by Moxie North
“That is all true. Isn’t this our stop?” she asked, looking out the window.
Rain glanced around. “One more. So what about you?”
“Okay, let’s see, I tried to be vegan but I love cheese. I could not make vegan cheese work for me. My most serious college relationship has been with pizza.”
“I can understand that. Pizza is the perfect food. I eat much better at home than I do when left to my own devices.”
They continued to debate the pros and cons of various foods, both agreeing that they couldn’t eat anywhere that left heads on the animals they were serving.
A few minutes later the bus finally stopped at 45th Street. “This is us,” he said, standing up and offering his hand to her. She raised an eyebrow and ignored his hand.
Rain waited for her to get off, still carrying both of their bags. They were less than a block from Dick’s and the rain had finally stopped. Walking up to the drive-in, she could see that the parking lot was full. It didn’t matter what day or time you went, Dick’s was always hopping.
“What’s your poison?” he asked as they approached the counter.
“Isn’t it all poison here?” she snarked.
“I will show you the Dick’s way,” he said in his best Darth Vader voice
Rain walked up to the next open window and placed their order. “Two cheese, two chocolate, and two fries with tartar.”
The young man behind the counter tapped on his computer. “That will be eleven dollars and ten cents.”
As Rain reached for his wallet, a five dollar bill appeared at his side.
“Here, I’ll owe you a buck,” Quinn said.
Rain ignored the money and handed the man a twenty. When he got the change he dropped it into the charity box on the counter.
“Rain, I can pay for myself,” she said with an exasperated tone.
“I’m sure you can. But this was my idea, so I’m paying. Besides, I ordered for you and you didn’t have a choice in what was ordered. I’m determined to change your opinion about this Seattle institution.”
“Institution is right, or institutionalized. I don’t really feel comfortable with you paying for me.”
“I guess you are going to have to just find a happy place about it because I’m not taking your money.”
“Is that some kind of macho thing?”
Rain turned fully towards her and stared for a second. “Yes.”
Quinn let out an exasperated sound. “Seriously?”
“Yes. Here, food. Let’s go over to the side counter.”
Not having any indoor seating at this Dick’s took a little planning to eat. There was a counter along the outside wall, or you could eat in your car. Since they didn’t have one, they would have to tough it out outside.
Setting out the food, he divided it up and then gave instructions. “You have a choice, you can either dip your fries in the tartar sauce or dip them in the shake. I like to alternate between the two to keep it interesting, but it it’s up to you.”
“Eww. In the shake? Don’t little fry bits get in there?”
“Yes, it’s like cookie bits in your milk. Tasty surprise at the end.”
“I’m not a dipper so I’m not sure about this,” she said hesitantly.
“Go slow, ease yourself into the grease.” Rain took an enthusiastic bite of his cheeseburger and smiled around his full mouth.
Quinn shook her head at him and took a bite herself. It was a good burger, grilled so the meat was thin with a crispy edge to it, and there was some kind of mustard, mayo, relish concoction slathered on the bun that was sweet, but not in a bad way. The fries were thin and a little overcooked. She happened to like them that way. Cracking open the little container of tartar sauce she dipped some fries in. “I don’t care what people think, fries and sauce are the best.”
Rain was stuffing fries in his mouth. “I agree, free the sauce!” he said, mimicking her donut salute.
Quinn laughed at his antics. She took a pull on the shake trying to suck the chocolaty goodness up the straw. The sweet, salty, tangy mix of the foods was actually really good. It seemed that to get the full effect you had to eat all the food at the same time.
“So, you still think it’s overhyped?”
“I think most foods in Seattle are overhyped, but this is good.”
“Just good?”
“No, fine, it’s really good. Geez, twist my arm.”
“I’m glad you like it, Quinn. I didn’t mention it before, but I like your name. You know my terrible middle name. Do I get to know yours?”
“I don’t have one,” she said, taking another bite of her burger.
