Steve's Girl

Chapter 7 : The Weirdos On Maple Street

Everyone had left the diner already. The man who I assumed owned the diner had kicked everyone out. 

Right now he had me and El sitting down at a table. The man had given us two yellow diner shirts that fit both of us big. We were sitting next to each other, and he had pulled out a chair directly across from us. He told us to wait there, until he finished whatever it was that he was going to do in the kitchen. 

I was holding El's hand because she was scared. I was too, but I couldn't show it. I had to be strong for her. She needs me right now. 

I was looking around. It was a nice diner, small but nice. There were 6 tables. They had red metal chairs and red table cloths. I could hear the sounds of the man in the kitchen. I think he was making something. I could hear the grill hissing in the back. I looked out the window and saw a road. I was trying to see if I could recognize anything. Anything that could help us once we got out of here. 

I was so zoned out that I didn't notice that the sound in the kitchen had stopped. I looked towards the kitchen and saw that the man was walking back with two plates. Both with fries and a large burger. He set the plates down in front of us. 

He smiled at us. I could tell that he was trying to be nice to us, but we couldn't take any chances. We had gone through hell and we didn't know who we could trust. I was conflicted between giving up and eating the burger or fighting off the urge to eat. 

I looked down to my side to look at El. She was looking back at me, also conflicted. I nodded my head subtly so that he wouldn't look at me. El's eyes lit up and she immediately started eating. I didn't. I felt nauseous thinking about what could happen within the next few hours with this man. 

"Hey, you um... seem a little tense." He said while looking at me. 

I showed no emotion on my face.

"You're a tough one. Here. Let's start with the easy stuff. My name's Benny."  He said to me, while putting out his hand for me to shake. I didn't move. 

I was sitting here not saying a single word, as if I haven't been going to school since the age of 6 and talking since the age of 3. I was acting like an idiot.

I was thinking and just staring back at him, making no attempt to shake his hand. 

"Okay, then." He said while putting his hand down and reaching to take the burger away from El. 

"No." I said quietly. 

"Well I'll be damned! She speaks!" He said while smiling at me and moving his hands away from El's burger. "What's your name?" 

I didn't respond again. I didn't know how to respond. I could just tell him my name, but I would also be risking that he calls someone and Brenner could find us again. 

My thoughts were soon interrupted when I felt his hand wrap around my left hand and rotate it. At this point he had a full view of the 017 tattoo on my wrist. 

"Seventeen?" He said as I pulled away from him. 

He looked over at El and saw the 011 on her wrist.

"Eleven?" 

He looked at both of us confused. 

"What's it mean?" He asked me. 

He seemed like a nice guy, but I wasn't taking any chances anymore. 

"What's it mean?" He asked once again. 

"Seventeen..." I responded. 

"Yeah. Seventeen, what's it mean?" 

I pointed to myself and said once again, "Seventeen."