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What happens when lunch comes around? Nothing good...

And I realized I should put this disclaimer here since it's set in a real city. Similarities between characters and events in this story and real people and events are purely coincidental.
EDITED

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“She’s going to rip your head off.”
Dan lay draped over the couch, dangling his head from the arm rest and watching Mark frantically search for a shirt to wear. “She is not. She meant lunch, doesn’t matter who with… and stop staring at me!”
Dan grinned. “It’s not every day you get an attractive dude dressing himself in plain sight- Ow!”
A pillow hit Dan in the face and stayed there. “I guess I deserved that. But seriously, she meant lunch. Not lunch.”
Finally Mark found a clean shirt and pulled it on, grabbing the pillow from Dan’s face as he passed to go sit on the couch. “We’re just co-workers, nothing more than friends.”
“She clearly has different plans. I would bring along a shotgun if I were you, Jill is scary when she’s mad.”
“How do you know that?”
Dan grinned at Mark devilishly. “No reason…”
Mark threw the pillow back onto Dan’s face. “It’s just lunch, Dan, you’re reading too much into it.”
Dan sat up and let the pillow fall to the floor. “You might be right, though I doubt it. If it is, does it necessarily have to be? You’ve been single ever since we met, and we’ve been friends for years! … Is it because we’re roommates and you’re too afraid to bring anybody home?”
“No! I just… haven’t found the right person yet. I don’t want to rush into something I’ll regret.”
“I get it… You know Lance called me. He wants to talk on Sunday.”
Mark stood up and grinned at Dan as he passed on his way to the door. “You’re welcome.”
“Thanks, bro. And it’s not just lunch!”
Mark yelled around the door as he closed it. “It’s just lunch!”

~~~

“It’s just lunch.”
Jill looked at herself in the mirror as she brushed her fur. “I mean, lunch is lunch. There doesn’t have to be any obligations…”
She slammed both her paws onto the sink. “Oh, who am I kidding! A one on one meal with an attractive guy, this is a date, isn’t it? … I didn’t mean for it to be a date.”
A knock on her door made her panic for no good reason. “Jill! You’ve been in there for an hour!”
“I’ll be out in a second! Jeez!”
She threw the brush into a drawer, deciding she had done enough fussing for the day. Maybe a date with Mark would be nice? She sighed as she passed her sister on the way out of the bathroom. ‘Great, now I’m looking forward to it.’ She thought to herself.
She walked down the hall and out the door, almost running into Mark, who was about to knock on it. “M-Mark! You’re here early…”
“I just didn’t want to be late. C’mon, we’re going to that place that serves great fries. Didn’t know they had chips, though.”
They started strolling down the street, and Jill eyed him suspiciously. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Oh, I forgot to tell you… I invited a couple of people along too. They’re joining us for ‘chips’. ”
Jill tried her best not to look too disappointed. Lunch was lunch. “Oh… I thought…”
She laughed. “Never mind. So, who is it?”
Mark scratched the back of his head, one hundred percent aware of what she was “Never minding”. “Oh, this girl I met the other day and some guy named Robert who I don’t know. You know him?”
She shrugged. “Nope. Who’s this girl?”
“I don’t know exactly. She’s really weird, but in an interesting way. Oh, and I should warn you, she’s got some pretty bad scarring, watch where you stare.”
They turned the corner and arrived at the restaurant, stepping inside the door. Mark pointed at an empty table and they sat down. “I’ve never been here before, even though it’s really close.” Jill remarked, looking around at the odd decorations.
“You’re in for a treat. The fries here really are the best in the city.”
A lupine waitress walked up. “What can I get you two?”
“Two orders of fries, please.”
She wrote down the order and nodded. “Coming right up!”
Jill heard the door to the restaurant open and she looked around. Seeing the girl with scars and the bodybuilder, she turned back to Mark and gave him the evilest eye. “You’re dead.”
Mark felt a chill run down his spine as Leanna sat down next to him. “H-hey, Leanna…”
“Hi, Mark. This is my brother.”
Robert smiled at them both. “Hey guys! Didn’t expect a second lunch guest.”
Leanna eyed Jill, then pointed at her. “I don’t know this woman. Who is she?”
“Oh, this is Jill, she’s a friend… he he…”
Jill extended her paw to Robert. “Hello, there.”
Robert chuckled and shook her paw firmly. “Hello yourself.”
The waitress returned to collect the two new arrival’s orders. “And what can I get for you?”
