Burgers and Shakes

   Grace and Christopher arrived at their new home. It was small and quaint, but well kept. They got out of the car and looked at it. The joy in Grace’s face was indescribable.

   Christopher could see how happy moving to Montana made her, so he would try to be understanding and work it out, for both their sakes.

   He put his hands in his pockets and slowly walked inside the house to check it out. It was furnished and decorated already, not modern at all, but he liked the homey feeling that it gave. 

   The living room had a fireplace in the middle, and he already imagined spending the winter nights in front of it with hot chocolate in his hands and telling jokes to his mom.

   He shook his head. What was he thinking? He cannot make that place his home because he didn’t want to be there. 

   “What do you think?” Grace asked. He shrugged his shoulder and gave her a faint smile, “I know it’s hard for you, but we will make it work.”

   “Mom, the move is not that hard since it will all be the same. Nothing is going to change. Look at me, I am a freak of nature.”

   “You are not a freak of nature, Christopher Melbourne. You are handsome and smart, and I am sure you will make friends here,” she cupped his cheeks and gave him a sweet smile. He was her son and she loved him. 

   Christopher had inherited his condition from his paternal grandfather and he also had a hard time fitting in society. Of course back then, anything different was a taboo.

   “Things have changed, Chris. Maybe in this town, everything will be different. Have faith.” 

   Christopher nodded and promised her he would try to like the town. As they were unpacking, Grace noticed a sheriff’s car on her driveway. She went outside to meet the unexpected guest. 

   “Good morning! You must be the Melbourne family. Welcome to Stevensville. I am Sheriff Thomas Fisher.” 

   The sheriff looked to be in his early 40s. His light brown hair, sharp jawline and hazel eyes, not to mention his well built body that you could see from underneath his uniform, instantly caught Grace’s attention. 

   “Hi, I am Grace, and this is my son Chris,” she greeted back. Thomas smiled at her and tipped the brim of his hat. 

   “Nice to meet you, Dr. Melbourne. The townsfolk are talking about you already, and they’re eager to meet you both. Especially you, young lad. Students at school are already wondering who is the new student in town?” he said, extending his hand for him to shake. 

   Christopher nodded his head, and shook his hand, feeling a little better about the welcome he just gave him. 

   “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call,” he mentioned before tipping his hat again and getting inside the car.

   “You see? It’s not that bad,” she said, but Christopher was not convinced. He was the sheriff and it was just courtesy to pay them a visit and welcome them into town, but it didn’t mean they would like them. 

  The movers arrived a few hours later with the rest of their belongings, and Grace ordered them to put everything in a shed she found on the back of the house. She didn’t have the need for them at the moment since they had everything they needed already. 

   Christopher went upstairs to see his room, and it surprised him how spacious it was as ideas on how he wanted to decorate it came to mind. With the love for science, he decided that would be the way to go, just like in their old apartment. 

   “Settling in okay?” Grace was standing on the doorway, checking in on him to make sure he was doing okay.

   “Yes, kind of,” he replied, putting his telescope by the window. He would spend hours gazing at the stars. Looking forward to seeing them at night, it was one of the first things he had put together.

   “I have heard the stars are visible here, compared to back home where all you can see are the bright screens on the Times Square,” she walked in and put her hand on his shoulders, trying to make him feel at ease. 

   “Let’s see,” he said, skeptically.

   “I am going to town. Do you want to come, or do you want me to bring you anything?” 

   “No, that’s okay. I will keep organizing here, maybe some of my favorite candy?” 

