Kris gazed at her gourmet dinner. Cynthia insisted that they go to a fancy restaurant for Kris�s birthday dinner. So she rounded up Kris, Zac, and Taylor, dressed them up and they all went to dinner. Kris wanted fries, chicken nuggets, and a Diet Coke from McDonald�s, but they just had to go to a nice restaurant. They didn�t serve fries here, or even a burger. She didn�t even want to check for chicken nuggets.
�Mother, this food is expensive and disgusting. I�m not going to ask what it is because I�m sure if I find out, I�ll barf all over your beautiful dress. Can we please go to a McDonald�s? I can�t stand how snobby these people are.�
�No, we�re staying here if you like it or not. Eat your food.� Kris groaned and sat back in her chair. �Sit up, you�re a lady here, not some fucked up teenager."
�Those people already think low of me because I had the guts to walk in here with a bruise on my face. I can�t believe you made me take off my bandages so I could wear this God-awful outfit. The bruise on my stomach shows because you insisted that I had to show my stomach. Why? I look like a slut.�
�I think you look pretty good,� Zac said.
�You would; I have cleavage.� Zac smirked. �Mother, I have a cracked rib. What I mean by a cracked rib is that it is broken in half. I am supposed to wear those bandages until I heal. It�s been one day; I know I�m not healed yet.�
The waiter walked over, and Taylor took care of him. Kris and Cynthia were still quietly fighting on their side of the table. Taylor sent the waiter away, smiling. �Taylor knows that I hate when people spend money on me! Tell her, Taylor.�
�She hates it. Now stop fighting.�
�We�re not fighting, we�re just disagreeing. Don�t make it worse than it is,� Kris said.
�Yeah. Okay. If you�re just disagreeing, then Zac isn�t a pig.� Upon hearing his name, Zac looked up from shoveling food into his mouth.
�What?� he asked, his speech garbled from the food in his mouth.
�Ew,� Kris said, making a face. Zac was so clueless to where he was and what was going on that it made the entire table laugh.
�Are you going to eat that?� Zac asked, pointing to Kris�s food.
�It�s disgusting, Zac.�
�So you�re not going to eat it?� Kris laughed and handed over her plate. Zac ate it anyway, despite the fact that it was cold and undercooked.
�So can we go to McDonald�s or will I just not have dinner on my birthday?� Kris asked. �There they don�t give a shit what you look like. They don�t care what you�re wearing, as long as you�re covered.�
�Fine.�
They paid the bill and Kris ran out of there as quickly as possible. She had to stop herself from cussing out most of the waiters that tried to reprimand her. She got into the passenger�s side of the car and it her head against the dashboard.
�I hate my life, I�m screwed, somebody help me,� she said. �I hate this! Let me branch out on my own!�
�Okay, tell me what�s your problem,� Zac said, getting into the seat behind her.
�I hate my life.�
�Kris, the only reason you hate your life is because you won�t let yourself be happy. Do what you can to get what you want, Kris. You�re only bringing this on yourself.�
�Shut up.�
�Kris, once I was your best friend. I don�t know who you are anymore. You�re a mess, inside and out. Now you helped me out once, I�m just trying to return the favor.�
�It doesn�t seem like it.�
�Well I am. Trust me, in the end you�ll love me for it. Now, what do you want?�
�To get rid of everything and start all over again. I wish I�d never met Brian, or Taylor. All they�ve done is hurt me in one way or another.�
�You wan to get rid of everybody? Even me?� Zac asked, reaching around her seat and tickling her. It was the only place she was ticklish, and only he knew about it. (He�d found it a while back while trying to pick her up.) Immediately she started to laugh, kicking her legs and squirming.
�Zac! Stop!�
�Just promise not to get rid of me.�
�Okay, okay, I promise! I�ll never get rid of you! Just stop!� He stopped and sat back. She tried to catch her breath.
�I knew that would work.�
�Just never tell anybody about that! You�re the only person who knows where I�m ticklish.�
�I told Taylor already, sorry.� She turned around, looking at him.