Mark leaned forward. “Get the fries, they’re legendary.”
Robert nodded and smiled at the waitress. “Two ‘fries’ please, and a couple waters.”
“Excellent choice. And…”
The waitress simultaneously wrote down the order and her phone number on the paper. She ripped the number from the pad and slipped it under Robert’s paw, dashing back to the kitchen with the order. Mark laughed. “You must get that a lot.”
“Not as much as you might think, but you’re right.”
He slipped the number into his pocket. “I’m not one for dalliance, though.”
Jill raised an eyebrow. “Oh really? Me neither. What’s your opinion on first date sex?”
Robert leaned forward and clasped his paws together, as if he was mentally preparing a PowerPoint presentation. “Well, there are a lot of factors to consider, chemistry, time…”
Mark had had this conversation with Jill before, and as far as he knew it was the question she asked to judge one’s character. He tuned out their discussion and focused on Leanna, who looked board out of her mind. “So, what’s up?”
“Hmm?”
“You look board.”
“This wasn’t my idea. It was Robert’s. He thinks I need more friends.”
Mark nodded. “I can understand that. I mean you just moved here and don’t know anybody.”
“I don’t need friends.”
Mark was surprised. Why would she have come here if she held that attitude? “I disagree. Friends are great! You can talk to them, have fun with them, argue with them, and borrow money from them. Besides! We’re friends, right?”
“You aren’t my friend. You’re Mark.”
“I’m… Going to take that as a compliment.”
The waitress returned, carrying four baskets of fries and two waters. She placed them in the middle of the table and scurried off. Robert was deep in conversation, so he grabbed a basket and a water without even looking. Mark took two and placed one in front of Leanna. “Careful, they’re right out of the fryer.”
Leanna poked one with her claw, determining that it was indeed too hot to eat. “What’s the point in giving you food if you can’t eat it yet?”
Mark shrugged. “Good question… I never thought about it.”
“I talk to stuffed animals.”
“What?”
She shook her head. “I don’t need friends to talk to, because I can talk to stuffed animals. That way there are no arguments, no misunderstandings, and no… questions.”
Mark blew on his fries. “And no real connections. For someone who talks to stuffed animals, you’re very open.”
“I’m imagining you as a stuffed animal right now. It helps.”
“I see… except I’m talking back.”
“Yeah, it’s kind of breaking the illusion. Whatever.”
Mark smiled, then laughed. “Ha ha! … Sorry. What you said was funny for some reason.”
“Hey you guys, your chips are getting cold!”
Jill and Robert were looking at them, grins on their faces. “What…? Oh! Chips! I feel so stupid now…”
Robert laughed, and Leanna smiled as Mark visibly chided himself. “I’m sorry. I thought you meant chips… I mean… Crisps. Yeah.”
Robert dipped a bundle of fries into a container of vinegar that was on the table. “Ah, don’t worry about it, mate. I didn’t know what b’y meant when I first came here.”
Jill laughed. “Yes, b’y? That must have been confusing.”
Mark started eating his fries. “These keep getting better whenever I come here… So what made you guys move to Newfoundland anyway?”
Leanna shrugged, looking at her food as though it was poison. Robert answered. “I moved here a couple years back for work. It’s a nice place, I must say. Too much fog, though. Leanna moved in with me a few weeks back…” He trailed off, unsure if he should continue.
Leanna finally ate a fry, and her face lit up. “Wow! These are amazing!”
She shoveled a few into her mouth before looking up. “Um… They couldn’t keep me over there so I moved here.” She looked back down and continued devouring her fries.
Mark knew better than to pry into the two’s private affairs, despite his frustratingly strong curiosity. It was clearly a very sensitive subject for them, so Mark just nodded politely. “So, Leanna, how are you liking St Johns so far?” Jill asked.
“It’s fine. Kinda large, but fine. The Basilica is really cool; it reminds me of some of the churches around where we used to live. The inside was a work of art, you could tell the skill that was put into it.”
Mark smiled as Leanna launched into a spiel about the architecture of the giant church in the middle of the city. It was something she was very enthusiastic about. “The ceiling was so huge too! I wonder if that was real gold. For a bunch of people who believe in God, they sure knew how to build buildings! Robbie! We have to take M-”
She stopped mid-sentence. Her face fell, and she looked down into her basket to hide it. Robert looked uneasy. “Leanna…”
“I-I-I’m fine…” Her voice had become small and very fragile.
