I got writer's block while working on "Playstore" and decided to switch gears for a bit. This is another slow burn. Let me know what you think.
Chapter 1: "You were the last good thing about this part of town"
(from Grand Theft Autumn by Fall Out Boy)
*****
Caleb saw smoke fuming out the hood of his Jeep as he pulled off to the side of the road. He crashed his hands into the steering wheel, feeling the cold leather against his palms. Muttering a few "fucks", he looked over to see his phone nearly dead- a habit he wished he'd broken. He could hear his mother's voice now, dripping condescension and hitting him with nags like "Make sure your phone is always charged", "I told you to take the main streets when driving around town" and the one that really stung just now, "It's your car, so it's your job to take care of it". Still, he never listened, instead thinking about how rich it was that his mother tried to parent him when she and his father were only home half the time.
He turned off the car, seeing the smoke die down. After a few minutes of self-deprecation, the heat in his car won and he stepped out, walking aimlessly down an empty street of a part of town he wasn't familiar with. "At least it's not raining", he said to himself as he locked the doors and fumbled with the keys in the pockets of his dark jeans.
He stumbled upon a diner straight out of the fifties, with candy apple red booths and a checkerboard floor that seemed to move as Buddy Holly played in the background. The place was nearly empty, so he found a lonely corner booth where he was able to see his car out the window, and hopefully drown his sorrows in french fries and a chocolate malt.
"Hey Holt, there's a customer!" yelled a voice from the kitchen, nearly drowned out by the sizzling of a burger on the flat top.
Caleb heard footsteps from behind as another voice approached him, "Hey, sorry man. What can I get for you?" A tall brunette came into view with eyes focused on the notepad in front of him, still scribbling out orders from the other table.
Caleb did a double take, "You look familiar" He tried to move his eyes around and match the still concealed face with the one he remembered. "It's Willy right?"
The server put down the notepad, seemingly jolted awake at hearing that name. He looked over at the stranger, trying to place him among those who would have known him by that name. A few seconds had passed before it finally clicked. "Wait, Caleb? Caleb Torres?" He asked, looking down at the tan boy with a smile as white as the vanilla ice cream he'd been scooping all afternoon. Liam smiled as the boy nodded, admittedly for the first time that entire day, "Jesus it's been so long."
Caleb beamed too, finally recognizing someone in this town that wasn't washed away from his memory. Even through the extra few feet of height and tired look the older boy wore so well, he could still make out that baby face from when they were on the edge of being teenagers. Willy Holt was probably the only thing he knew he'd miss when his parents packed up and decided to move East. And the way the other boy looked back, only told him that maybe the feeling was mutual.
"It's been what, almost seven years? How the hell have you been, Willy?"
"I actually go by Liam these days", the brunette replied, almost embarrassed that he had to correct him. Caleb furred his brows, puzzled at the switch. Liam made sure to soften his tone, reminding himself that unlike the rest of the neighborhood that couldn't be bothered to change, Caleb was clueless about the whole thing.
He took a breath, "My Dad's also named William, and everyone calls him Willy. And so I kinda wanted to be my own person, hence Liam." He averted Caleb's gaze, preparing himself for the signature laugh that came from someone who wouldn't understand. "It's stupid, I know. I just prefer it that way." The boy stopped himself from saying much more. Regardless of how nice Caleb was, there wasn't a need to spill everything on the table.
Caleb nodded, "I get it. Trust me, I'm kinda the poster child of not wanting to be my dad's shadow." Liam finally looked at him with- a pair of blue eyes making contact with hazels, as if playing a game of chicken to see who would confess their secrets first. Both surrendered, not pushing the other and instead letting the information shared so far, be enough.
The moment was killed by the ringing of a bell coming from the counter. Liam looked over to see two burgers letting off steam. Caleb added, "Sorry for distracting you, if you have to go back to work that's cool" He eased into the red fabric, "I'm just gonna chill here for a while anyways."
Liam checked the time, seeing the shorthand at ten after three. "My shift actually ended a few minutes ago. I just need to serve those plates over there."
"Oh cool." Caleb said, sounding almost disappointed. "Say do you wanna, have lunch with me? I mean unless you have to run off somewhere. It'd be cool to catch up."
Liam smiled once more, setting a new record for the day. "Sure, that sounds good. I'll go grab us some food. Anything in particular?"
Caleb took a look at the counter, reading his way through the retro font, "Chocolate malt, extra cherries?"
A soft chuckle escaped Liam's mouth, "Coming right up, man."
***
Liam came back about ten minutes later with three plates of food balanced on his forearm with his right hand holding onto two milkshakes filled to the glass brim. Chicken wings, a large platter of fries, and some onion rings set off so much steam, that the edges of their milkshakes began to sweat condensation. He set them down carefully and took his place across Caleb.
"I know I eat a lot, but this is kinda much" Caleb said as he took one of the cherries in his mouth.
Liam rolled his eyes and pointed towards the old man working the register, "I've worked for Sal for years and he's always shoving food in my face, telling me I need to eat more." He picked up a french fry that burned his mouth as he chewed, "He's worse than my mom sometimes."
Caleb laughed, looking over at the muscular boy across him. Liam was filling out that black and white striped polo almost to the point of needing the next size up, leaving Caleb wondering how he'd managed to stay so fit while being surrounded by ice cream and onion rings. "I'm guessing you don't eat like this all the time."
"Nope, most days I just go for one of their house salads or like some chicken", Liam replied, lying through his teeth. Truth was, he didn't want to feel like he was taking advantage of the guy, so he rarely ate here. Sal had given him a job long before it was legal for a kid of his age to work. And in those days, he willingly ate up whatever Sal put in front of him which meant it was one less meal his mom had to worry about later. These days, with a lot more pride and some extra cash in his pocket, Liam didn't want to milk Sal for anything more than compensation for an honest day's work. Most shifts, Liam would run across to the convenience store nearby and get something decent to eat. Yet today, upon hearing that he'd actually be eating here, and with a friend nonetheless, Sal pulled out all the stops.
