A Coloring Storybook and Long-Playing Record

"I keep messing up the alternation between entrechat to jeté," Jezebel sighed, disappointed in her failure to perfect one easy sequence to the dance.

"Don't stress Jez. We just started practicing this routine two days ago. There's still some time to perfect it," her ballet partner said as he took a seat on the ground to stretch.

"I just want to get it perfect now for Madame," she said, pausing the music playing through the small speakers of the boom box on the ground.

"I know. I do too but we just need to calm down and take our time with this routine, otherwise one of us is gonna get injured and then we'd both be screwed," he said, trying to talk some sense into her.

Jezebel looked at the man sitting on the ground in pike position, his fingers easily grasping his toes as he pulled his upper body closer to his straightened legs, looking at her with a small smile. Sean Erickson was a twenty two year old ballet student that Jezebel has been partnered with for the last three years when he arrived in Michigan from Texas for school. He had the typical dancer build, lean but all muscle everywhere on his body. He had short dark hair that laid down flat on top of his head and these amazing grayish green eyes.

He was quite the handsome fellow, with a lot of the female dancers in their class lusting after who they called 'the Texan stud'. Many of the other girls in the class were jealous that he was partnered with Jezebel because they didn't consider her to be a dancer with great technique while Sean's technique excelled. Jezebel also wondered why someone much more talented than her was chosen but she was glad they were together. They worked very well together.

About a week had passed since the evening of the concert and Jezebel was completely swamped with learning the new choreographed dance for her class. Madame Deveaux, their dance teacher, decided that she wanted Sean and Jezebel to pick their own music for the dance and create the routine that way. Once they had picked the music, all they had to do was practice enough until they perfected the routine, which took up a lot of the pair's free time. They spent whatever free time they could working on keeping in time with the music at practice, leaving no extra time for a social life.

However, in between classes, work, and ballet practice, Jezebel made time to talk to Craig through text messages and brief late night phone calls. They would chat about their day and well-being before launching into a conversation about nothing too important before beginning the cycle once again the next day. She hadn't seen him since the night of the concert, though she wished he would show up at the café so they could have a face to face conversation for once rather than communicate through electronic devices.

Jezebel was excited about today though. She finally had a day free from work so she made arrangements with Craig to spend the rest of the day together after ballet practice. He was supposed to pick her up from the practice studio at four o'clock so they could figure out what to do from there. She felt anxious to see him again, giddy almost because she enjoyed his company. He made her feel good when they talked, which was something that rarely happened much these days, so she wanted to keep the source of her comfort around.

"So, should we try another run though?" Sean asked, standing from the floor.

Jezebel glanced at the clock, noticing it was ten to four, giving her plenty of time to have another practice run with Sean before Craig was to arrive. She nodded and walked the short distance to the boom box, starting the CD over and quickly hurrying back to her position with Sean in front of the mirror.

Suddenly, the familiar sounds of Death Cab For Cutie began to play as Sean and Jezebel began their dance. The pace of their dance kept in time the drum beat, using a four count while they hit each choreographed move they were supposed to. The pair focused on their body movements in the mirrors of the studio, carefully watching how their bodies were positioned when they twirled or leapt through the air. They demanded perfection from their dancing but also, tried their best to have fun with it. Jezebel was grateful for Sean's patience as she fumbled some of the choreography. She needed some extra time to nail the moves.

Meanwhile, Craig parked his car along the side of the street in front of the ballet studio he was supposed to pick Jezebel up from. He exited the car, locking up as he walked around to the meter to put in his quarter for parking. He knew he was a little early but he hoped that he would get to watch her dance a bit, since it was her passion. He thought it was only fair, since she had seen him performing to an arena full of people.

Walking into the studio, he heard the familiar music playing loudly in the mirrored room that Jezebel was leaping through, her body moving effortlessly through the air. A dark-haired man Craig hadn't seen before suddenly lifted her up, spinning the both of them as Jezebel froze in a specific pose before being let down to the floor once again. Craig couldn't help but feel a sense of awe as he watched her dance, gracefully maneuvering her body around the other man as they continued dancing. Despite the fact that she was currently wrapped around him, Craig noticed that she seemed truly happy, a tiny smile on her face as she moved.

Jezebel noticed that Craig had walked in during her chassie relevé but tried her best to remain focused on the dancing. She couldn't afford to lose her concentration and focus just because Craig decided to drop in early on her and spy. Sean seemed to notice him as well, sending Jezebel a small smile as he lifted her overhead effortlessly, carrying her to their mark before setting her down again.