Mark leaned forward, concerned. “What’s the matter? Leanna?”
She reached over slowly and grabbed onto Robert’s arm. He stood, and she followed. “We have to go. This was fun, cheers.”
They walked off without paying, and Mark caught a glimpse of Leanna’s face before they disappeared around the corner. She was crying. Jill looked at Mark, confused. “What was that all about?”
“I told you I just met her a few days ago, I have no idea.”
Jill stirred her ketchup with a fry and placed her head on her other paw. “Poor thing, she looked so sad… I wonder what happened to her.”
“It looks like she was in a fire. Or something.”
Jill shrugged. “Ours not to wonder why.”
“Yeah…”
“Now… Why would you not tell me you were going to bring people?!”
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t turn her down. She hung up before I could. And what was I supposed to do? Say no?”
“I guess you’re right… I just wish you had told me.”
“Sorry.”
They went back to eating their fries, keeping their faces buried in their food. Robert and Leanna had left behind a large amount of the golden goodies, so when the waitress came to give them the bill, Mark asked for it to-go. “Sure, just come up to the front and get it when you pay.”
“Thanks. The fries were great, as always.”
Jill nodded. “Yeah, I’ll have to come here more often.”
Their comments seemed to bring the waitress great pleasure, and she beamed as she nodded. “Thank you very much! I’ll be sure to pass it on to the chef. Though if we’re being honest… He gets so many on a daily basis they don’t mean much to him anymore!”
All three laughed, the waitress giggling to herself as she took the leftovers away, even after the other two had stopped. Mark stood and took out his wallet. “I’ll pay. This whole thing was kinda my fault anyway.”
Jill nodded. “Sure was.”
Mark sighed in exasperation. “You’re at least supposed to say “no, I’ll pay” once!”
“I’m scary when I’m mad. Disregarding social expectations is my calling card.”
Mark couldn’t help but chuckle at her remark as he walked up to the counter just as the waitress arrived at the counter with the to-go containers. The total was scarily high, but Mark tipped generously anyway. He took the two boxes and gave one to Jill, who was waiting at the door for him. “Thanks. Let’s just… forget this happened. See you later.”
They parted ways. Mark walked past the nearby war monument and down towards a street that ran by the water, reminding himself to prepare for the endless tides of “I told you so” from Dan. In hindsight, he should have seen it coming from a mile away. He shook his head, deciding to take Jill’s advice and just forget the whole thing ever happened. Leanna was making that very difficult, however, as he kept picturing her, tears streaming down her face. He opened the door to his apartment and was immediately hit with a pillow. “I told you so.”
Mark tossed the pillow back onto the couch. “I haven’t said anything yet!”
“I already know I’m right. I can tell from the takeout container you’re holding.”
Mark plopped down on the couch and handed Dan the container. “It’s not what you think. Sure, you were right-”
“HA!”
“… You were right, but, the four of us had a nice lunch anyway.”
Dan sat up on the couch, grabbing his knees and facing Mark. “Then why does it look like you swallowed a lemon?”
“That’s none of your business.”
Mark and Dan stared at each other, waiting for the other to give in. Dan sighed and shrugged. “Fine.”
He opened the container and ate a handful of the contents. “Wow… these are good. You sure you don’t want them?”
“No, I’ve had enough fried food for the week.”
Dan dumped the whole box into his mouth. “Mmmf… Almost tastes better than Lan- Ow!”
The pillow made yet another flight through the air.

~~~

Mark was having trouble sleeping that night. Whenever he closed his eyes to go to sleep he pictured Leanna’s forlorn face, and his curiosity and sympathy grew. Why was she scarred? Who did she want to see the Basilica with? Why did she suddenly start crying? Robert seemed to know the answer, though he knew he couldn’t ask. Right before he was finally drifting off to sleep, his phone buzzed. “Jesus! … Michael, of course…”
He checked the screen…
hey mark-
-dude its one in the mornig im trying to sleep
your awake, arnt you?-
-yeah, now i am. thanks to you
whatever-
my moms been on my case again. she sez I need to move out and get a job-
-shes right
bru-
I thought you wer on my side!-
-youre a second year university student. shes right
but i like it here. free food and my room is just the way I like iut-
*it-
-you know you can move all your shit out and putit back the way you want. Learn to cook too
but i don’t know were to start. who would hire me?-
-go work at mcdonalds or something. and dont you have the option to live in residence/
-?
yeah-
-then do that
ill think about it-
gtg-
-you do that
-bye
seen

Mark dropped his phone onto the carpeted floor and lay back. “Freeloading bastard.”

