Soooo Not Normal

T E S S A

I pick up my phone, which, miraculously, survived the crash. I call my parents and tell them that I'm okay, and then I call the school and tell them that Emma and I are not coming to school tomorrow or Friday. Friday is the funeral, and I don't think that Emma can handle going to school tomorrow.

"Hey, what about your car?" Emma asks

"It's fine, my parents will probably buy me another. I bet they already have." I reply nonchalantly.

"Yeah, I bet they went and bought the car instead of making sure you were alright."

"I bet you're right." I agree. Does it bug me that my parents care more about the fact that my car crashed than the fact that I was in the hospital? Just a little. But I mean, it's just their way of telling me they love me, right?

I suddenly realize that Emma is watching me. "You okay?" I ask her, laughing.

"Yeah, but I just realized that I have no idea how we're going to get to Jack in the Box." Wait, we're going there?

"We're going there?" I ask, crossing my fingers.

"Obviously! I told you I want curly fries!"

"We can make them at home," I say.

"Um, since when have you liked to cook?" She asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Umm, since forever?" I ask, my voice going up an octave. Great. Now she knows I'm lying.

"You little liar! Besides you love Jack so you have to love Jack in the Box!"

"That was the weirdest thing you have ever said to me. I do not love Jack. He's my high school boyfriend. We haven't even kissed yet." And we're not going to. I silently add.

"Oh good. I was worried for a minute." We walk on for a few minutes, till she starts up the thread of conversation. "But Tes, most high school couples kiss."

"If you know anything about me, it's that I am not normal."

"Yeah, but you got these things called hormones that you know make people do weird things. Like kissing each other."

"Ew, Emma, no!"

"Haha, okay, come on, I want food and I don't want to make it."

"But-" she cuts me off.

"No, we are going to Jack in the Box whether you like it or not. Got it?" I nod reluctantly and follow her. How am I supposed to not eat!? Emma will find out and then she'll get mad. Besides, it's fries! Ugh, I'm already drooling!

"Hey, Em, how about we go to... um, Chick-fil-a." She looks at me suspiciously.

"But you hate it, and there's no curly fries or unlimited soda."

"Yeah, but their Sprite is really sweet." I shudder. Soo much sugar.

"I don't care about the stupid sweetness, and I would never give up my chance to get curly fries!" And just like that, she was forcing me into the subway and downtown to where all the restaurants and tourism stuff was. I was glad we were both happy, but I kept dreading the food. It's fine, right? I'll just have a few fries and soda and then I'll back off.

But when we finally get to Jack in the Box, I know it's all or nothing. I can't have any fries, or I'll have ALL the fries. So I order a diet Coke and call it good. Emma looks at me weird, but I just tell her that I want her to be able to have all the fries to herself because she just went through severe trauma and needs comfort in any way she can get it. That just makes her more skeptical.

"Are you sure? I thought you loved curly fries. I got them for us to share."

"Yeah, I'm sure." I can tell she doesn't believe me, but thankfully she doesn't push for answers.

We sit down at our usual booth and watch the news. Fox 5 is covering the crash. I glance at Emma to see how she's taking it and see that she's not paying attention, focusing instead on her fries.

"Emma?" I ask, watching her pull apart two fries, covered in fatty, delicious grease. She doesn't look up. "Earth to Emma?"

"Yes?" She finally looks up from her fries.

"What do you want to do tomorrow? We have the day off."

"We do?" She looks surprised.

"Did you not just hear me call the school and excuse us for the rest of the week?"

"Oh, you did? Thanks." She doesn't try to talk. Lost in her own little world. 

Word Count //764 Words\\