For the three years that Jezebel was partnered with him, Sean always hoped that there would finally be a different man that would enter her life and hopefully make an impact on her somewhat clueless exterior. For years, Jezebel hasn't allowed herself any kind of pleasures aside from ballet so now that there was a blonde man leaning against the mirrored wall near the door for her, Sean just hoped that he would be the one to give her something other than dance to make her happy. She needed it, especially now after all she's been through.

After a few minutes more of dancing, they finally ended the routine, hearing a round of applause coming from the back of the room. Jezebel couldn't help but smile as she looked towards the door, seeing Craig clapping for them. A blush crept up to her cheeks, trying to hide it with her hands as he walked forward to her. Sean just hung back, taking his place on the floor to stretch once again.

"You're early," Jezebel said to Craig as he stopped in front of her.

"I wanted to see you dance," he shrugged. "You move really well. You're very talented," he complimented.

"Oh God no! I made so many mistakes in that routine," she countered, embarrassed by his praise.

"Never mind her man. She's always hard on herself when it comes to ballet," Sean said from the floor, hugging his right leg across his chest. "I'm Sean by the way."

"Oh, yeah, sorry," Jezebel said, looking back and forth between the two boys. "Sean's been my ballet partner for three years now. We're working on an audition piece for the upcoming ballet," she explained to Craig, who nodded in response. "Sean, this is Craig Owens," she said gesturing to the boy behind her.

"You're in that band," Sean said to the guy with some recognition.

"He's in multiple bands," Jezebel interjected.

"Well, either way, she's talked about you non-stop so it's a pleasure to meet you," Sean said with a nod.

"You too," Craig replied politely, glancing at the slightly attractive male on the ground nearby.

He broke his gaze as his head began filling with negative thoughts toward him for some unexplainable reason, looking back to Jezebel with a smile, "So, you nearly ready to go?"

"Um, yeah," Jezebel said scratching the back of her head. "I just need to do a cool down stretch and change my clothes so I'm not smelly."

"I assure you, you're not smelly," Craig told her.

"You're just being a gentleman," she blushed, shaking her head, taking a seat on the ground.

Jezebel pushed herself up so her hands and arms were supporting her weight as she let her legs slip out to the sides in a full straddle split, lowering her upper body flat against the floor to feel the tendons and muscles in her thighs and lower back burn in the best way possible. She glanced up at Craig, who was watching her in fascination as she stretched. She sheepishly looked away and towards Sean, who was smirking at her knowingly as if he understood the thoughts running through Craig's mind at that moment. Shaking her head, she just looked back to the floor in front of her and decided to focus on her cool down stretching.

"Um," Craig said nervously, clearing his throat a bit as he spoke, "I can just wait for you out by the car," he said, pointing towards the door with his thumb.

"Oh, sure," Jezebel smiled, pushing herself up from the floor and to the right side, her left arm stretched over head and reaching for her right foot.

Craig quickly made his exit from the studio, the mental image of Jezebel's flexible body positioned in ways he'd rarely seen before dancing through his mind. He tried his best to shake the thoughts but he couldn't. There was something about seeing her body contort in unusual ways that excited him. He didn't really understand what the appeal was but he knew it was there. She was a pretty girl and she was very flexible. He was sure that if he was talking to Derrick or Jason, one of them would say he was a lucky son of a bitch to land such a girl.

Though thinking about it now, Craig didn't exactly land her. He wasn't sure what his intentions were with Jezebel further than discovering her life story. He was obviously attracted to her, as were many other men in Rochester Hills, but he wasn't sure a romantic relationship would be the best thing for either of them right now. He was still piecing his life together after the hospitalization and his therapist would probably disapprove of him committing to someone when he's not fully committed to himself and his well-being. He knew all of this and yet, he still felt that spark like he knew she was something more to him than just another female friend like Emily and Andrea were to him. He wanted more. He craved it.

Jezebel finished her stretching and wandered into the janitor's closet with her ballet bag to change her clothes. The tiny room was completely dark but since she was an expert at changing in and out of her tights with minimal time, it was easy for her. She slipped on her black Dickies and a fitted dark green hooded sweatshirt, leaving her hair up in her messy bun rather than try to brush out the kinks. She switched her ballet slippers for a pair of Chuck Taylors before leaving the room, noticing Sean packing up the rest of their stuff from practice.

