"Oh no, there's that face again."

I look up at Paris and she hands me a half-empty jar of Parmesan Cheese. "Can you open this for me? It's hard to do with the bandage on."

I take the jar from her and give it a simple twist before handing it back. I told Mr. Brock that I would help with the side work before heading home especially knowing that Paris would have to do it and her hand is hurt.

"I was just wondering how I could possibly screw up the situation with Brynn more and somehow I manage to find new ways."

Paris fills the container trying to take care not to spill any. "If you ask me I think she should be doing some of the making up in this situation."

"Brynn?" I asked surprised, "Why would you say that?"

"You tell the girl you love her, and she shows up at your work with another guy, two days later." Paris scoffs. "Do I really need to explain this to you?" She hands me another jar, I just push several towards her that I already opened to make this go a little faster.

"Oh, thanks!" she smiles brightly at me.

"Adam and Brynn are just friends, besides she had no idea I'd be working here today."

Paris actually snorts that this statement.

"What?! They are or at least that's what she keeps telling me. Actually, no Brynn actually says their not friends but sort of look out for one another, whatever that means." I start screwing on the caps of the jars Paris has filled and stacking them up on a tray to be taken back to their tables.

Paris is staring at me in that puzzling way she has. "Hmmm, so she feels responsible for him for reasons unknown and he is head of heels in love with her."

My shoulders slump and Paris laughs. "It's that obvious to you too?"

"Oh yeah, I think if he could kill you with a look you would have died about seven times this evening alone. Can't imagine what school must be like? That boy's got issues."

I sigh.

"And the worse part is you seem to be giving him exactly what he wants."

My head shoots up. "What do you mean?"

"Well, it's obvious he wants to make you mad, throw you off your game, get in your head... come on you're a basketball player best way to get a guy to overshoot the ball or miss a free throw is to mess with his confidence."

She was right there. "Yeah, but Adam hasn't had anything to do with the screwups that I've made with Brynn. That's all me."

"Telling a girl you love you love her isn't a screwup, Finn."

I frown at her and she shakes her head at me, "And we're back to the face."

"Look, you are not a hard guy to figure out."

"Gee, thanks," I said with a wry smile.

"You're a good guy Finn. You're a see a need fill a need kind of person. You don't bury your feelings. They are right on the surface for anyone to see. Which is kinda nice as most people you've got no idea, what's going on in their head."

"So I'm a good guy, who's boring and make up my insecurities by overcompensating in being super helpful so everyone will like me."

"Wow! Way to put a super negative spin on my compliment."

"Just once, Paris. I want to be the guy who gets the girl."

"You've forgotten something."

"What?"

"You're Finn the Dash Nash! Wonderboy to the mere mortals of academia, and I know you've been avoiding mirrors lately but dude seriously you have to know you're good looking."

I blush slightly at her offhanded compliment and she picks up a menu and starts fanning her face. "Please stop, there's only so many near-death experiences a girl can handle in one day.

I laugh and she puts the menu down. " All I'm saying is getting the girl shouldn't be your problem."

"Yet, here I am without the girl."

Now it's Paris turn to frown. "Yeah, that part doesn't make much sense, unless the problem really isn't you."

"What do you mean?" I ask taking the now full cheese containers and adding them to the now cleaned empty booths.

"Sometimes us girls pull away because of other reasons. Something that may have everything to do with us and nothing to do with you."

"Well, how the hell do I fix that?"

"You can't. You just have to wait them out, stick around and hope they give you an opening to help them sort through the tangled mess they've made of things."

I plop back down in the booth. "She's leaving school on Friday."

"Damn!" Paris says pushing me back several pepper flake jars to close up. "Okay yeah, you're screwed."

"Thanks," I say as I twist the caps on.

"Come on, Finn. Friday is five days away. You gonna tell me you can't figure out a way to open the lines of communication in five," she holds out her hand with her fingers spread out, "whole days."

I sigh and push her hand out of my face and she laughs. I'm starting to think laughing at me is one of Paris' new favorite pastimes.

"She's afraid, Paris and I don't know of what? It seems a lot more than just a relationship issue. Maybe she's afraid that I'll walk away like everyone else in her life. I don't know but she's hurt and she's not willing to discuss it."

Paris bites her bottom lips. "Hmmm, Adam's figured it out."

"What?"

"Adam knows why? That's why he's so mad that she doesn't love him back. He's got the answer and you've got her heart. That's enough to drive a guy like that to the brink of destruction."

"Even if that's true, that doesn't mean he's going to tell me."

"Well duh. I was just saying you should keep a closer eye on the guy where Brynn is concerned. Not buddy up to him and become his new BFF."

"That still leaves me with five days and no answers."

"I've got faith in you," Paris says pushing the rest of the jars my way.

"You've got more faith in me than I have in myself."

"And therein lies your problem, Finn Dashiell Nash."

I laugh. "Guess you're right. So how did you get so wise for a mere maid of sixteen?"

"Seventeen, my birthday was last week."

"Seventeen, then."

"I'm a background character, Finn. I'm around mobs of people all the time, in school, at work. When you're a background person, people tend to forget you're there and show their true nature because they don't need to impress you. I've picked up a few things."

"You don't deserve to be the background character, Paris. You deserve to be up front and center with someone appreciating the special person you are."

Paris turns a bright shade of red and I, in turn, make a show of my eyes rolling into the back of my head and slowly slide out of the booth onto the floor.

She's laughing hysterically at my antics. "Jerk."

I lay on the floor of the restaurant and open my eyes to stare back at her. "Nope, Wonderboy," I say hopping back up to my feet and striking a pose.

"So Wonderboy, you going to get your girl?"

"I have too. I don't think I live my life without her."

"That's what I thought you'd say."