   Grace kissed his head and she whispered soothing words to his ear before she left. He kept getting settled, so he could be ready for school in a few days. Nervous about being the new student, he just hoped there was someone nice enough to be his friend.

~~~~~~

   “Okay, let’s start from the top. We have to have this ready for Monday. The pep rally is here and we need to give this a hundred percent of our participation,” Palmer said when she saw her team was not ready yet. They have been rehearsing for months and they were too nervous to be able to perform at the rally.

   She took a deep breath and decided to give them a break. 

   “Hey, Palmer!” she heard a voice call. It was Hunter White, the school quarterback. They’ve been together in school since kindergarten and despite her not liking him as more than a friend, he was always trying to get her attention. 

   “Hey, Hunter. What brings you to my practice?” she asked, folding her arms on her chest. 

   “Woah, little lady. No need to be harsh, I just wanted to see how you were doing and maybe we can go out for a shake at Dino’s diner?” 

   She had to give him credit. He never gave up on her.

   “Hunter, you know I don’t date jocks, right? Nothing personal, it’s just that you guys are not my type,” she mentioned as she was looking for another song to dance to while the others rested. 

   “And what is your type?” he asked, curiously while rubbing his chin with his thumb and forefinger. 

   “Unique. In all the sense of the word. Someone with a big heart and a kind soul”

   “I am very kind, what are you talking about?” He was getting upset at the assumption of her not wanting him because he didn’t meet her expectations.

   “I know, but you’re just not my type, sorry Hunter. Now if you’ll excuse us, we have to rehearse.”

   He scoffed, kicking the stage before he walked out of the auditorium. Hilda, one of her classmates, approached her.

   “Girl, how can you reject a specimen like that? Look, he has muscles, big grey eyes and a black soft hair that makes any girl want to pass their hands on it.”

   “Then why don’t you date him? Seems to me like you want to start something with him. Go ahead, he’s all yours,” Palmer replied, getting an eye roll from Hilda.

   “Okay, you all had your break. It’s time to resume this,” she ordered, and everyone groaned in pain and exhaustion.

   “Can’t we just do this tomorrow? We are beat. You had us rehearse everyday without rest,” one of the boys mentioned, and Palmer took a deep breath.

   “Every day, and you still don’t have it right,” she said, holding the bridge of the nose with her fingers, “okay everyone. You can all go. I will let you know at what time we will meet here on Monday.” 

   Palmer left the auditorium and headed to her first class. At the end of the school day, she met Faith and Gunner at the entrance. They had plans to get some burgers and milkshakes at the diner. 

   They walked in and Gloria, one of the waitresses greeted them.

   “Sit down, my lovely ones. Do you want your usuals?” She asked and they nodded, laughing at how much she knew them. 

   Every week, they would visit the diner after school and have the same food, cheeseburgers with onion rings and all of them had chocolate milkshakes. 

   Gloria didn’t even bother giving them menus, she would look at them walk through the doors and quickly put their orders in while she prepared their soft drinks.

   “How’s the dance going?” Faith asked, surprising Palmer. She hadn’t told them she was a dancer. 

   “It’s going okay. The guys are a bit lost in rhythm still, and we are only a few days away from performing at the pep rally. How did you know about it?”

   “Well, since my best friend didn’t tell me what she was up to this morning, I had to investigate by myself. I am hurt that you didn't trust me enough to tell me that you liked to dance,” Faith pouted as she folded her arms across her chest.

   “Oh come on, beautiful. I’m sure Palmer had her reasons” Gunner said, putting an arm around her shoulder. Palmer could see the way he was giving her attention, but Faith was so oblivious to it, or maybe didn’t want to show him she liked him too. 

   They heard the sound of the bell at the door, signaling that a new customer was walking in. 

   “That must be the new doctor,” Faith said as Palmer discreetly turned around to look at her. She was ordering coffee and a burger meal to go, so Palmer was sure it was for her son. 

   “I seriously can’t wait to meet him,” Faith mentioned, getting a jealous glare from Gunner.

   “Why do you want to meet him so bad?” He asked, as both girls looked at him with their eyebrows raised. Palmer couldn’t help but laugh, and Faith has no idea what it was all about. 

   Palmer slid off the booth and walked towards Grace. 

   “Hi! You must be Dr. Melbourne. I am Palmer Collins,” she extended her hand and with a soft smile, Grace did the same. 

   “Hello, Palmer. I am Grace, my son Christopher and I are new in town.” 

   “I know. I’ve heard in my school about your son. And now it would be great to put a face to the name. My friends are curious. We haven’t had someone from out of town move in here in a while.” 

   Grace saw how sweet Palmer was, that she promised her she would meet him on Monday. After they said their goodbyes, Palmer walked back to the table where her friends were waiting for her patiently. 

   “I guess we will meet Christopher on Monday”