my family's toyota pulls to a halt in front of a 7-eleven out in the middle of nowhere. we're on our way back from virginia beach and my dad has been bugging my mom for the past hour to take a pit stop.
"you remember what we all want?" my dad swivels in the drivers seat to hand me a 10 dollar bill.
"3 beef jerky sticks, 5 bottled waters, pepto bismol, and i can get a candy bar." i recite to him, folding the money and sticking it in the back pocket of my shorts.
"hey can i go?" my little brother mikey pops up from his seat in the back.
"yeah can i?" lily, my younger sister, sits up too.
"okay, only if you behave." my mother sighs. "make it quick, y/n."
"okay, let's go then." i open the car door and everyone follows after.
"dragon slayer!" mikey announces the second we get inside. i understand why he wanted to come out so bad.
"hey! remember what mom said?" i snap, making my way to the drinks in the back. "one game only, make it quick, 'kay?" he nods, quickly inserting quarters from his pocket into the game.
"i'm going to look at the magazines," lily looks up at me. "i'll make it quick." she mocks, then before she wanders off, her eyes fall on something to the left of me. she looks embarrassed then hurries off quickly. i turn around to see what it is, a boy. of course. he's skinny, with messy brown hair and slouchy shoulders.
"hi." he smiles, his eyes crinkle at the corners. he is cute. i look at his name tag. CAMERON, it reads.
"hello." i nod back. i hurry off quickly to the back. what kind of idiot says hello? i sound so formal.
i pretend to act nonchalant as i get the things we need. i pick out a twix bar but catch cameron watching me. i call out for lily and he snaps out of it.
"mike, get wanna pick out your candy bar?" i say to mikey. his eyes are glued to the video game. "mikey? do you wanna candy bar?"
"come on, y/n!" he sits up from the video angrily. "you made me lose!" i back away slowly.
"i'm so so sorry for disturbing you." i say dramatically. "you don't get a candy bar if you don't pick one out now." i walk to the cash register and set my things down. i pick out a twix for mikey, he'll throw a fit if we leave without one. cameron stands looking at me for a couple seconds.
"okay, i'll, uh, ring these up." he squeaks out.
"great," i murmur, trying to look everywhere but at him. lily comes up behind me and puts her magazine on the counter shyly. cameron smiles at her, nodding his head a bit, then continues scanning our things.
"so, do you guys live around here?" he's looking at me expectingly.
"oh, not really, probably like an hour away, in newburry." i say quickly. "do you live around here?"
"yeah, uh, like 10 minutes away from here." he continues looking down at the counter.
"that's nice, we're just coming back from virginia beach. we were there for a week." i inform him, like he cares.
"oh, yeah, it's nice there." he mumbles. a beat later he has all of the things scanned and entered in the cash register. i hand him the 10 dollar bill, still stunned he talked to me.
"okay, thanks." i smile at him, calling my brother and sister over to get their things. i can't just leave. i may never see him again. "do you have a pen?" i have a loose coupon in my sweaty hands. i'm gonna do it, give him my number.
"uh, yeah, here." he tentatively hands me a black ball point pen. in my messy scrawl i write down my name and number. he has to call, he has to. by the time i slide the coupon over to him lily and mikey are whining for me to get back to the car. i still can't believe i'm giving him my number, just out of impulse.
quickly checking my watch, i look up to him, "call me at 7, i'll be home by then." cameron looks so stunned, then he begins smiling and blushing.
"yeah, okay, i will. it was nice to meet you."
"you too! i'll talk to you later." and with that i'm out the door.
