Chapter 24: Meat Lover's Pizza

The entire week was spent anticipating our group’s roller-skating plans. On Friday, I was grinning from ear to ear when work ended. Grayson also seemed to be a bit happier and I was even happier when he decided not to bring up our kiss again. I know we have to talk about it some point but I don’t want to talk about it when I’m in such a good mood. Maybe later on Saturday we can talk about it. I set the date in my head. I’ll bring it up, unless he does first.

I jumped into Sandra’s car as we drove in the direction of the mall. “So, did you guys talk about it?”

I shook my head. “No, I kept telling him no.”

Lola snorted. “Wimp.”

I punched her shoulder and she glared at me in the mirror of the car. I just smiled innocently before clearing my throat. “As I was saying, I’m going to talk about it tomorrow.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to get it off your chest tonight so you won’t have to stress about it tomorrow?” Lola piped.

Although what she was saying made sense, I decided that I’m going to do what I feel I should and talk to him about it tomorrow, after we go out. “No.”

Lola sighed. “They never listen.” She pressed her face against the cold window before sighing again.

I sat back in the seat and waited until we reached the mall. When we did, the girls kept bugging me to get something red, so Grayson will ‘notice me more.’ I just shrugged off their statements and went with something opposite of red: Blue. It wasn’t anything special, just a bright blue sweater and white jeans. I struggled to follow them around as they rushed to each store, buying several things. We agreed to buy one outfit for tomorrow but here they are, purchasing enough items to refill their closets. I sighed as we passed The Hip Shop. Please let Sebastian be in there.

“Where are you going?” Sandra asked as I tried to creep away from them. Both of them were now turned in my direction.

“I’m just going to get a bracelet from The Hip Shop; don’t wait up. I’ll text you once I’m done," I told them as I turned and shuffled into the store. I looked at the front desk and a smile fell onto my face when I saw Sebastian.

I rushed over and leaned on the counter, catching him by surprise. “Audrey!”

“Seb!” I smiled as he walked around the counter and embraced me in a hug. ‘You act like you like him.’ I internally winced at the words replaying in my mind.

“What are you doing here?” he smiled as he sat on the counter, kicking his feet aimlessly. I stood against the only empty part of the wall, seeing as the rest was covered in hats and folded up shirts on shelves.

“I was in the mall and I decided to come see you,” I shrugged while he smirked.

“Couldn’t get enough of this beautifulness, huh?” he joked as he brought his hand up to his face, blinking rapidly.

I snorted. “Sure.”

“So how is it doing?” For whatever reason, I knew who he was talking about when he addressed him as it.

I sighed. “Grayson is doing okay. He keeps asking to talk about our kiss,” I muttered.

“Why don’t you talk about? You have an obsession with the guy, don’t you?” he laughed, earning a full-fledged glare from me.

“I don’t have an obsession with him. I like him, okay? That’s all. And I am going to talk to him about it tomorrow,” I informed him.

“Why tomorrow?”

“We’re all going out roller-skating and I’m going to talk to him about it after," I sighed.

“Why not get it off your chest today rather than have it floating around in your mind tomorrow?” Like Lola, he suggested.

I pursed my lips. “Maybe I’ll talk to him about it today.”

“So roller-skating?” he asked. “You any good?”

“I’ve never been roller-skating,” I informed him and he just nodded. “You can come if you want to.”

“What? And interfere on your group date? I’d rather not. And there’ll be a bunch of Rodents there so I’d rather not show my face in their territory. That’s asking to be beaten to death.” I snorted at his nickname for Rodencia sports players. Rodents. It makes sense.

“I’ll protect you," I joked before realizing how flirty that sounded. “Besides, won’t it be fun to see a few Rodents fall?”

He pursed his lips. “Are you sure your boyfriend won’t mind?”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “He’s not my boyfriend. And who cares if he minds? A little jealousy never hurt anybody.”

"Yeah, I beg to differ," he muttered, rolling his eyes and chuckling. “But okay, I’ll go.”

