Chapter Text
Louise had given her father two semesters. Two semesters of college, then she’d see where she’d be.
“Louise, you can’t just not go to college.” Her dad had complained on the car ride home from one of their many trips to Wonder Wharf. They’d gone for Louise’s eighteenth birthday and, of course, the topic of where she wanted to go for college had come up.
Louise had tugged at one of her pigtails, the sensation of not having her bunny ears still foreign to her. “Why not? You didn’t.”
“That’s—it’s not the same thing. And believe me, if my life has taught you anything, it’s that you need to go to college.”
“Gene didn’t.” Louise slumped in her seat, glaring at the stores they passed.
“Well, he’s Gene. But Tina did. And you will too.”
“Dad,” she’d groaned. “I’m only planning to take over the restaurant, so why do I need a degree? You don’t have one, and you run it fine.”
“’Fine’? I have my own children run the restaurant because I don’t want to pay anybody. Talk about fine.”
Louise spoke a little quieter this time. “You hired Zeke.”
“That’s…different. Zeke has no plans for the future.”
At that, Louise had turned to her father sharply. “What about college? Did you force him to go?”
“I tried, but you’re my own child. It’s different. Tell you what: give me at least one full year of college. Plans can change, Louise.”
So she’d given him two semesters. A month earlier she had called him and told him she’d come back to help out at the restaurant. She found the classes she’d taken at William Patterson interesting, but she still wanted to follow in her dad’s footsteps. And she didn’t need a degree for that, right?
Besides, from what she’d heard, he needed all the help he could get at the restaurant. Zeke was still working as a table busser and cook. Had been since his junior year of high school. Bob had said it was because Louise would want to do other things than work at the family restaurant, her being in middle school and all, and they needed an extra hand around the joint. But, in reality, it was because Zeke was a good cook and Tina had grown close to Zeke since Jimmy Jr. moved to Ohio his sophomore year of high school. A little too close for Bob’s liking. But, again, he was a good cook.
Gene was off in California trying to be noticed. He had formed a band in his senior year of high school that was legitimate enough to move across the country once out of school. That or it was because his guitar guy’s family was totally loaded.
And Tina was back from college now, but things weren’t the same. Business had gotten a lot better since the Pesto’s booked it out of town, and while it was declining since that spike, it still wasn’t what it had been ten years ago.
Louise had decided to stay in New Brunswick for the summer because there was generally more going on in town, but she opted to let Teddy pick her up and drive her back home.
Teddy texted her when he arrived and she rushed out of her dorm with a quick wave to her roommate. His pick-up was idling at the edge of the dorm room parking lot. She strapped her backpack onto both shoulders and pulled open the passenger side door.
“Hey, Louise. Your dad said I could pick you up.” He said to her as she climbed into the passenger side. Empty soda cans littered the floor at the base of her feet and the worn seat had seen better days.
“Yeah, I know, Teddy. So, tell me, how’s the restaurant holding up?”
“Oh, it’s doing great.” Teddy pulled back into traffic, going a little too slow for Louise’s liking. “Well, not great, but the burgers are great. I mean, they’re always great. Anyway, we’ve got some new competition in town.”
Louise sat up at that. “Competition?”
“Yep. Moved in just after the start of this year.”
The start of that year? Louise hadn’t gotten to check it out because she’d stayed at school over spring break. But it still intrigued her.
She laughed slightly. “How’s Dad treating that?”
“Oh, he’s handling it well. They don’t take away too much business. Not like those Pesto’s.” Teddy sighed nostalgically, keeping his baby blue eyes on the road ahead. “Yeah, but the owner’s a real nice guy. Stops by almost every day for a burger, so I’m sure you’ll meet him. You know, he used to live nearby.”
Louise had started to drift off after a while. Teddy’s voice always had that effect on her. She’d expected some conflict to keep her interested, but he’d lost her at “handling it well.” What was wrong with some good old fashion competition?
But, she’d barely caught the tail end of his speech. “Really?” If he lived nearby, she figured she’d know him. It wasn’t a very big town.
“Yeah. He was kinda familiar when I met him, but I’m not sure if you know him. Grew up on the rich-end of town?”
He said this like she’d remember him based on this characteristic alone.
“Gotta be more specific than that, Teddy.” She said, fiddling with a loose string on her hoodie. She’d dealt with a lot of rich kids in her childhood career, mostly in putting them in their place.
