of bad influences to drown out the pain. Her life had turned so bad she even lost custody of her own son; Carlin couldn't imagine how horrible that would be. It was bad enough to be drinking as an adult, but he had been to parties in high school, with kids with the same issues. To be honest, he gave into peer pressure quite easily--so when a few guys teased him into taking a drink, he couldn't help but take a sip. However, within ten minutes the drink was thrown back onto one of the boy's shoes. The taste was simply bitter and foul, and what made it even worse was the guilt.

"Nudged him? Becca, you can't lie to me--we both know what that means." He frowned at the girl; sometimes he couldn't believe her! Or how polar opposite the two of them were--why she would shove the kid off, Carlin would have dealt with his dirty breath the entire lesson. As disgusting as it would have been, he could never see himself being so cruel. What if the kid had a reason behind drinking? What if his parents abused him, or his cat had just died? What if, like Bevan's mom, he was just using the substance to ignore the problems in his life.

But Rebecca wouldn't see that. All she saw were the problems at hand--like the dirt, drunken boy leaning against her shoulder. Perhaps that was why they had become so close; while Rebecca could be the bronze, he could be the brains.

He couldn't help but smile a bit as the question about meat came up. He was just waiting for her to ask that--the girl could, literally, eat an entire horse given the chance. "I'm glad you asked. You're probably considering it, but don't bother with the burgers; we didn't come here to have cheap burgers we could get at the diner. I planned ahead; if we share, we've got enough money to order steak." Carlin grinned at her, hoping she would like it. But of course she would! This was Rebecca. Becca and meat go hand-in-hand.

"But when the waiter comes back, we aren't supposed to order our meals yet. He'll just take orders for drinks and an appetizer." Carlin got up, adjusting his bow tie as he stood. Perhaps he had dressed up a bit extreme for a dinner date with a friend, but he liked wearing his suit--and one of his crazy bow ties. The one he had selected for tonight sported green polka dots and tiny porcupines. People were still staring at them; he needed a break from all the attention.

He stepped away from his chair. "I'm headed to the lavatory. If the waiter returns, tell him I'll have the--" Carlin let out a squeak as his feet fell from under him, and his body nearly fell onto the lady sitting at a table across from them. She panicked, throwing up her wine glass: and the contents spilled across Carlin's chest.

Ross pulling his leg back from where he had stuck it out in front of Carlin. "So sorry, sir. Perhaps you should have taken that diner burger, instead."

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[Rebecca Ollymi]

[height]Carlin didn't understand why she pushed the guy off the chair. Which was fine. But really, the guy had scared her. She'd actually been listening to the professor, and all of a sudden there was a weight on her shoulder. Who wouldn't have freaked out just a little? Carlin. But Rebecca didn't startle easily. As a matter of fact, she usually turned around and punched whoever it was in the gut. She only barely kept herself from smacking this guy in the face. Instead, she'd poked him until he sat up straight and then started to fall back on her and then, realizing that pungent odor was alcohol, pushed him off her and consequently off his seat.

That's sure woken him up.

Rebecca cracked a small smirk at Carlin's comment, but didn't respond otherwise. She was starving, and the menu here had some interesting treats. All with fish. She rolled her eyes at her menu. Fish, fish, fish. She'd never understood why anyone ate it. When Carlin mentioned steak, however, Rebecca could barely keep her mouth from watering. A diner restaurant as fancy as this - snobby waiters and high prices and everything - should have amazing steak. It was only decent. She was willing to split a steak with Carlin - though she'd feel horribly guilty about it if he went broke because of her. Well, slightly guilty. She wasn't one for guilt. "That sounds great. You must study me."

[/color] Rebecca's eyes twinkled in amusement at the small joke she'd made. Well, it wasn't really a joke, but it was an insider-only sort of thing. Because very few people knew of Rebecca's stalker-like tendencies when it came to people. She'd watch them and their body language and try to figure out their inner workings.

She wasn't a pyschology major for nothing.

Listening to Carlin almost absent-mindedly, the red-head covertly scanned the "audience" around them. Every couple of times she caught a glance, she'd narrow her eyes threateningly and they'd look down. Probably not helping Carlin's reputation here. I wonder if we'll ever be able to eat here again.[/color] Rebecca returned her attention to the table in front of her, her head tilted toward Carlin. She'd be able to repeat what Carlin said, even if she wasn't exactly comprehending it all. While she listened to Carlin explain that they couldn't order food yet, Rebecca began spinning the napkin-wrapped silverware around her finger. Stupid Lucas was making her as restless at him. But it was probably the whole anger thing that was making her like this. She could practically feel the dirty looks Ross was giving them as he served tables.

