"You sure you're okay? I can take you back home, or we can go do something else."
I hate myself.
"No I'm fine, the pretzel is just messing with my stomach. I just need to sit for a few more minutes."
I'm lying. It's not the pretzel. Tom knows it too because he's not replying and he's doing that thing where he's looking everywhere pretending to be absent minded but he knows too.
I wish I could pretend like everyone else does. Go on with my day and forget about things, laugh it off and pretend it never happened in the first place.
I don't like thinking about what happened because I feel like I'm a robot who's suddenly malfunctioning.
Tom and I sat on top of the table of a bench just a little bit to the side of the food section. We had already long finished our pretzels in silence.
Well, Tom tried to make conversation but I didn't have much to say. Normally I would've but I don't feel like talking anymore.
In fact sitting here and pondering about the one thing I refuse to bring myself to think about isn't helping either.
"Let's go."
"Where are we going?" Tom asked in sudden confusion, jumping off of the table with me and following after me.
"On some more rides."
"I thought you were sick."
I hesitated, "I can handle it."
"Dax!?"
This time when I came to a halt in front of me, it was nothing but horror.
"No?" I said as an auto-response, suddenly pausing at the fact I denied it was my own name that was just spoken to me.
"You're here!"
My hands flew away from Jessica's body that suddenly pounced onto me in a hug. I watched Tom step ahead of me, looking at me in confusion also.
I tried to signal for help to him with my eyes but Jessica quickly backed away, her smiling face bouncing in front of me.
"I can't believe you're here! We can go on our date!"
Our what?
"Date?" I asked, confused and feeling more scared than before.
"You promised, remember?" She furrowed her brows, pulling her glasses further up her nose with a frown.
Shit. I did do that. The other day when I went to her for help with Jaxon, I promised to "be hers" or something. Goddammit.
"I'm hanging out with Tom today," I pointed to Tom ahead of me, to which she suddenly smiled again and turned to Tom.
"You don't mind, right?"
Please say no.
Defensively he shrugged, "I mean yeah- I don't really care or-"
"See! Let's go!"
As she dragged me away by my wrist I glared at Tom who laughed in response at my agony.
***
"Let's try that! It looks good- doesn't it? You can afford it right?"
Not for you.
"Come on, you're going too slow!"
There's no reason for you to be running.
