It's Not You. It's Me. And No! He is Not My Boyfriend!

“Hey,” Mac took a seat across from me at the lunch table. “What’s wrong?” he questioned immediately noticing my somber demeanor.

“Breaking up sucks!” I replied before an angry bite into my sandwich.

“I know,” he gave me a sympathetic half smile. “But it will get better.”

“Maybe, as of right now though, Carter and I are not friends.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, which really sucks! I mean, he’s been my best guy friend since seventh grade! He was there for every important event in my junior high and high school career!”

“Geez,” Mac looked sadly at the lunch table. “That really stinks.”

“Yeah.”

“But!” Mac added cheerfully after a beat. “If you guys really are best friends then you’ll definitely be friends again. That’s how best friends work!”

“If you say so,” I shrugged. I hoped he was right, but it seemed doubtful at the moment.

***

My phone vibrated angrily against my desk. I stared at the caller ID, instantly angry at myself for getting sad when it read Mac instead of Carter.

“Hey what’s up?” I answered.

“Hey, uh, I know it’s a school night and all, but I was wondering if you’d like to go out to dinner. You know, to make you feel better.”

“Awww, thanks Mac, but I don’t really feel like going out.”

“My treat!” he stated in a sing-song voice, pulling out all the tricks he had to persuade me out of my house. The thought of free food was always too compelling to resist, hence my recent date with Matthew Perkins.

“Alright,” I sighed with a slight smile. He definitely knew the way to make me happy.

“Yay! I’ll pick you up in twenty?”

“Sure, but don’t expect me to have changed out of my school uniform or anything fancy like that.”

“Likewise. Likewise.”
“See you soon,” I exclaimed before clicking my phone shut. “Hey mom?” I called as I headed down the stairs and into the kitchen. “Is it alright if I get some dinner with Mac?”


“But I’m already cooking dinner Ellis.”

“Mom, that’s totally last night’s Beef Stroganoff.”

She narrowed her eyes at me. Mom’s hated being proven wrong.

“Fine, but no staying out late. It’s a school night, and I don’t want to hear you in the morning.”

“No worries. I have to do homework anyway.” My mother gave me a skeptical nod before eying me up and down.

“You’re going in your uniform?”

“Yeah?”

“Why don’t you change into something more comfortable for Christ’s sake!” she chided.

“Mahe,” I shrugged carelessly. “I’m lazy.”

My mother sighed in reply, deciding to focus on the salad she was making rather than arguing with me.

“Oh!” I jumped up from the kitchen table, where I had set up to do my homework, when headlight flashed in the windows. “Mac’s here!” I ran to throw on some shoes, grab my purse, and put on my fall jacket. “I’ll see you later mom!” I called as I headed out the front door.

“Have fun!” she called behind me.

“Yo,” I greeted Mac.

“Yo homes.”

“Where we be eating?”

“John’s?”

“Sounds great!” I rubbed my stomach appreciatively.

John’s was the local diner. Great food, and cheep prices. The place made a killing after school functions because, as everyone knows, teenagers love good food for minimal costs.

“I figured it was fitting of our dress,” he motioned to both of us still in remnants of our school uniform. However, I now wore a non-regulation sweatshirt over my polo and Mac had stripped off his oxford to reveal his white t-shirt underneath.

“I would say so,” I laughed slightly.

“Well hi there Mackenzie!” the hostess greeted us jovially once we entered John’s. I stared around confused. I wasn’t Mackenzie, and Mac, well he might of been Mackenzie, but I’d been coming to John’s since ninth grade and I still wasn’t on a first name biases with the hosts.

“Hey Diane,” Mac replied as a slight blush formed at his cheeks. “two please,” he held his fingers up in a peace sign formation for emphasis.

“Sure thing honey!” the hostess, or Diane, quickly grabbed two menus and brought us to a booth in the back of the diner. “Lindsay will be with you two in one second,” she gave us a wide smile before turning away.

“Mackenzie?” I questioned once Diane was out of ear shot.

“Yeah. That’s my full name.”

“Really?”

“What did you think Mac was short for?”

“I dunno,” I shrugged. I had never really thought about it actually. “Mac...adonia?”

Mac rolled his eyes with playful sarcasm, “Yeah, my parents named me after Alexander the Great’s home country.”

“Some parents name their kids after fruits. It’s not too far fetched.”

“Touche.”

Silence fell over the table as we both studied our menus. There was one problem with John’s, and that was that every food imaginable was on the menu. Not only was there any kind of food you would want, it’s all equally delicious. One could see my predicament as I found about twenty meals I could happily eat within the first two pages of the menu.

“What are you getting?” Mac looked up at his menu, his look as pained and torn as I imagined mine was.

“No idea,” I sighed. “I’ll find out what I’m eating when it comes out of my mouth.”

“Looks like that will happen sooner than you might thing,” Mac nodded his head towards our waitress quickly gaining on the table.

“I hope I order something good,” I muttered before Lindsay arrived upon the table.

“Hey Mac!” she smiled warmly before continuing, “What can I get ya’ll?”

“You go first,” I gestured towards Mac as both he and Lindsay looked towards me expectantly.

“Okay. I’ll have the usual,” Mac and Lindsay shared an understood nod as he handed her his menu.

“And for you hun?”

“Uh, I’ll have,” I looked down upon the menu and chose the first thing that caught my eye. “The avocado veggie burger please!”

“Sure thing! I’ll put that right in for you guys!”

“Thanks!” Mac and I called in unison to Lindsay’s back.

“So...why does everyone around here know you so well?”

“My mom is into Sunday brunch. She makes it a big family thing, and we always come here. She also really likes making friends... you do the math.”

“I see,” I stroked my chin thoughtfully. “Maybe we could get a discount!”

“I don’t think they like us that much.”

***

“Thanks for forcing me to eat dinner with you,” I chuckled lightly as Mac pulled up to my driveway.

“Hey! It wasn’t forced. I just simply persuaded you.”

“You say tomato, I say tamato,” I shrugged.

“Whatever. I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.”

“Me too,” I mused. I didn’t really realize it until that very moment, but the whole time I was out with Mac I didn’t think of Carter once.

“Yeah,” Mac nervously chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck.

Before I could even start to get out of the car, Mac’s lips were upon mine. However, he pulled back from the kiss as quickly as he went in for it. His face was of one of shock and horror.

“I’m so sorry!” his eyes resembled the eyes of the Simpsons they were opened that wide.

“It’s fine...seriously.

“No. That was uncalled for.”

“I’m just gonna go,” I began to step out of the car. “We can pretend this part didn’t happen.”

“Sure,” Mac stared straight ahead in shock as I finished getting out of the car. His knuckles white around the steering wheel.

I wasn’t quite sure if I should have been offended. My lips might have been a little chapped from the cold, but I was positive kissing me couldn’t have been that horrible an experience. I chuckled as I entered my house, shuddering slightly from the quick temperature change. School was going to be interesting the next few days.