The last time he'd been to this particular Applebee's had been almost two years ago, some time after his college graduation. He'd never had any real memories of the place, having been there very rarely in his four years at college and not at all during high school. In fact, he had almost forgotten that there was an Applebee's there.
It was a typical Applebee's at first glance. A small bar in a large central sort of area, with the main dining sections located around it. This late at night the crowd was mostly high school and college kids taking advantage of the half price appetizers. Which he was also here for, he reminded himself. Waiters and waitresses drifted around the restaurant, never really hurrying, seeming to not even pay attention to what was happening around them. The noise was at that particular level where you noticed it and ignored it at the same time.
The hostess motioned him over to a table near the back. After voicing the required litany about the waitress coming shortly, she left him with the menu. It wasn't really necessary for him to look at the appetizers, but he did so anyway out of habit. After confirming that his choices still existed and finding to his surprise that there were a few new ones, he closed the menu and looked around bored.
That was when he noticed the unusual decor. The restaurant was decorated with murals and pictures of the local high schools. Interesting, he was sitting right by the wall with his high school on it. Taking his time to study the pictures, he suddenly realized that he didn't recognize anyone.
It made sense; after all, it had been about 6 years, but he just didn't want to believe it. This was his hometown. He'd been here all his life. Where had the time gone? And where were his friends now? He couldn't quite shake the feeling of being very alone.
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