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Sharon sat comfortably between her parents in the waiting area of one restaurant. Her mother was on her left, scanning through the menu. Sharon looked to her right and noted that her stepfather was looking a little tired. "Are you okay?"
The man blinked his eyes open and smiled in her direction. "Of course, honey. It was just a long day at work."
She frowned a little. "Still settling in, huh?"
He shrugged slightly. "A little bit, yeah. But it's nothing to worry your pretty little mind over," he added. He glanced down at his watch. "Is my watch running a little fast? Mine says it's almost six and we're still here waiting."
"Well, I did tell you that Damon had practice until five. They might be running a little behind." Even as she was saying those words, however, she spotted a hand waving in her direction some distance away. Sharon broke out into a smile and motioned for her parents to stand up and wait for Damon and his family to come closer.
"Well they certainly look nice," Sharon's mom said into her daughter's ear before the other family got within hearing range.
"Mom," she smiled. "Would I have even asked if this was okay if I didn't think they would be nice?" Then she turned back towards Damon's approaching family.
"Sharon, it's wonderful being able to put a face to your voice. Mr. and Mrs. Werner. How nice to finally meet you! How are you?" Damon's mother immediately embraced each of them in turn, to the surprise of Sharon's family.
"We're doing all right, thank you. And how are you, Mrs. Cardinet?"
"I'm doing wonderful, and please, just call me Maggie. There's no need for formalities here."
"All right, Maggie. I'm Donna, and this is my husband Taylor."
"It's nice to meet you." Next, Maggie turned to her children. "Well, as you may have already guessed, this is Damon. Next to him is Caleb, and the little one is Rosaline," she said, pointing to the little girl in Damon's arms, who shyly peeked at Sharon and her family and smiled a little bit before burying her face back in her older brother's neck.
"Forgive her," Damon said, smiling as he extended a hand to Sharon's parents. "She's a little shy on first encounters but she'll open up as soon we get her comfortable and fed."
"Yeah. It helps that this is one of her favorite places to eat," Caleb added.
Ros lifted her head just quick enough to stick her tongue out.
"Well then, shall we eat? I believe the food is just waiting for us," Maggie announced as she led the way inside. Immediately, they were seated, and a couple minutes of silence descended upon the group as they all looked through the menus for something to eat.
A little bit later, Sharon was still undecided. "What are you getting?" she asked Damon.
He looked up and pointed to an item in her menu. "This. The best place to get that is here, too, so I always get it when we come here."
She wrinkled her nose. "It says that it's spicy though."
"Weak."
"I'd prefer sensitive."
"Well, I can give you a little bit so you can try it. The sauce really isn't that hot."
"Maybe… I guess I'll just go for the broccoli chicken then."
"Good choice," Damon's mom replied. "That's what my husband usually gets when he comes here."
"Where is he, by the way," Sharon's mother asked.
"Lawrence actually got stuck at work. He's helping on some big project these days and has been pulling overtime everyday these past couple of weeks. He really did want to come tonight though and meet with you, but they asked him to stay again."
"Oh, that's all right, Maggie," Sharon's stepfather replied. "I'm sure we can meet up again sometime when it's more convenient."
"Of course. We'll have to do this again sometime. In the meantime, however, how are you guys? Are you all getting settled in? Do you need anything? Can we help you with anything?"
Donna smiled. "It's only been about a couple of weeks, yes, but I think we're settling in just fine. As for help though, do you know where I can get the best …"
With that, the adults got into a light conversation about the best places to shop or where to go for recreation, stopping only for a little bit to give their orders. Ros and Caleb were preoccupied with a stuffed animal Ros had brought along with her, leaving Damon and Sharon to talk.
"So how was practice today, Damon?"
He shrugged. "Same old, same old. Warmed up, practiced a few drills, played a quick mock game, and then went home to get un-stinky, as Ros would put it," he smiled. "How was your afternoon?"
"Same old, same old. Went home, unloaded my backpack, relaxed for a little bit before doing some homework, and then got ready to come here."
"Well you sure lead a boring life, don't you?"
"It beats getting pushed around and beat up by guys probably more than twice my size."
"Ouch!"
"Literally," she winked.
He groaned. "Ooh, bad joke, Sharon."
