For the first time in a long while, Dodger was actually feeling pretty good as he sat in the back of an old style pizza parlour. His pepperoni pizza was on the way (a hot pizza for a hot guy, he'd always joked) and he'd had sex recently, finally, and... well, his job wasn't going great, but that wasn't exactly a surprise.

He rested his elbows on the table and leaned forward, using his thumb to press various buttons on his cell phone as he looked through it. It was a brand new phone and the technology had him completely confused; he'd accidentally set it all to Russian while he was thought he was assigning ringtones. But it had cool games and that was all he really cared about.

After a while, Dodger settled in to play some weird space invaders type thing and got sucked in, barely noticing anything around him.

Kate had been working in a small pizza joint in Chicago for the past couple of months. She was actually surprised that she had managed to stay there that long because she usually quit or got fired from her jobs in Chicago after only a week or two. She just couldn't help it that people were dumbasses and deserved to be punched in the face. Why should she get fired for that? Oh well. Their loss. Because Kate was a damn good waitress and really good at making big tips. She knew how to flirt without being a tease.

"Kate, table thirteen." A man from behind the counter called to her as she was giving a family of four their glasses of soda. She nodded to the man, letting him know that she heard him before she smiled at the family and walked away again.

Kate grabbed the pepperoni pizza that was sitting on the counter, and she made her way towards table thirteen to give it to the man. However, as she drew closer to the man sitting by himself, she recognized his face. Dodger something-or-other. That was definitely him. She'd remember that face anywhere, especially after punching it.

Kate grinned to herself just thinking back on it as she finally reached the table. "Here's your pizza, Dodger." She said, trying to keep the same grin off her face. As she set his pizza down in front of him, she wondered if he'd be able to take his mind off that cell phone game long enough to realize that she just called him by his name.

Dodger had only barely heard the voice of his waitress as he managed to kill some weird looking monster, and frowned when he heard his name being called. He'd either been extra friendly earlier (which was always a possibility) or someone had recognised him. He paused the game and looked up, a scowl spreading across his face when he realised who she was.

"Oh fuck me," he said surprised, turning off the phone without another thought and leaning back in his chair to give her a better look. "Didn't you nearly break my nose? Jesus, all I did was be nice to you. You have issues." Dodger shook his head, still remembering how painful it'd been when her fist suddenly connected with his nose. It wasn't often that girls actually hit him that way and he'd been in a world of pain for almost two days.

Kate tried not to laugh as she saw Dodger's reaction to seeing her. He looked really surprised in an unpleasant sort of way. "Oh, quit being such a baby. I didn't even hit you that hard." Kate said as she rolled her eyes. If he hadn't been so fresh with her, she wouldn't have had to hit him. So really, he brought it on himself. And as long as he didn't pull that crap again (which she highly doubted he would) she'd leave his face alone.

"Hey, and at least you learned your lesson, right?" Katie said with a shrug as she looked down at him. Yeah, there's no way he hadn't learned his lesson. Even though she tried to tell him she didn't hit him that hard, she really had. Her fist had even bit a little sore the next day. But no doubt, it couldn't have been as sore as his face.

He snorted as she tried to play it off like she'd barely tapped him. If that was just a tap then he was pretty sure she could kill in one move, and the thought actually sort of scared him. Part of the reason why he always went for the dumb, weak girls; less chance of rejection and/or death.

"Sure, if you were trying to teach me that you're a psycho bitch," he told her, tilting his head as he watched her. She really wasn't bad looking, and he definitely wouldn't mind trying again, but his jaw protested. "You know, I don't even think I caught your name, tough girl."

"Sure, if you were trying to teach me that you're a psycho bitch,"

"Yeah, well...we all have our quirks." Katie said with a shrug. But honestly, all women have their bitchy tendencies. So it wasn't like she was the only one out there. Normally Kate would've been pissed at the comment that Dodger made, but in all fairness, she kind of deserved it.

"Kate Shelley." Kate introduced herself with a nod. She heard someone from behind the counter call her name, and she held up her pointer finger, indicating that she'd be there in a minute. She looked back at Dodger and saw he didn't have anything to drink, so she decided to be nice. You know, maybe make up for the fact that last time she saw him she gave him a bloody nose. "You want something to drink?"