“Seriously?”
“Nope, my mom named me Quinnlynn as in Q U I N N no space L Y N N and figured that was enough. Saddling a kid with a name that contained four N’s was cruel enough.”
“Quinnlynn, I like it a lot.”
“You can like it but you can’t use it. I hear it and think I’m in trouble.”
“I doubt you heard it very often.”
“I heard it enough. What about you? Were you a trouble-maker?”
“No, I think I was pretty good. I only did the usual kid stuff. My brother and I weren’t very adventuresome. Any scrapes we got into were because of our friend, Angel. He was behind any of the things we did that disappointed our parents.”
“Oh no, the disappointed parents. Let me guess, that was worse than grounding or spanking?”
“How’d you guess? My friend Angel skipped college, found himself a lady that puts up with his crap and is living life. My brother Finley, well, he was the sweetest guy you’d ever met, but college has corrupted him in a way which I’m still surprised by.”
“Maybe he’s just finding himself. Away from home and getting to experience new things. Maybe the old little brother wasn’t really who he was. Maybe that’s what he thought he needed to be within the dynamic of your family.”
“You may be right. I’m protective; I want him to be successful. Whatever that means. I can’t lie and say that I’m not a little worried about him being on his own.”
“I’m sure he’ll be fine. We figured shit out, didn’t we? That no longer a kid, but in limbo before adulthood where we are faced with our ideologies versus the realities of making a living. It sucks.”
Rain chuckled. “It does. So, I really don’t want to have to wait until next week to see you again. Any chance I can talk you into another casual interaction?”
“Casual interaction?”
“I figured I’d avoid the D-word.”
Quinn raised her eyebrow in question.
“Date. Get your mind out of the gutter.”
She gave a sweet little laugh. “I’m not a dater, if that’s a word. I need to focus on school.”
“What if seeing me is guaranteed to have a positive influence on your education?”
“That’s a pretty bold claim, Mr. Rochon. I’ll tell you what. I’m attending a sexual violence awareness rally on Friday night. Why don’t you come?”
“I’d be happy too. Since we are making dates, would you like to attend a party with me tonight? Strictly for educational purposes. I figure we will gather some interesting insights into human nature.”
“We aren’t making dates. Just events that either one of us might show up at.”
“Sounds like a date to me. What do you say? My little brother will be there. You can judge for yourself if he’s a lost cause or we should think about enrolling him in military school.”
“What kind of party?”
“Zeta house. Their luau was such a success last week that they decided it needed a repeat. I really think they just had left over beer and coconut bras. And luaus in Seattle means down jackets and leis with plastic coconuts full of mystery punch.”
“I don’t venture much onto Greek row. I find it a little too, well, too much for me.”
“Think of it like delving into an undiscovered tribe in the Amazon. We can study the native population and
try to figure out their social structure and mating rituals.”
Quinn gave a sharp laugh. “I know the mating rituals. Alcohol plus minimal clothing equals at the very least an ugly hangover and someone you might not call back.”
“I realize asking you to a fraternity party and then going to a sexual violence rally is swinging to the opposites. I’m not trying to make light of it at all,” he assured her.
Quinn liked that he wasn’t oblivious to the conflict. “Here’s something that I’ll tell you that some of my friends wouldn’t understand. They see men and women drinking and making bad decisions that can lead to violent situations so their approach is to negate the environment that led to it. But that’s not what I think freedom is about. Everyone has choices about getting drunk or hooking up. Chewing off your arm in the morning to get away from whoever you slept with the night before.
That isn’t the same thing as what we are raising awareness about. Sex and violence are not synonymous. Telling girls they can’t embrace their sexuality because they could get attacked is going backwards. Educating men and women about keeping themselves safe and making the best choices is what I want to promote. Someone who is a predator is just using these parties to hunt their prey. It’s not the alcohol or the lack of clothing; it’s someone who would commit these acts without any of those things present...”