~~~

Mark’s phone rang again, this time from a phone call. He woke up slowly, and groped around in the darkness for his phone. He opened his eyes as much as he could and grabbed it. As he was bringing it to his face, he noticed that it had stopped ringing, the “one missed call” message displaying. He checked to see who it was. Leanna. He was about to call her back, but he closed his eyes for an instant and suddenly was asleep.

~~~

Days passed, and nobody heard anything from Leanna. It was now Sunday, and Dan was throwing couch cushions at Mark. “He’ll be here any minute! Get out!”
“Ok! Ok! I’m going!”
Mark dashed out the door and closed it behind him before any more pillows could be hurled. He walked down the stairs and out of the apartment building, wondering what he would do now. He glanced back and saw Lance enter the building, and he chuckled to himself. “They’re a match made in heaven… Well, maybe not heaven…”
Mark decided to contact Michael and see what he was doing, however when he reached into his pocket he realized he forgot his phone at home. “Son of a…”
He sighed, and started walking down the street without any real direction. He walked for a while, stopped by EB Games to do some window shopping, and eventually arrived at Mile One Center, where some sort of a convention was going on. He stopped a mouse who was lugging a giant bag towards the center. “Hey, do you know what’s going on there?” He pointed at the center.
The mouse seemed relieved to be stopped, as he set down the bag and sat on it, puffing. “Whew… You mean at Mile One? It’s a fleshy convention.”
“A… What?”
The mouse looked slightly uncomfortable explaining, but he did anyway. “You know… Where a bunch of fleshies get together, some of them dress up like Humans, or share Human art… That kind of thing.”
“Um… What’s a Human?”
The mouse shrugged and laughed. “Some guy made them up twenty-five years ago and a whole bunch of people got on board. It’s like this… ‘we’re all the same inside’ kinda thing. ‘Cause Humans all look really similar, you know?”
“I don’t.”
The mouse sighed and picked up his bag. “Well, I gotta get over there. I’m doing a panel on Human writing in fifteen minutes!”
He shuffled off, leaving Mark very confused, and very weirded out. He continued walking, casting the occasional glance towards the center. “Different strokes for different folks…”
He briefly considered going inside, but when he saw a group of people wearing what he assumed to be Human costumes, he steered clear and walked down a side street. He didn’t realize it was the street with all the cheap strip clubs, (so cheap they used images straight off Google for their posters, something Mark did not take pride in knowing) though it was preferable to the fleshy convention. He walked quickly, and turned onto a more reputable street, with a few bars and a hunting shop. As he passed the hunting shop, he heard the door chime, and almost bumped into the person coming out of the shop. “Whoa! … Leanna?”
Leanna stepped back and stared at Mark’s chest, not making eye contact. “…Hi…”
Her voice still sounded like it did in the restaurant, small and fragile. “I was worried. I didn’t know what happened in the restaurant.”
“It was nothing…”
“Do you want to… I don’t know… Discuss it?”
“No. I don’t.” She glanced up at his face momentarily.
Mark nodded and looked into the hunting shop. “Ok. But I’m willing to, so just call me if you need it.”
“I don’t think I will… but thanks anyway.”
“Alright. What were you doing in there?”
She stepped next to Mark and looked into the shop. “I was trying to get a license. I didn’t realize you had to be a Canadian citizen for five years or whatever he said first. It also costs a lot and there’s a ton of paperwork involved…”
She trailed off and stared into the shop for a few more seconds, then looked up at Mark. “Do you have any guns?”
“Me? As a matter of fact, I do. They aren’t in the city, though.”
“Do you go hunting? I always kinda wanted to go hunting someday… Which ones?”
Mark chuckled “Slow down! First of all, yes sometimes, with my father. As for which guns, I have a .22 I got when I was young… Hey, what’s wrong?”
Leanna started walking away, down the street towards the water. Mark followed her, but she was walking really fast, so by the time he caught up with her, she was already on the waterfront. “Leanna! Stop running off!”
She stepped onto the wharf and looked down into the water. “I wasn’t running off, the guy in the store was giving me weird looks…” Somehow, her voice sounded reserved now, more than ever.
“Really?”
