continued Curly Fries

            “Hey yo, what’s up sweetie?” Aiden cooed in Gracie’s direction.

            “Nothing interesting, except now I’m here with you,” she stated dryly and sarcastically. Aiden’s sultry smile quickly faded into a morose frown. The Gracie bounced, the ray of sunlight she is into Tristan’s arms.

            “Hey you,” she purred into his ear. I stole a glance at Aiden, he was steaming, I tried to lighten the mood best I could be leading the rest of the group to the head of the ticket counter.

            “One for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, please,” I smiled through the hazy glass.

            “Sure thing” I passed the money through the hole in the glass cage as the caffeine monster pushed me a ticket. Then each person-followed suit getting their paper passes. We then made our way to the ticket counter. As all high school teenagers act, we were part of the stereotype. Aiden and Justin acted as though they were king of the theatre, hooting, hollering and making sport like gestures. Ashton wrapped his arm gently and lovingly around Morgan, who comfortably snuggled into his body. Gracie grabbed Tristan’s hand and was playing with his fingers, smiling up at him with more than a hint of seduction. Sylvie checked out her fingernails, unpainted then cracked out her cell phone while complaining about how obnoxious (annoying) Aiden and Justin were (because, of course, out of steryotypicality Morgan’s a blond with a high whinny voice and a limited vocabulary). I sunk into a shell of uncertainty and Max walked confidently beside me as a friend.

            “What are you getting? The extra large popcorn!”

            “What do you want sweetie… Um… I don’t know. Some candy… Gotta buy some candy for a sweety like you … Shut up.”

            “Man, Tristan you are so whipped man… SHUT UP Aiden, I don’t see you with a girl… Hey, Fuck you, man”

            It was all background noise. Even Gracie pulling move after move on Tristan and Morgan and Ashton were background picture. It meant nothing. I was just staring straight ahead. At nothing exactly. I was just listening to Max breathe. In and out, an ocean; and I treading the rip tide. Awkward, I floated. In and around my own thoughts I traveled. I was drifting when I was immediately slapped back into reality. It couldn’t have been reality though, because in reality, the ocean never stops crashing.

            “What are you getting?”

            “I’m not hungry, I’m fine” I said whispered. I was out of breath from a daydream.

            “Oh Hannah, it’s your birthday. Get something to eat.” Gracie hollered in between her breath breaks, sucking face with Tristan.

            “It is your birthday!” Max said looking at his watch, “let me treat you to something. C’mon” I smiled. And then shrugged, “What do you want?” And then I remembered the advice Gracie had given me a few days ago “Be as spontaneous as you are with me, all the time, and then you won’t be as awkward.” It was like a hushed whisper. It’s now or never.

            I tuned around, “Surprise me.”

            When I turned back around he was holding my favorite, curly fries and a doctor pepper. He was holding a bag of popcorn and some candy.

            “Thank you,” I smiled up at him, attempting to be the least bit seductive and sultry. His bewilderment changed to curiosity and then to a smile. I saw Justin nod at him. I guess I wasn’t so subtle either.