“He’s well—you’ll meet him, Louise. Maybe you’ll recognize him.”
She doubted it. For the remainder of the trip, Louise dozed off with her head against the windowsill, her head thrumming with the engine of the car.
She woke to the sound of a car door slamming shut. “Louise, we’re here.” Teddy said through the open window on the driver’s side.
Louise groaned. Even though she was excited to see her family again, having Teddy pick her up was not a good idea.
She stretched out her limbs one by one as she climbed out of the car, yawning as she did so.
Teddy held the door for her as she slung her backpack over her shoulder and entered the familiar restaurant she’d grown to love when she was young. Her dad said she could come back later in the week or month to get the rest of her things from her dorm. No one was going to be using it, she’d been told by the head of the school. No one but her old roommate.
For now, it was the essentials. And her growling stomach told her it was essential she get something in it. Particularly one of her dad’s classic burgers.
“Hey, it’s baby Belcher, back from college!” Zeke greeted her from behind the counter. He was scrubbing town the tabletop.
Louise noticed there were a few customers chatting in booths, but, otherwise, it was a normal day.
“Hey, Zeke.” She took a seat at the bar, dropping her backpack at her feet. Her relationship with Zeke was generally neutral. She still found him annoying from time to time, but Tina really liked him, so she guessed she had to, too. Or, at least, it seemed like Tina really, really liked him. She’d never admit to it out loud.
She leaned her elbows against the counter. “Have you seen my dad anywhere?”
Zeke scratched behind his ear. “Think he said something about picking something up at the store?”
Louise blew out a breath as she crossed her arms and leaned her head forward against them. “’Think’, Zeke? Or know?”
He chuckled slightly. “Relax, cool breeze, he’ll be back anytime.” He continued to wipe down the counter around her. She finally dared to lift her head.
A mischievous grin crossed her face. “Well, where’s your girlfriend?”
It was hard to make Zeke flustered, but calling Tina his girlfriend sure enough did it. His face went beet red, right up to his ears. His brown eyes flitted around nervously. “I’m not sure—T’s not my girlfriend, Louise, I told you that!” He avoided meeting her eyes as he continued with his work. “I think she’s on the grill.”
At that moment, Tina left the diner’s bathroom.
“At least, I thought she was.” Zeke’s face broke out into a huge grin, earlier conversation erased entirely. “Hey, T-bird. Look who’s finally here.”
Tina grinned at her younger sister. Tina wasn’t one for big smiles, but, over the years, she had grown closer to Louise and started reserving her smiles for her.
“Louise! How was college? Wow, I haven’t seen you since, like, Christmas.” Tina took a seat at the bar next to Louise.
“Fine, fine. Hey—don’t hug me. Listen, you seen Dad around?”
“He went to get some garlic from the store.”
“Ha! I knew he went to get somethin’.” Zeke said, helpfully.
Louise sighed. “You win, Zeke.”
“Win what?”
“Nothing.”
Tina smiled as Zeke finished cleaning the counter, a stupid grin on his face. “I should get back to the grill. Things are really heating up around here.”
There was a total of two customers in the restaurant, not including Teddy, who already had a burger waiting for him, it seemed.
“Hey, Linda!” He called towards the kitchen, mouth still full of burger. “Louise is here, Linda!”
“Oh God,” Louise muttered as her mom came out from the kitchen, dusting her hands on the apron around her waist.
Linda’s face brightened upon seeing her youngest daughter seated at the bar. “Oh! My baby’s back home, finally!”
She shuffled over to Louise, attempting to throw her arms around her. Louise tried to resist, groaning, “Okay, ugh, Mom. You saw me over Christmas…it hasn’t—hasn’t been that long.” But, eventually, Linda was too overpowering to resist and Louise submitted to a hug.
Her mother’s arms squeezed her tiny frame as she cooed, “We haven’t seen you in so long. Oh, your father is just going to be so happy to see you!”
“Alright, alright,” Louise said as Linda finally pulled away, brushing imaginary dust from herself, just as Bob walked into the restaurant.
“Dad!” Louise jumped down from her stool and ran over to her dad, throwing her arms around him. She still wasn’t nearly as tall as him, but she could throw her arms around his shoulders if she stood on her tip-toes. Louise was still relatively pissed she turned out to be the shortest of the family. While Tina had reached five seven and Gene was nailing six feet, Louise was stuck permanently at five foot five, which wasn’t short, but it was by Belcher standards.
