Mason slapped a dish towel against the counter, singing along to some popular song on the radio, of which Ally did not know.  Her music taste is rather broad, but the Top 40 is not amongst it.  She laughed along and helped clean up the kitchen. 

Mrs. Berger walked in and shook her head at the two of them.  "Only you two willingly stay to clean up with a smile on your faces, and spend all of your free time here."  She laughed, happy to have two hardworking workers in her midst.  Burger Café is a family business, and the shop has been handed down to Mrs. Berger's husband for three generations now.  Still a rather new restaurant, Mrs. Berger is always happy to report to the curious that the restaurant is still running strong, thanks to workers like Ally and Mason.

"You know that my husband and I fully trust you two, right?" she asked.  Mason and Ally nodded slowly, a smile still held across their faces.  "Well, I come to you with this trust in mind and a very serious issue at hand."

"Anything we can do to help!" Ally responded brightly.

"Good, well, as you know, Courtney is never really here.  Personally, I like the girl and have no wish to fire her, but on the other hand, my husband wants to see her gone immediately.  So, I was hoping for your opinions."  She took a seat at the large silver metal table, her face filled with curiosity.

Mason nodded.  "She is never here, like you said, so it is not fair for her co-workers.  We always have to pick up on her slack, and it's especially hard when it's busy in here.  I mean, we always get the job done, but it could be a lot less stressful had she been there."

"Yeah, I think to create an even more comfortable work environment here, having Courtney leave us would be for the best.  Now, I like Courtney, too.  She is fun to talk to, always looks her best, and has a positive attitude.  However, her absence is counting against her right now," Ally responded, trying to sound as critically fair as possible.

Mrs. Berger considered their words with a slight nod of her head.  "Thank you," she said simply.  After a moment's pause, she looked at the two and gave them a warm smile.  "Why don't you two head out, then?  I'll finish up here myself.  You two have given me lots to think about."

"Are you sure?" Ally asked, cocking her head to the side.

Mrs. Berger nodded.  "Absolutely, I'll see you tomorrow!"

Ally and Mason walked away sharing a smile.  When they reached the parking lot, Mason made a bee-line towards his car, and Ally did the same.  "Shall we meet some place, or are you going to meet up with Mr. Emo?" he asked.

"Not funny."  Ally heaved a sigh, unlocking her car and throwing her bag on the passenger seat. She stood back up and looked over at Mason. "So, where should we go?"

******************************************

Ally pulled up in the parking lot and saw Mason already standing there, playing with the threads on his jacket.  She shut off the engine and gave him a playful smile as she walked out of the car.  "Alright, fine, since you got here first, you get to pay the bill," she challenged him.

He threw his head back with a smile cherishing his face.  "What, did your parents borrow some money again?"

"Three hundred dollars," Ally mumbled in a cursed tongue.

"For what?" he asked quizzically.

"Who knows." Ally sighed.

"Trust me, they do," Mason responded with a quick smile.

Ally let out a tiny laugh and pushed open the doors of Lola, a rather fancy restaurant, but their tiramisu is to die for. The lady at the front gave her a gentle smile full of crimson. "Hello darling, how many tonight?"

"Just the two of us," Ally confirmed. The lady grabbed two menus and headed them over to a booth with a fancy chandelier hanging above them. Word on the street is that it took about seven million dollars just to decorate the restaurant, which seems like such a lie until it is actually seen. The place looks spectacular and is decorated in only the finest of furniture and materials. Exactly how the restaurant has avoided being robbed is a true mystery.

Mason and Ally sat themselves across from each other, discussing tales from work and the annoying customers that they encounter. The waitress showed up with two waters. "Are you ready to order?"

"Two slices of tiramisu, please," Mason ordered. The waitress walked away and they continued chattering away, their voices echoing against the beads of the chandelier.

"That guy was really frightening," Mason noted.

"The punk looking one?" Ally asked. Mason nodded in confirmation and she let out a tiny laugh. "A bit, but he was nothing that I could not handle, thank you."

"I know that you could handle him, you're strong. I just wanted him out of there," Mason admitted. He seemed distressed by the kid, but made no motion to explain why. With the slow shrug of his shoulders, he quickly changed the topic. "I just hope Mrs. Berger decides to fire Courtney."

"Yeah, me too," Ally agreed. Their dessert arrived to the table and they ate it with puns flying out of them. Summertime is a beautiful time for gathering with friends and enjoying the relaxing time to just talk, and it was no exception for Ally.

