The bell above the door rings as we both enter and I glance around, surprised from the lack of customers.
The inside of the building is designed with a red, white & yellow theme. Bar stools line up against the windows for individual customers whereas small square booths sit on the opposite side for groups.
The smell of burger meat and fries linger in the air and my stomach grumbles loudly, causing me to clutch it in embarrassment.
“Are you hungry?” Brody asks, looking down at me with a grin on his face. I nod, chewing on my bottom lip. Brody guides me towards the booths and points at the one in the back, hidden out of way.
“That one?” He asks and I nod again, giving him a small smile. Despite feeling slightly more comfortable around him, it’s still a struggle to breathe normally. It’s like my lungs are ready to restrict at any moment and I so badly wish I didn’t have to feel this way.
“I’ll go order for us,” Brody tells me and I nod again, my head bobbing up and down continuously. I watch as he walks away from me, his stride so confident with his head held high.
What is he doing spending his time with me?
I’m the complete opposite to Brody. I walk with my head hung low, staring at my shoes so that I don’t accidentally make eye contact with anyone. Instead of real conversations, I have conversations with myself.
I nibble on my bottom lip further, questioning what Brody’s intentions are with me. I glance up and watch as he talks to the waitress, a menu balanced between his hands. The waitress smiles back at him, a sparkle in her eye as she jots down the order. She cuts him off and must have cracked a joke because Brody stops and laughs, his broad shoulders vibrating. I spin around, tearing my eyes off them.
Why can’t it be that easy for me to make him laugh?
As I wait for Brody to come back, I fiddle with my hair, twirling it around my fingers tightly until my finger looks like it was about to fall off from the lack of blood circulating.
“Hey.”
I glance up to find Brody standing over me and I quickly unravel my hair from my finger, letting it drop back down to my shoulders.
“Hi,” I respond, my voice barely above a whisper. I watch as he slides into the booth so that he’s sat directly opposite me, his eyes studying me.
“Are you okay? You look a little pale,” he asks worryingly, his eyebrows creased together. I nod in response, feeling like a hand is closing over my throat.
“It’s hard to not feel sick after what just happened.” I murmur, thinking about the humiliation.
“That wasn’t cool what Beatrice and Clayton did to you,” Brody comments quietly, his hands fiddling with the menu on the table. My eyes drop to my lap and I can feel tears prick the back of my eyes.
Thank god my hair is down and can mostly cover the humiliation in my face.
“It’s cool. I’m over it.” I lie, my voice thick with emotion. I’m definitely not okay but I don’t want to admit that to Brody, I barely know him.
“No, it’s not cool. They never should have done that to you. They shouldn’t have done that to anyone.” Brody repeats, leaning back against the seat and running a hand over his face.
“Why did you b-bring me here?” I ask him quietly.
“I don’t want you to feel disappointed, you were asked to go on a date so I think you should have that date.”
I blink several times at his answer. My guards are refusing to lower and before I know it, I’m responding to his words —
“A few days ago you didn’t even know my name. I’ve known yours since the moment you stepped foot in school. You’re one of the populars and I’m one of the people who you run into and don’t even turn around to apologise because we don’t matter. I’m not being stubborn or mean or horrible, I just don’t want to be hurt any further.” I said firmly, surprised at myself for my sudden rush of confidence.
Brody appears taken aback and stares at me silently for a few seconds. I squirm under his gaze —
“So social hierarchy means I can’t talk to you without having an alternative reason?” Brody asks me, finally breaking the silence between us.
It’s my turn to look at him in surprise. I wasn’t expecting him to reply with that.
“W-well. . . Yeah. I guess.” I respond quietly, slumping my shoulders in defeat.
“Just because I’m popular in school doesn’t mean I’m an asshole Bella.” Brody says bluntly, sounding disappointed.
“I didn’t say that.” I mumble, my eyes dropping back down to my lap. I immediately regret my choice of words and know I’m being too harsh on him.
“I’ve spent the last four years being completely invisible to every single person in that school. I’m
ignored every day, people pretend I don’t exist. I can’t help but be a little guarded when all of a sudden, someone like you starts talking to me.” I explain, hoping Brody will understand.
“Someone like me?” Brody questions, his voice low. I glance up at him to find him watching me intently, his green eyes narrowed in my direction. I feel my hands grow clammy with nerves from his intense gaze and so I nod.
“Two double cheeseburgers with chips.”
The waitress sets down two steaming hot plates in front of us, barely glancing at me and instead looking directly at Brody. He simply nods, giving her a small smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. I gulp nervously, feeling like the one to blame for his sudden reserved actions.
“Is that all for now?” She asks Brody, her voice switching to a suggestive purr. My eyes widen as I watch her place a freshly manicured hand on his arm as she waits for him to reply.
“Yeah, that’s all. Thank you.” Brody smiles more brightly this time, glancing up to make eye contact with her. She giggles like a fourteen year old school girl before nodding and turning around, walking away. I immediately roll my eyes, not realising Brody is watching me. He lifts a brow —
“What was that?” He asks me, his eyes flickering between the waitress and I.
Isn’t it obvious?
“She likes you.” I mumble, unable to believe he didn’t catch on to her flirty attitude towards him. He frowns at me before glancing back at the waitress —
“She does?” He questions and I nod silently, plucking a single chip from the tray and popping it into my mouth. A stab of something hits my chest and I frown at myself, unable to identify the emotion.
“She isn’t my type.” Brody says firmly.
“You’ve spoken to her for like two minutes.” I defend her.
“The first few minutes of meeting someone is really important. It’s when our brain already decides whether we like them or not.” Brody explains, watching me from under his lashes. A small smile flickers across his face and I stop eating for a few seconds as we maintain eye contact.
“Really?” I murmur, almost too quietly. Brody nods, signalling that despite how quiet my words are, he heard them.
“Really. For example, when I first met you, I liked you. You seemed. . . interesting.” Brody says, taking me completely by surprise.
“M-me? Interesting?” I question him, unable to believe his words. He nods again and takes hold of his burger. “I want to ask you something Bella.”
“Go ahead.” I murmur in response, anxious to hear his question.
“Who’s Jedd?” Brody asks firmly, his eyes connecting with mine. He bites into his burger, the tip of his tongue flicking out to run over his bottom lip.
“How do you know Jedd?” I ask, surprised. Brody stops chewing abruptly and tilts his head, a clear sign that he’s studying me.
“I don’t.” He mumbles, dropping his burger down and sighing. He leans back in his seat, running a hand over his face. I frown, confused at his words.
“You mentioned Jedd so surely you must know him?” I respond, wanting him to elaborate. He leans forward on his elbows, green eyes flickering between mine. Eventually he sighs in defeat and stands up, signalling in the direction of the bathroom.
“I’ll be back in a minute.”
I watch him leave, wondering what I said that was so wrong.