I was just about to sit in a corner booth and start my homework—that’s how slow it was—when the bell over the door jingled and a whole group of people walked in. Actually, it was a family.
With a little tingle of pleasure, I recognized Bran O’Connor. And the people with him had to be his mom and dad and little sister.
Sadly, they were all just as hard to look at as he was. Though, to be honest, I hardly noticed his looks anymore. Still, his family was really unattractive.
I’m sorry if that makes me sound shallow, but it was true.
Wow, I couldn’t help thinking, as his mother, a short, troll-like woman with a huge, lumpy brown purse came to a stop in front of the hostess stand. She was wearing an absolutely awful orange dress that clashed with her skin, which was almost as bad as Bran’s. Her hair was pulled back in a severe bun at the back of her head, showing a neck that looked as wrinkled as a turtle’s.
Bran’s dad wasn’t much to look at either. Almost as short as his son, he had thinning, wispy brown hair combed over an obvious bald spot and watery grey eyes that were comically magnified behind a pair of thick glasses with black frames.
Nerd glasses, I couldn’t help thinking. Because they almost looked like a prop from a movie. Put these on and instant geek—like that.
But Bran’s little sister had to be the saddest sight of all. She had a nose that turned up just like a pig’s snout and tiny mournful, no-color eyes. Her lank brown hair was pulled back into limp pigtails on either side of her head and to top it all off, she had the biggest pair of buckteeth I had ever seen protruding from her thick-lipped mouth.
“I don’t wanna eat here, Mom,” she was moaning as they all trooped into the I Scream. “We might see someone from school. That would be so embarrassing.”
“Your brother sees someone from school and you don’t hear him complaining,” Bran’s mother said as I came to greet them. “Isn’t that the girl you were talking about, Bran? Your lab partner?”
“Yes, that’s her.” Bran smiled at me, an expression that lit up his homely face and made me want to blush, though I tried to control my reaction.
“Hi there, I’m Emma,” I said brightly, trying to concentrate on Bran instead of his unfortunate looking family. Again, I’m sorry I sound so shallow but honestly, I had never seen a homelier-looking bunch in my life.
“Hi.” Bran nodded. “We’d like a table for four.”
“Come right this way.” I grabbed four menus and four sets of silverware and led them to one of the big round booths in the corner. “This okay?”
“Just fine,” Bran’s father answered and I couldn’t help noticing he had the same deep, quiet voice that Bran did. I wondered if he smelled good too and I was about to lean in and take a big sniff of his shoulder before I caught myself.
What was wrong with me?
“Can I get your drink order while you look at the menu?” I asked, trying to cover my confusion with my best professional waitress act.
They ordered a variety of soft drinks, water, and iced tea and I hustled back behind the counter to get them. Joey was back there working the fryer and the flat-top since Miguel, our regular cook had called in sick.
“Whoa,” he said, peering out through the window at the corner booth. “They new in town? Never saw them in here before.”
“That’s Bran O’Connor—my lab partner in Biology,” I explained as I filled cups and put them on a tray. “And his family.”
Joey made a sound like, “Yeesh,” and shook his head.
“What?” I said, feeling defensive for Bran’s sake. “They’re really nice people—at least Bran is. I don’t really know the rest of them, but they seem okay.”
“They might be nice but there’s no doubt every one of ‘em would make a butt-headed skunk climb a tree,” he said and laughed uproariously at his own stupid joke.
“You shouldn’t be so shallow,” I said, which was exactly what I’d been telling myself.
I was extra nice to Bran and his family, not that I wouldn’t be anyway—I always try to treat my customers well—but still.
I took their orders and brought them piping hot burgers and fries before retiring to the back to help Joey fold paper napkins around silverware and refill salt and pepper shakers for the next day.
Still, I couldn’t help watching them from the back window as I worked. They couldn’t see me and I couldn’t help it—I was kind of mesmerized by their ugliness. I know that sounds awful and I’m ashamed to admit it but I just couldn’t tear my eyes away.
It was because I was watching that I saw something strange.