He was about to comment on her so-called quirks but bit his tongue for the first time in a long while. It wasn't often he stopped himself from talking, but he liked his face and other parts too much to risk them being broken or worse. The girl was a real firecracker.

Nodding when she said her name, he rested his arms on the table. "Dodger Wells," he said as a reply, letting his eyes drift to whoever was calling her name. He nearly smirked at the fact she was both staying and being nice, but again didn't want to sacrifice his good looks. "Sure, I'll have a coke. Wouldn't want to set a bad example by drinking and driving."

"Gee, how very responsible of you. Be right back." Kate said with a laugh as she turned around and started walking back towards the counter. First, she had to take two large pizzas to that same family of four that she served earlier, and she wondered how on earth four people could finish two large pizzas. It's not like the kids were grown either. The two kids couldn't have been more than twelve.

After setting the pizzas down and saying a quick, "Enjoy," she was back behind the counter getting a coke. She filled the glass and then made her way back towards Dodger's table. She set the coke down in front of him and then folded her arms across her chest.

"I swear I'll leave you alone soon. But I'm really curious..." She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Is Dodger your real name? Or is it some kind of childhood nickname?"

Dodger couldn't help but watch her move around and serve people as he started on his pizza. She was pretty efficient, he'd give her that, but didn't seem like much of a people person. Of course if was a regular puncher then he could definitely see why. Kate seemed almost intimidating.

He kept his eyes on her up until the moment she came over with his coke, letting his hand wrap around it and bring it up to his lips. After a quick sip, he gave her his full attention and smirked at her question. "Real name," he told her with no hesitation. He'd spun this lie so many times that he could almost believe it himself. "My parents were literature freaks. But, hey, it could've been worse, right? I could've been a Romeo."

"Ouch." Kate said when Dodger told her it was his real name. Oh man, what kind of parents name their kid Dodger? That's just asking for the kid to get picked on in grade school. But before she could think about it anymore, he seemed to answer her thoughts. Well, the fact that they were literature freaks made sense. She was assuming he was talking about Dodger from the Charles Dickens classic Oliver Twist.

"That's true..." Kate began to explain as she looked down at him, trying not to laugh. "Romeo is an annoying teenager who whines at everything because he believes in love at first sight. What a dumbass, right?" She nodded, yeah Dodger was a much better choice. "At least Dodger is a badass who gets away with stealing. Definitely cooler."

He laughed at her little rant about Romeo, unable to stop himself from raising an eyebrow. "Wow, I'm guessing someone is a little unlucky in love?" He asked, not unkindly. She sounded like the kind of girl who wasn't into all that romance and sweetness crap and, well, he could definitely agree with that. "Although, I gotta say, you look a little young to be that cynical already."

Rubbing his thumb along the rim of his coke, he thought about his nickname. He remembered how he'd gotten it, how badass he thought he'd been when he was a kid, and how annoyed he could imagine his mom getting if she knew. "Yeah, Dodger is a pretty sweet name. Just don't ask me to sing or anything like that."

"Oh, I'm not so unlucky." Kate said with a smile as she thought about Charlie. She was crazy about that boy, but that didn't mean she had to be one of those hopeless romantic chicks. Sure, there was plenty of romance with her and Charlie, but oh well. She still thought Romeo was an annoying character, and nobody would be able to convince her otherwise. "I'm just realistic." She added with a nod as she snapped out of her thoughts.

Katie laughed when Dodger made the comment about not asking him to sing. She hated to admit it, but she did enjoy the musical Oliver. She had seen it on stage once with her sister. Dodger was definitely her favorite character. "But Consider Yourself is just such a good song. All you're missing is the cockney accent and the top hat." She joked.

"Well, you know, being realistic sounds good," he said with a nod. "Especially when it comes to the total mindfuck that is relationships, or sex, or whatever." Dodger waved a hand a little before remembering his pizza and picking up a slice. He was ready to attack when he heard her next comment and laughed, shaking his head.

He'd seen the Oliver movie and it never failed to freak him out. A bunch of kids running around and singing was just a little creepy, and the idea of him doing the same? "I can't sing, so I'd probably burst your eardrums or something. And top hats just don't suit me. There goes your Dodger as Dodger fantasy," Dodger said with a grin.