Page 88 of Spark

“Ew,” Mia said, noticing blood on the hallway carpet, most likely from Oliver’s nose. “I’ll clean it later.” She waved her hand, and they went down the stairs. Mikey asked to drive; he wanted a turn behind the wheel and said they should go in order of age.

“Of course,” Matty muttered begrudgingly, sliding into the back again.

Mia slid in next to him, letting Melvin have the front. She directed him to the diner; the Bird’s Eye neon sign was easy to miss unless you were close. She looked around the lot, and Mac’s car was noticeably absent. He was scheduled to work; she still had the picture of the week’s schedule on her phone even though her shifts weren’t hers anymore. Pushing open the door, accompanied by a bell chiming, Mia stepped into what used to be her second home.

Flory’s face lit up upon seeing her, rushing around the counter to give her a hug with the coffee pot still in hand. “Oh, girl! You’re gonna give me a heart attack bringing all these handsome young men in!”

Mia laughed, introducing her brothers one at a time.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” Matty said, shaking her hand last.

“Pleasure is all mine.” Flory winked.

Mia rolled her eyes, moving to her favorite booth. “So, the menu is typical diner fare. But the onion rings and chili cheese fries are to die for.”

“Sounds good, bug.” Matty was happy to eat anything greasy and fried. “Just order some stuff, and we can graze.”

“Yeah.” Mikey placed his menu on top of Matty’s. “You know what we should have.”

“Well…” Melvin said, eyes still grazing the menu. “I want a milkshake, at least.” The other boys shook their heads.

“Can do, guys,” Mia chuckled as they waited for Amy to come over. The girl walked out of the back, her face tired and sad. As they caught each other’s eyes, she gave her a sad smile.

“Hey, I’ll be right back.” Mia pushed out of the booth and walked towards Amy, reaching out to wrap her in a hug. She fell into Mia’s arms, little sobs coming from her. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“It’s Mac,” Amy started. “He won’t answer my calls and hasn’t come to work in days. I feel him pulling away, and I don’t know why.” She rested her face on Mia’s shoulder, crying.

Mia shushed her gently, patting her back as David came out from the back. She caught his narrowing stare. “What are you doing here?” he sneered, hands on his hips.

Amy pulled away and scurried off to another table.

“David, nice to see you, too.”

“I fired you,” His voice was louder than it needed to be. “There’s no reason for you to come back begging for a job.”

“I’m not.” Her brothers audibly shifted behind her; they were listening in. “I’m here to eat and see my friends.”

“Not in my diner. Get out!” David yelled, pointing at the door.

Mia heard the shuffling of feet as her brothers came to stand behind her, and David’s eyes went wide as they dwarfed him. “These are my brothers.”

“Nice to meet you, David.” Melvin’s voice was a boom in her ear. “Our sister here has said such wonderful things about you.”

“That… that’s… uh,” her former manager fumbled, his feet carrying him back to the little office in the back. “…nice.” He turned and ran back.

Mia chuckled as the four of them moved back to the table. Amy’s comments about Mac still tugged on her mind.

The teen came over, eyes cleaned up and a smile on her face, but it wasn’t genuine. “Hi guys,” Amy greeted, doing her best to sound peppy. “What can I get you?”

Mia ordered for them all, getting shakes of varying flavors as well, and Amy nodded and headed off to put the ticket in. Mia excused herself again.

“Where you off to now, bug?” Mikey asked, hands folded on the table in front of him.

“I just want to call Aurelio real quick. I just want to say hi.” She wanted to be as honest as possible, and there was a strong possibility he wouldn’t answer since the job was close to starting.

Her brothers sighed, rolling their eyes. Matty slapped his hand on his forehead and pretended to swoon, leaning on Melvin. “Aurelio? Like the Aurelio Borealis?” Melvin shoved him off, and he laughed hard as he waggled his brows at the other two.

Mia turned to stalk away. “That was funny, come on?!” her brother called as she walked out the door. Amy walked past her on the other side of the counter; food was piled high on a tray, and Mia’s belly grumbled at the sight. She sighed and pushed out the door. The call had to happen first.

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