She really should've expected it when Carlin stood up, politely excused himself, and was knocked onto some lady's lap. A dark scowl crossed the red-head's face as she slowly drew herself up and slid out of her seat. She might not be tall... By really anyone's standard. Except Carlin's. But the flinty look in her eyes made even that bast- NO! Ross guy stare at her for a moment. She leaned forward, her eyes narrowing slightly as she looked up at the taller man.

"What's stopping me from making you into a burger, you son-of-a--"[/color] Rebecca glanced at Carlin and decided not to finish that sentence. Instead, she offered her hand to the junior. "Got anything to say to fatso here?"[/color] she remarked, pointing at Ross. She could feel her free hand clenching into a fist. The only thing it was missing was a face to punch. Unfortunately, she couldn't exactly punch Ross without ruining she and Carlin's date - well, more like meeting. Instead, she glanced at Carlin's shirt and at the lady with the wine. "Level-headed, aren't you? You know what. I think you should complain about the horrible service, here. Don't you? I mean, do waiters usually trip over innocent college students?"[/color] The poor lady shook her head quickly. Rebecca replied with a 'well then?' gesture, and the high-class lady nodded and trotted off toward the manager's office.

She was going to get Ross in trouble.
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[Carlin Drave]

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“That sounds great. You must study me.” The comment made him smile, a fresh breath of happiness bubbling up inside him. He did study her, in fact—she was his closest friend, and he always went out of his way to please his friends. Rebecca liked meat? Then he would buy her the most expensive meat in the most expensive restaurant in all of Miala.
Carlin glanced at her as she looked over the menu, pleased that he had pleased her. Now that things were settling down, he finally began to relax. Maybe—just for one night—they could go through a few hours without visiting the police station.

But it seemed fate had other plans. Carlin quickly jumped to his feet after the fall, apologizing relentlessly to the frightened lady. “I’m so, so sorry, ma’am. I’ll gladly pay for another drink—” He stumbled over his words. God, why was he always like this after an incident? He stumbled over his words, flustered, and then the burning in his cheeks would begin. He could already feel his face getting red.

The kind lady insisted otherwise, and Carlin turned to Ross. The older, taller gentleman was smirking; apparently he had said something offensive, because Rebecca’s face shifted to anger so fast, Carlin knew things were not going to be pretty.

“What’s stopping me from making you into a burger, you son-of-a—” Rebecca stopped as she looked at Carlin’s horrified face. The happiness that had been filling him a minute ago quickly washed away. He loved Rebecca, but why did she always have to use words like that? It didn’t make her a better person, it didn’t make her seem any smarter or any sexier. All those words did—coming from anyone’s mouth—was make them seem immature, and Carlin really wished she would stop choosing to use them. Rebecca then went on to make things worse by scaring the lady into complaining about the poor service, and further name-calling their waiter.

”Rebecca, please. I don’t think he meant to trip me; you know me. I’m a klutz.” When, in fact, Carlin was anything but a klutz; in fact, until tonight, he couldn’t remember the last time he had tripped or fell. But no need to make the waiter feel bad for what he accidentally did.

The lady came back quickly, followed behind by the manager. He looked annoyed, having to return to the same table twice within one hour. ”I deeply apologize about all this, Mrs. Green. Ross, tell me what I’ve heard isn’t true.” The waiter, Ross, rolled his eyes. ”Mr. Karnes, you aren’t going to believe these kids over me? I’ve worked for you for over five years.”

Carlin quickly stepped in. “Yes, that’s right, sir. I think my friend and the lady just…misunderstood the situation. I deeply apologize for the mess I caused, and I’ll take full responsibility for any money that needs to be owed.” He glanced at Rebecca, silently urging her to follow along.

Ross grinned at Rebecca.

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[Rebecca Ollymi]

[height]If Rebecca felt particularly poetic at the moment, she would've imagined herself as a flame. Red hair and all, it wasn't a bad simile. She was very much like a flame. She was just as wild, uncontrollable, and - when she was especially angry - hot. Oh, she'd definitely gotten most of her personality from her mother. Both she and her mom had carried that stereotypical Irish temper. Not even her father had messed with her mother then. A small smirk played at her lips as her dark brown eyes flared. She made a point to glare at everyone willing to meet her gaze. Including Carlin. The adorable, bumble-headed idiot was apologizing for getting tripped into some poor lady. And then, just as quickly, she doused herself out with a bucket of cold, icy logic. She could be a hot coal later. Right now, she had to deal with problems. Problems Carlin wasn't helping with.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes for a moment. She had to compose herself. She wasn't going to let herself punch Ross over there. Not yet, anyway. She could see Carlin's face getting redder, which quite honestly wasn't helping. How dare they embarress her friend! The nerve! When Carlin didn't react to her offer of letting him insult Ross, she let her other hand curl into another fist. She was seeing the world in a much different light from moments before. A much more dangerous light. It was cold, hard, and mostly indifferent - if not a little favored toward annoying rosie-boy.

