On the Edge of the World

Chapter 8: Talking beneath the stars

I'd been standing on top of hill, overseeing the town I was growing up in, the sun slowly sinking behind the horizen, the night taking over. I took a drag from my cigarette and frowned at it. 

What a waste of space with a bunch of morons loitering around there.

"HEY ZANE!" I heard Brody call out to me from behind me. 

My gut twisted up a little, but I scowled at myself for feeling like a coward. I flicked away the burning remains of my cig and turned round. 

"Hey Brody."

He gave me an awkward wave from the bottom of the hill. He wore a white t-shirt under a black jacket and black shorts. 

As I walked up to him, I asked, "Have you heard dinner yet?" He shook his head. 

"Ok, c'mon we'll go grab something to eat." I started walking down a dirt trail that would lead back into town. 

"Wait hang on!" Brody paused me. "Why'd you want to talk to me tonight?"

I looked back at him. "You asked if I was ok mentally, and if I wanted to talk about it..."

Brody nodded. "Yeahh..."

"I do...want to talk about it...I just...don't really know how too. Just...let's go get something to eat first then we'll talk."

We walked down the dirt trail in silence, the sounds of low droning cars, and people getting closer.

"Where do you want to go?" I asked Brody when we finally stepped out from the line of trees and into the quiet streets of town. 

He shrugged helplessly. "You just wanna go to MacDonalds or something?"

"Yeah sure, whatever you want."

So, we kept walking side by side in a silence that wasn't exactly awkward. Comforting? Safe? It was...strange, and I could feel my hands fidgeting nervously.

I pushed open the double glass door of the brightly colored red and yellow building, allowing Brody to go in first.

We each got our own order and waited quietly next to each other, so close our shoulders were touching. When they touched gently, I would feel my face warm up and would fight to dismiss whatever was happening to me.

I got my meal called out first, and as I walked back to Brody, checking it, I breathed wonderful words from under my breath. 

"What's wrong?" A half smile was building on Brody's face.

"Those fuckers managed to fuck up my order. I only ordered chips! They gave me fucking nuggets! How, in the name of God, is anyone that stupid to mess up one thing?! How the fuck is that even possible?!" 

Brody was almost beside himself with laughter. He fell into one of the seats, holding his stomach, and unable to contain himself.

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, you piece of shit." I grumbled although the corners of my mouth tilted upwards.

Once we finally got our orders sorted, the two of us walked next to each other down the street, as I droned on about how fucked up MacDonalds was.

Brody just watched me with a look that made me want to keep on smiling, and act as if there was nothing wrong in the world.

But it only hurt me more to think that. Every time I made contact with his bright carefree eyes, I adverted my own, ashamed of who I was.

Matters basically got worse from there.

I hadn't even realized we'd walked over to the back part of town, and were standing outside my workplace, Sinful Secrets.

"What's this place?" Brody asked, looking around at the neon signs on the building.