Just Us

1 - Haunted

           "When I wake up, I'm afraid somebody else will take my place" - The Neighbourhood 

     The only thing that I could think about was how much this date sucks. Why am I even here? I lazily swirled my straw around my water glass, staring off into space. 

      His name is Brandon. A 5'8" cocky blond frat boy. Someone who I have no business being on a date with.  He's not my type either, because of his unfortunate personality. Unfortunately for me, I'm one of those people who try to find the beauty in everyone - as far as looks go. Sometimes people just aren't beautiful on the inside. 

      He's just sitting there talking about himself. 

       It's not like I'm looking to date, I never have been. But, my friend just said that he liked me and I wanted to give it a shot just in case I liked him too. 

       I don't.

       I'm not even sure as to why he likes me. We've spoken maybe three or four times to each other at a few frat parties that Lucie dragged me along to. I like parties, don't get me wrong. But frat parties? They aren't my favorite. Most of the guys there are looking for one-night stands, most of the girls will end up succumbing to the pressure and sleep with them. That's how they usually go. So I try to never talk to anyone there except Lucie and Brad. Brad is Lucie's long-term boyfriend, or "the love of her life" if you believe in that kind of stuff. 

      Brandon excused himself and got up to use the restroom before pushing his chair back in till it touched the wooden table.

       I gave him a slight and very fake smile before he cockily sauntered off. 

       I picked up my careless phone, looking to see if I had gotten any notifications. I hadn't. I scrolled on Instagram, looking to see if people had posted any new photos or stories. I busied myself, tapping away on my phone as I was waiting. 

        My right foot swung back and forth, my nails kept tapping away, and soon my attention was focused elsewhere. I looked around at the very fancy restaurant, looking at the dimly lit red vinyl booths, the loaded and crowded bar, and the family tables which were at the other end of the restaurant, then looked back at my phone. 

       It has been 10 minutes since he has left. Was I getting ditched? Hopefully. 

       I don't think that I can spend another minute painstakingly faking a smile at him.

       I'd rather have to pay the bill than spend another minute listening to him drone on and on about his frat, his friends, and his very expensive lifestyle which included: partying almost daily, golf weekends, fancy clubs and restaurants weekly, and a rich dad to pay for it all. I feel for his father and his father's poor wallet. 

       I asked the waiter for the check after he came back to check on me and see if I needed anything. He gave me a pitiful smile. How reassuring. 

       Once he had handed it to me, my eyes widened and my heart sank. 

       My eyes saw the total bill of $537.89. It was an incredible amount to spend at a family restaurant, even if this particular one was fancier than normal.

       I thought that it'd be less than $100 since I only ordered a thirty-dollar meal. So what did that guy order?

       No wonder he left. If I were him, I wouldn't have wanted to pay the bill either. But unfortunately, I'm not him. I'm the girl who got ditched on a first date with a tab over $500. Lucky me.