My Lovely Jerk {Completed}

Chapter - 27

"Dang, what happened to the Elle that was afraid of using my money?" Bryson asked me as I got in his car with three fairly large brown paper bags full of food and drinks.

"I remembered what you said and did at the Bacon Grill. Trust me when I say, I'll never again make the same mistake." I admitted as I placed two of paper sacks on the floor board and attempted to balance the other one on my lap as I got buckled.

Bryson chuckled, "You do know that night I left that hamburger for you in the refrigerator. Figured you would get up later that night in hunger and find it."

I looked over at Bryson as he pulled out of the convenience store parking lot. With narrowed eyes I gave a frown. "Gee, now you tell me!" Rolling my eyes, I glanced down at my lap. I decided to open the bag before me because I was hungry. Guess I can thank Bryson for that. He did, after all, wake me up and, literally, take me against my will to the car. Don't they have a word for that? ... Oh yeah, kidnapping...

Upon opening the bag, my mouth started to water at the sight of a medium sized bag of Cool Ranch Doritos that laid on top of the other condiments that filled the brown bag. Reaching down I grabbed the Doritos, while leaving everything else (including: 2 Snickers, 3 Blow Pops, 2 Coca Colas, 1 Hershey's Chocolate Bar, 1 container of Oreos and Nutter Butters, and 2 small bags of Twizzlers) in the bag. Sitting the brown bag on the floor with the other two, I smiled.

“Did you have any change?” Bryson asked as I pulled open the Doritos.

I shook my head as he increased the speed of the car due to the speed limit change. “I have thirty-two cents left,” I stated as I thought of the cool metal coins that were in my jean pocket.

“You spent a hundred dollars?!” He gasped.

I gave a toothy grin, knowing exactly what I did. “Yep.”

“Do you not have any concept of money? You can’t go wasting money on junk food!”

“I am confused, are you mad because I bought junk food or because I used your money. If I remember correctly, you told me-”

Bryson exhaled, “I know what I said ... but still you spent it all ... on junk food...”

I loosened the grin that plagued my face as I ignored the contradicting Bryson and reached in the bag of Doritos. Pulling out a perfectly triangle shaped chip, that was coated in yummy seasoning, I ate it in one bite. After a few minutes of shoving one chip after another in my mouth, I finally stopped and decided the silence that now cloaked Bryson and I was becoming constricting. “So, tell me about yourself, Bryson.”

He looked at me for a second before focusing back on the two lane highway that was now running through a wooded area. “What do you want to know?”

“... A secret. Tell me one of your darkest secrets.”

Bryson glanced at me again. “It wouldn’t be a secret if I told you ... now, would it?”

***

Four Years Earlier

BRYSON’S POINT OF VIEW

At the head of the dinner table, Dad was cutting through his country steak with a sharp knife. The sound of his knife running back and forth through the meat could be heard before it went through and scraped the plate for a second. I didn’t look up as he set his knife down on the edge of the plate and shoved the steak in his mouth. He obnoxiously ate as my mother, from what I could tell in the corner of my eye, was poking around at her food displeasingly.

I couldn’t look at her.

I know that makes me a bad son to not be able to stand the sight of my own mom.