Mary: "I'll be right back with your drink."

Mary turned away from the table and watched as two teenagers walked in. They didn't appear to be any more mischievous than ordinary teenagers, yet something about them was setting off her inner alarm.

The boys looked around the restaurant methodically before the better dressed of the two made eye contact with Mary. He held her gaze for a moment before turning to the other boy, who then glanced at her. They whispered to each other quietly before Mary approached them.

Mary: "How many?"
Ephram: "Just the two of us for now."
Mary: "Right this way."

Mary sat them at the booth behind the balding man who'd come in a moment earlier and handed them both menus.

Mary: "Can I get you something to drink?"
Jared: "Oh, yes, I think you will."
Mary: "Right... What'll you have?"
Ephram: "Just two cokes for now please."
Mary: "Sure thing. I'll be right back."

Mary walked back to the kitchen, glancing back at the two boys. Before she filled their drink order, she pulled Erika, the only waitress Bellie trusted to act as manager on his nights off, into the kitchen.

Mary: "Something's up."
Erika: "What?"
Mary: "Those boys. Something's not right about them."

Erika glanced at the two boys at table eight that Mary jerked her head toward.

Erika: "Of course something's not right. They're college boys."
Mary: "You know them?"
Erika: "No, but after a while here you get to know every type of human being and spot them a mile away, blindfolded. They may be obnoxious, but they're good customers."

Mary: "Would now be a bad time to mention that I've never really been good with that whole 'the customer's always right' thing?"
Erika: "The hell if the customer's always right. But you be good to them until they prove they don't deserve as much. Trust me, your bank account will thank you for it."
Mary: "Good to know."

Mary walked back to the kitchen and grabbed two glasses. She filled them with ice and coke, and walked back to the table.

Mary: "Two cokes, as requested. Are you ready to order?"

She waited, pencil poised, ready to write down their orders.

Ephram: "Yes. We'll take one of you, to go."
Mary: "Har, har. That's one. And I should mention you only get one obnoxious joke. And I don't mean per night. You just get the one, ever."

Mary tried to project an attitude of being in control even as her pulse quickened. It seemed that the entire diner had suddenly gone silent, and all she could hear was her heart pounding in her ears. The boy smiled slowly at her and then laughed, catching her off guard.

Ephram: "Fair enough. Could you give us a few more minutes?"
Mary: "Of course."

Erika: "You okay, Hon?"
Mary: "Okay enough."
Erika: "Good. I got you a present. I just sat a hottie at table seven for you. That should balance out weird at table eight and obnoxious at table nine."
Mary: "Gee, thanks."

Mary: "What can I get you?"
James: "Mary?"

Mary: "Great. Erika! I think your gift horse needs a root canal."

James: "What are you doing?"
Mary: "Um, trying to take your order?"
James: "Why?"
Mary: "Are you drunk? You're in a diner. We serve food."

James: "Yes, I know that, but why are you taking my order?"
Mary: "Because I work here now. Get over it. What do you want?"
James: "Just water for now."

Mary: "Forget it."
James: "What? Why?"
Mary: "Water is free. My tips are based on a percentage of what you buy."
James: "Mary, this is a twenty-four-hour, greasy-spoon diner and you're working midnights. Your tips are based on a simple algorithm of how cute you are, how much cleavage you show and how interested you seem."
Mary: "Right. So you're saying that you're going to stiff me either way."

James sighed and stared intently at the laminated menu in front of him; suddenly wishing that Bellie's was not the only all-night restaurant in town.

James: "I believe what I'm actually saying is that I need to learn how to cook."
Mary: "Then you'd better move to a town that has a twenty-four hour grocery store. I'll be right back with your drink."

James watched Mary walk toward the kitchen. He considered getting up and leaving before she got back, but he didn't. He felt tired and slightly defeated, and wasn't entirely sure why. He had no doubt that his dining experience would be atrocious, yet he was compelled to see it through. Drawn to the chaos like a moth to a bug zapper.

Quite a bit of time went by before Mary returned and set a glass in front of him.

James: "What's this?"
Mary: "It's a root beer float. Just what you ordered."
James: "I ordered a water."
Mary: "I don't think so."

James: "I did. Not only do I clearly remember ordering water, but I hate root beer."
Mary: "How can you hate root beer? We have the best root beer in the world here, you know."
James: "Really? How could you possibly know that? Have you been to every city in the world, sampling their root beer?"
Mary: "It's a figure of speech. Just drink your damn beverage, and I'll be right back to take your order."

James: "Mary. I ordered water -- you were standing right here when I ordered it. You even chastised me for not ordering something with a price tag. You must remember this."

Mary frowned.

Mary: "Then whose root beer float is this?"

James rubbed his temples, feeling the beginning of a headache coming on along with a deepening aversion to bug zappers.

James: "You're right, it's mine. Here's a twenty, keep the change."

Mary: "What about your float?"

Bill: "That's mine. I ordered it twenty minutes ago, what took so long?"
Mary: "Sorry, it's my first day and the cook sliced his finger off earlier, so we're kind of short-staffed. I couldn't find the vanilla ice cream."

The man took a sip, then made a face.

Bill: "Is this mint chocolate chip?"
Mary: "Like I said, I couldn't find the vanilla ice cream."
Bill: "I can't drink this."
Mary: "Okay, but you still have to pay for it."
Bill: "Didn't that other guy just give you a twenty?"

Mary: "Yes, but he just wanted me to leave him alone."
Bill: "Listen-"

A series of cheerfully tinkling bells was shut off as James left the diner and another customer entered. The man who had just walked in fumbled as he put his keys into his pocket and then surveyed the diner until he saw Mary.

Anthony: "Mary?"
Mary: "Dr. Sutherland! Hey, what are you doing here?"

She left Bill and his mint-chocolate root beer float at the table without a backward glance as she headed toward Dr. Sutherland.