But she could get him another time.

Turning toward her dark-haired friend, she raised a cross brow. "A klutz? I have never seen you fall,"

[/color] she snapped abruptly. She could see he was trying to calm the situation down. She knew her friend and his pacifist tendencies. But she really had no intention to let the situation end there. She rushed the poor lady that'd spilled expensive wine on Carlin out to the manager. The lady looked like she had enough money and regality - as flustered as she seemed - to get the manager suspicious. Or even better, trusting. She stayed quiet, glaring at Ross as the waiter glared back at her. She almost felt sorry for Carlin. She would've if the lady's high heels clipped back as quickly as they'd left.

Rebecca would be lying if she didn't enjoy seeing the manager rip into Ross. She enjoyed every second of it. She lightly nudged Carlin when he glanced at her. She knew her friend wanted everything to end. But it wouldn't. Not only could she not let it drop, she knew Ross wouldn't let it drop. The waiter was cheap, smart aleck, and vengeful. And, of course, he'd just almost hurt Carlin. Her friend might not see the value in his safety, but she did. Carlin had no idea how much he meant to her. Definitely just as much as Lucas did. She was nothing without her friends - not that she told them that.

"I'm sorry, sir, but my friend is blantantly lying. He hates fighting. Which is great, personally. But it doesn't resolve this situation. Ross, here, has purposefully tripped my friend, ruining this lovely lady's dinner and, or glass of wine."[/color] Rebecca was summoning up all her fortitude and strong personality now. She glanced at the lady standing just behind the manager. "I'm sure she agrees with me. And I must say that even Ross agrees with me or he wouldn't have been so smug-looking at my friend's suggestion."[/color] She smirked at the waiter. He had no idea what seething, rage monster she was containing. "Thought I'd missed that, eh? I didn't. Pysch is my thing."[/color]
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[Carlin Drave]

[height]This was not good. No, this was not good at all. Not only did Rebecca have an unpredictable temper, this waiter was testing her patience. He could see her anger flaring, and while Carlin knew she was just being overprotective, he wished she would learn to let things go. If she just let the waiter have his way--if she didn't have to win every battle--then maybe the manager would take pity on them, and they could have a nice, quiet meal together. But how likely was that with Rebecca as company? Besides, even if she did listen to Carlin for once, there was no way Rebecca could have a good time with Ross around. No, this was not good at all.

He took her hand and squeezed it, willing her to calm down. "Becca—” He murmured, seeing in her face that she was about to get started. Alas, it was too late. She was a firecracker: it only took one spark for her to explode.

Rebecca spoke her peace, and Carlin waited for the verdict. Now the manager was getting angry. "Ross, is this true? Our visitors have had some complaints about you before, but nothing this serious."

Ross could see what was happening, so he quickly changed tactics. He took Mr. Karnes by the shoulder and lowered his voice. "Dad, please. You know I would never do this to kids! They're a nuisance and only here to cause trouble. You know, I would wager that the English boy doesn't even have any money. Psh, by the look of that scuffed suit and ugly bow-tie...what is he going to pay us with? Pounds and euros?" He chuckled.

Mr. Karnes--Ross's dad--frowned. "You're probably right, son. Ma'am, I am truly sorry for all of this. Allow you and your husband's meals to be entirely on me." He assured the lady who Carlin had fallen into.

“Now, as for you two--" He turned back to Carlin. "Get something straight: we will not stand for any foolishness in this establishment. I think it would be best if the two of you excused yourselves and allow all the paying customers to enjoy their evenings in peace."

While Mr. Karnes spoke to Carlin, Ross had made his way next to Rebecca, and whispered into her ear: "Pysch may be your best subject, but when your dad is the teacher, you always get straight A's."
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[Rebecca Ollymi]

[height]Rebecca glanced at the hand Carlin had threaded his fingers through. A mild expression of surprise crossed her face. When had this happened? He didn't have a crush on her, right? Carlin had always been kind of touchy-feely. That had always been one of the things that annoyed her, but for some reason, both of her friends both were rather clingy. Lucas more than Carlin. Carlin was more mild-mannered and just the typical English polite-ness. He liked hugging her a lot - especially in high school.

The hand-holding was new, though.

