The Clone Mansion

Forced Romantic Dates

I glance at her. "How do you figure I've been acting different?"

She adjusts herself on the laid back seat. "You're meaner than you usually are. You usually roll your eyes at me, but laugh and sometimes apologize or defend me."

She forgot to speak in clone. Do I call her out? I'm too worried about the fact that I've messed up. I didn't realize he's not typically this mean. It's all I've ever seen.

Feeling cornered, I think on my feet. "You went too far this time. You can't expect me not to react to you kidnapping a girl I'm into and then forcing me to kiss you and go on a date with you just to ruin my chances with her. You could've done this at any time since you've met me, but you choose now? The timing is a little too convenient."

Wishes meets my angry gaze with a stoic one. "That's where you're wrong Granthies. Before Loose-Leg Linda you didn't care about anything. How am I supposed to force you to do something with no ammo of my own?"

She's an evil mastermind, it's why we work. "Her name isn't Linda." I can't be sure her name isn't Linda. I go solely off the fact that Grant and Linda doesn't have a ring to it. To win, you have to take risks.

She shrugs. "That's just what we call her on the steets."

I pull into the McDonald's parking lot. "What would you know about the streets?"

"Wishes is the streets. They call me Wise Wishes." No one has ever called her that, but she's right, living in the Clone Mansion is not for the weak.

I don't entertain the rest of that conversation. "Maybe we should just go through the drive through."

She nods enthusiastically. "You always want your alone time with Wishey."

I head to the drive through window. "No, I don't want anyone to see us. The last thing I want is alone time with you."

She laughs. "Not going to lie Grantheis, I think you're being mean to me because you're mad you want me."

"What?!! You're really have lost your last brain cell."

She smirks out the window. "Wishey can sense when she's wanted."

Crap. She's starting to see through me. I can't even hide the fact I like her in the man who hates her more than anything's body. "What do you want to eat?" I say, rolling down the window.

"Always putting me first." She grins. "I'd like a 10 piece chicken nuggets and fries."

I repeat her order to the worker and turn back to her. "To drink?"

She lightly touches my arm. "A Coke."

I order her Coke and myself a cheeseburger and fries. I go to the window and pay. Once they hand out our food, I pull into a parking spot as far away from everyone else as possible.

"Thank you Granthies. I'm guessing you parked here so no one can see me showing my appreciation to you, huh?"

I pass over her food. "Shut up and eat."

She crosses her arms. "This is a date."

I bite into my burger, which tasted like Heaven after the long day I'd been having. "I agreed to go on a date with you, I didn't agree to talk during it."

She puts her elbows on the center console and stares into my soul. "Just because I got rid of the picture doesn't mean I can't still ruin your life."

Her dark side sends goosebumps down my spine. "Fine. We'll talk."

She looks happy with this and leans back. She causally starts eating her fries. "Don't you eat your fries first Granthies?"

I give her a look of disbelief. "What?! No! The fries are the best part."

She tosses another fry into her mouth. "The fries aren't as good if they get cold."

As minuscule as what we were talking about is, it felt good to be talking about something I actually thought. I had no idea if Grant would eat his burger first, this was all me. "I like to leave something to look forward to."

"If you do that you might not be able to enjoy it. For example, your fries might be cold by the time you get to them. Life's too short Grantheis."

I sit back, unsure how such a surface level topic had gotten so deep. There wasn't much else to say, but I refused to let the conversion die out. "Maybe, but good things come to those who wait. I like to end things on a good note."

"You have a little something."She used a napkin to remove the ketchup from the corners of my lips. I remained perfectly still, not wanting her to stop.

When she was done, I glared at her. "Don't do that."

"I can't help it you're messy Grantheis!"

I stick a fry in my mouth. "Why can't you be with someone who is obsessed with you, like Dillion." I shouldn't have said it, but there it was, out in the open.

"I could ask you the same question." She counters. It's a fair statement, but answers none of the questions in my head.

"I don't get it, you clearly like him too. You always call him when you're in trouble and spend nearly everyday with him. So why not? Why go for the guy that straight up says he doesn't want to be with you?"

This question must've upset her because she gets a serious look on her face and turns away. "Dilly being obsessed with me is a red flag in my book. He makes me his life, he needs his own."

The ashes of my heart fall to my stomach. It hurts to hear her talk about me like that. "You do the same thing to me."

"I still stick up for myself, you know if you tick Wishey off they'll be repercussions."

Dang. "Let me get this straight, you like Dillion, but you want him to stand up to you?"

"I love Dilly, but I'd never date him."

I choke on my food. She loves me????