insane // chris schistad

seventeen

[mcdonald's in the park]

two weeks later

thursday 3:16 pm

After parting ways with the girls, who were now going for some ice cream since school was out, I took the long walk home. I shoved my hands in my pockets, looking down at the sidewalk that was covered in shadows of leaves and sunlight. The weather was quite nice today and I wasn't in the mood to go home, so I made my way to town to grab something to eat.

As much as I wanted to go for a healthy snacks, I ended up at McDonalds instead. I placed my order for chicken nuggets and fries, standing to the side as I waited for my order to be ready. I pulled out my phone to have something to look at and so no one would make conversation with me. I scrolled through Instagram, liking pictures of the girls with the ice cream they had gotten today. It really was a gorgeous day and they looked precious.

"Order number 26." A voice called, and I showed my receipt, before grabbing the bag of food and walking back out.

I headed towards the park with my backpack on my shoulders and a bag of chicken nuggets in my hand. I passed the fenced perimeter of the park, reaching the entrance. The park was enormous, so I always found a new place to explore and sit every time I came here. This time I had found a hill that was surrounded by trees, providing the perfect shade. It faced the city, which looked interesting from afar since you could actually witness the chaos instead of being caught up in it.

Alone on the hill, I pulled out my food. I crossed my legs, placing the food in front of me. My eyes focused around the different people I could catch in my sight. People watching was quite weird and maybe not that appropriate, but it was quite interesting and that's what occupied me whilst I finished my food.

I finished up my last couple fries, scarfing down that whole meal in only 10 minutes. That wasn't my best timing, but it was still pretty good for an 8 count with medium fries. I got up, slipping my backpack back over my shoulders, and making my way to the trashcan to throw away my now my empty bag.

As much as I thought I was going to feel bad about eating a meal that wasn't the best for my health, I felt pretty damn good. Chicken nuggets always improved my mood. I decided on taking a walk, mainly to avoid going home, but also to simply think. It was better to confront anything stressing me out rather than just pushing it away.

I walked along the pathway throughout the park, keeping to the right so joggers could pass me. I pulled out my headphones, plugging them into my phone so I could listen to some music. I scrolled through Spotify until I found a playlist and then put my phone away, ignoring the rest of my notifications.

-

"Saskia!" I heard a familiar voice yelling from behind me, sounding almost out of breath.

I turned around, stopping in my tracks, and took a headphone out of my ear. Chris stood there, bent over, trying to catch his breath I took out my other headphone, unplugged them, and put them back in my bag. I walked towards Chris, and he looked back up at me.

"Were you just ignoring me or did you not hear me? I was chasing you for 10 minutes." He said, finally catching his breath, brushing his hair back that had stuck to his sweaty forehead.

"I had headphones in." I explained, smiling back at him, feeling a little bad that I didn't hear him before.

"How have you been? I was going to text you, but I didn't know if that was okay." Chris began, and we started walking.