LET DOWN

seven.           milkshakes

▬ "BE CAREFUL." Paul huffed, shaking his head a little at the two girls, Rachel was on Cori's back as they made their way towards the diner – Cori was meeting her dad and Bella.

Cori struggled a little under the weight but her tongue poked out the corner of her mouth in concentration. She was determined to prove that she could, in fact, carry Rachel. "I got this." She mumbled to herself, taking slow steps towards the door of the diner.

"She's like the little engine that could." Rachel giggled, holding onto Cori's shoulders.

"I say drop her." Paul stated, following behind them in case Cori fell over, and Rachel turned towards him. Her eyes narrowed, her brows pinched and her jaw hanging open. "You're, like, two feet off the ground. And I'd catch you." He gave her a smile and through her lips pulled into a small smile, she kept her eyes narrowed at him.

"You guys are so adorable." Cori mumbled then she stopped. "We're at the door. Get off of me. I win. You owe me a milkshake." Rachel dropped to her feet and Cori leaned against the door, getting a weird look from a guy that looked like he was trying to leave but couldn't because she was blocking the only exit.

"Cori, honey, you're in the way." Rachel gently pulled her back and the guy pushed the door open, giving them three teenagers an amused look before making his way to his car.

"Do I get a milkshake now?" Cori asked, looking up at the older girl.

"Yeah, come on." Rachel nodded, wrapping her arm around Cori's shoulders. Paul held the door open and the two girls stepped in, the boy staying close behind them as they made their way to the bar. "Two vanilla milkshakes, please." Rachel grinned as soon as she locked eyes with Anna.

"Coming right up." The waitress nodded before disappearing into the back.

"So, tell us about your new friends." Paul lightly nudged Cori's shoulder and Rachel leaned forward to see around him, wanting to hear all about the girl's first day. What they didn't expect was the blush that covered the girl's cheeks as she bit her lip to hide a smile. "Coraline Leigh Swan, did you meet a boy?" He leaned closer, his face close to hers as a teasing smirk pulled at his lips.

"Oh, he brought out the full name." Rachel chuckled, leaning around her boyfriend to see Cori's cheeks turn an embarrassing shade of red before her eyes.

"There may have- oh, milkshakes!" Cori grinned when Anna approached them, placing two milkshakes on the bar. "Thank you."

"Of course." She smiled before walking away to help another customer and Cori quickly pulled her milkshake towards her and sipped it through the straw.

"We're not gonna let this go."

"Oh, look, my dad." She mumbled as she slid off of her stool, her milkshake in hand, then she made her way over towards her dad, who had just sat at the table by the door. "Hi, daddy." She greeted him with a smile.

"We're not finished!" Paul shouted after her and all eyes turned towards the boy as Cori's cheeks became an even darker shade of red. She simply ducked her head and slid into the chair next to Charlie, sipping on her milkshake.

"What's that about?" Charlie asked, his thick brows pinched.

"Paul's an idiot."

"Hurtful, Munchkin, hurtful." Paul hummed as he neared their table, Rachel under his arm – her milkshake in her hand – and his other hand held to his chest.

"We have to head out." Rachel spoke up, nudging the boy with her elbow a little. "We'll see you later, Cor."

"Thanks for picking me up and for the milkshake."

"Anytime." Paul nodded, ruffling her hair a little before he and Rachel bid the two Swans goodbye and left the restaurant. Charlie looked over at Cori, confusion contorting his features as she happily sipped on her milkshake.

"What?" The girl asked, looking up at her dad as he shook his head, deciding against questioning her about it.

"Let me guess, steak?" Cora asked, an amused eyebrow raised at the Chief of police.

"Of course." He nodded, smiling a little and she chuckled before looking over at Cori.

"Wow, look at you." Cora mused, her eyes on the youngest Swan.

Cori smiled sheepishly around her straw as she looked up at the woman she had known since she was little. "Is that in a good way or a bad way?"

"A good way." The waitress told her, making her smile grow. "What can I get for you?"

"Do you still have the hangover burger?" She asked, putting her milkshake on the table. "The one with the egg?"

"Of course we do."

"I'll take one of those, with onion rings please." She told her and Cora quickly wrote it down. "Oh! And ranch!"

"You got it." The waitress chuckled.

"And a garden burger." Charlie told her before she could leave.

"I'll have that out soon." She smiled then she walked away from the table and towards the kitchen.

"How was school?" Charlie asked, trying to fill the silence.

"It was good. Met a few people." She shrugged. "How was work? Arrest anyone?"

"No, no, just a few local kids skipping school." He answered.

