Status: very slow
Just a Story of One Little Girl
Chapter 16
We got to the diner, and were seated almost immediately. The waitress smiled at me and gave me a kids menu and crayons, but when she walked away, I merely stared at them, uninterested.
The boys poured over they’re menus seeing what they wanted to eat. The waitress came back quickly to take our drink orders.
“Hey, Maria! I’ll take a Dr. Pepper.” The boy who commented on my indifference flashed a smile at the girl.
She giggled. “Of course you will, Steve. You’re such a caffeine addict”
Evan rolled his eyes. “Coke, thanks.”
“One for me as well!” Joey chimed in.
Maria smiled. “What about you, Matt? Are you being indecisive as usual?”
The tallest boy at the table feigned offense. “Me? Indecisive? Never! Ummm I’ll have a sprite. No! A Pepsi! Wait you don’t have Pepsi. Maybe a coke? No too much caffeine. I’ll go with a sprite.”
The waitress burst out laughing. “And let me guess Lemonade, no ice for Dan, and a root beer for Bryan. Right?”
The two other boys nodded. “And what can I get for you, sweetheart?” The waitress addressed me kindly.
I must have looked mortified that someone was talking to me because Evan quickly answered. “She’ll just have a…hot chocolate?” I nodded quickly, sinking as far down into the booth as I could. The warmth would be good for me, but I didn’t want the boys to pay much for me.
The waitress smiled, muttering something about how cute my shyness was, and walked back to the kitchens. “So, ummm,” Dan looked at me confused, waiting for me to tell him my name. When I stayed silent, he gave a frustrated sigh. “Ok, I’ll call you, Midget! How old are you.” I looked down at the table.
“Maybe we should offer something of ourselves first?” Joey spoke up next to me. “You know, like our names and ages.”
I rolled my eyes. I already knew who they were, and had a feeling they were about 16 or so. They all introduced themselves, and I wasn’t surprised to see that I was correct. All the boys were 16, save for Steve and Dan. They were 17.
All six boys looked at me expectantly. I opened my mouth slightly, but was saved by Maria coming back with our drinks. “Have you guys decided what you wanna eat.”
“Uhh, yeah. I’ll have the Happy Waitress burger.” Dan ripped his eyes away from me.
Evan answered next. “Fish and chips for me, please.”
The rest ordered their food as well, until it came down to me. “What would you like to eat, Sweetie?” I merely shook my head at her question. “You – you don’t want anything?” Her voice sounded surprised. I looked her dead in the eyes and shook my head again. The waitress looked around the table, but the boys only shrugged.
She walked back to the kitchen, and the boys stared at me. “Why aren’t you eating?” Joey’s face showed concern. I shrugged and looked back at the table, then up towards the front of the diner. Without a word, I scurried under the table and over to the payphones. I found a quarter on the floor and popped it in, dialing Aiden’s number.
My brother picked up on the 2nd ring. “Hello?”
“Hey. I just called to make sure you weren’t worrying.”
“Mackenzie!” I held the phone away from my ear as my brother screamed. “Where the fuck are you! You’ve been gone for an hour and a half! Are you ok? Are you lost?” he stopped. I felt bad for worrying him, but at the same time I was a little annoyed. I’d been gone for much longer before.
“Calm down, I’m fine. I did get lost, but I ended up at a playground. Some teenage boys ended up coming there to make some kinda video in the rain…I don’t know. Anyway, I’m at a diner called the Café Diner with them.”
“Teenage boys! How much do they know about you? Why didn’t they take you back here? Did they hurt you? Have they tried to make a move on you? I’ll kill them!”
I brought the phone back to my ear, my eyes narrowed at the numbers. “Aiden shut up! I’m not stupid! I haven’t said a word, or volunteered any information at all about me, ok? They think I’m about 11, and they’re just trying to feed me right now, but I kinda refused to order anything. I don’t wanna waste their money, too.” My voice softened. “I mean, I already wasted yours.”
“Ok Mack. Do you want us to come get you?”
“If you want to. If not, I’ll be back by tomorrow morning.”
“Ok, Mackie.” Silence. “Oh, and Mackenzie?”
“Yeah?”
