We got out of the car to enter the diner Arlo decided to take me to. I was excited, both for the food and for the quality time with my dear brother. But mostly the food. "Doesn't it look cute?" Arlo asked as we stood in front of the diner. It was indeed cute; it had orange walls with all sorts of quotes written in different languages. They all looked beautiful and significant, but one quote caught my eye. I read it over and over again with a smile on my face. "What is it?" my brother asked as he saw my face.

"You deserve to be fought for. Remember that!" I read it out loud, then looked at Arlo. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and nodded.

"It's totally right. Let's enter." As we stepped into the diner, a little girl ran to us and hugged Arlo's legs. She was like four years old. Her pigtails bounced when she rubbed her face on Arlo's knee. "Hey there, princess," he greeted her, then bent down to carry her. She was adorable; her hazel eyes were big and sparkling with joy. Looks like she admired my brother.

"Arlo! You came," the little girl exclaimed in a sweet voice, and I smiled.

Arlo smiled at her, then kissed her cheek. "Of course, and I even brought a special person too. I present to you my sister," he clarified, then looked at me. "Mera, meet Lexi. Lexi, this is Mera. Her parents own this place," he explained, and I put my hand out for her to shake.

"Hello, princess, how old are you?" I asked as she shook my hand like a grown-up woman. Her hand was so small that I wanted to pinch her cheeks but decided against it. I did not want her to hate me for it, and I loved kids so much. Mera's front tooth was missing, which made her look extra cute.

"I'm four, and you are?" she asked, then waited in Arlo's arms for my reply.

"I'm sixteen but will be seventeen in two weeks," I answered, then looked at Arlo. What will I get for my birthday? I love presents.

"Where can we sit, princess? Is there an empty space for us?" he asked, and she nodded her tiny head.

"Yes, follow me," she said, then made Arlo let go of her. She walked us to an empty table and made us sit on the chairs. "I will call my momma so she can take your order," Mera said, then ran to another room, which I assumed was the kitchen.

"She's mature for her age," I commented.

"She is. She loves her family and the diner, so she helps a lot. The first time I came here, she wouldn't talk to me. She was too shy to lift her head up or leave her mom's side. But now, she is the most extroverted person I know."

A moment later, a woman in her early thirties came to us with a bright smile. "Arlo, I see you've brought your girlfriend with you," the woman stated, and I choked on my own spit. I shook my head back and forth, and Arlo put his arms in an X shape.

"Ew. No! She's my little sister. I told you about her once, didn't I?" he declared frankly, and I nodded. Why do people always mistake me for my brother's girlfriend?

"Yes, he's my brother. Nice to meet you. I'm Lexi," I said, then extended my hand for her to shake. She chuckled, then shook it the same way Mera did. I guessed that she was the momma.

"Nice to meet you. You are so beautiful. I see that it runs in the family — the good looks. I'm Blake, by the way." She introduced herself after her compliment – which she did not give me time to thank her for because she handed us the menus. "Feel free to order anything you want, and it will be ready quickly. I need to take the other orders now. Call me when you're ready," Blake countered, then she went. I looked at the menu and smiled at the food choices. I'm going to like it here.

"What do you want to eat?" Arlo asked as he looked at me. I raised my eyebrows at him in amusement.

"I haven't read all the choices. Now, wait, do you know what to eat?" I replied as I continued reading the menu.

"Yes, number seven is lit. You should try it — it's perfect," Arlo recommended, then I searched for the number seven and read the dish's name. 'A damper, which was soda bread.' I liked the name, so I wanted to try it.

I nodded. "Okay, I'll try it, but if it's not good, I'll personally kill you. You know that food is sacred to me." I pointed out, and he laughed.

"Don't worry, you'll love it," he said, then turned his head to the left where Blake was standing. She was filling a cup with hot coffee for a customer.

"Hey, Blake!" Arlo called, and she turned around and gave us a big smile.

"Yeah?" she replied, then walked towards us with the jug.

"We're ready to order," he let her know, and she nodded. As she came closer, Mera came running toward us. Her mom did not get the time to register what was happening until she saw me shielding her daughter from the boiling coffee.