“You think people don’t want to hear that?”
“I know they don’t. I’ve almost been kicked out of a number of groups. I guess it’s that seeing everyone’s point of view thing, it’s complicated and never easy.”
“No, I don’t suppose it is. I think that if your group had more male involvement, it might change some of the 'us against them' attitude. I’m happy to help with that. I know some guys who feel the same way. They’d help out.”
“That’s great. I would really appreciate it. I want to at least have more dialogue. People get so wrapped up in their causes that they don’t stop yelling enough to talk about it.”
“Very true, passion is a tricky gift. What do you think about helping me out tonight keep my brother from getting his stomach pumped?”
Quinn sighed. All of her usual refusals that she’d thrown out over the years to guys asking her out were falling from her mind. Rain was nice, too nice. There was a good chance if she said no to him, she’d just spend the time next few days thinking about him.
“Alright, you got me. I’ll go with you, but only as a chaperone.”
“Deal.”
The pair finished their burgers and walked back to the bus stop. Quinn couldn’t stop her eyes from sliding over to him while they were sitting on the bench waiting. Most of the time when she did look, he was looking back.
Chapter 9
“You’re going where?”
Quinn was digging through her dresser drawers looking for something to wear. She wasn’t about to go fancy, but she also didn’t want to appear overly casual.
“Zeta’s party,” she mumbled into the previously folded now massacred clothes.
“You’re going to a party. With a boy.” Harmony was sitting on her bed staring at Quinn in disbelief. Her boyfriend Lars was sitting on her bed leaning back against the wall not paying an ounce of attention because he was stoned out of his gourd.
Harmony was a liberal arts major who had a penchant for crystals, mandalas, and massive amounts of pot. At least they had negotiated to edibles while Quinn was in the room. She was all for a good party but she didn’t need to be high while she was trying to study.
“Technically, yes I am.” Quinn moved from the dresser to the closet. Flipping through her hangers, she didn’t like anything she saw.
“A date, you’re going on a date!”
“I am not! You know I don’t date. I’m going with him because his younger brother is going and he said he’d come to the rally on Friday and bring friends. We need all the support we can get.”
“Sure, not a date. Then why don’t you just wear what you have on? Or is it not “datey” enough?”
“Harmony, you aren’t helping. Why don’t you make sure Lars is still breathing over there.”
“He’s cool. So who is this guy? I’ve never known you to be interested in anybody. Well, except your English Lit professor, but we all had a crush on him.”
Quinn did not want to think about Mr. Mason. He was young, hung, and every college girl’s naughty fantasy. He mysteriously disappeared after freshman year. She was sure there was a story there.
Grabbing a few items, she went to her bed and pulled off her shirt, not caring that Lars would see her in her bra. He was so high he probably was seeing pink bunnies hopping around the room right now.
“I just don’t want to be wearing the smelly, burger residue clothes from before. He’ll think I don’t regularly shower or something. I need to be comfortable, warm, but still…cute.”
“Hah, cute! You do like him. I’m going to mark this day in my calendar. Quinnlynn Sutter is going on a date.”
“Not a date! Just a…thing. Argh, why don’t I have anything to wear?”
“Because all your clothes are black, brown, or gray. And any t-shirt you own has an obnoxious saying on it or a band nobody has heard of.”
That was actually pretty accurate. Dark colors were an unofficial uniform in college. It made laundry easier when you couldn’t immediately see stains. She hated laundry; it was the one thing she wished her mom was still around to do.
Stripping off her jeans, she pulled on a pair of dark brown tights that would be thick enough to keep her warm but not suffocating. She pulled on a gray ribbed skirt that stopped at her knees and was tight and clingy. Digging through the pile on her bed of discarded clothes, she found a black tank top with spaghetti straps that she tugged over her head. Looking around she saw her brown v-neck cardigan that she’d found at a secondhand store and added that. It looked like something Mr. Rogers would wear, but was still cool.