"So, what are you guys planning on doing today?" he asked her, noticing her emergence from the room.

"I'm not sure. I just hope we can get some food at some point. I'm starving," she said.

"He seems nice Jez," Sean said in an approving sort of manner.

"He is nice," she laughed.

"I mean, he seems like the perfect kind of guy for you," he said.

She scrunched her face up in confusion at his statement, "What are you talking about?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. Don't play dumb with me missy," he fake glared. "Please consider dating him for me."

"You're asking me to consider dating him on your behalf?" she laughed. "You really have lost your mind. I don't remember your sexual preference switch at all. When did that happen?" she joked.

"I'm not saying date him for me as in I would want to date him. I'm just saying that he's perfect for you and it's been forever since you've actually gotten involved with anyone romantically. It would just be nice to see you with a boyfriend is all," he explained with a shrug.

"I'm not really interested in anyone right now," she said, fiddling with her fingers.

"Maybe he's the guy you need right now to help you," Sean suggested innocently.

"Help me? I don't need help Sean! I'm perfectly fine the way I am!" she snapped at his accusation.

"Ok, ok, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I guess I'm just saying I'm glad that you've made a new friend in this Craig guy," Sean said, trying to diffuse her temper.

Jezebel felt bad for snapping at Sean the way she did but she wasn't ready to admit that she needed some help. She didn't even like to think about the whole mess of problems she had put off in order to help Henderson and her parents. Things were just so problematic right now without adding her own depression and unresolved issues to the mix that it was just easier to lock them away in a cupboard for later. She knew it wasn't the best thing but she didn't have anyone to talk to about these things so she rather keep it to herself.

Shaking her head shamefully, she looked to the floor rather than looking at Sean, "I'm sorry. And thanks for that. I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Alright. Have fun," he offered with a smile.

"Thanks," she said, glancing up at him before walking out of the studio.

She noticed Craig leaning against the side of his new black Prius, tapping his hands against his thighs and humming lowly to himself. She was envious of his car, since he actually had a car to drive. She was broke with having to pay for rent, utilities, groceries, school, ballet lessons and other necessary items all on her wages she earned at the café as well as the little federal housing money she received so she was forced to share Gavin's beat up Honda or Henderson's little green pick up. She wished she had her own car to get her around rather than relying on her roommates to pick her up and chauffer her around.

Craig noticed that she had walked out of the studio, dressed in regular clothes but still looking as gorgeous as she usually looked. She held onto the strap of her little black bag as she walked forward toward him, her eyes cast down to the pavement below. For someone with gorgeous icy blue eyes, Craig didn't understand why she always hid them with her downward glance to the ground. He wanted to see more of them whenever he got the chance.

"You ready to go?" he asked her kindly.

She looked up from the ground for a moment to smile at Craig, "Yeah," she nodded.

"The doors are unlocked," he told her, taking a moment to watch as she walked to the passenger side of the car.

She grabbed the handle to the door and pulled it open; placing her bag in her lap once she took her seat beside him. Craig had just stuck the keys into the ignition and turned them so the engine turned over and started the car. He glanced at her and noticed she was still holding her bag.

"You can shove that in the back seat if you want," he smiled, gesturing to the bag.

"Oh, thanks," she said, putting it in the back like he told her.

"So, what do you feel like doing today?" he asked.

"Anything involving food," she replied quickly.

He chuckled, "You worked up an appetite I take it?"

"Kinda. I only had a bowl of cereal this morning before I had to make sure Henderson got to work alright," she told him. "I guess it's just been a busy day and I forgot about food."

"And Henderson is?" Craig inquired, pulling the car away from the curb and into the main street.

"Oh, he's my roommate. I thought I told you that I live with Gavin and Henderson," she replied, scratching the top of her head.

"I guess I forgot. I know about Gavin cuz I've seen him before but I don't really know much about Henderson," he shrugged.

"Well, he's pretty anti-social these days," she said lowly, shifting her gaze out the window.

Craig got the feeling that she didn't really want to talk about Henderson. He could tell she was in deep thought when she pulled her knees to her chest, arms wrapped tightly around her legs as she watched the scenery pass. There was sadness in her eyes after that statement about Henderson's behavior that made him wonder what was really going on. He wouldn't ask though. He knew all too well from his own experiences that she would deflect his inquiries. He just had to wait for her open up to him.

