For marychikais2003 who was the first person to comment
Thankyou
***

8) Sorry, I Saw Food then Blanked Out

Fancy is a word that describes something that is elaborate or imaginative. Like a glittering ball gown, chicken bacon waffles, crystal chandeliers or pretty much anything written in calligraphy.

I wouldn't call myself a fancy type of person. Yes, I may like limited edition hardcover books with gold filter edges or extra bacon on my burgers. But I will always be the biggest cheapskate when it comes to things other than books and food.

You can look in my wardrobe and see that 3/4 is filled with clothes from Target or Kmart.

When I get a message from Aaron this morning, I would be lying if I say my heart didn't skip a beat.

Aaron: You want to go out for something to eat after skool or something like that?

Wait. Is he asking me out on a date or is it like more of a casual thing like grabbing a snack?

He also said 'or something like that'.

Which could be practically anything. Like anything.

It could mean going for a bush walk or even rock climbing up real rocks. I don't do rock climbing. I am not scared of heights; it's more of the thought of my harness snapping and me plummeting to my immediate death.

Also, 'Death by exercise' is not something I want to be written on my tombstone. I was hoping for something more along the lines of 'I wanted a pyramid, not this piece of rock' or 'It's kind of dark down here'.

I know I know. I have such a happy and positive imagination.

Maybe I'm overthinking this too much.

Me: Food sounds great :)

If I state the word food in the text maybe he'll get the hint that taking me to eat somewhere is the easiest and safest option for the both of us.

A smiley face seems like the better option, rather than leaving a couple x's or nothing. It sets a friendly and neutral tone.

Aaron😉💚: Kool. I'll meet you at my car

I silently ignore that he spelt cool with a 'k' and think of all his good traits. Like them gorgeous blonde locks, amazing eyes, he has abs no question about that and he's probably adopted cute kittens because he has such a big heart.

***

School seems to pass really quickly as all I can think about is my 'outing' with Aaron.

I tune out of a lot of my lessons as I have much more important things to focus on.

Such as how not to make a complete fool out of myself while dining with the opposite sex.

I have made a mental list of all the more crucial ones like:

- Don't eat garlic or onion as it will lead to bad breath (we don't want him to pass out as soon as you start talking).

- If at a fancy restaurant use the utensils on the outside first. (If you make a mistake you have a range of knives forks and spoons to throw at someone so they're distracted from your mishap).

- Don't lean over the table (you will knock something over).

- Don't ask for their food unless they're completely finished with it.

-Don't be too much of a cheapskate and buy the least expensive thing on the menu. Also, don't buy the family deals as you cannot finish all that food no matter how big you think your stomach is.

Leaving through the school gate I find Aaron leaning against his shiny black car which is parked right out the front.

He looks like one of those models that casually lean against a super expensive car like it's their job. I swear the wind just started to blow as he looked over towards me with his Rae Bans sitting on the bridge of his nose. His green eyes sparkle like emeralds as the afternoon sun hits them.

Can eyes even sparkle? Well, they do now!

His smile broadens as he opens the passenger door for me.
"My Lady" he ushers me into the soft leather seat. My stomach flutters slightly, I could seriously get used to being treated like this for the rest of my life.

He slips into the leather driver's seat and revs the car engine loudly.

"Ready?" He says with a wicked grin, shifting gears.

Before I can reply the sound of the motor roars and the tires screech a high pitch noise that should really not exist.

Gripping my seat belt tightly I try to recall if I've written out a will and should have taken the death insurance offered to me over the phone.

Aaron speeds through the streets making me hope there aren't be any old people crossing the road that he can hit.

Don't get me wrong I love speed and adrenaline, especially when it's in the form of a rollercoaster.
But in a car, on a suburban street not so much.

If I wanted to get the full experience of car racing I'd much rather be on my couch watching 'The Fast and The Furious'.

As he slows down I realise how quiet it is in the car.

Trying to fill the awkward silence I speak up "I super hungry, what are our plans for getting food in my stomach?"

His low laugh fills the car. "You're really serious about your food aren't you?" I smile innocently in response.
"So I haven't gotten my paycheck yet meaning I'm low on cash, so sadly the place we're going to isn't very classy but I'll definitely make it up to you later, " he places his hand on my knee and pats it softly.

