“I kept my head down and my mouth full. I didn't want Frankie's sharp eyes or tongue focused on me any more than necessary. It was a lot easier with Daniel taking up half of the food and most of the air."What about it, Ella?" he asked when everything was gone except the parsley garnish. "When do we get the pleasure of your vocal stylings?""I don't sing.""You mean you won't sng," Sadie corrected. I tried to be charitable about her treason; she goes pretty brainless around Daniel. "Ella sings really well.""I'm sure she does." Daniel tipped his beer glass in my direction. "In fact, I bet she could totally murder 'Don't Stop Believin'." A song that is actually one of my guilty pleasures. I think he probably knew that. I think he probably had himself a lovely chuckle over it.Then he whispered, "Coward."In another story, the plucky little heroine would have slapped both hands onto the table, making it wobble a little on its predicatbly uneven fourth leg. She would then have taken both hands, ripped the long scarf from around her neck and, chin high and scar spotlit, stalked to the dais, leaped up, and slayed the audience with her kick-ass version of "Respect." Or maybe "Single Ladies," for the sheer Yay factor.In this version,I gave Daniel what I hoped was a slayer look and busied myself refolding my napkin.He was,not surprisingly, unfazed. "Can I ask you a question?"I sighed. "Will my answer to that one make any difference?""None whatsoever.""Fine," I grumbled. "Ask." I didn't have to answer.He wasn't my Hobbes."Why are there interstate highways in Hawaii?"I gaped at him. "That's your question?""Nope." He leaned back in his chair, propping one foot on the other knee. "That's a question. My question is this: What's the one thing you should ask yourself before getting involved with someone?""Seriously?""Do I look serious?"Maybe not serious, but vaguely deadly. Still,it was an interesting question, especially coming from Daniel Hobbes. I thought for a second. "'Will he make me happy?'""You think?" Daniel asked, the unfolded himself and got to his feet. "I'm outta here. Who's coming?”

“Nice gate,Ella."I looked back at Daniel. He waved torward my lap."Oh." I draw on my eans when I don't have paper.My bus had gotten stuck behind a trash truck, right in front of a seriously old churchyard. "Thanks." I wasn't sure how I felt about Daniel staring at my thigh, even if he had recognized the sketch for what it was."Here." Suddenly, he had a booted foot on the rung of my chair, legs spread, one pressed against mine. "Draw something.""Oh,please," Frankie muttered from his other side.I shook my head. "I don't have a pen."Sadie promptly disappeared beneath the table.I could hear the clank of Marc acobs chain handles and had a feeling in a second she would be asking, "Blue ink or black?""Don't you dare,Sadie," Frankie said cheerfully. "Ella does not want to be inscribing my brother's crotch."True, I didn't. Except I had the clearest vision of how a little Italian portal devil would look on the faded denim..."Fair enough," Daniel said, sliding his foot off my chair. But he actually looked disappointed. For a second, anyway. "I assume there's food coming?""There is," Frankie answered. "I'm sure it will come a hell of a lot faster if you do your vampire boy thing on Chloe again.""Tsk,tsk. Jealousy, Miss Thing."They bared their teeth at each other. It was scarily pretty.”

“Daniel."He looked up. "El-la.I was wondering if you'd catch me." He offered me a cigarette. I gave him a shame-on-you look;he grinned."This is your band?" I asked. Visible piercings aside, no one looked like that went by the name Ax."Nope,but I go to school with the lead's sister. Regular guy got food poisoning at a Christmas party last night.I've played with them before.""Weddings?" It wasn't quite how I'd pictured him performing."Usually clubs, but the last one was a bar mitzvah. Musicians have to eat, too," he added, a little sharply."Sorry." I wanted to wave the smoke away, but figured that might be adding insult to inury. "I thought you played the guitar.""Guitar, piano, a little violin, but badly, and I'll have to garrote you ith one of the strings if you tell anyone."That's the thing about Daniel. Obviously-the violin being a case in point-I don't know him very well,but he seems to hold a grudge for even less time than Frankie. "Secret's safe with me."He shrugged, telling me he didn't really care. Then, "Nice dress.""Just when I start liking you a litte.."He made his vampire-boy face. I could see why it usually worked. "You like me,Ella. Wanna do something when this is over?""Tempting," I said. "No, I mean that. But no,thanks. I'm not at my best these days.""You're good," he said quietly, blowing out a stream of smoke. "You'll be fine.""Yeah." I shivered. It was bitter outside. "I should go in.""You should." The cold didn't seem to be bothering him at all, and he wasn't even wearing a jacket over his white dress shirt.I turned to go. "Oh, I think I figured it out, by the way.""Figured out what?""The question.The one everyone should ask before getting involved with someone. Not 'Will he-slash-she make me happy?' but 'Does it bring out the best in me,being with him?'""Him-slash-her," Daniel corrected, clearly amused. Then, "Nope. No way. Wasn't me who posed the question to you, Marino.I would never be so Emo.""Of course not.But it was one smart boy." I waved. "Hug Frankie for me.""Will do. Hey.Any requests for the band?""'Don't Stop Believin'," I shot back. He rolled his eyes. "I'm curious, in that last song-are the words really 'I cut my chest wide open'?""Yup.Followed by, "They come and watch us bleed.Is it art like I was hoping now?" Avett Brothers. Too gruesome for you?""You have no idea," I told him. How much I get it.”

“Carter: "Dude, I don't know why it works, it just does. [...] Just pretend you're not into 'em and then ask a question. What's the worst that could happen?"EJ makes eye contact with the smallest one, off to the side. [...]She looks up at EJ and gives him the nicest smile. He pulls the trigger and yells, "You think you're hot stuff, don't you?"What the...? Where are you going with this?"Excuse me?" she replies, kind of sweetly.EJ asks, "You think you're cool, don't you? Where did you get that shirt, the Salvation Army? What the hell is with your hair?My eyes are as big as basketballs as he fires one mean-ass question after another at her."You don't have a boyfriend, do you?" he continues.It's like he's armed with self-esteem killer."Did your parents have any kids that lived?" EJ asks.The girls starts to buckle, and tears are on the way."Are these your friends, or are they like, counselors here to observe you?" EJ shouts. [...]He asks, "Does your grandma know you borrowed her shoes?" as I drag him away. The girl is crying pretty hard, and her friends are trying to console her. [...]"Man, that didn't do very well. What do you think I did wrong?" EJ asks."Are you serious?" I ask"I was just doing what you told me to," he replies."I-I-I told you to go up to that girl and start abusing her?" I ask."You said to ask her questions and pretend I didn't like her!" he yells back."Pretend YOU'RE NOT INTO HER!" I clarify. "Not that you hate her and wish she would die! Good God, that girl thought she was gonna get a boyfriend when you walked up, not years of therapy.""Do you think I still have a shot?" he asks"NO, I don't!" I bark”

“I squinted one of my eyes at Daniel.“What are you doing?” he asked.“This is me, giving you the side eye.” I continued to squint.“Well, you look like you’re having a stroke”

“So, what are you doing with my little sister today?” Daniel asked. I closed my eyes in defeat.“I’m afraid I can’t ruin the surprise,” Noah said. “But I promise I’ll return her intact.”He did not just say that. Daniel cackled”