Off Limits

Awkward Misunderstandings

                “Sausage with a thin crust, please,” I said to the woman taking my order.  She scribbled down the order quickly shaking her head up and down.

                “But I like pepperoni,” interjected Mason, right as the waitress began to shift away from us.  She turned her head to me expectantly, waiting for an answer.

               “Sausage tastes better,” I argued. He shook his head refusing to believe this.

               “Pepperoni is a classic,” he shot back.  I paused thinking about this.  That was a perfectly valid point. I mean it was the first topping that comes to mind when thinking about pizza.

               Looking over to the waitress I decided to be diplomatic, “You pick.” The waitress looked at us like a deer caught in the headlights.  She didn’t want to take part in this fight.  I kind of felt bad for putting her on the spot.

             “Yea come back with whichever you think is better," Mason agreed before I could just tell the waitress to forget about it.  She stood before us a few seconds before finally murmuring an alright and scurrying off.

              I twisted my head forward again, meeting Mason’s light blue eyes.  I stared at him awkwardly for a few seconds before directing my head downwards.   Everything about this was so weird. I was going out to eat with a kid I didn’t even know!  He could be a creepo.   No, creepo I’ve ever saw has looked this good before, I found myself thinking.  It took everything I had in me not to laugh a little at that thought.  I really needed to stop admire his good looks.  It was turning me into the creepo.

                “How old are you?” Mason questioned stirring his straw thoughtfully around in his glass of water, the ice making clunking noises.

                “17”, I answered him knowing he was only asking to break the awkward silence.

                “Any pets?”

                “None.”

                “Favorite food?”

                “Chinese.”

                “Animal?

                “Panda.”

                “State?”

                “Ok what is this? Twenty questions?” I asked slightly confused.

                He grinned and shook his head, his brown hair falling slightly in his eyes as he did.  “Nope.  Just trying to get to know you better.”

                “And you really think you can accomplish that by asking me my favorite state?”  I knew disbelief was clearly sketched out on my face this time.  This boy was certainly odd.

                He just shrugged his shoulders, choosing not to answer.  Instead our conversation faded into silence for a few beats.

                “So when did you move here?” Mason asked from his spot across from me. Ah, so the questions start once again.

                “I didn’t.  I’m just staying with my grandma for the summer,” I paused thoughtfully before continuing, “How did you know I wasn’t from around here anyways?”

                “Small town, everybody basically knows everyone.  A new face is rare, but hey, I was that new face only a few months ago.” He grinned at me his toothy white smile, and I found myself smiling stupidly back.  It took me a moment to realize I was just staring at him dreamily.  Remember I’m just here to pay him back, I scolded myself.  I had a boyfriend for goodness sakes!