“If we’re eating, we’re eating properly,” Matt explained as he pulled into the drive through of McDonalds. I raised an eyebrow at him and tried not to laugh. He shrugged a smile. “There’s nothing wrong with taking a girl to McDonalds if it’s not a date.”
I rolled my eyes and looked out the window- hating that his words caused my heart to sink a little.
“If it was a date, you’d know about it believe me,” he added. I looked at him surprisingly, but he wasn’t looking at me, just at the car in front of us.
* * *
“Is there a reason why you couldn’t at least take me inside?” I asked unwrapping my burger. Matt had parked us towards the emptier side of the car park facing a bunch of trees that towered over us.
“Well,” he said swallowing his gigantic mouthful of burger, “I figured if I wanted to talk with you and I had to ‘be nice’, I wanted you to myself.”
That may have been all cute and romance-novel worthy, except at the exact moment he decided to say the last part, he’d looked over at me while I had the contents of my burger half hanging out. Not the most attractive moment of my life. Instead of dying though, God thought it was better if I lived out the humiliation.
Matt laughed and returned to his own meal to my silent gratitude.
“I don’t get you,” I stated wiping my mouth on one of the tissues from my bag. Matt just looked at my questioningly, chewing on a French fry. “You’re such a grouch one minute, then you’re helpful, then you’re annoying, then you’re nice. I don’t even have this many mood swings when I’m-“ God forbid shut the fuck up Beth.
“I don’t know what to tell you, Beth,” Matt shrugged- he did that a lot. He shoved French fries into his mouth finishing his meal pretty fast. “I don’t know how I’m supposed to treat you, you’re not my friend but I don’t completely dislike you either. You’re stubborn and a pain in my ass, but you’re weak and I keep feeling the need to help you. God knows why-“
“Oh go to Hell,” I yelled over him opening the car door. Tugging my knit cardigan around my front, I slammed the door shut and stalked towards the exit. I was so full of rage I almost forgot to watch where I walked, and I felt someone yank my arm to the side before a loud honk of a car sounded in my ear.
“Christ, can you at least watch out for yourself if you’re going to try to walk out on me like that?” Matt cursed loudly. He still had a grip on my arm, I pulled free and folded my arms realising I felt the need to do that a lot around Matt. He glowered at me for a moment then looked away.
“Well excuse me, I didn’t exactly want to hang around for further reasons as to why I’m not anything to you.” I waited for a response, but didn’t get one. “I don’t expect you to be my best friend or even my friend. But you have been the one hanging around me for the past day and a half.” I started to walk off before turning swiftly to add, “and just so you know, I’m not weak. I can take care-“
“Bethany shut up,” Matt sighed. I blinked in shock. I opened my mouth to protest but he beat me to it. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have put it that way. I just don’t know what you expect from me.”
I made a small sound of disgust and shook my head. “Matt I don’t expect anything from you, even if I did I wouldn’t know what to expect. But you’re the one crashing into my life, so could you at least try to figure out why before this goes any further?”
Matt just stared at me, his face burrowed in thought. He was a confusing boy, and honestly I didn’t need any complications in my life. But when I was looking at him I found myself conflicting with my words and wanting him to stay with me and annoy me or ask me things I never planned on answering to anyone.