"So tomorrow Joy and I are going over to Ferris Island for a little while before work. I would invite you, but I know your shift is then," she told him with a small pout.

He nodded understandingly. "Some other time, definitely!"

They bid each other goodnight, exiting the restaurant with their spirits high. "I think our shifts overlap for a half hour, so I'll see you then!" Mason called out as he got into his car.

"Tomorrow, then!"

******************************************

The lines at Ferris Island were incredibly long today, which did not help the fact that it was unbearably hot outside. Ally groaned, while Joy just rolled her eyes at her. "You make things so miserable," she said bluntly to Ally.

"You would think that since it's so hot, it wouldn't be this crowded, but unfortunately, we are getting the best of both worlds here." Ally looked up to the sky and took three deep breaths, none of which actually helped her.

Joy slapped her denim thighs and shook her head. "Then, let's make things better! How is Mason?"

"We went out for tiramisu last night, it was great!" Ally beamed. "I mean, we spent most of the time just ranting about work. This one girl, Courtney, is probably going to get fired."

"Oh, you told me about her before! She's the one who is never there, right?"

Ally nodded. "Correct, and yesterday, I had the strangest incident with a customer. He looked like the prince of emo, but extremely terrifying. He kept hitting on me and it was so uncomfortable, but I also can't stop thinking about it."

"Why can't you?" Joy cringed her nose, trying to piece together the puzzle, though she ended up completely clueless.

"I don't know, it was just strange," Ally said, heaving a great sigh. If only she could figure out why she couldn't let go of her thoughts of him. It's not like she wanted to date him, but there was something so mysterious about him that lingered in her memory.

Their conversation faded, leaving the girls to their own thoughts. This happened often, but their friendship remained as strong as ever. Talking twenty-four seven does not guarantee a friendship for life. It is more about embracing the silence and still caring about each other.

After another five minutes of waiting in line for the one roller coaster, Ally gave Joy an annoyed look. "Fine," Joy said with a roll of her eyes. "Let's find something with a shorter line."

They pranced out of line in search of a cool ride that had a shortage of people waiting. Unfortunately, most of these rides happened to be kid rides. "I'm sorry for being such a buzzkill," Ally admitted whilst searching. "If I didn't have to go to work in a few hours, I wouldn't be so pressed for time."

"No, I understand," Joy said forgivingly. "You are such a grouch when it's hot out. I know that because we've been friends forever, and I've grown to accept it. No worries."

"But you're an amusement park freak, which I know because we've been friends since forever, too! I don't want to ruin the fun for you."

Joy stopped in her tracks and gave Ally the sweetest smile ever. "I'm just happy to have the opportunity to be here with you. Soon, we won't have the chance anymore. Plus, you work, so I know it's hard to schedule time."

"I always have time for you." Ally smiled and tossed her arm around her friend's shoulder.  They knocked heads with each other and laughed away as Ally noticed the line for the Silver Burger wasn't too long.  This roller coaster happened to be Joy's favorite because of how many twists, turns, and how high it is.  On the other hand, it gives Ally nausea.

"Turn around!" Ally pointed it out to Joy, whose eyes immediately tripled in size at the sight of it.

"Bingo!" The girls ran off into line, giggling over some random school gossip.

Joy flipped her flaming red hair over her shoulder. "Bruce needs to ask Emily out soon, or I'll do it for him," she dished.

Ally let out a tiny laugh. "Why?"

"Just because they would be so adorable together! Did you see the picture he posted of the two of them?" Joy asked, still wide-eyed.

"I wasn't aware that they even communicated," Ally admitted.

Joy took the initiative to pull up the picture on her phone. It featured a petite blonde girl with a red baseball cap, standing next to a tall, muscular guy with dark brown hair, who happened to have his arm around her. Just from a look at that photo, Ally immediately shipped it.

"That's adorable!" Ally squealed.

Joy nodded, cautiously throwing her phone back into her fanny pack. After all, she did not want to lose it on the coaster. "Speaking of people getting together, have you and Mason called it a date yet?"

"Come again?" Ally asked stunned, her face flushed.

"If you guys don't get together soon, I'm also going to work my magic, so either make your bed or lie in it." Joy snapped with a sneaky smile pasted on her face. Ally knew she was not kidding, neither.

"Mace and I are totally just friends," Ally confirmed.

"Yeah, and the Beatles are totally still playing concerts together," Joy replied, sarcastically.

"I don't like him like that." As Ally said these words, she tried to picture whether or not they were actually true or not. Sure, he was an amazing friend, but in her heart, she could not tell whether or not their relationship was strong enough to bear anymore.