“…Yes…”
Mark looked down into the water as well, watching the seaweed and sparse fish population moving with the polluted waves. He had heard that one dip in the water was enough to make you sick, and although he didn’t think it went that far, he never tested the rumor. “Is that really the only thing? I didn’t even see anyone at th-“
“Mark, stop.”
He looked over at her, and saw she was on the verge of tears. “Oh, I’m sorry… I…” He paused. “The water here is really polluted, you know?”
He seemed to have made the right choice in changing the subject, as she sniffed and seemed to regain her composure somewhat. “Really. I didn’t know that…”
“They pump sewage in there, I think. Do you have the time?”
She pulled out her phone and checked it. “11:37.”
“Almost lunch time… I forgot my wallet so I’ll have to go back home…” He shook his head and looked at Leanna. “Well, I’m going to take off, I gotta get home and eat, I’m starved. See you.”
She didn’t respond, so Mark waved and started walking back to the residence. It took him only a half hour to get there, the sun was now beating down, directly overhead. As he reached for the door, a voice behind him made him jump in surprise. “Am I allowed in there?”
“Wha… Leanna? Why did you follow me…?”
Leanna was standing behind him, reading the text on the side of the door to the residence building. “I don’t have any cash on me either. Can I join you for lunch?”
“I… Guess you can. But I don’t have anything good…”
“I don’t care, I just want food. Any will do.”
He shrugged and went inside, leading her up the stairs and to their apartment. “Just let me unlock it…”
Mark turned the key and opened the door, taking a single step inside before stopping, Leanna standing right next to him. Lance and Dan took a second to realize anyone was there, and stopped making out long enough to gawk in surprise. Leanna broke the spell of silence. “Whoa, that’s gay.”
Mark quickly stepped out of the room slammed the door shut, pulling Leanna with him. “On my couch?! Really?!”
There was a faint “sorry” from the other side. “Just… Not on my couch. Slide my wallet underneath the door, too.”
There was a rustling sound and soon Mark’s wallet slipped under the door. Then there was a slam from one of the bedrooms, and silence. He whirled on Leanna. “Why would you say something like that?!”
“B-because it’s true…”
“I… Well, you’re right. It’s just… I don’t know anymore!”
Leanna patted him on the shoulder, somehow making it look comical by only using her wrist. “There there. You’re rather quick tempered, aren’t you?”
Mark chuckled, then led Leanna back down the stairs. “Dan just gets on my nerves sometimes! I bought that couch for a hundred and fifty dollars at an antique store. I just don’t want any… Fluids… On the leather.” He sighed. “Sometimes he acts like that’s his couch. He sleeps there most nights, and sometimes it seems like he never leaves it!”
Leanna nodded sagely. “It’s a nice couch. Prime make out space.”
“Don’t you start… Hey, is that Michael?”
“You mean the red panda with the impressive tail?”
“Yeah. Hey! Mitch!”
Michael was walking up the street, but he turned around and waved when he heard Mark calling. Once they caught up, he greeted them, slightly out of breath. “Hey, Mark. Who’s… Oh, you’re the girl who… Yeah.”
“Hi tail guy.”
Mark suppressed a laugh and Michael took his tail into his paws and waved it at her. “It’s hard having a long tail, you know! It gets stuck in doors, it gets dirty very easily, and people never draw it long enough!”
“Sorry, tail guy.”
“Yeah, she didn’t mean anything by it, tail guy.”
Mark laughed and nudged Leanna, who was just grinning slightly. Michael just snorted and continued walking, letting his tail drag across the ground. Mark leaned in and whispered into Leanna’s ear. “He’s really sensitive about his tail.” He raised his voice so Michael could hear. “If you ask me, though, I think it’s a good tail.”
She nodded. “Yeah. My tail is lame and small. And don’t even get me started on Mark’s tail…”
“Hey! I like my tail.”
“Alright! I get it! Count your blessings and all that. Jeez.”
They walked for a while, until Leanna pointed to a pizza place. “Here.”
The other two turned around. “Pi? Yeah, I like Pi.” Mark said, Joining Leanna by the door.
Michael coughed. “Yeah… You guys go ahead. I was just on my way to… somewhere.”
“Alright.”
He waved and continued up the street, and Mark thought he saw something peach colored hanging out of his back pocket. He dismissed it, and followed Leanna inside the pizzeria. As they sat down and picked up a menu, Mark smiled at Leanna. “Let’s hope this goes better than last time.”
She nodded, and smiled back, something Mark realized then she rarely did. “Let’s hope.”