"And yet you're smiling. It couldn't have been all that bad, unless you're one for corny jokes like that."
"Guilty as charged, but only some of the time. And please, don't let anyone else know. That's supposed to be a secret," he winked.
She nodded and tried to keep a straight face. "I will do my best."
Damon turned to his left when he felt a tug on his sleeve. "Yes, Ros?"
"Can you give Doggie a kiss? He's not feeling too well."
"Not feeling too well? Let me see him. Maybe I can find out what's wrong with him."
"No, Damon! He's just sad because Caleb just poked him in the tummy. He wants a kiss."
"All right, a kiss it is then," he said, and he bent down to kiss the stuffed dog on the nose. "All better?"
"All better! Look! He's smiling at you and thanking you."
"You're very welcome, Doggie, and wait, what was that?" He brought the dog to his ear and pretended to listen to something it was saying. "Yes, I know Ros is a good mommy for you. She loves you very much."
"No, Damon!" Ros whined. "Doggie doesn't talk! See? His mouth is shut!"
"Forgive me, Ros," he smiled. "I forgot that Doggie doesn't talk, but I could have sworn he said something along those lines to me. Can he whisper?"
"Are you blind? His mouth is shut!"
"All right, all right," he laughed. "I was just imagining things then."
"Duh!"
And with that, Ros turned away from her eldest brother and began playing with Caleb again. Damon, in turn, looked over to Sharon, who was looking right back at him and holding back a laugh. "What?"
"Duh! Couldn't you see his mouth was shut?"
He tried to come up with a smart remark to throw back at her but the waiter chose that moment to arrive with their food. He waited until after the waiter had gone before shaking his head and saying, "Just wait, Sharon. I'll get you back for that one."
She looked up at him with innocence plastered on her face. "Get me back for what? I was 'only' pointing out the obvious."
In reply, he just rolled his eyes and turned to his food.
"So, Sharon," Damon's mother started. "What do you think about the high school so far?"
"So far, so good, Mrs. Cardinet. Everyone has been really nice and welcoming, and the classes aren't too bad. Of course, we're still really early in the semester, so my opinion may change once finals hit, but for right now, I'm liking it."
"That's good to hear. How does it compare with your last high school?"
At this, Damon's ears perked up. He had yet to have brought up anything to do with her past, waiting until she had settled in some more before bringing the subject up. Sharon's own parents listened for what their daughter had to say, and only they could hear the slight hesitance with which Sharon answered. "Frankly, it's quite a bit different. My last high school was really big. I think we had maybe six or seven hundred students per class? The campus was huge, too, because it was all one-story. As a freshman, I remembered being a little intimidated to be in such a school where it was harder to get to know a lot of the other students or the teachers, but I grew used to it. It was a little bit of a shock then when I saw exactly how small this high school was in comparison, and the fact that the teachers are on a name basis with their students."
"But you're liking it so far?"
"Yes, definitely. It was weird at first because it was so different, but I'm really liking it. It just helps to have people helping me settle in," she added, looking in Damon's direction.
"Good, good. It's nice to know that the high school hasn't changed and lowered its standards over the years. It's even better to hear that Damon's being a good boy and minding his manners."
"Mom!" he whined, causing everyone at the table to laugh.
"So, Damon, I hear you're on the football team. Is that right?" Sharon's stepfather questioned.
"That's right, Mr. Werner."
"What position do you play?"
"Quarterback, sir."
"Quarterback, huh? I remember when I used to play football in high school…"
"Dad!" Sharon whined, trying to keep him from starting what was sure to be a long-winded story. He paid her no mind, however, and kept on going, finishing that story and then relating a few more over the rest of dinner.
Somewhere in that time, Damon leaned over to Sharon. "Gee, Sharon. I didn't know your dad was quite the talker. I wouldn't have expected someone like him to have helped raise you, considering how quiet and withdrawn you usually are."
She smirked and punched him lightly on the arm in return for the jest. "You have a lot to learn, I see. Just you wait, Damon. Once I'm ready, you won't ever be able to stop me."
"Ready for what?"
"Ready to kick your butt, that's what."
"Oh really? And when will that be?"
She winked. "Sooner than you think."
"Right," he chuckled, all the while recognizing the fact that he was becoming evermore intrigued with the girl sitting next to him at the table.