Highly Strung

Silent Guy and the Diner

I was sitting at the table eating Lucky Charms and waiting for Alex to finish getting ready so we could go into town to do some shopping. I kind of wanted to look for a job, Alex worked at the bookstore in town every summer and I didn’t really want to be left alone with Cole. God only knows what he liked to do in his free time. Plot world domination came to mind.

“Can I talk to you for a second?” I shrieked, my hand going to my mouth to muffle the noise.

Cole had silently crept into the seat opposite me, scaring me yet again. My spoon clattered to the table leaving a milk ring on the wooden surface.

“What is it?” I grumbled, grabbing a napkin from the center of the table to clean up the milk.

“Why don’t you like me?”

I sat back, stunned by his blunt question. “Sorry?”

He leaned forward, the perfect sky blue of his eyes hard to look away from. “I said, why don’t you like me?” He spoke slower and clearer as if I were incapable of understanding.

“Don’t talk to me like I’m five.” I snapped, pushing my chair back and grabbing my dishes off the table for the dishwasher.

Cole scraped his chair back, hurrying to stand. “I wasn’t. I’d just like to know why somebody who doesn’t know me hates me on the spot.”

I sighed, turning back to him and leaning back on the counter, chewing my lip while I thought.

“Tattoos.” I replied finally. Cole looked at me for a second before bursting into laughter, leaning over with his hands on his knees while his shoulders shook.

“What?” I demanded, a frown twisting my expression.

“You don’t like me because I have a tattoo?” He gasped out between chuckles.

“You’re in a band. I’ve seen movies. Musicians do drugs.” I sniffed, crossing my arms over my chest.

Cole started laughing again. “You’ve got to be joking.” When he saw that I was completely serious he sobered up. “You’re not.”

“Why would I joke about that?” I cocked and eyebrow, irritated.

“Because that’s not true.”

“Why should I believe you?”

“Bec-” His words were cut off as Alex sauntered into the room in a flowery sundress with her purse slung over her shoulder.

“Ready to go? We can take the car, it’s in the garage.” She was spinning her keys around her little finger impatiently.

“Sure.” I pushed off the counter and followed her out of the house and down an unpaved dirt road into the trees for a few minutes until we came upon a monstrosity of a garage.

“Jesus, Al.” I muttered as she unlocked the door and walked inside.

There were two cars in the garage. One was a non-descript Honda Civic while the other was a half built cherry red mustang.

“That’s Cole’s.” Alex explained, nodding toward the Mustang and unlocking the Civic and sliding into the driver’s seat.

I frowned, still angry with Cole for making fun of me, and climbed into the passenger’s seat.

****

The town of Lakeview was your average small town, with cute little shops lining the streets. Also a town where news would have reached everybody before you’d even finished your sentence, Alex had informed me with a warning of ‘don’t do anything scandalous.’