“Oh!” Bob cried out in surprise as she locked her arms around him. He was getting older, a few strands of gray hair already appearing in his hair and mustache. “Louise,” he choked, “You’re, uh, kind of hurting me here.”
“Right, sorry, Dad. I just missed you so much, you son of a bitch.” Louise released her hold on him.
“Don’t call your father that, Louise.” Linda said from behind the counter.
Louise ignored her mother, smiling up at her dad and lightly punching his arm. “So, what have you got planned for me? Dishes, grilling, bussing tables, I’ll do it.”
She followed Bob behind the counter, shoving her hands into her hoodie pockets.
“Missed working here, huh?” he joked.
“What? Pssh, me? Miss working here? As if,” Louise leaned forward against the counter with her arms crossed.
Her dad started discussing what it was he had planned, but something had caught Louise’s eye outside the restaurant. A shock of light blonde hair, a stupid grin on an ugly face—
But, no.
It couldn’t be. Not him.
Pieces and fragments of what Teddy had said earlier started to fit together in her head. From the rich end of town, familiar to Teddy (of course! He had been there the day of the whole garden fiasco). Louise hadn’t even thought it would be him, because Teddy had spoken so nicely of him.
Impossible. Though she wouldn’t put it behind him to be so deceiving.
But, of course, it just had to be—
“Logan,” she spat out as he sauntered into the restaurant. “No. Way.”
Louise got some satisfaction from how he seemed shocked to see her, but, just as quickly as that look had appeared, a grin split his face. She hated that grin. And how his eyebrows made him appear permanently pissed.
His lanky frame strode over to the other side of the counter, standing directly in front of her. He seemed to have ditched his old stupid clothing choices and instead wore a black button down shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. A pin on the right side of his torso announced him as the owner and manager of Bush’s Bowling and Arcade.
An entertainment center? Pathetic. What kind of competition was that?
“Oh ho ho, what have we here? Four ears? Oh, but without the ears I see,” His eyes flitted to the top of her head. She felt herself straighten up, trying to look him in the eye. He was now leaning over the counter, making the job easier for her.
“Hello, Logan. Still as stupid looking as ever. Ever thought to change your look? Your hair? Your entire face?” Louise crossed her arms across her chest.
His eyebrows turned downwards. “Now, me and your father—”
“Your father and I,”
“Have been building such good rapport, it’d be a shame if you were to ruin it now.”
“Yes, it appears you have,” she turned her sharp gaze on her father now, who was trying to avoid her eyes, just like Zeke had earlier. Incredible.
In truth, though, Louise wanted to scream. A familiar feeling of dread and disappointment filled her stomach. It was just like last time. He hadn’t even thought to tell her?
“Louise, look. I didn’t want to start another stupid competition between another local business. Plus, Logan’s already been so nice to us. He even gives us some business!” Bob said, looking her in the eyes now.
Louise turned back to Logan. “Bet your burgers suck, huh? Have to get them here, right?”
He sat down at the bar. She was right. She could tell by the look on his face.
She turned back to her father. “Didn’t want unfriendly business, huh?”
“No, I told you—”
“Well, now that I’m here, you’re gonna get it.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she could have sworn she saw Logan smile. Oh, he was gonna get it.
“Louise, I don’t know if that’s such a good—”
She held a hand up in the air, cutting him off mid-sentence. “Nothing too big. Just a little bit of friendly, un-friendly competition. That’s all.”
Bob muttered, “That doesn’t make any sense.” She ignored him.
“Now,” she turned back to Logan, her palms flat on the counter top as she leaned close to his face. It seemed she had saw right earlier. He was still smiling. He wouldn’t be for long. “I believe I’ll see you in hell.”
He raised a brow. “Actually you’ll see me here every day. Despite your lack of business, you do have good burgers. Oh, and I believe that would be mine.” He looked away from her and Louise followed his gaze, seeing Tina leave the kitchen with a brown paper bag. She sidled up next to her sister and handed the bag to Logan.
“Thank you,” he said pointedly, turning to leave. He opened the door to the restaurant, but turned back to Louise at the last minute. “And I’ll be seeing you soon, Louise.”
She would be sure to slap him next time. Right on his annoying face.
The restaurant was quieter after he left. Zeke finally broke the silence.
“Woowee. Isn’t this gonna be fun! It reminds me of old family reunions back home!”