She flashed a quick reassuring smile at Carlin, amused at his exasperated use of her nickname. Don't worry. I got this.

[/color] He'd squeezed her hand - another new thing - but she could mention it later. If she even mentioned it at all. She wasn't sure whether or not Carlin wanted to remember. She should know, but she had to address the topic later. Right now, her anger was very much getting the better of her. Maybe that was it. By holding her hand, Carlin was trying to keep her from focusing on the situation at hand. And probably to keep her from punching anyone that totally deserved. Deciding to pretend she was going with it, she spoke her part and squuezed Carlin's hand sometime in the middle of it.

Her other fist clenched in a clear threat as she watched Ross through narrowed eyes. She couldn't say she was surprised that Ross was the manager's son. It was the only way a jerk like him could hold a position as "lofty" as a waiter. Besides, they both had a similar snobby slime to their words. Ross's was much more prevalent than Mr. Karnes's, but it was still there. Patronizing and slick, just like the rest of the snobby restuarant. She, Carlin, and the lady that had gotten wine spilled on her were probably the only decent people in the whole restaurant. No one else had stood up for them.

But so far, the manager was being decently fair. Prejudiced in the vantage point of his son, but otherwise, Mr. Karnes was being fair. Rebecca graced the lady in the high heels with a small smile when the manager insisted that he'd pay for dinner. If she got dinner, they deserved it as well. Carlin probably had been saving up for months. It was kind of hard to ship money from Chicago to a small town in North Carolina. She was pretty sure he had some sort of job somewhere, though. A smug smile crossed her face as the manager turned toward them. They were only getting what they deserved.

Except for the fact that they weren't.

Rebecca stiffened, anger seething from every possible point in her body. A quiet hiss escaped her mouth as she tried to reign it all in. Don't ruin it. Carlin won't want you to punch either of them. They have money. So does my dad.[/s][/color] Tilting her head to the side, she leaned forward. Her dark brown eyes were cold with fury. "Are you insinuating that we aren't able to pay? Because my friend's foreign? Do you know how you sound? Like you have a stick...."[/color] Rebecca glanced at her friend and rolled her eyes good-naturedly before turning around just as angrily. "Like you have a stick where the sun don't shine."[/color] The red-head smirked at the restaurant owner. Her dad was a lawyer. Her mom helped him with a few of his clients. He'd learned quite a few things from her mom. Not as much as she had, but he was skilled enough to tell when someone was lying, and he was good enough of a lawyer to break them.

She'd also learned how to swear like a sailor from him. And how to fight.

She was about to growl out the warning when Ross leaned in close. Both of Rebecca's hands squeezed tightly. If she wasn't so focused on the snobby jerk in front of her, she might've apologized to Carlin about crushing his hand. Smiling sweetly, she purred in reply. "I'm glad that I'm not only good at Psych, then."[/color] She waited to see the confused expression on his face, then quickly turned and clocked Ross in the head with her free hand. He wasn't exactly expecting it - the idiot - and collapsed. Rebecca nodded, her own smug expression crossing her face. She nudged him in the shoulder with her slightly dusty sandals. Then, she looked up at Mr. Karnes with the most doe-eyed expression she could muster. "Your son just collapsed,"[/color] she chittered, her voice wavering just enough. She quickly turned to the lady who'd helped her before Mr. Karnes dragged her out.

"Sorry for probably making or ruining your night. You look absolutely lovely. You should probably kick your husband if he didn't mention that. You should be glad the wine didn't spill on your dress. I certainly am. Absolutely lovely."[/color] She flashed a look at Carlin that seemed to say 'See? I can be nice?'

Actually, tonight wasn't turning out as badly as she'd thought. Getting to finally punch someone was a relief. She'd been waiting for ages to actually find someone who deserved getting one of her hooks. She also couldn't wait to tell her dad. That'd be a fun conversation. Rebecca grinned widely for the first time since she'd seen Carlin.
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[Carlin Drave]

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Carlin caught the change in her face when he took her hand. He wasn't like Bevan--he couldn't read a person's thoughts through their eyes, or the hidden messages behind their words. But lucky for him, his best friend Rebecca was easy to read; and in that instant, the anger in her face had been exchanged for surprise. Surprise? Why should it be surprising for a friend to hold another friend's hand? That was normal, completely normal. Right? Well, he wouldn't be holding Lucas's hand anytime soon. He liked the guy, sure, but he wasn't about to...pick our curtains, or anything. He thought he had always been like this with Rebecca. Maybe not holding hands, but he always gave her a hug when he saw her at school and around town, and they were comfortable with each other.

