The Valentines Day Special

 "Why is it I work every holiday, huh?" CW grumbled from the kitchen.

"Stop that, before you show everyone your true colors," Crystal scolded. "You know, Millie needed a break. And well, we're having a fundraiser for Junie." 

"As if I didn't know?" He had another order of Heavenly Pancakes ready to go. "Can't you see? This is the first time I've ever had a girlfriend, and I'm stuck here?"

"With me!" She gave him a grin as if she had something in mind for Valentine's Day. That is, if he didn't ruin it. "Have a little faith, huh?"

Of course, she felt guilty for being so happy while someone was sleeping through Valentine's Day. She did make him sad. He felt bad for not doing something about Connor. If Junie had never left with him. If only Junie were still with Darry. CW winced. Did he have to keep thinking about it? 

Nico went to serve a customer who was celebrating the Valentine's Day special. Half the money from the meal would go to Junie's family. People were waiting for tables, and only the three of them were handling the day. 

CW hurried on, frying up sausages and bacon while flipping pancakes. It felt never-ending. Slowly, he was learning the glory of patience, or so he told himself.

Gavin just about had a heart attack when he saw Kat that night. She wasn't wearing her red overalls like she promised. Seymore stayed home, waiting for her on her bed.

"But..but you said you weren't going to dress up?" He looked at her wide-eyed, even if he'd brought her a wrist corsage that his mother had picked up at the grocery store. He took deep breaths and coughed hard.

"My grandmother gets around," Kat shrugged as if she might be her fairy godmother after all. "She thrifts a lot, and just hangs it in the closet. There was, and she said I had to dress nice."

"Oh."

Luckily, they managed through dinner with all his friends at the long table before the big event, eating eggrolls and fried rice. "See, people like us aren't invited to prom, so yeah, it's a big deal, evidently." He made it sound like he needed to show up with someone.

Kat nodded and sat next to him. She chatted with the girl next to her. They'd known each other since middle school. Gavin looked around, thinking it really was a small world, and he had so many friends he didn't quite know. He could hardly introduce her around. Actually, he didn't want to. He wanted to keep her a mystery.

Later at the dance, he showed her all his dance floor moves in about ten seconds. And she laughed, but mimicked him, swaying her arms in small moves as if they might be shaking salt shakers. They were both perfectly clumsy, and when it came to a slow dance, he stood still holding her. 

"What do you really like to do?" She said he already knew what she liked to do at the Youth Center: read comic books and play foosball. It was the end of the night, and he walked slowly to the front door with her. Actually, they were even too tired to hold hands.

"Well," he didn't want to put her off. "Bowling."

"Bowling?" Her eyes brightened, and she smiled. "I can't remember the last time I went bowling." She said she missed it. He hugged her as if she needed to know that he liked being with her, and hoped she knew he never wanted to hurt her.