running on empty

13 // Fries.

“Hey, let’s go in here!” Mark’s friend - something with a K? Ethan couldn’t quite remember - called from ahead of the group, pointing to what looked like a burger joint. “This looks cheap and greasy.”

He wasn’t sure why he had agreed to come with them. Sure, he got along with strangers well enough, but seeing the way Mark and his friend effortlessly bounced off one another with inside jokes and references just made him feel like a third wheel. Mark had seemed so hopeful in his message, though…

His friend nodded, looking up at the sign before turning to him. “Sure, that sounds good. You okay with that, Eth?”

K-something looked at him expectantly, and he forced himself to nod and follow them inside.

“Here, you two get a booth and I’ll order. What do you want, Kiara?” Mark asked, gesturing to the register. “My treat.”

Knowing better than to argue about that, Ethan took out his phone to pull up the restaurant’s menu, clicking onto the nutrition information while Kiara ordered.

A sinking feeling settled in his gut as he scrolled through the calorie counts, and he let out a shaky exhale. She was right - this place was greasy, and greasy was a no go. Maybe he should just chug the energy drink he brought along? He wouldn’t have it for later, but surely he wouldn’t be as tempted by food as he was right now.

Snapping out of his thoughts, he looked over to see both of them looking at him, and he smiled sheepishly. “Sorry. Uh, what?”

“What do you want?”

Before he could lie, Kiara pointed out the twenty-something milkshake flavors with excitement, and he realized that most people didn’t just walk into a restaurant to watch their friends eat. “Uh… Give me a second,” he asked, scrolling frantically through the nutrition information to find something quickly. 

Mark paused, glanced at his screen with the menu still pulled up, and then nodded, forehead creasing. “Yeah. Take your time.”

This presented a new problem: nothing on the menu was low enough for him to be satisfied. Everything looked too big, too much, and Ethan kind of wanted to cry. He couldn’t even just order a side - the restaurant didn’t allow it.

So he decided on the lowest combination he could get away with. “J-just a small vanilla shake and small fry, please.” He knew he sounded whiny, desperate for Mark to accidentally forget, but the man just nodded slowly and stepped into line, leaving him alone with Kiara.

“You not hungry or something?” She asked, eyes crinkling in amusement as they walked to one of the open booths. Ethan stiffened, but she didn’t seem to notice. Perks of being strangers, he guessed. “Small ‘shake, small fry… ‘S not a lot.”

“Yeah, I guess not. Just… not hungry.” Before she could respond he sat down, furiously avoiding eye contact and plunging them into a semi-uncomfortable silence. Coming off as rude was so much better than dodging questions.

Finally, Mark returned, juggling two over-burdened trays in his arms. “Shit - here, take the drinks. They’re gonna fall,” he hissed, and Ethan grabbed for his milkshake and Mark’s soda, setting them down on the table space next to him. Mark being on his side meant fewer people watching him. And… maybe he just wanted to sit next to his friend, too, but that wasn’t the point.

Kiara didn’t seem to notice, though, and hummed appreciatively, opening her burger at record speed and tossing the wrapper next to her fries and soda. 

Just looking at the food made him nauseous - he knew how many calories were in the burger alone, not even talking about the whole meal. It wasn’t his place to judge, though.