"So, where should we eat?" he asked, changing the subject.

She looked back towards him, noticing a small smile on his face as he focused his gaze ahead of him through the windshield. She knew that he wasn't going to press her for more information, which was comforting since Gavin usually tried to force everything out of her. She appreciated Craig's ability to leave her to her thoughts, no matter how worrisome they were. She couldn't fight the smile off her face as she thought of how wonderful he really was.

"I'm not really too fussed. Anywhere's fine with me," she shrugged.

"Ok, well there's a burger joint not too far away. How does that sound?" he asked.

"Sounds delicious," she smiled, her mouth practically salivating at the mention of hamburgers. "Do you think we could listen to some music?" she asked.

"Oh sure," he replied, turning on the CD that he currently had in his stereo.

"Easy said and easy done is how we like this. Keep us in our place. You're the night, the dirty night that keeps us going. Nothing left to waste…" the voice sang through the speakers behind the fast drumming and slow guitar melody.

"I like this song," Jezebel smiled, slightly nodding her head along. "I think this has to be my favorite song from this album other than 'Lights'," she said thoughtfully.

"You're a fan of The Editors?" he questioned.

"Yeah I like them. I've got some of their stuff on mixed CDs Henderson made for me a while back," she smiled. "He's a fan of indie music. Gavin's more a fan of metal and hardcore. I'm the in-between. I listen to everything without discrimination."

"That's the best way to be. It's good to like different genres of music," he said.

"That's what I think. That's why I listen to mixes rather than whole albums. I like to mix genres," she told him.

"Normally I listen to mixes but I just got this album from a friend to borrow so I've been listening to it," he smiled. "Maybe I'll have to make you a mix sometime."

"Maybe," she nodded.

They continued their drive in silence, listening to The Editors as they made their way closer to their destination. Jezebel just rested against the back of the seat, trying to keep herself from thinking about anything relating to her life and her current situation while Craig nodded along to the music, trying his best to hold back from saying something stupid to her. Both of them were enjoying the ride in comfortable silence.

Finally, Craig parked the car in front of an older 50s style diner. He quickly hopped out of the car as Jezebel reached into the backseat to retrieve her cell phone and wallet from her bag. Craig opened the door for her, causing her to freeze in her actions momentarily. When she finally registered the gesture, she smiled appreciatively and got out of the car.

"This place looks great," she said, looking at the small diner.

The front window of the place was constructed to look like a jukebox with the different color panels of the glass. It wasn't very big, taking up the corner of the street but it looked authentic. The parking lot was nearly full, signifying there were a lot of people here so it was an obvious hot spot. Enthralled with the artistic design that went into the building, Jezebel didn't really notice that she had been staring for a long time until Craig placed a hand on her arm, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly, feeling a blush creep onto her face.

"It's ok. I take it that you haven't been here before," Craig smiled.

"I didn't even know we had something this extraordinary here," she said, following Craig towards the front door.

"I found it when I moved here a few years back. It's one of my favorite places to get a burger and a shake. Definitely beats McDonalds any day of the week," he chuckled.

"I can imagine," she said, walking into the restaurant.

The room was bright with neon colors as they walked in. There were red and white booths along the wall near the windows and smaller tables spread out through the restaurant. There was a large, colorful jukebox in the back of the room, currently playing Buddy Holly. There was a large service counter with a cash register and stools embedded into the black and white checkered floor. The place was pretty busy with waitresses in their 50s style uniform taking orders and busboys clearing the tables.

Craig placed his hand on her shoulder, gaining her attention once again and gestured towards a free booth near the middle of the restaurant. She nodded and followed him to the booth, still taking in all the different aspects of the restaurant. She was amazed at how authentic it was, looking like something straight from an old movie. She slid into the booth, feeling the red vinyl underneath her fingertips as she made herself comfortable.

"So, you like this place?" Craig asked unsurely, taking his seat across from her.

"I absolutely love it," she gushed, her eyes lighting up with happiness. "It reminds me of that movie 'Pleasantville' you know, with the way that diner was. It's absolutely perfect."

"I'm glad. I figured it was safe to let you in on one of my secret joys in Rochester," he smiled.

"Thank you for sharing it with me. I really appreciate it," she smiled.

"So, shall we take a look at the menu?" he asked, pulling two laminated pieces of cardboard from the side of the table.

"Sure," she nodded, taking one of the menus from Craig.

