Highly Inappropriate

Chapter 2

Rachel on the side -------->

Walking out of class I found Rachel stood waiting for me, “I figured maybe if we were on the same course, you might have a couple of hours free?” She tilted her head to the side as she asked and I couldn’t help but smile at her, “I sure do”.

“Great! Do you maybe want to go for something to eat? There’s a great little diner just outside of campus that does the meanest burgers!” You know when you forget you’re hungry but then you think of food and your stomach grumbles to remind you that you are, in fact, starving? “Man, that actually sounds perfect!” I grinned at her with anticipation for this ‘mean’ burger, Americans are known to make good burgers and I couldn’t wait to try.

We walked out of the campus together making idle chit chat, finding out about one another. Between campus and the diner I’d learned that we had a lot in common; films, music. Even clubs; we both had a guilty liking for mainstream, don’t get me wrong I loved listening to Rock, Alternative, and old classics on my iPod, but to dance to, it’d have to be mainstream and R‘n’B hands down!

We were just talking about how we both wanted to see Django but had never had any girl friends who liked that kind of film before, promising to go see it together sometime, when we reached the Diner.

I let out a squeal of excitement, the tourist in me loving how American the diner looked, with its neon sign saying Betty’s Diner on the front. Inside were booths like the kinds you would see in films, with red leather benches, or sofas they looked like to me. There was even a jukebox in the corner! I ran to the jukebox, not caring if this was the 21st century and that it was probably just there for show, I threw in some money and jabbed at a random number, since I didn’t actually know any of the songs, before joining an amused Rachel at a booth nearby.

“Wow, you looked like a kid in a candy store” She laughed at me while I looked all around the diner, like a puppy surrounded by people, trying to decide which he wants to demand a petting from first.

I smiled at her sheepishly “Don’t even take me to a candy store. You won’t be able to control me after!” at this she laughed then looked at me curiously, “Wait you don’t say candy?”

“No I say sweets, it’s a sweet shop. I don’t know, it confuses me when you guys say candy for chocolate because I never know whether you mean sweets or chocolate...” her smile grew to a full on grin and proceeded to imitate me in an atrocious ‘British’ accent.

“Oi! Stop taking the piss!” I exclaimed with what I hoped to be a serious expression but I could sense a smirk on my face, which usually appears when I’m trying not to smile or when I’ve done something naughty. You can imagine how hard it was for my mum to ground me, when I’d be smirking at her trying not to laugh and she be trying to be serious but would end up trying - and failing - not to smile back. Looking back, those scenarios were pretty funny.

“Can I take your orders?” I looked up and smiled at the waitress who had come over to our booth, and ordered a burger, chips and chocolate milkshake. Rachel ordered a burger, and we carried on with our friendly banter about culture and stereotypes, about how I was settling in and if I liked it here.

“Well YEAH of course I do, I’ve dreamt of coming here almost my whole life!” I’d responded.

Now we were onto the topic of accommodation, “So why aren’t you living on campus? I don’t get it?” she looked baffled as she asked me this, but to me - having studied in England for two years where you only live in Halls in your first year and move into a house with friends after that - the concept of me living in an apartment didn’t seem so baffling.