Finishing off her outfit with a pair of light brown booties, she threw her hands out at Harmony. “Well?”
“Monochromatic, but still cute. You may need to invest in some colors for your wardrobe. Your hair can’t be your only expression of non-earth tone colors.
That reminded Quinn, turning to the mirror on the wall; she pulled a flower studded headband off a line of tacks from the wall. Finding her pomade, she dabbed a bit into her hands and rubbed it into hair, letting her pink tips point whichever way they wanted. It was the easiest hairstyle considering you always looked like you had just woken up from a too long nap.
“Better?” she asked, turning to her roommate.
“Now you look like you are going on a date. Who cares? Have fun, be smart. You seem to like this guy a lot.”
Grabbing her eyeliner and lip gloss, she touched up her minimal makeup from before. “I’m not sure what to think. He makes me… giddy. I hate even saying it! It’s physical, like my skin tingles when I’m near him. Isn’t that strange? I’ve heard it before, butterflies in the stomach... I think I even giggled a few times. I’d be kicked out of the radical women’s group if they saw me letting him carry my books! It was like a joke, or like I was being tested. He bought my lunch. I think he wanted to hold my hand. Like tiptoeing through the tulips, holding my hand.”
“He sounds sweet. What’s wrong with any of those things?”
“I’m a strong capable woman that can carry my own bags, pay for my own meals, and walk without someone holding me up.”
“Dude… when a guy likes you he wants to protect you, take care of you. Let him.”
Both women turned to look at Lars who had just decided to join the conversation.
“Isn’t that just a little archaic? Quinn asked.
“No man. This dude doesn’t want to bonk you over the head and drag you around by your hair. He wants to, you know, like hunt a sabertooth and bring it home for some good eats. He’ll chop down a tree so you stay warm and make sure you get the best furs. He likes you and trusts you. I bet he just wants to, yo
u know, keep you safe in his cave.”
Harmony let out a snort. “Fuck me, he said cave. How do you manage to form thoughts when you’re this high?”
“It brings clarity, man. I can see the future if I want to,” he said slowly.
“Okay Gandalf, what do you see as my future?” Quinn asked, propping her hands on her hips.
Lars held his hands up to his forehead. He started making a humming noise. “I see you, cave dude, babies, and trees for some reason.” He opened his eyes and shook his head. “That was kind of trippy.”
Quinn stared at him while she tried to control her emotions. Did he say trees and babies? What the hell was that about? She hadn’t said his name, so they couldn’t know what his family did. Either Lars was just lucky, or THC had made him clairvoyant.
“I think I need to leave, like now,” Quinn said, grabbing her small purse and slinging it over her sideways.
“Should we not wait up?” Harmony asked wiggling her eyebrows.
“I think that I will be back at a reasonable hour and that if you want we can watch the evening news together.”
“You can’t even say that with any kind of conviction. Have fun, enjoy yourself, don’t put your drink down unattended. Live a little, you know. Have fun, act your age?” Harmony was nice, if a little flaky, but she was right. If it wasn’t for her, Quinn would be spending her last year in college with her nose in a book and a cup-of-noodles in her hand.
“Okay, but just so you know, his name is Rainier Rochon, he’s got brown hair, brown eyes, and is a little over six feet. We are going to Zeta house and if I go missing, have them start searching for my body there.”
“Dude, that’s not cool,” Lars interjected.
“No, it’s not cool, but it seems to keep happening. I’m smart, but I imagine those girls that have gone missing were smart too. Best to take every precaution.”
“I think you’ll be okay and have a great evening. Go, Cinderella, before your coach turns into a pumpkin and you end up coming home with nothing but an uncomfortable shoe and a couple of rats.”
Quinn gave herself another glance in the mirror and left the room. She made it down to the lobby and walked out to the square. She told Rain that she would meet him there, and she wasn’t surprised to see him walking towards her building.
