Lunch on the boardwalk Elena attn:anyone

[Elena Hykes]

Elena was glad the day was still so nice. She put her shorts back on and slipped on her flip flops. She gathered up her stuff and put it all back in her bag and stood up. Gathering up the towel she she shook it out and then folded it over her arm. She was hungry, she was just going to eat on the boardwalk. Heading back up to the boardwalk she began walking down it trying to decide where she wanted to eat today. Finally settling on a cafe she walked inside then headed out to the part of it you can eat outdoors. she was just not in the mood to be inside today.

Finding a seat outside on the patio she sat down and put her bag on the ground by her feet. She laid her towel over the back of her chair. She ordered a sweetened ice tea from the waiter and picke dup the menu and began to glance over it while trying to decide what she wanted. Finally she settled on a burger with extra cheese and lettuce and tomato's on it only and fries. She sat back and got out a magazine and began flipping thorugh it while waiting for the waitress to come backa nd take her order.

When she put her order in she went right back to her magazine taking a few sips of her ice tea every now and then. She heard someone clear their throath and looked up and smiled at the perosn. "Hi."

[Casper Van der Meares III]

He'd been out running errands and taking his brothers to a couple of things that they had wanted to do this morning, so he had his mothers car for the day. What a rare moment of pleasure that was, as he drove around in the convertable mercedes enjoying the sun what their was of it. He headed for a small cafe which offered good food at affordable prices., it wasn't fine cusine far from it, but it did do chips and a burger if he was lucky he thought to himself.

He walked into the small cafe asking for a table, American portions were still something that he struggled with. The plates of food around him said it all, he thought to himself as he was told to take what ever table was free he nodded walking out on to the patio. Lookinng around the area for a good place to sit that offered a good view, he spotted someone who looked pretty familiar to him. He ran a list of names through his head trying to put a name to the face.

Smiling slightly he approached the girl with a smile on his face he coughed to let her know that he was there.

'hi' the girl said to him.

"Eleria right?" he asked with a crooked smile. "Would you mind some company?" he asked.

[Elena Hykes]

Elena looked up at the guy. She knew him alright, he was part of the popular crowd. She was a bit shocked that he wanted to sit with her. She did not let it show though, she was good at hiding her emotions. "Sure you can join me and yes it is Elena" she smiled back at him. She put her magazine back in her bag and took a sip of her sweet tea. "Casper right?" she asked. "I have seen you around" she commented. He was the kind of guy when you saw him around you did notice him, he was hard not to notice. And if she was honest with herself he was good looking. I don't need to think like that you have to much to focus on she thought to herself.

Before this day she would of never said anything back. She uncrossed and recrossed her legs. "Couldn't stay in either huh?I could not resist the sun it just kept telling me you have to be out today" she asked him. She glanced around and saw that the waiter made a sign her food would be just a few moments longer. "Do you come here often?" she asked meaning the cafe. She did come here alot when she was out and about. And sometimes the gang would meet here before and after a job to discuss it and go over everything. They all liked to get out of the ghost hunting office every now and then.

I won't mention ghost hunting she thought to herself. It was rare such a popular guy would talk to her she was not going to ruin it. She was going to enjoy this moment and just let it last as long as it can. It seemed since she made a priomise she would get out more, more people are talking to her, and if she can make friends with people that is a good thing. She was not sure how Casper's other friends would take to them as friends, but they did become friends she did not care what others thought that was for sure. "The waiter will be here any moment" she said noticing him coming with her food that he sat in front of her. She stayed quiet so Casper could order his food.

[Casper Van der Meares III]

Casper grinned at her, "Its pretty hard to miss me walking down the halls so I'm not that surprised that you have seen me about." he said with a chuckle. "Well there is getting out because of the sun, it has been quite refreshing for it to be a little cooler than usual the few fays." he said to her with a smile. "But I was out running some errands for my mother, and playing driver for my brothers. Our driver went down with food poisoning today apparently, not that I'm really complaining I'm not that keen on getting driven around every where I want to go." he explained.