She opened the blue cover and glanced over the options neatly presented on the inside. She looked over the hamburger options, noticing that everything sounded completely delectable at that very moment, though she suspected it had a lot to do with her ever-growing hunger. Finally, she decided to keep it simple and order the Cheeseburger Deluxe before looking over her beverage options.

"So, what are you getting?" she asked, looking up from her menu at Craig.

"I'm torn between the Cheeseburger Deluxe and the Bourbon Burger with bacon," he replied.

"Hmm, that does sound like a difficult decision to choose from," she said thoughtfully.

"What are you getting?" he asked.

"Cheeseburger Deluxe. It sounds simple enough," she shrugged. "I have an idea. How about you get the Bourbon Burger with bacon, I'll get the Cheeseburger Deluxe and then we'll share fifty-fifty."

"That sounds like an awesome idea," he smiled.

"Good then it's settled," she smiled.

Right then, a waitress in her sea foam colored uniform walked up, a white apron tied around her tiny waist. She looked really young, about nineteen or twenty with her curly blonde hair pulled up and away from her freckled face. She pulled a black ballpoint pen from her hair and an order pad from the pocket of her apron and looked at the customers in front of her, nearly keeling over in excitement when she recognized the blonde man.

"Um, hi! I'm Kelly Ann, your waitress for today," she squeaked with a girlish giggle. "Can I start you two off with anything to drink?"

"I think we're actually ready to order, right?" Craig smiled, glancing at Jezebel, who only nodded in reply. "I'll take a Bourbon Burger with bacon and she'll have the Cheeseburger Deluxe," he told the waitress.

"Ok," the waitress replied, writing the order down on her pad. "Anything to drink?"

"I'll take a Coke," Craig replied. "What about you Jezebel?"

"Oh, um, I'll have a glass of raspberry tea and also, a chocolate cherry shake?" she said unsurely, looking over the menu.

"Alright. I'll be right back with your drinks and your shake," the waitress said brightly, her gaze lingering upon Craig a little longer before she walked away.

"I think she recognizes you," Jezebel giggled, putting her menu back in its original spot.

"I think you're right," Craig replied, looking back in the direction of where the waitress went. "It's part of the job though. Being in a band makes me a recognizable figure in public."

"I don't mind. I'm sure it's exciting for your fans to see you outside of concerts," she told him.

"Sometimes it is. I make the most interesting conversations with fans that I just happen to run into on the street. It's quite weird sometimes though. I'll be out buying groceries or doing regular errands and people will stop me because they know who I am. Sometimes fame is a little intrusive," he sighed.

"It could be worse. You could be in Hollywood where everyone knows everyone else's business and splashes it across the tabloid pages for entertainment. At least you're able to live at home where people respect your privacy for the most part," she pointed out.

"That's true. I'm lucky I've been able to stay here in Michigan all these years, even with success," he smiled. "I love Michigan too much to leave. I grew up here, you know. Much of the reason of why I am the way I am comes from my roots here."

"I guess I can understand that. My home originally was in Chicago but then my dad got a job transfer to Detroit so the family decided to move when I was fourteen. We moved out here and that was that. My parents live in the city still while I moved out here with friends just to get away from home. I've been here for almost four years," she told him, thinking about the circumstances of her moving away from her parents.

"So, is Chicago your home or Michigan?" Craig asked curiously.

"I'm not so sure. I guess I would have to say that my home is with Gavin, just because I've been living with him for so long. Outside of that, I'm not sure what really turned me into me. Did Chicago do it with its chilly winters and windy cold fronts or did Detroit's urban splendor influence my in any way? I'm not really sure," she said. "I guess I'm still trying to find myself."

Craig took a moment to register everything she had just said. He found her answers to simple questions completely fascinating because there was more depth to her explanations than any book he'd ever read. She was one of the most intriguing people he's had an opportunity to converse with and he loved that about her. He loved that she was able to speak about herself with depth and intelligence. It was very attractive to him, different from most of the girls he's been interested in before.

Jezebel played a napkin she took from the dispenser, tearing off a little perfect square. She needed a distraction from his grey-blue eyes, those pools of wonder that she often found herself lost in. There was something about him that was very comforting and made her want to tell him everything in her life. She knew, though, it was dangerous territory because if she opened up to him, she would have to admit to herself there was a problem and she wasn't ready for that. All she wanted was to enjoy his comforting company until she was ready to tell him everything.