I'm not sure if I should be swooning or be worried that he only has one hand on the steering wheel.

Looking around the car I wonder if his paycheck paid for this fancy Alfa Romeo car.

This includes but is not limited to seat warmers, a convertible roof, a touch screen monitor with built-in Spotify and who could forget about the cool pop-out cup trays?

We pull up to the car park which is already crowded which is a good sign.

It means that the place is popular and I not likely to get food poisoning which is definitely an added bonus.

Leaving the car two bright yellow arches light up our surroundings.

McDonald's.

Not the most romantic place in the world but it could be much worse.
He could have taken me to a run-down Mexican restaurant that has rats as pets and uses Salmonella as food flavouring.

The aroma of salt, grease and ultra-processed meat fill the air.

My stomach grumbles reminding me that I'm hungry and am on an important job to find food.

Aarons arm loops around my waist as we a walk towards the entrance.

My heart stops. Obviously, I'm not the greatest with physical contact

"Did I make the right choice?"
I simply hum as I'm too scared of what's going to come out of my mouth if I open it.

The menus lights ups and the screen changes to show the wide range of food. I had already memorised the whole menu and all the prices as it is definitely a necessity for day to day life.

A tiny 14 year old stands behind the counter with their tag reading Jamie pinned upside-down.

"What can I get for you guys today?" The teens voice squeaks.

Aarons' eyes scan the menu "I'll get a Big Mac, and make that a large meal with a diet Coke" he looks over to me "and the lady will have a chicken salad and peach tea?" He nods to himself like he has made the right choice ordering for me.

A laugh, well more of an unladylike snort comes from my mouth.

Both boys look curiously at me.
"It was really nice of you to order on my behalf but I am very capable of doing it myself, " I swivel around to face Aaron "also, you don't come to Maccas to buy a salad. I actually want the box with the burger, nuggets, chips and sundae, oh plus a large chocolate thick shake, " so technically it is a Value meal reasonably priced and is pretty much a three-course menu. What more could you want?

Bacon and Gravy.

Shut up stomach, you get what you're given.

Again they're staring at me like I just grew another head "I'm hungry, " I shrug not knowing why I'm giving them an excuse for my meal choice.

Aaron takes the tray of food and walks towards a table in the back of the fast food restaurant. Looking down at all the food in front of him he gestures for me to follow him.

To be honest, as soon as I see food I get tunnel vision and won't take my eyes off it until it is in my mouth, so you can't blame me for missing half of what Aaron is saying.

"It's okay if you don't finish your food. You've got a lot on your tray, I'll finish off anything you can't eat, " he points to the large box that contained my food.

A chuckle escaped me "You're cute when you're joking around. Wait you were kidding right?" I look from my food and back to Aaron. Let's get one thing clear.

I do not share food.

Taking my food is a death wish.

You don't want to mess with me when I'm hungry.

"Well, you are always cute;" He's avoiding the question "Your eyes are like big sapphires and are definitely bigger than your stomach," he says while nudging me playfully.

Poor naive Aaron, never underestimate the size of a girls stomach.

Aaron sets the tray in front of the both of us. My stomach grumbles at the smell of glorious chicken nuggets.

I happily take my box with the intention to down this in under seven minutes.

I look over at Aaron who looks like he's trying to find the soul of the cow that makes up his burger with his non existent x-ray vision; why he is doing this?

Food is meant to be eaten not awkwardly stared at.

His eyes connect with mine as I raise my eyebrow questionably "I'm trying to gain more muscle and tone out so I'm on a strict diet at the moment."

So you bought a large meal bit obviously the diet coke automatically cancels out any calories you gained while eating the burger? Great logic.

Maybe he was the one who needs the salad.

"I noticed that you're not wearing any makeup today," he comments while watching me pile the fries onto my burger.

Self-consciously I dip my fries into my shake knowing that his eyes are on me, "Yeah I was in a total rush this morning that it must have slipped my mind."

The lie comes out of my mouth almost as fast as my makeup came off my face this morning.

Sadly Sam's comment from the yesterday wouldn't leave me alone, therefore ending with me walking past the mirror this morning and only seeing smudged cake on my face.

I hate how much that little comment had gotten me.