I went to leave the store before turning around. “Bring Sam, too.” He just nodded before going to help a customer.

~~~

When I got home, I waited about an hour before looking out my window. I saw Grayson exit the house with Finster on a leash, yanking Grayson lightly. I decided to make my move so I ran down the stairs and walked out of the house. Although it was dark, I decided to call out to Grayson before he orders his dog to attack me. “Grayson, wait up!”

He turned around and held his dog’s leash in his hand as he patiently waited for me to cross the large street. I rushed towards him before allowing myself to catch my breath. “Hey.”

He stared at me for a moment with his eyebrows pulled together. “Hey?”

“Yeah, it’s a synonym for hello,” I told him as I stood up. Finster walked over towards me. I extended my hand and ran it down his soft fur, causing the large dog to wag his tail quickly.

He snorted. “I know that. So, what are you doing out here at nine thirty at night? Seeing me at work wasn’t enough?”

I decided to play along. “Well, I went to the mall for an hour and a half, so I went a long time without seeing you. Your picture deteriorated from my mind.”

He rolled his eyes as we continued to walk his large dog. “Are you excited for tomorrow?”

I nodded. “That’s why I went shopping with the girls; they thought it’d be nice to buy a new outfit.”

“I bought a new outfit, too, you know. Speedos, the guys said they suit me," he joked, earning a loud laugh from me. I soon quieted down and we walked in silence, circling the street once before he decided to speak again. “So why’d you come out here?”

“I was worried that you’d get mugged?” I offered.

He snorted. “As heartfelt as that is, why are you really out here?” He opened his door and allowed his dog to enter the house while he stood outside, leaning against the railing, watching me with a curious look in his eyes.

“I want to talk to you,” I told him.

“And what? Texting isn’t good enough?” he laughed.

I switched from foot to foot anxiously, biting my lip in nervousness. “I want to talk to you about our kiss.”

He chuckled. “Finally, I thought you’d never want to talk about it.”

I felt my cheeks heat up as I stared at the ground. “Yeah, so, what do we talk about?”

I personally can’t think of anything, which is stupid considering the fact that it’s been eating at my insides for as long as it has been. He sighed. “I know this probably isn’t something you want to hear, but,” he looked at me before glancing down at his feet, “you’re a terrible kisser.”

I narrowed my eyes at him while he laughed. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Since you don’t want to admit your feelings for me, there isn’t much to talk about.”

I couldn’t help but feel relieved that he wasn’t laughing in my face about the kiss, saying that he doesn’t like me and that the kiss meant absolutely nothing to him. That’s the question that’s been on my mind but I don’t have the guts to ask it. Instead, I found myself rolling my eyes. “That’s because I don’t have feelings for you.”

“So that’s what you eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks? Lies? Because it seems to be that’s what you’re feeding yourself," he joked while I swatted his arm.

“I’m not lying. If you believe anything Natalie says, you’re stupid,” I snapped, shoving his arm. Coming out here, I intended on demanding that he tells me how he feels about me, but whatever courage I had standing in my bedroom window is gone. The words aren't even on the tip of my tongue; they're resting on the soles of my feet. 

He took the hit before he grabbed my cheek in his hand, squeezing it as if I was a child. “You’re so cute when you blush.”

I opened and closed my mouth as if threatening to bite his fingers off; he retracted his hand from the vicinity of my face. “You’re so violent. It’s adorable.”

“Yeah, whatever you say,” I muttered at his mocking tone, starting to walk down the steps of his house. I think I’ve endured enough Grayson for one day, or a lifetime.

I hate myself for not asking how he feels about me. I hate myself for not admitting to liking him; I just can't put myself out there, especially when I'm not sure how I feel about him. I've seen him interact with other girls; it's practically the same way he acts around me. He calls me Darling; he probably calls them Sweetie or Sugar-chips, or some other stupid, nauseating name. He probably teases them about their crushes on him, just like he does to me. 

When we were at Shane's party all that time ago, he flirted with that girl and came and started conversing with me as if nothing happened. He flirted with me that entire night, or at least that's what Sandra and Lola say, and he takes a step back to flirt with another girl before returning back to me. How do I know I'm just not another girl that he likes to flirt with? That I'm not just another girl that he looks at and says "hey, she seems interesting enough." Oh, that's right, I don't know. And I don't have the courage to find out. I wish I do; I really, really do, but I don't. And I doubt I ever will. I'm not confident enough for a guy like Grayson.

Surprisingly, he started to follow me down the steps, closing his door all the way first so his dog wouldn't escape. “What? You think I’m going to let you walk home in the dark when there are creeps lurking about?”

“Considering you are one of those creeps, yes, I did,” I told him, elbowing him in the side. He winced but shook it off.

“I’m insulted.” He lifted his chin and turned away from me, prepared to shun me. In practically millisecond, he whipped his head around and looked at me, a tinge of excitement clear in his eyes and a small smile decorating his lips. “Do you want to drive to the roller-skating rink together tomorrow? Oh, and to work?”

I thought for a minute, pursing my lips. “Being trapped in a car with a creeper sounds fun, right?” He glared at me but I just laughed. “Sure, I’d love to.”