Their waitress, Kelly Ann, walked up once again with a tray, carrying the drinks. She placed the Coke down in front of Craig, who smiled appreciatively at her, and then put the raspberry tea in front of Jezebel. Then, she took the milkshake glass and placed it in the middle of the table with a few straws as well as the remains of the milkshake that wouldn't fit in the glass.

"Your order should be up in a few minutes," she informed them, never taking her gaze from Craig.

"Thank you," Craig said.

"Thanks," Jezebel mumbled quietly, taking her spoon from her utensil set and plunging right into her milkshake.

The waitress disappeared once again, leaving the couple to sit at the table in comfortable silence once again. The room was buzzing with conversation from other tables as well as the music playing in the background from the jukebox. They both enjoyed it. It was a relief to just be around someone without having to fill the gaps with dead air and pointless conversations about arbitrary things. Craig and Jezebel were happy that there wasn't a desperate need to talk about every little thing.

"So, how's the shake?" he asked, watching her as she savored every bite from her spoon.

"It's so good," she smiled. "You wanna try a bit?"

"Sure," he nodded, grabbing his spoon from his utensil set.

She pushed the cup towards him a bit as he scooped some of the shake up along with a bit of whipped cream that was on top. He took a bite, chocolaty ice cream hitting his taste buds with a hint of cherry. Smiling, he nodded in approval, pushing the cup back in front of Jezebel.

"It's good," he told her, swallowing the ice cream.

"It looked good on the menu and besides, they stated that they made the best milkshakes in Michigan. So far, they haven't lied," she laughed.

"No they didn't. That is one good milkshake," Craig agreed. He looked down at the napkin she had been folding and noticed that it was folded into a shape. "What were you folding before?" he asked curiously.

"Oh that?" she asked, pointing towards the little folded square near her fork. "I was making an origami frog."

"You know origami?" he asked.

"I know some stuff, you know like frogs and cranes and boxes. Those are the easiest. Once the folding got more intricate and complicated, I couldn't keep up anymore," she said.

"Is there anything you're not talented at?" he asked teasingly.

"Singing," she grinned.

"Well, then it's perfect that we're friends now cuz I've got the singing thing down," he chuckled.

"Exactly," she nodded, sipping more of her shake through her straw. "You can have more if you want."

"I'll take you up on that," he said, reaching for the extra straw on the table.

He stuck his straw into the shake on the other side, leaning closer to the table so he was able to reach the straw with his lips. He took a sip as Jezebel laughed, pulling away from her straw and leaning against the vinyl seat.

"What?" he asked curiously.

"We were doing that couple thing," she informed him as he just looked confused. "You know, the whole sharing a milkshake thing like they do in the movies?"

"Oh," he laughed, shaking his head. "I guess that's a little too conventional, conservative type of couple moment to be in, isn't it?"

"We don't want to gross people out by how precious we looked like that. I'm sure in 2009, a few people would think that it was a little too cliché, especially in a 50s themed restaurant," she joked.

"I'll try not to act so conventional around you then," he replied jokingly.

"Thank you," she nodded. "I mean, if you were conventional, then that would mean that we would just be like everyone else out there in the world and then where would we be? No, so far, you've done an excellent job of being completely unconventional. I enjoy that about you," she told him.

"What's so unconventional about me?" he asked, genuinely curious to hear her answer.

"You're a rock star that quotes Shakespeare in your music. I don't think I've seen someone so in love with classic literature embed direct quotes into their lyrics before," she replied, tapping the side of her mouth with her spoon as she spoke. "Also, you still live in your home state rather than moving to New York or Los Angeles to be famous. Most bands would move there to record or be closer to their record labels but not you. You said that Michigan is your home so I suspect that it would take a lot for you to move away from here," she told him.

"These are your reasons?" he asked.

"That and you're not some arrogant prick that's constantly hitting on me. That would be way too conventional for me," she laughed.

"So now I know the way to annoy you," he grinned evilly. "That's good."

"Please, if you decide to hit on me, come up with something good. I don't wanna hear the same 'do you come here often? Do you have a map cuz I got lost in your eyes?' kind of lines out of you Mr. Poet Man," she said, pointing at him with the spoon.

"Those lines are still used?" he chuckled. "I thought they were just examples of ways to pick up women. I never thought that anyone actually used them."

"I've heard them. I've heard all sorts of lame lines like that all my life," she laughed.

