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“I don’t care.” He snaps.
She looks at him and her eyes start to tear up. When she notices me looking at her from the back seat, she rolls her eyes and turns toward the window. A part of me wants to say something, but I know that would only make it worse for her.
We pull up to the restaurant. It’s lunch time so there are plenty of people here, which is exactly what we were hoping for. Holden briefly explains how to use the video camera, then I leave them in the car and go into the diner.
The hostess greets me. I tell her who I am and that I called earlier about the sociology project. She seats me at a table that has a good view of the entire restaurant. I set up the video camera as discreetly as possible and wait for the show to begin.
Holden and Brianna come in a little more than five minutes later. The hostess seats them at a table in the middle of the room. They both order something to drink. After the waiter arrives to take their order, Holden gives me the signal to start recording. I press the button on the camera and take my pen in my hand, ready to observe the people around them.
“Come on! Do you have to take forever to decide what you want everywhere we go?!” Holden yells.
“I’m sorry babe.” Brianna mocks sadness.
Holden scoffs, throwing his menu down onto the table. “Bullshit, you’re sorry. You do this every single time we go somewhere. It’s ridiculous! Stop being such an indecisive bitch!”
Everyone in the restaurant seems to look in their direction, but no one has the guts to say anything. Brianna orders her food, and the waiter walks away to put in their order. I take a sip of my water and wait for round two to begin.
My phone starts to vibrate. I pull it out of my pocket to see my mother calling. I hit ignore. The last thing I need right now is to deal with her. I need to pay attention.
“Brianna, put your damn phone away! Who the fuck are you talking to anyways?” Holden shouts. He rips her phone out of her hands and shoves it into his jacket pocket.
“Give me my phone back, please.” She requests quietly.
“No way in hell.” He answers. “Just enjoy lunch with the boyfriend you’re lucky to have.”
People around the restaurant start to whisper, clearly showing their disgust with his behavior. Yet, no one moves to say a word. I use my phone to send a quick text to Brianna, knowing Holden will see it.
Me: You need to step it up a bit if you want anyone to say something.
He pulls the phone out of his pocket and reads the text. He nods slightly, showing he got the message, and deposits it back into his jacket. He whispers something quietly to Bree that no one else seems to hear.
“Give me the rest of that. I’m still hungry.” Holden demands.
“No. I’m eating it. I’m starving.” Brianna pleads.
Holden reaches over and grabs her plate, putting it in front of himself instead. “Oh please, you could stand to lose a few pounds. Gain any more weight and I won’t be with you anymore. I don’t want to date a fat ass.”
That comment even makes me gasp. Everyone seems completely outraged that he even said such a thing to her. I make a note of people’s reactions. Meanwhile, someone at the table next to them looks as if she’s about to say something. Sure enough, she reaches over and taps Holden on the shoulder.
“You really shouldn’t treat her like that.” She tells him.
He laughs humorlessly. “And you should mind your own business.”
The woman gives him a look that could kill, then turns her attention to Brianna. “Sweetheart, you are a beautiful girl and you could do a lot better than him.”
Brianna smiles as the people around her agree with the woman, all attention now being on them. She mouths a silent ‘thank you’ and pretends to be shy while Holden mocks outrage.
“Guys like you are why some girls have eating disorders.” Another woman tells Holden.
I shift uncomfortably in my seat, aware of the camera capturing my reaction. Within seconds, there are several people telling Holden what a horrible person he is. A few of them even begin to encourage Brianna to break up with him.
Having what we need, I stand up and walk over to their table. The three of us get everyone to quiet down and explain that it was an act for a project. Thankfully, they all seem to be understanding - relieved even. Holden pays for the food while I pack up the camera, and we leave the restaurant.
THE DRIVE BACK TO campus, I can hear Holden quietly apologizing to Brianna.
“Babe, you know I didn’t mean any of that right?” He asks. She nods, but something seems off between them.
We drop her back off at the dorms. She has a class in a half hour, so the rest of the day will just be Holden and me. I climb out of the back, giving Bree a quick hug and thanking her for her help. I get into the passenger seat and close the door. Holden takes off toward the grocery store.