"Nope this is my first time at this place, I was looking for a good place to eat. And this place seemed to be as good a place as any, it says it does a great burger I was sold on that. So I decided I wanted a burger and chips." Casper said. "American's have such great fast food." he added.

When Elena mentioned the waiter Casper's stomach grumbled in annoyance that it hadn't had food in it in a while, Casper looked at the girl. "I guess you could say that I am a little hungry." he said to her with a smile when the waiter approached with the food for his table mate he took his order book out. "I'll take a quarter pounder and cheese with fries." Casper said to him. "And a bottle of water with that please, with ice and a glass." he added as an afterthought.

[Elena Hykes]

"I am just suprised you recognize me or even know my name" Elena said honestly. Here comes the honesty in me she thought. "I am not like all the barbies at school and I am far from the best looking girl. I am the unpopular chick that does not stand out and blends in with the background." She said all this matter of factly and took a fry and dipped it in mayo and popped it in her mouth. "Not the type of girl you would notice, or would even want to notice" she said and looked over at him. "I would not know what it was like to have a driver, I like my independence to much to let anyone drive me around unless it is for work of course" she added.

"You did pick a great place to eat" she told him. She took a bite of her burger and moaned caused it tasted so good. She was a girl that loved her food and she loved greasy all american food. "They have the best burgers around from what I have tasted" she said and wiped at her mouth. "Forgive me if I eat like a pig, I am foodie. I love my food, and I don't skimp on food ever" she said with a smile and a laugh. "you can give american that we have great food, and it may be fattening but it taste so good" she grinned. Dipping some more of her frys in her mayo she popped them in her mouth. "You should try dipping your fries in mayo one time it does taste good. Want to try?" she asked and dipped one in her mayo and held it out for him.

"Particular about our water huh?" Elena asked her eye brows arched up. "Sorry I am blunt honest" she told him. "So if you ever want a honest answer just ask me a question" she said to him. "Of course I work at Texas Stakehouse and I know people that ask for specifics if you give them what they want you get good tips. After all tips like that keep us happy" she teased and she laughed. "Of course I am the chick you can find at the sports bar watching football, and if I could be drinking beer, and I love our food at work, nothing beats a good steak either" she laughed and smiled. "Think you would ever go to a sports bar or anything? I have a feeling it would be a step out of her comfort zone."

[Casper Van der Meares III]

Casper smiled at her, "Not everything is about looks, sure I wouldn't want to date you, but that doesn't close of the rest of the possibilities does it?" he asked her smiling just a little more. "To me this is just two people having lunch, who have passing knowledge of each other." Casper said to her he didn't mention that the only reason he knew her name was that someone had told him while making some snarky remark about said girl. It didn't bother him even remotely, he made his own friends, he didn't allow any one else to make them for him.

"My father is the ambassador of my country to this one, the driver thing is a requirement not a personal choice... I would prefer to drive or get a bus into school." Casper explained the driver. "Getting driven around in a mercedes may sound all fantastic and everything but actually its not all thats its cracked up to be." he said to her. Casper listened to her suggestion of chips and mayo which sounded about the most disgusting thing he had ever heard. "No thank you, I don't think my stomach could handle that combination." he said to her, he wasn't a big health freak but it was clear that he was someone who watched what he ate to some fegree. "I'm sure it tastes a lot better than it sounds." he added.

"Their is nothing worse than luke warm water, and thats all you seem to get in LA when you order food from places." Casper said to her when she brought up waitressing he smiled about the tips. "Tipping well at a place ensures that they treat you well when and if you go back to them... bad service no tip good service big tip is my rule." Casper said to Elena. "I've been known to go to a sports bar, it usually leads to a lecture after wards on security and underage drinking which never gets tired. Whats the point of watching sport on your own, when you can watch sport with other people drink and have a little fun along the way." he added. "I bet you get some difficult customers along the way thought." he stated.

