PPM for Short

With Chloe placated things move along more smoothly. El was greatly relieved that Casey wasn't running for the exit after Chloe's goofiness. Casey took it all in stride, even seeming a bit charmed by Chloe's kooky ways. The trio chat freely and easily, as if they had already been friends for years. The cousins learn of Casey's passion is musical theater and that she was a freshman at the same University that Fiona and Jesse attended. Casey learns that El was very near to finishing high school and hoped to attend the University to pursue a career in video game development. And Chloe is just a general nuisance.

Elsie and Chloe eat their burgers, fries, and pickles and are absolutely stuffed by the end. Leaning back and holding their bellies they ask Felix to hold off on the banana split until later on, he is happy to do it.

"Thanks babe." Chloe shoots him a pair of finger guns.

He just chuckles. "No sweat." He points back to a small temporary stage they had set up in the corner where a woman in her 60's was preparing things. "The game is going to start soon."

"We're ready." Casey says.

"We were born ready!" Chloe says with complete confidence.

Felix laughs. Leaning in he whispers. "I hope you win. Good luck gals." With that he hurries off.

Chloe looks to the others with a big smile. "Did you hear that? He hopes I win."

"I think he was talking to all of us." Elsie says.

Chloe continues on unabated. "I think he's falling in love with me! I hope he knows our relationship can only be strictly physical. I hope I don't have to break his heart. Boys his age can be so fragile." She says as if she had a clue.

El rolls her eyes and just lets her cousin believe whatever she wanted. Returning her attention to her date El strikes the conversation up where they had left it. Elsie is fascinated by Casey's somewhat eccentric taste in older fashions and even older music. Theater in particular lights a fire in the red head's emerald eyes. Casey is smitten by Elsie's unapologetically nerdy enthusiasm for things like anime and video games, and is truly impressed by Elsie's technical know how when it came to computers. Their interests were different yet they approached them with the same "joie de vivre", a wonderful phrase El had just learned from Casey. And both were equally struck by the other's physical beauty and the niggling sense that there was an alluring deeper mystery to be learned about the other. Their talk was kept purely to the superficial, sticking to safe topics and uncontroversial opinions, but there was SO much more going on just under the surface. Both of them could tell that getting along wasn't going to be an issue. They just..."clicked". Even if the date fell through they were bit by bit building the foundation of a great friendship.

For Elsie the conversation is a breath of fresh air. Not once is her family mentioned or even asked about. This was just about her and Casey. And unlike with her high school acquaintances, where she bore the reputation as the weird standoffish girl who wouldn't even get changed for gym class, with Casey it was brand new start. There was no baggage from her secretive family life holding her back. It felt so damn good. Even as they spoke about pleasantries Elsie swore to herself that no matter what happened things would be different with Casey. She would not build whatever this would turn into from lies and shame. With Casey Elsie would be honest, no matter the cost.

The servers come around to collect the entry fee from the few last minute customers who hadn't paid in advance, El and Chloe included. Chloe is happy to do so for the both of them but insists on tucking the cash into Felix's belt as if he were a stripper, which elicits a laugh from all the tables in the section. He takes it all in good humor and hurries on the next table.

Finally the games begin.

"Okay, all phones and tablets turned off and put away." The presenter says into her mic from the stage. "We don't want a disqualification like last time. Put them away and keep them away."

There is a rustle throughout the diner as the patrons put away their electronics. Meanwhile the servers were moving from table to table with sheets of paper and pens, setting one of each at each table. As this happens the woman on stage goes through the rules. Answers must be written in the space provided in ink, answers cannot be changed once written, the time limit on each question, and other such details.

Felix approaches the girls' table and offers the answer sheet. "Who wants to be the..."

"I DO!" Chloe peeps.

Felix laughs. "Of course." He sets down the paper in front of her and gives her a pen.

Taking it all way to seriously Chloe takes the cap off the pen and swirls the tip around in the corner of the paper to make sure it was working. Then she hunches over the paper, pen at the ready for moment the first question is asked. Felix points down at the blank at the top of the sheet. "You have to choose a team name and put it there."

"Team name?" Chloe asks.

"We can just use the table number if you don't want to choose a name." Casey explains.

"No way!" Chloe says. "We need a team name!"

Felix waits as Chloe starts wracking her brain for a name. "Hmmm. Boss Bailey Bitches? No, Casey's not a Bailey. What abouuuut...Three Amigas? No, too boring."

Suddenly Elsie curls her lips into her mouth and stifles a giggle. She pauses...the covers her mouth unable to hold in the titters. "He he he he!"

"What?" Chloe prods. "What is it?"

El shakes her head and tries to wave Chloe off.

"No, come on. What is it?"

With her blush returning she whispers, almost ashamedly. "What about...he he he...what about...Pistol Packin Mamas?"

Casey's eyes widen in surprise. Had El figured her out? Was she mocking her? Seeing Elsie's embarrassed burbling blushing laugh she knew there was no cruelty behind the suggestion and that Casey had nothing to do with it. This seemed to be some inside joke between the cousins. Felix glances nervously at his friend but with a look and subtle wave of her hand she assures him everything is okay.

"PFFFFT!" Chloe sputters in disbelief. "FUCK...YES we are!"

"No, I was just jok..." El tries to say between guffaws.

Before El can stop her Chloe scrawls 'PISTOL PACKIN MAMAS, PPM for short' at the top of the paper. Felix jots down the team name in a little notebook he had. El might have been horrified if she wasn't too busy laughing. She hides her face in Chloe's shoulder and howls with laughter.

Chloe, finger gun extended, turns and takes aim at the nearby table of college aged men. "Look out boys, the Pistol Packin Mama's are cumming for you!" She mocks her finger gun firing. "And we're loaded for bear."