"alright, we're here!"
"sadie i'm tired, can i just stay in the car and sleep all day?" i said, not wanting to leave my comfortable position in the old pickup truck that belonged to sadie. i had leaned the seat back so that i could lay down while sadie drove us to the diner.
by the looks of the outside of the diner, it was small. i remembered it being bigger. when i used to come here as a child, it seemed like a castle. i would always order the same thing: a grilled cheese with a strawberry milkshake. my parents used to smile when i was happy. soon after i turned twelve, my parents stopped acknowledging me. we stopped eating here, and i became depressed. this was my favorite place to go.
"mills, come on. you used to love this place. you begged your parents everyday to take us here." sadie said as she took the keys from the ignition and laughed. "you would always throw a fit and threaten to pour soda on the carpet when they said no. i remember one time when you were so frustrated with your mom that you actually shit yourself."
i scoffed, embarrassed. "well i'm sorry i was an attached little five year old. no one can be as perfect as you, sadie."
she laughed and messed up my hair.
"i'm not perfect, you are." she said.
that's when i burst out laughing, even to the point where i started crying. "me, perfect?! that's truly comical. c'mon, sads. let's just go into the damn diner."
she just giggled in response.
so, we walked into the small building. the bell by the door signaled our presence, attracting the attention of the cashier.
"millie? sadie? is that you guys?" the cashier said, and i became confused. how does he know us?
"charlie?" sadie asked back, causing my brain to pause.
"how are you guys? oh my god it's been boring around here without you!" charlie said.
i remember him! he always knew our orders, so we didn't even have to tell him when we came here.
"we missed you, charlie. how is your dog, oh what was his name, matty?" when sadie spoke the dogs name, charlie's face dropped.
"oh, he died about two years back. but, i have a new dog now. her name is halsey. you guys know halsey, the badass singer? y'all have no idea how much i love her. she's gorgeous." he said, already typing in our old orders.
charlie's gay, i remember it now. my parents hated him for it, but they tried not to show it on their faces.
sadie and i both laughed, causing him to smile. we took a seat in a small booth, red leather seats with a white marble table.
"so, sads, what score did you get on your english test?" i asked her.
"isn't it obvious? i aced it. and you probably could have guessed that."
she said. "i can tell you one person who definitely didn't even pass the test. guess who."
hmm, i don't talk to a lot of people. i don't know.
i suppose she grew bored of my absent response, so she just gave me the answer.
"finn the asshole? ya' know, the dumb kid that we hate as much as i hate meat?"
i laughed, then i heard footsteps.
"here ya' go, ladies. for sadie, two mini tofu burgers with a side of guac with a vegan vanilla shake topped with rainbow sprinkles, and for millie, a 'super-duper cheesy grilled cheese' with a strawberry shake. enjoy, it's on the house!" charlie said as he approached our booth.
sadie and i smiled at him and began eating.
"mmm, millie this is just like i remember it." sadie said while smiling and closing her eyes. i laughed.
"the teardrop cafe, the best food in the world. not very known, though." i said before taking some bites out of my grilled cheese.
"it's too bad, really. there's so much history in this place, and only a few people have experienced it." sadie said, frowning.
"i think that it's kinda cool. we have this place that no one we know has heard of." i said.
"wrong."
an all-too-familiar voice interrupted our conversation. i froze and looked at sadie when i realised who it was.
finn fucking wolfhard.
"ya know, this situation is givin' me the heebie-jeebies. it's like you guys are stalking me." finn said from what i supposed to be two booths down from mine. "i find it incredibly odd that you, millie, are everywhere i am. the waterfall in the woods, school, and now here. god, are you obsessed with me or some shit?"
my jaw dropped.
"okay, are you seriously this brain dense, wolfhard?" i said while standing up to look for him. "for one, i was at the waterfall first. you came to me, not the other way 'round. secondly, school is a requirement, not a choice. god, if only school was a choice. then i wouldn't have to see you everyday. third, how was sadie and i supposed to know that you would skip school on this specific day and come to this specific diner?"
he just stared at me, and for a moment i saw a forced calm rage flash in his eyes.
"jeez, don't act all psycho, i wasn't asking for a speech." he said.
what is his problem?
"where's your girlfriend? shouldn't she be here with you?" sadie said. "oh wait- she's probably with romeo. oh, did you not know, finn? yeah you're just iris's side-bitch."
i laughed at finn's facial expression.
"n- no she's not, why would she do that?" finn said.
"because when you kiss the same guy a million times, it can get boring for some people." i said, still laughing slightly.
"that was a rhetorical question you dumb bitch."
"wow, finn actually knows what rhetorical means! he finally learned something for the first time in years! your momma would be so proud." i exclaimed and high-fived sadie, but shortly after, she frowned at me.
finn raised his eyebrows a little bit. he seemed close to tears.
awh shit! i forgot that his fucking mom died!
sadie slapped my arm and started to pull me out of the diner.
finn just sat there, in the old booth, staring at the table as he faded from my eyesight.
what just happened?
———
i have an audition this week and i'm not prepared.
-sav