[Elena Hykes]

"I don't date" Elena said matter of factly. "So even if a guy wants to date me it is not going to happen." She was ver different from girls her age in that respect. They wanted to have a boyfriend and a big romance. Not her, she had things to do in her life. Two jobs school, spending her free time doing what she wanted to do. And just getting through life and always staying busy. Even on the beach she was answering emails and researching when most people relax and do whatever at the beach. "I don't mind passing on knowledge" she said and ate some more of her food.

"I am so glad to be away from the cheese wagon. Now that was not fun" she said. She did not mention it was cause she was always made fun of or bothered. She did not care anymore, All that made her a stronger person. And she was proud of the proud independent young woman that she was. And she likes to think her parents would be to. "I do like having my own vehicle but for my second job I usually ride with someone. Of course even then we are working and not relaxing" she said and smiled. "You don't know what your missing" she said eating the fry.

"Nothing wrong with a few beers" Elena siad. She has drank and had some older guy hit on her and get a drink at the bar and them not knowing her real age till the end of the night when she was done flirting with them. She actually got along with guys in those places, they aren't there for romance they want to flirt with a woman but they also focus on the game on tv same as her. So you have a good time all around. "I get some interesting customers. From old men, to pervs, to flirts, to people who love to give you a hard time and make your job difficult. I much perfer older people, and families compared to people our age and college age, they seem to be the worst and horriable at tipping."

[Casper Van der Meares III]

Casper smiled, "I may have to try public transport, I don't think either of our parents will let us drive until after we have left the family home... not when they can have us driven where ever we want, by people they trust behind the wheel anyway." Casper told her, he didn't say that the main reason behind this was most likely that he had nearly been killed in a serious accident, many of his doctors would likely have said that he had defied all the odds just surviving the crash let alone walk talk and function at the level he had before the accident. "You can't really miss something you haven't done on a regular basis... I have my permit or license what ever the American's call it, so that I can ferry my brothers around when my parents aren't available to do it and we don't have a driver." Casper explained. "I can live with being driven, but its being followed by private security, you have no idea how much hassle this little escapade will cause me." Casper said as it was rather obvious that he wasn't with any one.

He listened to Elena speak about her job at a sports bar, he didn't think that he would want to do that kind of job... not if he were female anyway. He could think of better things to do than that with his time, lecherous guys leering over a girl... he wondered how close Elena would get to hitting one of them just to tell them who was boss.

"Generally speaking older people seem to have far more respect for people than people our age, in this country anyway... I see people at school speaking to teachers and parents and wonder how it is that they are still walking without a limp or a grimace." Casper said to Elena. "So what do you have planned for the rest of the day?" he asked.

[Elena Hykes]

"Private security would drive me up a wall. I could not have my life if I had them around. And really I can't afford to have them around with two jobs espically the second you can't have alot of people following you around." Elena knew that with that may people in the same place and stuff it would be to crowded espically if they were not ghost hunters. Normally they had their camera's and equipment and that is all, a few times various ghost hunting shows have joined them so they had also their team taping. Speaking of other ghost hunters, she has to see if Zach got her pics yet she sent she took in a cemetary. They had some mist and one looked human shaped she wanted his opinion on them. "I bet it feels good to be out on your own even for a bit. Freedom is the best thing to have" she said. She knew espically for women if she did not have freedom she would not be allowed to do the job she loved.

"Some people our age have respect" Elena said to him. "I mean yes a few I have gotten annoyed with, mainly in traffice when I have to get somewhere" she said with a laugh. You had to learn to respect the older generation espically if they are the ones telling the ghost stories. You just get use to how sometimes they drage it out and add facts that are not relevant at all to the stories and the haunting. "I would love to have my parents back, I never onces spoke to them that way, and I never would if they were here." She said this wistfully, she wondered if she would ever come across their ghost one day, she wanted to, to have a final good bye. Soemtimes it did feel like her mother was around her, when she was upset espically or having a bad day.

"I don't have much for the rest of the day, just going to go home change, do a quick email check and then do some shoppign" she said. "I need a new camcorder and hand held recorder" she told him. "I also have to pick up a few things for my one job from the repair store" she told him. "What do you have planned?"