Blake tripped and spilled the jug at the same second her daughter stood under it. I had to do something, so my body jumped on the little angel's body and embraced her. I whimpered in pain when I felt the hot coffee on my back and neck. Good thing I wore a sweater, so the coffee was not entirely on my back. "Lexi!!" Arlo screamed, then fell beside me. I let go of Mera and landed on all fours. The pain in my neck was too much for me to even lift up my body. At least Mera's okay.

"Oh my God! What have I done?" Blake screamed as she bent down next to me. She brought her hand to my neck, but Arlo stopped her.

"No, don't touch it. It will sting even more. Bring ice, please!" Arlo yelled, then lifted my chin. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"It hurts, you dimwit. You don't have to ask," I cried, then closed my eyes to ease the pain. One monkey, two monkeys, three...

After some time, a man in the diner ran to me and inspected my burnt skin. "It's a first-degree burn. Don't bring the ice; she needs cool water because the ice may worsen the bunt. And bring acetaminophen or ibuprofen if you have any for pain killers. I'm a nurse, so I know what I'm doing," the man ordered Blake. She nodded, then ran to the kitchen. When he said he was a nurse, he looked at me to let me know it was okay to let him take charge. "Hey, young lady, how are you feeling now?" he asked as he removed my sweater from me with the help of Arlo. I was wearing a long-sleeved top, so it was not a problem.

"It stings, but I have been through worse," I assured, then tried to sit on my legs but could not. "Arlo, can you help me for a bit, please?" I asked, and he did not waste a second. He grabbed my arms and helped me sit as I wanted.

"Thank you," I said, and he nodded. He looked guilty, and I felt terrible for him. "Hey, why are you looking like that?" I asked as I put my hand on his cheek.

"It's my fault," he muttered quietly, but I heard him clearly. So, I grabbed his cheeks and made him look at me.

"Hey! It's not your fault. It's not anyone's fault. I had a choice to save the little girl, and I did it because it was the right thing to do to prevent some real damage. The burns on my back will heal in no time but imagine if it was on Mera? What could have happened?" I asked rhetorically, and the nurse nodded. "She's right. Those burns are not that serious. They will heal in about a week, but if it was the little girl, it might have been so much worse. You are a true hero, young lady," the nurse said, and I laughed.

"I'm nowhere near a hero. I did what everyone else would have done in that situation." I clarified, then took deep breaths.

Blake came back with a big bowl that was filled with cold water. She handed it to the nurse and a rag, and he started treating my burns. It stung a bit, but it was bearable. "I might have some lidocaine and cream in my trunk, wait," the nurse said as he handed the bowl to Arlo and rubbed my back gently with the cool rag. He continued for five minutes until the nurse returned with a bag. "You're lucky, you know that?" he said, kneeling beside me again. "I found it," he added, then pulled out the cream and the other thing that had a long and complex name to pronounce. I did not want to waste my time trying to pronounce it in my head. Too much work.

As the nurse treated me, I turned my head and eyed Arlo. "Can we make it to Theo's game?" I asked. His eyes widened, and he shook his head.

"Funny that you're interested in that because you're not going," he declared, and I scoffed.

"Oh, I am going. End of discussion." I said in a calm but intimidating tone.

He gulped, then tried to speak more until the nurse cut him off. "She can go if she's feeling okay. As far as I can see, her burns are no longer red. I guess the coffee wasn't that hot, to begin with. Thanks to my wife," he assured, then pointed to Blake. My eyes widened, and I looked at both of them.

"You're her husband?" I asked, feeling amazed for some odd reason.

"Yes," he replied, then helped me stand up. "You can go if you really want to. Just take a cold shower at night and apply these before you sleep," he explained, and I nodded with a happy smile. I felt so much better after the cool water... that is what I wanted to say, but it hurts like a biatch.

"Thank you, sir," I said, grabbed Arlo's arms, and began walking out of the diner.

Before we were out, Blake handed me a hoodie and helped me put it on. "Please come back some other time, and you'll have a free meal; that's the least I can do for you. And thank you for saving my baby girl," Blake said, then ruffled my hair.

"I sure will. Food is delicious, but free food is much better," I joked. "I will return the hoodie when I wash it."