Doug stared at her, brow furrowed, attempting to make sense of the way she moved. Her smile, her posture, the tone of her voice was unnatural. Not in the sense that anything was wrong, but that to a degree she was putting on a show. There was something else beneath it. Concern, maybe or ulterior motives. This was finals week. They were both days away from being done with the school year. Maybe she had something to talk about. About what he'd told her earlier in the year? Something about Batgirl?
Doug grew worried trying to puzzle out just what was happening, and he continued to watch her, studying her as she ordered a plateful of mashed potatoes. That was the first time where she didn't seem to have something else going on underneath: she liked mashed potatoes. Okay.
Stephanie was of average height, and it was clear she was athletic, which he already knew because of seeing her run on track. She held herself in a way that indicated she was confident enough in herself not to worry about what other people thought of her. That alone set her apart from most in high school, and he realized he admired her a lot more because of that. Her self-confidence showed in her posture, her smile. She was stronger than she might look at first glance, physically as well as mentally. Doug could still feel that right hook she'd given him weeks back. She was pretty without being pretentious, her blond hair drooped against her shoulders. And here she was being helpful, or trying to help, or tell him something. That was what her body language told him.
When the waitress turned to him, Doug asked for a BLT sandwich and vegetable soup, not noticing the smug look the waitress was now giving him, as he hadn't taken his eyes off Stephanie this whole time. When the waitress left, Doug asked quietly, "What's up?"