Free Tethered by M.L. Young Page A

schoolgirl. He was cute, and the fact that he wanted to hold my hand when I was scared made me truly believe he was a good choice. Kurt probably wouldn’t have even noticed I was scared, and would have told me to just suck it up if I did say something. Tom, however, actually cared about how I felt. Sure, he wasn’t as crazy or daring as Kurt, but he was safe. I knew he would always be there, and that my feelings wouldn’t get hurt, at least so I thought, when I was with him. He was a vanilla choice, secure, and somebody I knew who wouldn’t use and abuse me. Even through all of that, even with all of the good vibes and security, I wondered if vanilla was a good enough flavor for me. Sometimes a girl wanted some chocolate syrup and sprinkles with her ice cream, and Kurt was the flavoring that I craved, even though I knew it was bad for me.
    After a few minutes, the ride began to slow down and my racing heart began to beat slower like it had before this ride . It was over, and I wasn’t flung out like a sack of potatoes. Not only that, but I was still holding Tom’s hand, and neither of us had any reason to let go.
    “That was fun,” I said, trying to hide my fear.
    “You looked pretty scared back there,” he said with a smile, as if he were lightly teasing me.
    “I was not!” I said as we stood to get off the ride.
    “It’s okay if you were. I’ll admit that I was a little scared once we hit full speed. I was almost convinced we’d be flung out.”
    “Really ? Okay, maybe I was a little scared,” I admitted as we walked off the platform and felt the soft and safe grass beneath us.
    “I knew it,” he said with a laugh.
    I gave him a dirty look, although playful, and he responded by putting his arm around my shoulder and continued to laugh at my confession.
    “Are you hungry at all ? I think all of that swinging made me crave something,” he said.
    “I could go for something,” I replied.
    Truthfully, after all of that nauseous swinging, I wasn’t hungry for anything. In fact, I’d rather not have to smell all of this food, for I could feel my taco lunch churning inside my stomach as I tried to keep them down. Usually I would’ve said something, but this date was going so well, and I didn’t want to make him think he couldn’t enjoy this date too.
    Tom and I walked over to the food cart and truck area of the carnival, which was lined with at least two dozen trucks, all serving different things from hot dogs and burgers, to falafels and gyros . There were lines at each cart, and Tom picked one, an American food stand, which I was more than happy with.
    We walked up, his arm still around me, and began to order from a balding, greasy, and overweight man in a stained -white shirt. I wanted to ask to see his sanitation and food service permits, but I figured if he was serving here, he must have everything in line…or at least I hoped.
    “What can I get ya?” he asked as he scratched his gut through his shirt.
    “I’ll have a bacon cheeseburger with fries and a cola,” Tom said to the man.
    “And what about you?” he asked me.
    “I’ll just have a diet cola and a basket of fries,” I said, my stomach not permitting me to have any more.
    Tom handed him ten dollars, getting two back, which he left in a tip jar on the counter . I didn’t think this man really needed a tip, unless it was to take a shower, but I knew Tom just did it to make himself more attractive, just like at the diner.
    “Al l right, I’ll have it out to you in a few minutes,” he said as he turned around to make the food.
    Tom and I sat on an older wooden picnic table, which had names carved into it, with the screws squeaking as we sat down.
    “I hope you’re having a good time. I really had a tough time coming up with something to do tonight. I don’t really go on dates, so I’m not that good at this type of thing,” Tom said.
    “I’m having a great time,” I replied with a smile . “It’s very outside of the box,