There are two guys having lunch in the booth behind us who are listening in and having a laugh at my expense.
“Lower your voice. You’re such a pig!”
“Pigs are tasty animals. I’ve been trying to tell you that all afternoon.”
“You’re insane.”
“How long have you liked him?”
“I never said that I did. You said that.”
Penny finally brings us our lunch and places several plates of tasty looking food on the table. My grilled cheese looks buttery and crispy around the edges, just the way I like them. It seems as if they make them with thick brioche bread.
“You don’t have to say it out loud. The whole damn cafe knows you want him. It’s so obvious. How long has this crippling crush of yours been going on?”
It’s been too long, I think to myself. If anything is going to change, I have to at least put it out in the universe that those feelings exist. That’s why I’m here in the first place, right?
“A while,” I finally admit. “It’s been a while.”
Freak cuts a huge chunk of pork chop with his knife and fork, swirls it in some of the gravy on the plate, and shovels it into his mouth.
“What do you like about him?”
“You want details?”
“Do you want to be his girl or do you just want to do the horizontal mambo with him?”
“Could you be any more crass?”
“I think I’ve used the word crass only once in my life,” he sneers.
“Which is exactly why you need a tutor.”
“That was a good one, Teach. Listen, why don’t we make a deal,” he offers while noisily chewing a mouth full of meat.
“Ick, close your mouth.”
He swallows, then sticks out his tongue.
“Better?”
I turn my head to emphasize how grossed out I am.
“You hijack Aaron’s tutoring appointment and now you want to make a deal with me?”
I bite into my sandwich, and my eyes almost roll up into my head. It’s buttery, cheesy, deliciousness.
“You must like your lunch… a lot.” He chuckles.
“I’m so glad I learned about this place. I’ve never been to this restaurant before and the food is excellent.”
“You’ve never hung out at The Links after a game or a late-night party to soak up the alcohol?”
“No, I’m on scholarship and work study. I don’t have the time or the funds to eat out much. I stay mostly in the cafeteria or the library.”
“Hmm, how about I pay you beyond the work study you’re getting? We’ve got about four weeks until Christmas, so I can pay you $200 bucks a week for helping me stay on top of my assignments, and I’ll throw in a bonus once I pass the class.”
“My work study compensation is enough, thank you. I don’t need your money. I’m frugal, not poor.”
