The Ascent of the Vampires - Book 1

– the areas around a city where people live. Vororte
    nearby – close. nah

CHAPTER EIGHT

    9pm.
    Luigi's restaurant, New Jersey.

    After the movie, they drove to the restaurant. Amy noticed that lots of people were trying to call on their cell phones, but nobody had a signal. Amy listened to Travis talk about his father's company. He seemed very proud of how much money his father earned, the places he visited and the size of their house. Amy tried to appear interested but Travis talked only about himself! Was this what all dates were like?
    After a while, they arrived at the restaurant. It was an Italian restaurant called Luigi's. Everyone knew it was very expensive. As they were entering, Travis spoke.
    "This is really expensive, Amy. You probably haven't been here. Don't feel nervous," he said.
    Amy felt annoyed . Travis seemed to be talking down to her. She didn't like it.
    "Is it really? Well I'm sure the food is great," she said, her mother had taught her to always be polite.
    In the kitchen, Jack was working hard that night, like he always did. His job was to collect the dirty dishes from the end of the bar and take them into the kitchen. He was going to get more dishes but when he came out of the kitchen, he froze. Amy was there with Travis. Travis was acting really full of himself . When he wanted a table, he clicked his fingers at Luigi. That was very rude.
    Amy looked so beautiful. Her hair shone, she had on an amazing dress which showed off her figure. She looked like a million dollars. However, Jack always thought she looked amazing. It didn't matter if she was wearing old jeans or a designer dress, he loved her no matter what she looked like.
    Amy was not enjoying her date with Travis. Not one bit. She had been bored in the car, now she felt embarrassed . He had changed completely. He didn't talk to her like a person. He was treating her like an object.
    As Travis talked about his last family trip to the Bahamas, Amy saw a boy from school who worked at the restaurant. His name was Jack Ranger and, although she had never talked to him, he seemed like a nice guy. She knew he had no family and that he lived in an orphanage. He didn't seem to have any friends.
    Over the years, Amy had tried to smile at him. But every time she did, he looked away. She had always thought he was just a shy guy. Her thoughts were interrupted by Travis' arrogant voice.
    "Order whatever you want Amy, I can afford it," he said rudely, "you probably don't eat in places like this very often, I know your mother isn't very wealthy, " he added.
    Before Amy could answer and tell Travis exactly what she thought of him, he began again.
    "Oh look, it's that loser . What's he called? Jack...," he said.
    "Jack Ranger," said Amy, "his name's Jack Ranger. I don't think he's a loser. He seems like a hardworking, decent guy. Nicer than you anyway Travis!" she added, feeling angry. She couldn't help herself .
    "How dare you Amy Anderson! Don't you know how lucky you are?" said Travis, beginning to shout.
    "Travis, I don't care what you think. I'm leaving," said Amy.
    Just as she was about to get up, the restaurant fell silent. The president of the United States, Jane Howard, was on the TV behind the bar.
    Amy couldn't believe her ears ...
    __________________________

    >Glossary<

    size – how big something is, e.g. small or large. Größe
    appear – ‘to appear’ in this context, to look, to seem. scheinen, erscheinen, den Anschein haben
    annoyed – angry. verärgert
    talking down to – ‘to talk down to’ to speak to in a condescending way. von oben herab mit jemandem reden
    really full of himself – ‘to be full of oneself’ means to be very arrogant. eingebildet sein
    clicked – ‘to click one’s fingers’ is to make a noise using the finger and thumb. schnippen
    showed off – ‘to show off’ in this context, to display in a good way. zur Schau stellen
    it didn't matter – it wasn’t important. Es spielte keine Rolle.
    no matter what – whatever happened. ganz gleich, wie
    embarrassed – to feel self-conscious and uncomfortable. verlegen, beschämt
    treating – ‘to treat’ in this context, to act or behave in a specified manner toward someone. behandeln, betrachten als
    seemed – ‘to seem’, to give a certain impression, e.g. ‘he seemed happy, but was not.’ scheinen, den Anschein haben
    arrogant – to be self-important and believe you are better than other people. arrogant
    afford – ‘to afford’ to be