Fake Girlfriend

When I woke up, I was on something soft –a couch, I guessed--, and I heard people’s chatter and the breathing of someone close behind me. My head hurt. Actually, it was crippling. I groaned and leaned back. The headache distracted me from the fact that it was definitely not a couch I was sitting on. It hurt too much to think; I didn’t even want to open my eyes.

“Well, good morning,” Cole’s voice said.

I turned my head to the sound of his voice and slowly opened my eyes. Cole was right up in my face. Then, I finally realized I was sitting in his lap. I gasped, headache forgotten briefly, and tried roll off, but Cole wrapped his arms around me. My headache became ten times worse. I groaned, struggled for a moment, then gave up.

I looked around at where I was. Cole and I were sitting on a bench up against a wall. John and Delilah, worried looking, stood close around me. Behind them, I could see we were in the aquarium tunnel. John silently held out a glass of water for me; I took it appreciatively and gulped it down. It did nothing for my dry throat, my empty stomach, or my headache, but it was still somehow satisfying.

“Thisbe, are you okay?” Delilah asked, her forehead creased.

I swallowed the last gulp of the water then smiled feebly. “It’s nothing. I’m fine.”

Cole snickered. “Fine,” he repeated mockingly. “You blacked out for six minutes.”

I shrugged. The headache was going away. “It must have been the heat,” I said stubbornly. I really didn’t wanted to be so pathetic that even Cole worried about me. You know you hit an all time low when that happened. “I mean, it was really hot.” Suddenly, my stomach growled loud enough for everyone to hear.

Delilah narrowed her eyes. “You didn’t have anything for lunch, did you?”

“I…” I thought about it, and for some reason, got flustered. “No.”

“And breakfast?” John asked.

“Does a granola bar count?” I said sheepishly.

All of a sudden, Cole stood up, bring me up with him. He held me by my shoulders to keep me steady and he pushed me forward toward the exit of the aquarium. I looked over my shoulder at him with a glare. He gave me a weirdly serious look.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“We’re getting something to eat.”

“I’m fine.”

Cole snickered. “Obviously not.”

My stomach growled again and I sighed. “Fine.”

We all sat at a shaded table in the zoo’s outdoor food court, and I guess I was hungrier than I thought because I devoured a large fry all by myself (well, Cole stole a few of them). While I was stuffing my face, Delilah was chewing me out for making her worry so much. “If you were hot you should have said so”… blah blah blah. “Why did you say you were hungry?”… blah blah blah. I smiled sheepishly.

“I’m sorry,” I said, mouth half full with fries. “I didn’t feel hungry.”

Cole seemed to find something funny, because he gave me a humored face. “All you’ve eaten all day is a granola bar, and you didn’t think you were hungry?” he asked.

I glared.

He chuckled to himself and took another one of my fries.

Delilah waved her corndog in my face. “Just don’t scare us like that again. Kay?”

I laughed. “Yea, okay.”

John nudged his girlfriend, eyeing her corndog. “Hey, De. You gonna eat that?”

“Yes,” she answered with a laugh.

He pouted and opened his mouth like a baby bird. Delilah rolled her eyes, but gave up and broke off a piece of her corndog. She dropped it into his open mouth. He smiled happily as he chewed. “Thank you,” he said and kissed her cheek.

She pushed him away with a giggle. “I’d don’t want your corndoggy kisses.”

“Alright guys,” Cole said. “Let’s not get too lovey-dovey, hm?”

Delilah stuck her tongue out at him.

I laughed. They were so cute together. Actually, it was kinda depressing. I devoured the last fry, my hatred in Cole renewed. There was something about relationships that I disliked. Especially fake ones.