�You so didn�t.�
�I so did.�
�No way.�
�I�m just kidding. He would have taken advantage of it already. That�s what he does.�
�I�ve noticed.�
�Are they coming or what?� Zac asked, looking behind him and into the parking lot. �Taylor�s got a talent of talking with snobs. He�s really good at that. I know a lot of people who think Taylor�s a snob.�
�Taylor? He just knows how to work it. He can act sophisticated in a moment�s notice.�
�That�s why he can fit in, in a place like this. He�s got that �look I�m rich and I can flaunt it� thing going on. Those people can sense that a mile away. He�s always had it, even before anyone know who we were.�
�It gets annoying after a while.�
�Yes, it does. People can�t imagine that we�re related. I�m a pig, and I admit that. All this high life, fancy-smanchy crap is not for me. I hate it. I feel like I can�t be myself. That�s why people think I�m crazy; I don�t know how to fit in.�
�You are crazy, Zac. Even around me.�
�No I�m not!�
�That�s why you chased after me earlier and flung me over your shoulder.�
�No, then I was just being stupid and having innocent fun.�
�Same thing.�
�Shut up.�
�Make me.� He gave her a look. �Okay, nevermind, I know what you�re thinking.� He smiled and tousled her hair. �You know, even after all this time I still consider you my best friend.�
�And so have I.�
�How corny are we?�
�Very.� Just then, the door opened and Taylor sat behind the driver�s seat. �I hate those people.�
�What? Did you charm not work on them?�
�It worked, it�s just they�re so horrible to everybody that I just wanted to kill that waiter. You should of heard some of the things he said about you, Kris.�
�I don�t care what he said about me. He�s a snob and snobs aren�t worth my time. I don�t take liking to people who light their cigarettes with hundred-dollar-bills.� She huffed. � �No, I don�t give a shit who this money could save. I�m burning it so I can have my five seconds of nicotine. I don�t care who�s starving, I�m living the high life� � Kris turned around. �People like that make me sick.�
�Well not all of them are like that, Kris,� Taylor said. �Some of them are pretty nice if you give them a chance.�
�You�re defending them? Taylor!�
�Kris you�re stereotyping them. You know how much I hate that!!�
�Taylor, you do it to me all the time! You�re such a hypocrite.�
�I�m the hypocrite? You�re saying you�re too good for them and yet you hate them because they say they�re too good for you.�
�I never said that!�
�But you certainly implied it.�
�I can�t believe the two of you are fighting over this! You both hate them, so get over it! Shut up!�
�Zac, you are not a part of this,� Taylor said, still looking at Kris.
�I am now. Get over it or leave! I don�t want to hear it, alright? You�ve never argued before, and don�t start over something as petty as this.�
Taylor and Kris both sat back, looking out the window with their arms folded over their chests. Zac looked at both of them and laughed.
�You both pout the same way. You should see it.� Taylor looked at Kris and laughed. Kris didn�t budge. �Hey, Taylor, I know a way to make her crack.� He reached across the seat and poked her in the sides. She jumped.
�No! Don�t! I swear I will hurt you.�
�See, Taylor, she�s only ticklish in one part of her body, and if you get it right she�ll be sent into hysterics.�
�Really? Where?�
�Right here.�
�Zac! No!� Taylor watched as Zac began to graze his fingers over her sides, and Kris started laughing.
�Let me try.� Taylor moved over so he could reach her sides. Zac put Taylor�s hands where they should be, and Kris started laughing again. �I found your spot, Kris.�
�Zac! I�m going to kill you!�
�Well there�s not much you can do about it now,� Zac said. �Not as long as Taylor�s got you. Dude, move your butt, you�re blocking my view.�
�Of what?�
�Kris.� Taylor and Zac both ignored Kris�s cried for Taylor to stop. After a few minutes, Taylor�s fingers got tired and Kris was about to keel over. She stopped laughing and started panting.
�Oh God,� she said, and let her head fall on the dashboard. Cynthia came into the car and looked at Kris.
�What happened to you?�
�Them,� she said, pointing to the back seat. �They�re horrible!�
�Well I could have told you that.�
�We still love you,� Taylor said.
�Speak for yourself, Taylor. I only love Cynthia,� Zac said. Kris turned around and punched him in the leg. �You wonder why I don�t love you.�
�Do you want me to hit you again?�
�We all know that�s your way of solving everything!�
�Shut up.� They passed by a McDonald�s, and Cynthia didn�t even look. �Hello? Did we not just pass by a McDonald�s? Did I not just tell you that we were to go there?�
�Oops,� Cynthia said, but Kris knew she did it on purpose.
�Pull over and stop this car. I�m driving.�
�You�re in no condition to drive.�
�Then pull over and let me walk.�
�You�re in no condition to walk.�
�Would you do something then?� Kris yelled. �Sometimes you�re so fucking impossible that I can�t even think straight.�
�Watch you language.�
�Oh, I�m not allowed to swear anymore. I�m not allowed to do anything anymore.�
�I just don�t like being yelled at by my daughter. You are not the parent here; as much as you think you are, you�re not. Not stop acting like it.�
�You can be a bitch sometimes, you know that?�
�Do you want to live to see tomorrow? The way you�re pushing it, you�re gonna be out of this world before you know it.�
�What are you gonna do? You gonna hit me? It�s not like that�s never happened before.�
�You know I�ve never hit you before.� Kris realized that she poured her secret out. She was talking about Brian, but no one knew it.