Stop reading too far into this. You don't want her doing the same. He held her hand to calm her down, that was it. When he was alone in his dorm tonight, he could think about it. Now, he needed to focus, because things were quickly getting out of hand.

Ross was proving himself to be quite the jerk. At first Carlin had taken pity on him, because they didn't know his story or the cause behind his rudeness to the pair of them. It was just like the douches in high school: picking on him because he was small and different, and they were insecure and their lives were so boring they had to go ruin someone else's. He smiled grimly. How many times had he told himself that during high school? But this wasn't high school anymore, they didn't have teachers to end their fights for them. If things got worse, he wouldn't be taken to detention; they could easily be taken to the police station.

Rebecca had smiled at him when he said her name, but it did nothing to unclench the fist she was making with her other hand. Ross wasn't getting any better, and he easily manipulated his father. But Carlin had to think positive. Maybe Ross's mother left the family when he was little, or his parents are simply divorced. There has to be a reason for his rudeness; there is no such thing as simply a bad person.

"I would wager that the English boy doesn't even have any money.." Now that was hurtful. He did, indeed, have money; maybe not as much as Ross's dad paid him for being rude to visitors, but he did have money to pay for this meal, if only they would let them sit down! What was the idiotic man saying? Ignorant American.

But he didn't say that. Instead, he opened his mouth, ready to apologize again--but Rebecca beat him to it. She snapped at Ross--"Like you have a stick where the sun don't shine"--and Carlin grimaced at the visual image. He could see the manager get even angrier at her insult to his son, and what he had been praying not to happened, happened: "...It would be best if the two of you left..."

Ross was beside them now, and his presence was rather disgusting. He was overweight and sweaty, for one thing, and Carlin could feel his smelly breath over his head as he whispered something to Rebecca. Oh Lord, no. He knew that was it -- Rude Ross had just sent his friend over the edge.

Rebecca kept her cool, and for a moment Carlin hoped that she was going to let it pass. He was wrong: the next thing he knew, Ross was on the ground, and the women around them yelped in surprise. Carlin was just as shocked; he could feel his mouth drop open.

She looked to Carlin for approval of her kindness, but it took him a moment before his wide green eyes stopped staring at Ross's large figure on the floor. When he finally gained some thought back, he knew there was only one thing to do: get out of there as fast as possible. "Becca, it probably really is best if we excuse ourselves now...” Carlin took her hand again and began pulling her to the restaurant door.

Ross sat up slowly, people crowded around him. Carlin could hear Mr. Karnes yelling at them from behind: "Yeah, you two better get out of here! Before I call the cops and press charges!"

Carlin urged Rebecca to move faster.[/height]

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[Rebecca Ollymi]

[height]Carlin looked slightly disappointed in her.

That made her just a little guilty. Ross was rather fat. Getting punched in the head by her probably wasn't increasing his chances of getting a date. They said you had to be either smart or ugly, and Ross was hideous. The red-head glanced at the boy on the floor. Should she tell him that? It'd be quite pleasing, actually. It'd definitely assuage the guilt she was feeling for ruining Carlin's night. At least he hadn't paid for anything yet. Had he?

She was sure that even Carlin would be annoyed if he lost money like this.

Well, if he had, then Ross definitely deserved the dig. Ignoring her friend's words and incessant tugging on her arm, Rebecca crooned, "Y'know, Mr. Karnes, I almost feel guilty. Your son definitely needs a date, and because he's so... unappetizing - is that a good word, Carlin - he definitely needs all the brain cells he has. Probably still doesn't have enough, though."

[/color] The red-head flashed a brilliant smile, turning deaf ears on the manager's next words. Sure. Go ahead and call the cops. I'm sure you'll be delighted to find I have a lawyer as a father.[/color] She yawned smugly and allowed Carlin to drag her out of the restaurant. Waving cheerily, she turned her back on the manager. Which would probably please Carlin because her friend was obviously trying to get her out of there. That was actually a good idea, considering she'd just been creepily nice to a rich customer and knocked out a manger's son.

Rebecca glanced at Carlin's touseled head of dark brown hair. She enjoyed being taller than someone - even if it wasn't by much. Lucas was practically a giant, and she wasn't exactly tall, either. Taking in a deep breath, Rebecca tried to get rid of the happy, floating feeling she was getting and attempt to look guilty. "Sorry I ruined your dinner. We should stop for ice cream somewhere to make it up. Or just go to the diner and pick something up. I'll even pay. Or better yet, I can get my dad to make Ross pay!"[/color] Rebecca hated just chatting like this, but she'd do anything to distract Carlin from the fact that they'd probably just committed a crime.
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