Concerning one of my reviews, I know she's not fat. But it is from her perspective, and just about everyone has weight issues, if they admit them or not.
"Are you a taxi service now? What's with all the youngsters?" Asked Derek as he walked us to a big round booth in the corner of the room. I can't believe, after all things he's done, Derek could get a job at the Dot.
"Were on the way to a party. All separate tickets." Said Sav as Derek took our drink orders. Eli looked like he wanted to say something, but Derek walked away right after taking our orders. I hope he didn't want to put us on the same check. (Yeah, right-rolls eyes inside her own head- I'm trying to save my money for new paint for my room. I want to make my entire wall a chalkboard.)
Conversation started, but I didn't join in. I was too busy trying to keep myself from squalling. Eli was rubbing gentle, slow circles on my knee. I'm ticklish. After I couldn't take any more of it, I let my hand drift under the table. I laid my hand on his, and held it still for a moment, hoping he would get the message. He did. Eli's hand stayed still and my own hand went back above the table.
"Clare . . . " I wasn't paying attention. Alli's voice was like a little buzz in my ear. "Clare!" Alli got fed up and kicked me under the table. Out of reflex, my leg jumped up, but it didn't hit the table. Eli's hand did. Hard. Poor Eli. He jerked his hand away from my knee and started rubbing it. His knuckles were bleeding.
Springing into action, (if getting something that's four inches from your hand is considered springing) I got a napkin and pressed it into his hand. "Damn-it, Alli, look at what you made me do."
"ME? Blame him. He's the one with his hands all over you." Alli said, even though I could tell she wasn't offended. She was more amused than anything else.
"Did you just swear?" Asked Dave, just to be ignored.
"Sorry for ruining your moment, but you were getting that dreamy look again. I was getting concerned." Said Alli with a dismissing wave of her hand.
"Next time, get concerned with something else." Eli had bled through the napkin. I pull the bloody napkin away and grab Alli's. It's her fault.
"I'm sorry." Eli said, down trodden.
"For what?" I ask, not knowing what he was talking about.
"I got your shirt all dirty." Sure enough, there was a little red stain on the hem of my white blouse. He sounded so sad, so disappointed in himself.
"Don't worry about it." I say. I rub my fingers in his palm, trying to make him feel better. That look on his face . . . I can't help myself. I ran my free fingers through his dark, soft hair. It was cool and soft, like fresh powdered sugar, or new snow. God burned Godly gold in a kiln, then twisted it into little, perfect strands to make Eli's hair. I could feel the eyes on me, but the only thing important was that the second I touched his person, Eli closed his eyes and smiled.
"Who have you been sucker punching?" Asked Sav. I jumped away like I was doing something wrong. He must have missed the entire scene, because he looked at me like he always does. Really, I love him. I love Sav for being . . . such a Sav-like person. "What? It looks like he could beat someone's ass." I pulled the napkin up, to find that Eli was done bleeding.
"I'm going to clean up." Said Eli as he rushed to the bathroom. The second he was in the door, Alli gave me a death glare. I'm in trouble.
"You. Didn't. Tell. Me. Anything." She spat out through grated teeth.
"There wasn't anything to say. It just . . . kind of . . . happened." I shrugged and watched as Derek brought our drinks. Derek is, well, a looser. Shouldn't he be in college?
"Did someone go on the rag? I don't want to clean that up."
"No, but I will if you don't take our orders and go away." I said as I wipe up the, like, drop of blood Eli had left on the table. Derek has always tormented me. Ever since I was really young and came here with Darcy, he has never let up. I send whatever he says back to him in some sort of twisted way.
"Fine, Lady Blood. What do you want?" Asked Derek without even taking out the little pad-notebook thing that servers take around. The only good thing about him is that he has a pretty good memory. He's never messed up my orders.
"A cheeseburger, please. No onions, no mayonnaise."
"I know. That's the thing you've came in here, and ordered, five hundred and sixty four times." He acts like the only thing I ever consume is cheeseburgers from the Dot. Breakfast: a Dot cheeseburger. Lunch: a Dot cheeseburger. Dinner: a Dot cheeseburger. Midmorning snack: a Dot cheeseburger. (With extra pickles, just to mix things up.) This is a little game that the staff of the Dot have. I come in here, and eat the same thing every time I order. A cheeseburger with no onions or mayonnaise. They noticed and started to keep a running count. Five hundred and sixty four burgers may sound like a monstrous amount, but spread out from the time I was, like, six, it only makes one in every . . . four days. I think. I'll have to ask Alli about the figures.
Eli walked back to the table, and instead of getting up and giving him his seat back, I just scooted over into his. It was still warm. Not like back massager warm, but like someone who loves you have given you their seat warm. Know what I mean? Like when Daddy goes to get you some ice cream and you steal his chair because you're skinny, lazy sister is hogging the couch, and he doesn't care, he just steals a bite of your ice cream.
Ice cream would be great right now, it might cool off the racing engine I call my heat.
"That's some hot stuff." Said Sav, giving some lady across the room a look. She was . . . mature. Not old, just a bit mature. She looked like the iconic cougar, with the young face and body, but it was easily seen, just by the way she carried herself, that she was an older lady.
"Yeah. The perfect lady. Women are like wine, they get better with age." Said Connor. What wisdom. So, I suppose I'm a grape.
"What about someone like . . . Clare? Does that make girls like her a grape?" Said Alli, thinking along the same ways as I am. Funny, how she excludes herself when she talks about my youth, like she's not the same age. It's amazing, how we can know what each other is thinking sometimes.
"No, she's a different drink." Said Connor, giving me a hopeful smile. I nodded at him.
"Like what? A soda? Are you calling Clare fat?" Asked Alli. She loves to tease Connor.
"No . . . like a . . ." Connor stumbled over his words. Poor Connor.
"Like a cold glass of water on a hot day." Whispered Eli so as I was the only one that could hear him. That may be the sweetest thing I've ever heard. If I wasn't already blushing, I would be red. Eli took a drink of his . . . ice water.
"Yeah, like a soda. She's sweet." I know he sees me smiling, but I'm not smiling at him.
"Leave him alone." Said Wesley in a weak voice. Wimp. I wish, just like there needs to be a special prison for Alli, there needs to be one for people like Wesley. A prison for annoying people. (Annoying people who are bad kissers. I went for his neck to get away from his lips.)
"Alright. I'll stop riding your boyfriend." Dave looked offended for a moment, but he forgot all about it when his food was situated in front of him.
"Hey Alli, if I've eaten five hundred and sixty four cheeseburgers since I was six years old, about how often do I eat one?" Alli looked thoughtful for a couple of seconds.
"It makes one in, like, every five and a half days." That's not very frequent.
"I eat more than that." Said Eli.
"Yeah, but they don't count how many you eat." Said Alli. We started to eat. After I had finished my burger (We didn't talk. The food was too good.) I looked at my friends. I'm a slow eater, but I was the first one done. I suppose it was because I didn't have fries. Eli was chewing. Chewing slowly, like he was savoring the best thing he's ever eaten. He made eye contact with me. He kept chewing. Bite after bite, water sip after water sip, Mr. Handsome just kept staring at me. I almost wish I were that straw in his ice water. I would have that red silk all over me.
Derek brought us our checks and went on with his pointless rat killing. Poor Holly J. couldn't get rid of him. I reached for mine, but, once again, Eli beat me to it. As he drug it toward him, our fingertips brushed against each other. I have a feeling that the ever-present (since Eli came around) blush was back with vengeance. Usually, I wouldn't let anyone pay my bill, but I'll let Eli have what he wants.
"Let's roll out." Said Sav as he got in line to pay his bill.