Strip

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Dumb luck.

There's no reason in calling it dumb luck, because all luck is dumb. Whether it's good luck, or bad luck, it's all just luck. And we're like wild animals, grabbing at the scraps of luck thrown down to us from the sky.

I hate it when I get deep. But it's true. 

And it seemed like I was getting all the bad luck.

Max was sort of strolling into the McDonald's, his hands in his pockets. He was looking around the place, like he was trying to suck in the whole room and tuck it into a folder in his brain.

I ducked, and tried to hid my face. But of course, my hair was pulled up, so that made it a lot harder. And the fry cooker thing was the closest to the cash register. If I left, the fries would burn and I would be fired. But if I stayed, Max would definitely recognize me.

"Welcome to McDonald's!" Cathy said in her overly-cheery customer service voice.

"Hi!" Max said, with the same excitement in his voice. 

"May I take your order?"

"Yes, I would like one iced coffee, and..." Max squinted at the menu above Cathy's head. "What do you call your breakfast egg things?"

"Egg McMuffins?"

"Yes, one of those please!"

"Coming right up!" 

Cathy turned and said to me, "Molly, can you get that?"

"But... The fries!" I protested. If I got it, I would give it to him. Even worse.

"Ally can watch them," She said.

"But-"

"Go!" She hissed.

I got his meal pulled together in one of the bags, dragging my feet as I went. Maybe I could pretend to get one of my feet caught on the oven or something, and act like my ankle was twisted. No, that would probably just get my in trouble.

I returned with the bag, walking as fast as possible. I plopped the bag down in front of him, mumbled, "Here you go," and turned to walk away.

"Wait!" He said.

I slowly turned around to face him, still keeping my head down.

"You look familiar..."

Oh shit oh shit oh shit, I thought. This is it. My life as I know it is over. Oh shit oh shit oh-

"You're the girls I bumped into the other day!"

Say wha?

"I'm Max! Remember me?I bumped into you, and papers got everywhere, gosh I'm still sorry about that by the way. Molly, right?"

"Oh r-right. Max. Hi."

"So you work here?"

I stared at him for a moment, letting what he had just said sink in.

"Oh, well, duh, of course you work here, sorry that was a dumb question." He tended to blabber.

"Yeah, I work here."

"Cool. This is my first time eating at one of these places."

My eyes widened. "You've never eaten at a McDonald's before?"

"Nope."

"Are you like, a vegetarian?"

"Nope."