I shook my head as he continued to name off bands. “Nope. I have no idea who any of those bands are, except Linkin Park. They play on the pop stations occasionally.”
“I’m not sure if I should feel sorry for you or kick you out of my Jeep at this point. You poor, sheltered child. How have you survived in this world without rock?”
“By being awesome?” I teased.
“I feel like I should educate you. You’ve missed out on so much, young one.”
“Hey, I’m not that young. I’ll be eighteen in a month. I’ll be legal and all that jazz.”
“Wait, in a month? When’s your birthday?”
“October third. Why?”
“You’ve got to be shitting me. We have the same birthday.”
I smiled from ear to ear. What are the odds? “That’s too funny. Will you be eighteen, too?”
He nodded. “Yep. I can’t wait.”
“Me either. Nothing will change for me until I graduate next year, but there’s just something about being an adult that sounds so exciting.”
He laughed. “Yeah, I can barely contain myself for when I have to pay bills.”
“Oh, shut up. You know what I mean.”
“I’m just kidding. I’ll be glad when I turn eighteen, too. So, back to music. I feel the need to make you fall in love with at least one of my favorite bands before the night is over. Flip down the visor and pick any CD up there.
“Sure, why not?” I pulled the visor down and started looking through his collection. He had a ton, and I wasn’t sure which to pick. There was one with an apple on it, and I pulled it out. “Let’s try this one.”
“Good choice. In This Moment kicks ass, and their lead singer is a woman.”
I popped the CD in and waited for the first song to start, but before it could, Jesse skipped to the second one.
“The first one sucks. The second is much better.”
I stayed silent as the music started. A woman’s voice came through the speakers seconds later, and I concentrated on the lyrics. I wasn’t sure how I felt about the screaming, but I tried to act interested for Jesse’s sake.
“What do you think?” he asked.
“They’re not bad. It’s just not something I would normally listen to,” I answered truthfully.
“They’re not for everyone. Andy hates them.”
“I think if I listened to them for a while, I could get used to it.”
“Take it with you tonight, and listen to it over the weekend. I bet you’ll be singing along by the time Monday rolls around.”
“You’d trust me with your precious music?” I asked.
“Surprisingly, yes. And if you scratch it, I’ll just make you buy me a new one.”
I laughed. “Way to abuse the rich girl.”
“Might as well put Daddy’s money to good use,” he said as he glanced over at me.
I knew he was teasing, but there was a darkness behind his eyes that I couldn’t ignore.
“Listen, while we’re out, I’m not the rich girl, okay? I’m just a girl you’re taking out for dinner. I hate how you categorize us. We’re just people, regardless of what our parents have in their bank accounts.”
“Wow, you sound all wise and shit,” he joked, and I felt the tension in the car ease.
“I am wise, believe it or not.”
I hadn’t been paying attention to where he was taking us, and I was surprised when he suddenly stopped the car. We were sitting in the parking lot of a restaurant on his side of town. The building looked surprisingly clean for being in the bad part of town.
“Welcome to Joe’s. They have the best burgers in town,” Jesse said as he got out of the car.
I followed closely as we walked across the lot to the entrance.
There was no hostess to seat us, and Jesse walked straight in and took a seat in one of the booths in the back. I sat down across from him and picked up a menu that was already on the table.
“So, you said they have good burgers?” I asked.
“Yep. Anything they make is good, but their burgers are amazing. I would commit murder for one.”
“Then, I guess I’ll have a burger,” I said as I glanced down at the menu. I looked through their burgers, trying to find the cheapest one. I felt bad for doing so, but I knew Jesse didn’t have a lot of money, and I didn’t want him to waste it on me.
“Hello, are you ready to order?” a young girl asked as she stopped beside our table.
Jesse glanced at me. “You ready?”
“Yeah, can I have just a regular burger and fries with a water, please?”
“I’ll have the same, except I want a Coke,” Jesse said as he closed his menu.
“Sure. Give me just a few minutes.”
“Thanks, Lisa,” Jesse said as the girl turned and walked away.
“Come here often?” I asked, noting that he knew the waitress’s name.
“Usually once a week if I have any cash to spare.”
“If I have any cash to spare.” I felt horrible. Here I was, driving around a brand-new car that probably cost more than his house, and he could barely afford to eat at a hole-in-the-wall burger joint. The more I was around him, the more I realized just how different we were.
“What has you in such deep thought over there?” Jesse asked.
“Nothing. Just wondering if you’re telling the truth about these so-called amazing burgers,” I lied.
“You don’t trust me? I’m insulted.”