"What about, 'if I could rearrange the alphabet, I'd put U and I together'?" he asked.

"Oh I've heard that one before many times," she nodded. "My favorite one has to have been 'you be the Dairy Queen and I'll be your Burger King: You treat me right, and I'll do it your way'," she told him.

Craig started laughing loudly, beating his fists against the table. Jezebel laughed along with him to his reaction. She wasn't expecting him to laugh quite that hard at her best pickup line used by a member of the opposite sex but her guess was that he hadn't heard that particular line before. It was good that she was able to make him laugh. His laughter was infectious, making her join him whenever he started. It was good for her to laugh again. It had been a while since she's genuinely started laughing at something so stupid.

"Oh man, someone seriously used that line on you?" he asked through his laughter.

"When I was in high school," she replied, trying to calm herself down. "I guess he worked at both Dairy Queen and Burger King and thought it was a clever line."

"That's the funniest shit I've ever heard," he continued to laugh. "I'm so gonna use that on you from now on. If you ever receive a random text message that just says, 'Dairy Queen, Burger King equals you and me, you get the drift' plus a winky smiley face, you'll know it was me," Craig winked jokingly.

"I look forward to such text messages, though your name will be attached to the text if you're sending it from your phone," she said, shaking her head.

"Not if I'm using someone else's phone. I'm sure I would steal Jason's phone to text you one day," he informed her.

"Well if you do that, I'm going to have to start saving everyone's number and then where will your mystery be?" she laughed.

He sighed dramatically, "Man, you think of everything don't you? Ruin my fun!"

"I try my best," she smiled.

Their waitress suddenly reemerged with the tray carrying their food. Looking between the two of them, she could tell that Craig was completely enamored with the woman seated across from him. Kelly Ann couldn't help but feel slightly envious of this plain looking girl because of how lucky she was without even knowing it. She was sitting with Craig Owens, lead singer of Chiodos, and laughing with him. She wished she was able to take the girl's place and know what it was like to hold the affections of a rock star.

"Alright, we've got the Cheeseburger Deluxe here," the waitress said, placing the plate of food in front of Jezebel, "and here's the Bourbon Burger with bacon for you," she said, placing Craig's plate in front of him. "Is there anything else I can get for you two?"

"Oh, no thank you," Jezebel replied, shaking her head as she split her cheeseburger down the middle.

"If you need anything else, just let me know," the waitress said, glancing at Craig and noticing that he was also splitting his burger in half.

They nodded and traded halves of the burger as the waitress walked away, confused by their actions. Jezebel didn't wait to dig into her plate of food, taking a huge bite from the half of Craig's burger, savoring the taste of the barbeque sauce with the hamburger meat and bacon. She let out a small moan in satisfaction, causing Craig to chuckle at her enjoyment with the food. It was obvious to him that she was really hungry.

"So, how's my burger?" he asked curiously.

"Absolutely delicious," she replied, her mouth still full of food as she spoke. "Oh man, I don't think I've had a burger this good ever in my life."

"You're just hungry is all," Craig said dismissively, taking a bite of the cheeseburger.

"No seriously, this place is the best. I'm coming here from now on when I want a good burger to chow down on," she said, taking a large gulp of her raspberry tea.

"I'm glad I was able to enjoy your first good burger experience with you then," he smiled.

"Me too. Thanks for introducing me to the new love of my life," she said, popping a few French fries into her mouth.

"You're very welcome," he replied.

The rest of their meal carried on, the two of them eating and savoring their food while chit chatting about little things in between bites. Craig was captivated by everything that Jezebel did from the way she would dunk her French fries in ketchup in pairs before eating them to the way she nervously twirled a stray wavy strand of hair from her messy bun. He knew that his attraction for her was growing by the second but he was reluctant to act on it, fearing the rejection he was near sure he'd receive from her if he tried anything. For now, her friendship would have to suffice until he was able to expel the romantic thoughts brewing in his mind.

Jezebel was just glad that she was able to enjoy an afternoon with someone new and push the depressive issues from her mind for a bit. Being with Craig allowed her mind a mini-vacation from the reality she was sure she's have to deal with when she got home. Any time away from that was very welcome in her book, especially since it was Craig's kindness and ability to offer comfort with little effort that kept her company. She was grateful he came into her life when he did. She needed him more than she'd ever admit to.

She just wondered how much longer this grace period would last before her entire world caught up with her and came tumbling down.