Dylan is clearly uncomfortable and I raise my eyebrow in amusement. "Yeah, it's been a while, Esme." Her eyes trace over me. "And you brought a girl with you. That's new." There's apparent history and it's funny to watch Dylan's reaction to her. "Sure is. Uh, I'll just have a water. What about you, Lace?" "A water is fine also," I tell her. I give Dylan an amused look. "You're into pink streaks?" He shifts in his seat. "She didn't have those when we hooked up. It was one time and I thought they fired her after they caught us in the parking lot." That's a lot to take in. "The parking lot? Really Dylan?" "My summer was interesting, to say the least," he says, rubbing a hand over his face. "Was this before or after you met Kay?" His face changes. "I don't want to talk about Kay. Anyway, Anthony must've caught something because he's been sick all weekend." I don't mind Dylan changing the subject and I try not to laugh about Anthony. "My poor date." "You're lucky I was there to step in," he winks at me. "I guess I was." I wondered all weekend what drove Dylan to the dance. Maybe Anthony did convince him to go, but why? Just to have more friends along? Dylan picks up his menu and glances over it. The way he reads over the menu reminds me of Jacob. For a second I see Jacob's face in place of Dylan's and it feels like old times. "I'm afraid to order anything. Esme might spit in my food," Dylan says, interrupting my thoughts. "Great," I say, trying to shake Jacob from my mind. "I think I'll take your advice and try the cheese fries." Esme comes back with our drinks and sets them in front of us. Dylan and I both order the cheese fries and once she finishes writing the order down, she goes off without a word. "Is this your luck with most girls?" I ask, feeling genuinely curious. I've never seen him with a girl around school, yet when people talk about him they talk about how much of a player he is. "That's a conversation for another day," he laughs before looking out the window next to us. My conversation with Casey reels in my mind about Kay and her brother Xavier. "Do you know Xavier? Kay's brother?" His head whips back towards me. "How do you know his name?" "Casey knows him and Kay." I want to say more about her history with Xavier, but I figure it isn't my business to share. "Oh yeah," he frowns, seemingly thinking hard about something. Dylan's mind appears to be working hard every time I see him. I don't know what thoughts are swirling around in there and that only makes me more curious about what they could be. Esme brings our cheese fries out and they're on a plate larger than I expected. Dylan laughs when he sees my reaction to the plate. "I probably should've warned you," he says. It isn't going to be impossible to eat. "I can take it," I say, mostly to myself. I pick up a fry drenched in cheese and bite down on it. I almost moan, but I catch myself. "Good choice," I tell Dylan. It's nearly impossible to eat without getting the cheese everywhere. I end up with cheese on my arms and I almost feel embarrassed for being so messy until I see Dylan with cheese on his eyebrow. I can't help but laugh and point at him. "What?" he asks. "You have—" I can't even finish without cracking up. I only motion to his eyebrow and he touches it slowly. When he sees the cheese on his finger, he grabs a napkin and starts wiping furiously. "These damn things are messy as hell," he says, tossing his napkin off to the side. There's cheese on his cheek now and I cover my mouth to stop myself from laughing. "You still have some." He tries to act mad, but he smiles when I laugh. "Shut up and help me," he says, handing me a clean napkin. I lean over the table and wipe off the cheese from his face. It's strange to touch Dylan and be so close to him. He's staring at me strangely and I quickly finish and sit back in the booth. "You're cheese free," I tell him, feeling butterflies in my stomach. It's a familiar feeling. Jacob and I had a handful of moments where we found ourselves laughing until our stomachs started to hurt. It's odd experiencing it with Dylan. His plate is a little emptier than mine when I start to feel full. I slow down and Dylan notice. "Quitting already?" he asks. "I don't think my stomach is as big as yours." He's laughing, but then he stops suddenly. His eyes focus on something behind me. "Oh, fuck." He wipes his hands with a napkin and before I can turn to see what he's looking at a voice is already speaking. "What the hell, Parker? You running around behind my sister's back?" Standing next to our table is a tall guy with arms bigger than my head. His large build only seems larger when he crosses his arms. His black hair is gelled up and his eyes are so dark they could been black too. "You've got it all wrong, Xavier," Dylan holds his hands up in defense. "Your sister and I ended things and I'm just here with a friend." This is the infamous Xavier. I study him as he's talking to Dylan. I can see why Casey would like him. Xavier meets my eyes and his eyes narrow at me. "Do I know you?" His tone isn't threatening, but I feel intimidated. "Not me, but I think you know my best friend." "Who's that?" "Casey...she said you guys used to be neighbors," I say hesitantly. I'm not sure how much I should say. Casey said they haven't talked after having a big argument, so maybe it's a bad idea to bring her up.