A New Beginning

“Close your eyes,” Puck whispered, parking the car and turning the engine off.

“Are you crazy?” I replied with a cocked eyebrow. “There’s no way that I trust you enough to close my eyes and let you lead me anywhere.”

“Oh, come on, Australia. Just close your eyes!”

I crossed my arms over my chest, defying him once again, and he sighed loudly in frustration. “Fine. You leave me no choice.” He came up behind me and slapped his hands over my eyes.

Immediately, I started squirming under his grasp and ripped his arms away from me. “Alright, alright. I’ll cover my own eyes. But I swear, if you lead me anywhere dangerous, I will kill you. I’m a trained martial artist.” Okay, so that was a total lie, but hopefully, he didn’t see through it.

He hooked his elbow through mine, while I closed my eyes and tried to calm my racing heart. Trust was not something that I had, especially not for people I barely knew.

With my constant worrying, I didn’t even think to watch for a raise in the pavement for the sidewalk at the front of wherever we were going. So, without Puck warning me at all (typical), I stumbled, almost falling on my face.

“You,” I informed him, “are a sucky watch dog.”

“I guess that’s a good thing, since I’m not a watch dog.”

“You told me that you’d lead me somewhere, and you can’t even tell me when there’s a freakin’ step in my way?” My ankle was throbbing, applying the backup chorus that I needed. Too bad Puck couldn’t hear it.

“I forgot, okay? God, calm down. We’re almost there.” And then I walked smack into a glass door.

“PUCK! I swear to God, I’m going to-”

“Now, now,” he murmured, the squeak of the door signaling that he was pushing it open, “remember. We’re in public. No inappropriate threats.”

Biting my tongue, I let him guide me through another doorway (I started feeling around like a blind person, considering Puck was just going to lead me into danger).

“Alright,” he finally allowed, “open your eyes.”

We…were in McDonald’s. I kid you friggin’ not: McDonald’s. “Are you…You’re serious? This is where we’re having our date?”

“What? Did you expect some sort of expensive restaurant or something? No way.”

“Then why did we leave Lima?!” I had to keep my voice low, considering there were tons of little kids running around us. Lord knew I was on the verge of cussing him out.

“To throw you off?” Puck responded in a voice that clearly could have been substituted as Duh. Then, he started walking toward the giant menu glass light things, asking, “So, Australia, what do you want?”

“I want,” I leaned close to his ear and hissed, “you to take me home right fucking now. There’s no way that I’m staying here.” For some reason, the smell of something was making my stomach churn. Maybe it was because I could almost feel myself absorbing the calories through my skin. Gross.

“No can do,” he chuckled, turning back to the counter to order for me.

“Can I help you?” a pimply teenager asked with a bored expression on his face.

Puck ordered a variety of stupid things as I turned to look at the play area. Kids were screaming and climbing, racing each other to get to the top. They didn’t know that their bodies were basically being murdered by the food that their parents were allowing them to consume. Their parents were setting them up for a number of disorders and diseases that could kill them.

Okay, maybe I was exaggerating a little. After all, who’s to say those kids hadn’t seen a McDonald’s in over a year? Or their lifetimes, even?

I let out a small sigh, jumping slightly when Puck plopped a tray in my hands. “Can you hold this while I get us some drinks?”

“Um…sure?” I replied, but it was too late. He was already on his way to the drink machine, hitting the two plastic cups in his hands together. Ugh…why the hell were we in McDonald’s?

It was a good thing that I kept an eye on him as he was retrieving our sodas because he never came back, instead going straight to a table. Being careful not to look at the tray in my hands, I followed him before plopping down in my seat.

He dug right in, taking a monstrous bite of a hamburger or something. “Aren’t you Jewish?” I questioned. He nodded and raised an eyebrow, wondering what my point was. “I’m positive that McDonald’s food is not kosher.”

“I’m making an exception for you.” Why did he say that as if it was the sweetest thing that someone could do? Because…it wasn’t. At all. I would rather have gone somewhere with nothing but Jewish kosher food.

Already, the hamburger was gone. “Did you inhale that or something? Just like air?”

Ignoring my question, Puck nodded toward the tray as he reached for French fries. “You going to eat anything?”

Returning the pattern of not answering questions that had been asked, I replied, “Did you know that McDonald’s French fries don’t mold when left out on a counter? That’s so disgusting.”

“Actually, I did know that.” He shoved about ten of them into his mouth at once with a grin. “But I don’t give a shit.”

“Can you watch your mouth? There are kids everywhere.” Looking around, I was reminded of just how true that was. As they passed, quite a few of them passed by our table with wide eyes.

“Says the girl who dropped an F-bomb earlier.”

“Hey, I whispered it. So give me some credit.”

Apparently, that meant it was time for another subject change on his part. “I’m not taking you home until you eat something.”

“I would rather eat one of the children,” I expressed, scrunching up my face. Of course, one of the mothers had to pass by just then, and she gave me a look that was angry and worried at the same time.

At least Puck found it amusing, dictated by him throwing his head back and laughing way too loudly. “That was the best timing I’ve ever seen.”

“Shut up,” I muttered, taking a sip of my Diet Coke. “So are you ever going to tell me why you brought me to McDonald’s of all places? This is disgusting.”

“Because of that attitude.” I raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for an elaboration. “You have no fun, ever. Anyone can tell. You’re miserable.”

“I’m not miserable!” Even though I kind of was.

“Look at those kids.” He turned around and pointed toward the play area. “See how they’re smiling? You might want to learn how to do that.”

“I smile.” I did, right? “You’re just being overdramatic.”

“No, you just refuse to admit it. Look, I know that something shitty,” I shot him a look, “happened to you in your past. It’s kind of obvious. But that’s just it.” He shoved some more French fries into his mouth, and my stomach turned on itself. “It’s in your past. You gotta let it go and learn to live a little.”

“Like you?” I questioned sarcastically. “Sleeping around and not caring about anyone but myself?”

“Yeah, just like me.” He took a sip from his Coke. “And you know what? I can help you learn the ways of not-caring.”

“And why would you do that?”

There was a silence before Puck shrugged. “I dunno. Maybe I kinda like you.”

“Well, that sucks, since I kind of hate you.”