reckless | mgc

nine

"Not up for Hooter's again?" Addy giggled, looking over to Michael who just cracked a smile. They'd been driving towards the outskirts of town for about twenty minutes, (much past Addy's lunch time and into her afternoon classes, but she didn't really care anymore) and Michael still hadn't given her anymore of a hint as to where they were going for lunch.

"Nah, not exactly," he said, both of their minds filling with awkward memories of that night. Looking back on it, Michael kind of wanted to punch himself in the face. What guy brings a girl to fucking Hooter's on a first date? God, he was such an idiot sometimes.

Addy's stomach growled quietly, and she silently hoped they'd be there really soon. It was about 12:30 and she was kind of nervous, still on the edge with skipping class and everything. How the hell was she supposed to explain this to her parents? They'd already murder her on the spot for her nose piercing and now she'd skipped class as well. She felt sort of like the adrenaline was fading, until she glanced over at Michael and she felt like she was burning again. Michael had pulled her from her thoughts when he turned the corner and pulled into the parking lot of a little bar, which didn't really surprise Addy. It was really small on the outside and it had a wooden deck with a few tables, but nothing really special. There was a sign that said "OPEN" that was only half illuminated and the wooden letters above the front door said "SAL ON" because the other "O" had fallen down and no one had bothered to replace it. There's another thing this shitty town refuses to fix, Michael noted.

"Bringing me to the salon?" Addy started, pointing out the misspelled sign on the top of the door. "Classy." Michael just laughed, taking her hand and leading her up to the door. Now it was his turn for his heart to feel on fire. Ever since that night with Addy he'd had a hard time feeling the same way as he did before it happened. To be honest he never really expected her to agree to going out, and when she did he had never been so excited in his life. But every single time he thought about the feeling of her hand in his he got a sick feeling in his stomach, knowing that all of this was only temporary. Part of him really didn't give a shit that her parents didn't like him or her friends didn't think he was good enough for her. Sure, he had a kind of shitty reputation around the school and the town, but that didn't mean he couldn't change. Part of him knew that if this was something he really wanted then he should suck it up and fight for it. And the second he heard her laugh next to him under the stars he knew she'd be worth fighting for until the end of everything. It was terrifying, though, because he was so afraid. Oh my god, he was so scared of falling in love.

Michael pushed the bar door open slowly and pulled them both inside, only to be met with a large man with an apron on and a beard stood on the other side. He smiled widely at the sight of Michael, revealing his mouth that had one tooth missing. The surrounding area smelled like strong alcohol and it gave Addy a sense of familiarity, like the night of the party.

"Michael!" he shouted, and a chorus of loud cheers came from the slightly tipsy men sitting on the stools up at the counter of the bar. Michael smiled back and waved to the men before looking down at Addy, nodding once to make sure she was comfortable with this. She just smiled a little and nodded back, grabbing on to Michael's hand. He blushed.

"Addy," Michael started, turning them both to face the man who was still standing by the door. "This is my uncle Gordon, the most irresponsible man within three hundred miles of here, guaranteed." He laughed loudly and heavily, sticking out his meaty hand to shake Addy's small one. She laughed along, visibly tense.

"Gordon," Michael started again, this time pointing to Addy. "This is Addy, the hottest girl within three hundred miles of here, guaranteed." Addy felt herself blush instantly, laughing tensley again as his uncle stared down at her. Michael smiled proudly, personally excited to have someone like Addy with him to finally impress his family. Michael wasn't exactly on good terms with most of his family, considering he'd given a big "fuck you" to them all a while ago when they tried to tell him he was becoming irresponsible. The only people he could tolerate were his uncle Gordon and his cousin Ashton, who was Gordon's son.