His opinion should not and does not matter I remind myself.

But when you try to make yourself the world standard of pretty and end up very nearly being called ugly, doubt does start to grow in your head.

So I wiped it all off feeling relieved at looking at myself in the mirror without a mask on.

I awkwardly scratch the back of my head "This is the part where you're supposed to say that I look beautiful with or without make-up," I try to say cheerful, urging him for a response.

He looks taken aback with how forward I am "You look nice even when you're not wearing makeup," he stares at me obviously trying to see if he did the right thing "but you do look prettier with it on you know," he says smiling while picking at his chips "it gives you more. What do you call it? Character!" nodding to himself I can tell he's proud of his response.

Note to self: next time wear some kind of makeup (even if it's mascara) to make sure Aaron stops looking at me weirdly and also buy him a thesaurus.

***

I lay on my bed trying to workout an impossible math question. I hoped if I spread out enough math papers on my sheets that I would suddenly understand it. I was wrong.

So when my phone starts to ring I welcome it as a happy distraction.

"MACKENZIE!!!" a high pitched voice squealed from the other side of the line "Okay, so tell me every single detail, don't leave anything out. First the most important questions." She pauses obviously thinking it would leave a dramatic effect "Where did you go out to eat? Was it like a fancy Italian place? Oh did you share a bowl of spaghetti and -"

"He took me to McDonald's," I say in a monotone voice.

Zoe's half of the line goes silent for a second "Um I'm sorry. I thought you just said that he took you to McDonald's. Like the place where Ronald McDonald lives, where people get high cholesterol or the place that is most definitely a fast food chain."

"Yep, that's the place." I lay my head down on my pillow and sigh "Okay so it wasn't the place I thought I'd be going for my 'first not really date' but he did pay for my food which was very chivalrous of him, " a smile breaks onto my face thinking of the food.

I hear Zoe humming in the background, "It doesn't matter where he takes you okay. Next important question. Tell me, were there sparks? Did you feel any fireworks between the two of you?"

"Wait what?" she's lost me now.

"The kiss obviously."

"The closest we got to physical contact was my hand on his-" which is true.

"Aww you were holding hands."

"No. I slapped his hand actually."

She gasps "You what?"

"In my defence, he was trying to steal my food. Nobody touches my food. I wouldn't even let Dylan O'Brien a fry. You know I don't share food," I play back the memory of Aaron reaction when I hit him for trying to steal my food when he hadn't even finished his. To say he was shocked would be an understatement.
But my favourite part of the whole thing was when I finished my meal then ate the rest of his because he said he was full.

Weakling.

"Also, my first kiss is not going to be in a fast food chain restaurant with snotty kids running around and grease filling the air. McDonald's is definitely not on the 'romantic places to kiss' list."

"That wasn't my question Mace. Was there a spark?" She insisted. It's funny, I can tell by the sound of her voice that she was pacing around her room like a mad woman. She is more invested in this relationship than me.

I hesitate "No, but," I cut Zoe off before she can say anything "I'm willing to wait to see if something like that might come up a bit later in the future. If not, nothing lost. "

Zoe sighs "So you're saying, you're just going to wait and don't say that cheesy stuff about things happening gradually and with time. If you guys are meant to be you should immediately click and get along really well or at least have some sort of friction or chemistry, " the way she says this so gently but also with urgency.

The sound of papers flying everywhere comes from Zoe's side of the phone "Dang it. I totally forgot I had chemistry homework, " there is more crashing coming from her bedroom "You know what. I want to go shopping. Let's go shopping."

"No shops are open at this time of night Zo. We'll go another time okay. You -" before I can finish my sentence she hangs up on me.

Well, that that was a fun day...

Cupcake Theory #8 Don't be ashamed of how much or little you eat. You know what you want and need. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise .

:):):)

What's forshizzling

Yeah I really shouldn't even try to be cool

I just finished LORD OF SHADOWS and I'm left questioning 'what is life?'

FOOD AND BOOKS (obviously)

No, but seriously I was boiling my eyes out for a solid 10 minutes. This is what I get for reading a Cassandra Clare book

What's your favourite book?

I hope you find money lying on the ground this week so you can go buy some well-deserved food (or book )

Lots of 60c soft serve cones
Theforgottonone 🍦