"Wow, must be exhausting to be a cop in a town where nothing happens."

"Oh, drink your milkshake." He mumbled, waving her off and she giggled but pulled the drink closer to her and took a few sips.

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▬ CORI HAD SPENT MOST of the time she and her dad waited for Bella dodging questions about the kids she met at school. She knew he wouldn't be all that thrilled to learn that one of the few people she had befriended was a boy, a very hot boy at that. So when he'd ask she'd change the subject.

The more he asked, the weirder her subject changes got, the latest one being about the fact that tomatoes are actually fruits and not vegetables like everyone believed they were. And that led to her humming a few lines of VeggieTales song. And that was when he gave up.

Luckily, Bella made her way through the door, joining them at the table. And not long after, Cora was bringing the food out. Cori grinned when a giant burger was placed on the table in front of her, her blue eyes slightly wide. Lunch was subpar so she didn't really eat much, other than the bag of chips Emmett had gotten from the vending machine and the gummy bears Travis had shared with her in english.

"I just can't get over how grown up you are." Cora mused, putting Bella's plate in front of her before handing Charlie his. "And so gorgeous. Both of you." She added, glancing at Cori, who was already stuffing her burger in her mouth. The waitress lightly chuckled at the girl.

"Hey, Bella, Cori." A balding man greeted as she neared the table, stopping next to Cora with a smile on his face.

"Hey, Waylon." Cori mumbled, the bite she had just taken stuffed into the right side of her mouth as she waved at the man. He gave her a smile, chuckling a little as she went back to chewing her food before she swallowed.

Waylon looked back at Bella, who looked confused, her eyes moving Charlie for some help. "You remember me?" He asked, shifting a little on his feet when it became clear that she didn't. "I played Santa one year." He chuckled, hoping that would jog her memory.

"Yeah, Waylon, the girls haven't had a Christmas here since they were seven and eight." Charlie told his friend, looking over at his oldest daughter, who looked a little relieved he had said something.

"I bet I made an impression, though, didn't I?"

"You always do." Charlie nodded.

"Butt-crack santa?" Cora chuckled a little and Waylon joined in.

"Hey, kids love those little bottles, though." He added as though in his defense.

"All right, let the girls eat." The waitress turned him and lightly pushed him away before turning back to the table. "As soon as you're done, I will bring you your favorite. Berry cobbler, remember?"

"Awesome!" Cori cheered, she loved berry cobbler.

"Your dad still has it. Every Thursday."

"Thank you. That'd be great." Bella nodded, mostly just wanting the waitress to leave her alone and when she was gone Bella reached for the ketchup the same time Charlie did. He picked it up and handed it to her while Cori took another bite of her burger. "So, you eat here every night?"

"Uh..." He nodded. "Better than doin' dishes."

"I can cook." Bella told him, picking at her food. "I used to do the cooking at home, in Phoenix. Mom's not great in the kitchen."

"I remember." He nodded.

"Chocolate candles." The two stated, smiling a little but the awkwardness was quick to fill the air again.

"Cori got mom's cooking skills." Bella added, trying to fill the silence.

"Hey!" Cori huffed.

"Don't talk with your mouth full." Bella chuckled at the girl, who swallowed her food then washed it down with her water.

"I can cook."

"Chicken nuggets don't count."

"Rude." Cori mumbled, sinking into her chair a little as she picked up an onion ring and took a bite.

"So, um... how's school?" Charlie asked when it got quiet again. "Meet anybody?"

"Yeah, yeah." Bella nodded. "A couple of people." She looked over at Cori, who had lifted the bun off her burger and started piling onion rings onto it. "Do you know the Cullen family?"

Cori looked up, her eyes slightly wide at the mention of the Cullens. They had been her tour guides all day and kept her company in her classes when they just happened to share a class with her.

"Yeah, why? People talking about them again?" He asked, seeming a little peeved that they were the talk of the town even after two years.

Bella looked across the table at Cori, their eyes meeting. "A little bit." The older of the two nodded.

"It's only 'cause they're newcomers." He sighed a little, looking between the two girls. "Listen, the Cullens, they've been nothing but nice ever since they moved here. People around here, they should be happy to have a surgeon like Dr. Cullen in our podunk hospital. Happy his wife wanted to move to a small town. And his kids? Those kids give me no trouble. Not like the other hellraisers around here."

"Wow, you don't have to get all worked up." Cori mumbled jokingly, getting a little chuckle from Charlie.

"I just don't like narrow-mindness." He told her and she nodded, giving him a soft smile.

"Me either." She hummed and he gave her a smile as they went back to eating.