“You didn’t waste my money. We’re still gonna get you out, no matter what. I love you.”
“Love you too, Aiden.”
The boys poured over they’re menus seeing what they wanted to eat. The waitress came back quickly to take our drink orders.
“Hey, Maria! I’ll take a Dr. Pepper.” The boy who commented on my indifference flashed a smile at the girl.
She giggled. “Of course you will, Steve. You’re such a caffeine addict”
Evan rolled his eyes. “Coke, thanks.”
“One for me as well!” Joey chimed in.
Maria smiled. “What about you, Matt? Are you being indecisive as usual?”
The tallest boy at the table feigned offense. “Me? Indecisive? Never! Ummm I’ll have a sprite. No! A Pepsi! Wait you don’t have Pepsi. Maybe a coke? No too much caffeine. I’ll go with a sprite.”
The waitress burst out laughing. “And let me guess Lemonade, no ice for Dan, and a root beer for Bryan. Right?”
The two other boys nodded. “And what can I get for you, sweetheart?” The waitress addressed me kindly.
I must have looked mortified that someone was talking to me because Evan quickly answered. “She’ll just have a…hot chocolate?” I nodded quickly, sinking as far down into the booth as I could. The warmth would be good for me, but I didn’t want the boys to pay much for me.
The waitress smiled, muttering something about how cute my shyness was, and walked back to the kitchens. “So, ummm,” Dan looked at me confused, waiting for me to tell him my name. When I stayed silent, he gave a frustrated sigh. “Ok, I’ll call you, Midget! How old are you.” I looked down at the table.
“Maybe we should offer something of ourselves first?” Joey spoke up next to me. “You know, like our names and ages.”
I rolled my eyes. I already knew who they were, and had a feeling they were about 16 or so. They all introduced themselves, and I wasn’t surprised to see that I was correct. All the boys were 16, save for Steve and Dan. They were 17.
All six boys looked at me expectantly. I opened my mouth slightly, but was saved by Maria coming back with our drinks. “Have you guys decided what you wanna eat.”
“Uhh, yeah. I’ll have the Happy Waitress burger.” Dan ripped his eyes away from me.
Evan answered next. “Fish and chips for me, please.”
The rest ordered their food as well, until it came down to me. “What would you like to eat, Sweetie?” I merely shook my head at her question. “You – you don’t want anything?” Her voice sounded surprised. I looked her dead in the eyes and shook my head again. The waitress looked around the table, but the boys only shrugged.
She walked back to the kitchen, and the boys stared at me. “Why aren’t you eating?” Joey’s face showed concern. I shrugged and looked back at the table, then up towards the front of the diner. Without a word, I scurried under the table and over to the payphones. I found a quarter on the floor and popped it in, dialing Aiden’s number.
My brother picked up on the 2nd ring. “Hello?”
“Hey. I just called to make sure you weren’t worrying.”
“Mackenzie!” I held the phone away from my ear as my brother screamed. “Where the fuck are you! You’ve been gone for an hour and a half! Are you ok? Are you lost?” he stopped. I felt bad for worrying him, but at the same time I was a little annoyed. I’d been gone for much longer before.
“Calm down, I’m fine. I did get lost, but I ended up at a playground. Some teenage boys ended up coming there to make some kinda video in the rain…I don’t know. Anyway, I’m at a diner called the Café Diner with them.”
“Teenage boys! How much do they know about you? Why didn’t they take you back here? Did they hurt you? Have they tried to make a move on you? I’ll kill them!”
I brought the phone back to my ear, my eyes narrowed at the numbers. “Aiden shut up! I’m not stupid! I haven’t said a word, or volunteered any information at all about me, ok? They think I’m about 11, and they’re just trying to feed me right now, but I kinda refused to order anything. I don’t wanna waste their money, too.” My voice softened. “I mean, I already wasted yours.”
“Ok Mack. Do you want us to come get you?”
“If you want to. If not, I’ll be back by tomorrow morning.”
“Ok, Mackie.” Silence. “Oh, and Mackenzie?”
“Yeah?”
“You didn’t waste my money. We’re still gonna get you out, no matter what. I love you.”
“Love you too, Aiden.”