~~~

I woke up and got ready, already running a bit late. I dressed in the outfit I purchased the other day, prepared to fall and trip and even hurt myself later on. I hope I don't dirty this outfit while helping the girl scouts. I couldn’t help but smile at the fact that it’s kind of like a group date; aside from the fact that Shane, Sam and Sebastian are going to be lagging along, unless they bring dates- which I doubt they will. I don’t mind that they’re coming at all, in fact- I invited Sebastian and Sam, and Shane is cool when he’s not dropping vague hints about my crush on his best friend. Then again, it's not like Grayson is in the dark about it.

Once I reached into the fridge to try and gather items for breakfast, the doorbell interrupted, stopping me mid reach. I sighed as I ran over, realizing that my father is still asleep. Grayson was standing there and I groaned. “You decide to come just as I was getting breakfast ready! We don’t have to leave for another twenty minutes, and if we do- we’ll be ten minutes early!”

He sighed and began walking down the steps. “Well, then I guess you don’t want to go get breakfast with me. I was going to pay but I guess not.”

Glad I grabbed my phone and keys prior to coming downstairs; I grinned and slammed the door, locking it. Happy that I didn'I’m relieved I didn’t start the stove and grab things out of the fridge because then I’d have to go return them to their rightful place and even turn off the stove. He turned around and rolled his eyes. “You’re just going for the free meal, aren’t you? It doesn’t even matter that I’m there, right?”

I laughed before pushing him towards his idling car. I got into the passenger’s seat and watched as he climbed into the driver’s seat, putting on his seat belt and locking the doors. “Where do you want to go? The diner?”

“McDonalds,” I answered abruptly. He looked at me, his eyebrows furrowed.

“McDonalds?” he questioned and I shrugged, nodding.

“Why not? Heck, we don’t even have to go in. Just go to the drive-thru,” I told him, squirming in my seat. “The more time we have to talk, the better.”

He looked at me, eyes narrowed slightly and full of suspicion. “What are you hiding?”

As he drove down the street, I looked out the window, shaking my head. “Nothing, I’m not hiding anything.”

He rolled his eyes before driving us to McDonalds. We ordered and received our food, parking in the parking lot. It was only down the street from the library so we could spend a few minutes here without having to run a few red lights in order to get to work on time. He looked over at me, raising his hash brown to his mouth. “Care to share?”

“I invited Sebastian and Sam to come to the roller-skating rink with us,” I admitted and he stared at me, putting the hash brown back in his lap as he processed the information I’d just dished out.

He looked at me. “Are you serious?” I nodded. “Why?”

“We’re friends,” I told him, earning an exasperated sigh. “And I don’t know if Sam is coming or not, she doesn’t seem like the roller-skating type.”

“It sure doesn’t seem like you and Sebastian are friends,” Grayson muttered, ignoring the latter of my statement.

I sighed. “Does it matter? He’s my friend and I can’t just leave him out of this. Besides, I invited his sister, too; did you forget about that?”

He shrugged again. “Don’t expect me to be civil.”

“Don’t expect Sam not to hit you,” I muttered.

“She’s violent like you?” he asked, glancing over at me. I nodded and couldn’t help but feel worried as he smirked. Last night, Grayson had said that my violent trait was adorable. Would he feel the same about Sam? I hope not. That'd be extremely awkward; my two friends flirting in front of me. I don't think Sam would do that, or at least I'd hope not.

