Better Off Friends Read Online Free PDF Page B

weight.”
    “That’s so ridiculous. I’ve never gotten why girls have, like, the most messed-up idea of what they look like. Emily’s body is, um …” This was the part where having your best friend be a girl got tricky. I couldn’t really say “sick” like I would to my friends back home. “She’s not fat. Nowhere near it. Neither are you. You’re both, um, like, totally, ah … fine.”
    Macallan folded her arms over her chest. I decided it would be best to keep my mouth shut. I knew I made her uncomfortable. Macallan had recently started growing in, um, specific places. I couldn’t help but notice that her shirts were fitting differently.
    I was only a guy, and therefore human.
    Very, very human.
    I shook my head to try to get the image of Macallan in her purple V-neck shirt out of my head. Thankfully, it was our turn to order. Once we got our custards, we grabbed a table.
    “So, any other topics of conversation I should avoid on Friday?” I asked while Macallan happily dived into her vanilla custard with caramel, chocolate, and pecans.
    She nodded. “It’s best to not talk about next year — she’s really paranoid about going to high school.”
    As she explained about Emily’s sister and everything, I made mental notes. There seemed to be a lot of things that I would have to be cautious about on Friday. It wasn’t like with Macallan, where we could pretty much talk about anything.
    Well, except current growth spurts.
    “Yeah, I know, she —”
    I stopped myself as Macallan’s gaze settled on something over in the corner. I looked to see that some older kids were picking on an employee who was clearing off a few tables in the back room. They were pointing and laughing at him. I couldn’t tell why until he turned around and I saw he must’ve had Down syndrome or something.
    “Are those guys —”
    She cut me off. “It’s ridiculous. He shouldn’t have to deal with this.” Her cheeks became extremely flush.
    “Should I go look for a manager?” I offered.
    But Macallan had a different idea. She got up and headed over to the corner. I hesitated for a second but realized that I should be there in case she needed some help.
    “Is there a problem?” she said to these three guys who were probably sixteen or seventeen.
    “Oh, is that your girlfriend?” one of them asked.
    I was used to the question being directed at me, but instead it was aimed at the guy who was trying to wipe down the table next to them.
    “Oops.” Another guy dumped his soda on the floor. “Better go clean that up, retard.”
    “EXCUSE ME?” Macallan’s voice boomed through the seating area. Even some people in line started turning around to see what was going on.
    “I wasn’t talking to you.” The guy started laughing.
    Macallan stood in front of the table. “Well, you are now.”
    The guys were snickering and saying some things I couldn’t make out. Then Macallan slammed her fists on their table. The guy who appeared to be the ringleader jumped a little.
    “What’s your problem?” Macallan asked, her entire body shaking. “All he’s doing is working, minding his own business, cleaning up after slobs like you. He’s making a contribution to society, which is a lot more than I can say about you. So who’s the real waste of space in this scenario?”
    A manager approached. “Is everything okay?”
    The guys all mumbled that it was fine, but Macallan wasn’t going to let them off that easily. “No, everything is not okay. These gentlemen ” — she said the word with such disdain — “were harassing your employee, who is, I might add, doing excellent work.”
    “Yes,” the manager, who looked to be around the same age as the guys causing the problem, said. “Hank is one of our best employees. Hank, why don’t you take a break?”
    Hank took his towel and trays from the table and walked away.
    The manager waited for Hank to be out of earshot before he turned his attention back to the table. “I