�Yes you have,� Kris said, trying in vain to cover up her problem. �I wouldn�t have said it if it wasn�t true.�
�Fine, whatever. We�ll stop, you can drive, get hurt, and kill us all.�
�Mom, it�s not like my legs are paralyzed or something. I am able to drive.�
�Fine. Drive.� She pulled over to the side of the road, and got out. Kris moved over. When her mother got back into the car, she pulled out onto the road.
�See? No problem.�
�Don�t gloat.� Kris gave her a look without taking her eyes off the road. She turned on the radio and flipped to a station that she liked.
Kris pulled up to a McDonald�s. �Does anything else want anything?� she asked, pulling up the drive-thru window.
�Can I get a Super Sized Big Mac Extra Value Meal?� Zac asked.
�Zac!�
�What?�
Kris rolled her eyes and pulled up to the first window. She ordered, including Zac�s extra value meal, then pulled up to the next window. She grabbed her purse and in a few minutes they were back on the road.
�Can I get my food? I�m starving.�
�Zac, you�ve eaten more in the past hour than I could eat in a week. You can wait until we get home.�
�But I�m hungry now! The smell of the food is intoxicating!�
�Isn�t intoxicating supposed to be a bad thing?�
�Whatever. Just gimme the food.� She groaned and threw the bag back at him. �Hey!�
�What?�
�You just spilled the fries everywhere!�
�Well eat them!�
�Off the floor?�
�Zac, if you could eat that rancid meal I had at the restaurant, you can eat the fries off my very clean floor. Ten second rule anyway.�
�It�s been more than ten seconds�but fine.�
The rest of the ride was in silence (besides the sound of Zac snarfing down his food), mostly because Kris was more than pissed at her mother. They were rather happy that she wasn�t releasing her rage on anyone in the car, but if she kept pushing it all inside, no one wanted to be around when she finally snapped.
Kris pulled into the driveway and got out almost before she shut off the car. This was why she never shared a car with her mother. After a few minutes together, they always got into a fight. It was because they were both so picky and so different. It was hard for them to agree on anything lately.
She took a deep breath and took her food from Zac. He sat next to her at the counter, and they ate in silence. It wasn�t until Taylor came in that they began to speak.
�Kris, Brian called again. He sounded pretty pissed.�
�You picked up the phone?�
�I couldn�t. You broke it earlier, remember?� Kris nodded, slightly smirking. �He left a message. I suggest you fix the phone before you call him back.�
�I�ll just get the other one. I have a habit of accidentally breaking phones.�
�Well, I don�t think you accidentally threw this one against the wall,� Taylor said.
�Yeah, well no one has to know that.� She made no effort to get out of her seat.
�Well?�
�I have no intention of calling him back right now, thankyouverymuch.�
�I believe the words �I�ll beat your ass from here to tomorrow� were used.� She rolled her eyes.
�Like he�d ever do that.�
�I don�t know what to tell you, Kris,� Zac said, �but he should not be threatening you like that. I don�t like it.�
�You don�t like a lot of things, Zac,� Kris said. �It�s not like I ever comment on you life.�
�Why is it that whenever I try to talk to you, you snap at me? Can you please give me an explanation?�
�No.�
�Kris, you�ve changed. I�ll blame it on PMS or something for now, but if in a week you�re still a bitch, I don�t want to know you anymore.� He stood. �Come on Taylor, let�s go.�
�I�m with him.� Zac left, but Taylor stayed behind. �Listen, I don�t know what the hell your problem is, but I love you and I truly care about you. Deal with this Brian issue or the both of us know where you�re going to end up.�
�No, I don�t. Where?�
�In a fucking coffin six feet under.�
�Not just a coffin, a fucking coffin.�
�It�s not a joke, Kris. If he can do this much to you, he can kill you. I don�t want to hear that I can�t see you around anymore.�
�Taylor, stop talking like that! Nothing�s going to happen to me.�
�If you think that you can survive this, you�re wrong. I don�t know what to say to you! What�s it going to take for you to realize that he doesn�t love you at all? He doesn�t; not if he treats you like this.�
�You don�t know what you�re talking about.�
�Maybe I�ve never been remotely involved in this kind of situation before. I know it�s the last thing I would want for people I love. That includes you, Kris. Don�t blow this.�
�What is that supposed to mean?�
�If you don�t know, then screw it. Get yourself killed. See if I care.� Taylor walked out of the room, and met Zac at the front door. They left after saying goodbye to Cynthia.
�Whatever,� Kris finally muttered.