Grayson and Sam were more alike than I’d like to admit. They both ride motorcycles, they both like leather and dark clothing, and they both are carefree and reckless. I internally frowned at the thought of my two friends getting together. He just nodded with that stupid smirk on his lips, staring down at his hash brown. Idiot.

~~~

My plan didn’t work out at all. At work, I was worried that he’d like Sam more than he likes me- if he even likes me. They definitely have more in common. Boys are so complicated. Getting back into the car and preparing for the journey to the roller-skating rink, I sighed a bit louder than I meant to.

Grayson sent me an amused look. “Something wrong?”

I quickly shook my head before looking out of the window, my thoughts consuming me. Sam knows you like Grayson; she won't try and make a move on him. Besides, Grayson wouldn't do that. Shane has been showing an interest in her lately; so I doubt Grayson would do anything. And I think he might like me. Shane texted me last night that Grayson was really excited for today. Carson said the same thing, but he threatened me not to mess this up by using my wild fists again. I slowly exhaled out of my mouth. Sam won't like Grayson. She's cool. She knows you like him. I nodded my head, reassuring myself. 

It was silent as we drove wherever the rink was located. I didn’t bother to pay attention and instead, I focused my attention on reassuring myself. I'm good enough; I'm cool; I have swag.  “Hungry?”

I turned to look at Grayson, my eyebrows knitted together when I realized we were in a parking lot of a fast food place. It was a well-known pizza place and I absolutely loved it. I shrugged and got out of the car, slamming the door shut and stretching my tired limbs. It was barely two o’clock and I’m already exhausted. Why does the stupid rink have to be so far? We entered the building, walking towards the front to order.

“A large cheese pizza?” he asked me and I shrugged. “Can you order? I have to use the bathroom.”

I wrinkled my nose before nodding and shoving him in the direction of the bathrooms while he just laughed. When it was finally my turn to order, I smirked. I'm not in the mood for plain cheese. “May I have a large meat lover’s pizza?”

The man nodded before typing in my order and giving me a small paper with the number 43 on it. After paying for the pizza, I took the small paper and began walking towards my table, listening as they called out numbers. People rushed to grab the pizza while it was still hot. Once Grayson exited the bathrooms, he walked over towards the table I was at and sat down. “Did you order the pizza?”

I smirked and nodded, biting the inside of my lip to try and hold back a laugh. He rolled his eyes before resting his head on his hands. “Are you tired?”

His head moved slightly as if he was nodding. “Yeah, a bit.”

When they called number 43, I stood up and walked over towards the area where we're supposed retrieve the pizza. I took the large tray in my hand after thanking the man. I walked over towards the table and nudged Grayson with my foot as if telling him to move his head or else the tray will be placed on top of it. He caught my gist and drowsily sat up, his eyes glancing at the pizza. He peeked up at me with furrowed eyebrows.

“This doesn’t look like cheese,” he noticed, his hair ruffled as he ran a hand through it.

I just smiled in response. “That’s because this is meat lovers.”

He shook his head at me before standing up. “It seems as if you’ve forgotten the drinks. What type of drink do you want?”

I shrugged. “Sprite.” He nodded before walking towards the empty line. I grabbed a slice of the pizza and began munching on it, allowing my thoughts to take over again. Maybe I’m overreacting. Were you also overreacting about Natalie or was she an obsessed creep, too? I frowned in thought as I pondered the possibilities between Sam and Gracie. Stop, you're cool and you have swag; no more thoughts of possible couples. 

A cup was slid over to me and I glanced up to see Grayson sipping his drink. When he placed the cup down, allowing the straw to fall from his lips, he smiled at me. A frown appeared on his lips and he reached down into his pocket, extracting his wallet. “How much did this cost?”

I shook my head. “I paid for it; it’s okay.”

He shook his head in response. “It’s not, I’m a guy- I’m supposed to pay.”

“That’s a bit sexist, don’t you think?” I furrowed my eyebrows and sipped the drink to find that it wasn’t Sprite, although there was a tint of it hidden in the drink. I stared down at the drink before looking back up to Grayson who was smiling innocently. “What is this?”

“Sprite and Mountain Dew mixed," he told me with a smile. I sighed before bringing the drink to my lips once more; it isn’t that bad, in fact- it’s pretty tasty. “Now, take it.”

I shook my head and pushed his hand away, denying the money he was trying to give me. “How many times have you bought me food?”  

He shrugged and I nodded with a grin on my lips. “I’m pretty sure I won’t miss fifteen dollars.”

He glared at me as he put the money on the table, shoving it in my direction. I shook my head and shoved it back. A few moments later, I grew annoyed. “I’m not taking the money and that’s final.”

He stared at me while I glowered back. He began to grumble as he shoved the money into his pocket, causing me to smile in satisfaction. He scowled at me for a few moments and I sighed, trying to smile. The last thing I want is tension in the air when we’re supposed to be having fun. “So, how’s the weather?”

Although what I said wasn’t funny, he couldn’t keep a straight face. I looked down to see that nothing was out of the ordinary, my elbow that was holding my face up wasn’t conveniently placed on a slice of pizza and I didn’t have juice spilled all over my lap. I quickly grabbed a napkin and wiped my face, only to come up with a clean yet wrinkled napkin.

“What’s so funny?” I asked once he sobered up from his laughter.

He stared at me for a minute before he just shook his head. “You’re just adorable.”

I awkwardly tried to ignore his statement and continued eating my food as my face burned red and the butterflies in my stomach kicked it up a few notches. Allowing a sigh to escape through my teeth, I continued eating. This is going to be a long day.