Joy laughed. "Yeah, okay."

It was then that a group of boys showed up behind them in line. They nodded to the girls, Ally trying to quickly cool down her cheeks. The one boy was tall and had dark-blonde hair with a pair of dreamy eyes. He was definitely football team captain worthy, but there was also something about him that did not say 'player'. Her heart melted in a thousand ways.

Noticing her stare, he gave her a quick nod. "Hi."

Ally shook her head out of embarrassment. "Hi, I'm Ally."

"Josh Kahn," he said, extending his hand to shake hers. As their hands met, Ally felt sparks beginning to fly, so she quickly pulled away. She wondered if he felt how sweaty and shaky her hands were when he touched it.

"Good to meet you," she responded breathlessly. Pull yourself together, she scolded herself. You're not some lame schoolgirl who gets all choked up over a guy!

"I'm Joy," her friend introduced herself to the group of five. They seemed like skater-punks, but also well dressed and mannered football players. Ally could not quite place their status, but she knew that she wanted to get to know them.

The other four introduced themselves as Matt, Devon, Tyler, and Garrett. Neither of them said much, but kind of smiled and nodded in each other's presence.

The worker announced, "And now you may enter the ride!" The girls squealed in excitement, sitting closer to the front, while the boys followed in the seats behind them. The usual ride procedure and monologue went on, and the ride began.

The jerks, the rush, the anticipation. Ally's heart beated as they vesseled up and down the hills. The ride ended quicker than it had begun, but the wait was worth it.

As they got off the ride, Josh nudged Ally. "Can we buy you some milkshakes, or something?"

The girls exchanged sneaky glances. "Sounds great!"

******************************************

As they sat at the picnic bench tables, sucking down their milkshakes, there was no feeling of awkwardness or silence lingering among them. It seemed as they all wanted to know every little detail about one another.

"How old are you?" Joy asked, removing the lid of her shake. She peered into the contents of the cup and stirred it around with her straw.

"We are all seventeen, save for Tyler. He's eighteen," Matt announced.

Tyler hooted with laughter. "Indeed, I am their elder. They all bow down and worship me."

"In your dreams," Garrett snorted.

"Indeed, you do," Tyler responded, humming in a meditating way.

Josh put his head to forehead, trying to hide the shame of such weird friends. Then again, he knew he would never trade them for the world. "What about you two?"

"Both seventeen, as well!" Ally responded. Perhaps she stood a chance with Mr. Dreamy. "Do you guys play any sports, or anything?"

"Football," Josh answered, immediately. Called it, Ally smirked to herself.

"Football," Matt said, staring down at his cup.

Tyler pretended like he had long flowing hair and flipped it over his shoulder. Emulating the voice of a valley girl, he said, "So like, I'm like kind of, like, into this thing called, like, lacrosse. Like, you know?"

They all busted out into laughter. Apparently maturity does not come with age.

"Musical theatre," Devon announced proudly.

"I'm an activist for gay rights at school," Matt announced. "We have a club, but it's turning into more of a committee. We step up several events throughout the year to help lessen the fear and make people more accepting."

"And it works!" Josh confirmed, obviously proud of his friend. "Everyone has become way more accepting of the LGBT community since the formation. You know, Matt started it all himself, too! It started as just an idea in his head and it has helped changed the idea in so many others' heads."

"There are still some prejudice people." Matt sighed.

"Buddy, you've come so far! You'll get around to them!" Devon nodded, completely believing in his words. The support that they showed for each other was so precious, and Ally knew they were a good group.

"Ally, we have to go," Joy said abruptly.

Ally's mouth turned into a pout. "Okay. Sorry guys, it's time for us to depart into the land of sparkles and magical unicorns."

"You're so weird," Tyler said with a laugh.

"Yeah, she's the weird one," Josh said sarcastically. He stood up and faced Ally. "Can we exchange numbers? This was fun and we should try to make this happen again."

"We still have a full summer ahead of us! I'm sure we could work something," Ally said, excitement rising in her chest. They exchanged numbers and bidded farewell.

As they got into Joy's car, Ally's phone lit up with a call from Mason. "Hey, everything okay?" she answered.

"Yeah, but you'll never believe!" he exclaimed on the other end. "The 'Help Wanted' sign was just put up!"

*******************************************

Author's Note:

Hope that you enjoyed this second chapter!  What are your thoughts so far?

Question of the chapter: Burgers or pizza?

My answer: (pineapple) pizza!!

Lots of love,

Ali xoxo