II. Deadpool 2

                                    

                                          
Miriam
                          
As soon as the movie ended, Miriam stood up and exited the theatre. While still slightly annoyed with the boy in the row in front of her, she consolidated her losses and left the building. On the way to her car, she pulled out her phone and called Caroline.
                          
"... Hello?" The voice from the other side of the line asked, slightly groggy. 
                          
"C, are you sleeping? It's 6:30." She asked.
                          
"One, I am a college student who does college things, meaning I haven't slept in 37 hours. Two, when I sleep does not concern you, and three,"
                          
"I'm going to stop you right there. You know Hendelmen's class, 'The Action Behind Action', or whatever," Miriam said as she unlocked her car and stepped inside. "Well, I was doing that extra-credit assignment so I went to the tiny theatre in Glendale, you know, the one with the nice old lady who gives us extra popcorn?"
                          
Miriam adjusted her mirrors and continued to sit in the driver's seat. She was too angry to drive and didn't want to endanger anyone else's safety with road rage. Without giving her friend and roommate time to respond, she continued with her story. "So I'm going to see Ferris Bueller- great movie- and this dude sits in front of me. Like, directly in front of me. We are the only two people in this theatre. Then! Then, he kicks his feet up and somehow decides in his monkey brain, 'Let me throw popcorn into my mouth poorly. Yes, great idea.' And for what felt like hours, I was just getting pelted with dumb popcorn kernels. Can you believe that?" She ended her tale with a sigh.
                          
The line was silent for a beat, and then a rustle came through. Finally, Caroline spoke. "Did he at least apologize?" 
                          
The girl tapped her fingers against the steering wheel. "Yeah, totally, he was really nice about it once he realized what was going on. But it's the principle of the thing, C! I could have died," said Miriam. It could be said that Miriam had a flair for the dramatic.
                          
"Has anyone ever told you that you're dramatic?" 
                          
"Oh, fuck off, C. The butter could have gotten in my eyes, one could have landed in my throat and I could have choked; there are so many different scenarios that I'm lucky I'm still alive," she continued. Her vivacious rants consumed her as she continued to angrily outpour her feelings for the stranger in the show, so much so that she didn't notice the boy come out of the theatre and walk towards the car next to her. He, however, noticed her.
                          
She didn't notice him until he waved. 
                          
"C, he's waving at me." Miriam began to panic.
                          
"What? Who?" Caroline's voice held a tinge of fear. "Popcorn dude? Did he follow you? Are you safe?"
                          
The girl chuckled in nervousness. "So, here's the thing. I was so angry that I didn't leave the parking lot and now we're making eye contact and he's walking towards me and I don't know what to do." Miriam's knuckles turned white as her hands gripped the steering wheel. 
                          
Caroline huffed a sigh of relief. "For fuck's sake, just talk to the boy. But leave me on the phone, I want to hear what will undoubtedly be a mess of a conversation." After muttering something along the lines of If I die, it's your fault, she did just that.
                          
By now, the brunet boy had approached the driver's side window and knocked politely. Miriam rolled it down, turning to face him. In the daylight, she could see him better; his hair was unkempt with tufts sticking out from under his black hat, his black t-shirt clung nicely to a set of toned biceps, and his mouth was eternally stuck in a crooked smile. He almost looked pleasant.
                          
"Hi! I hope this isn't too awkward, with me throwing popcorn at you and then approaching you in your car and such, but I just wanted to apologize again for what happened in there. Can you forgive me?" He finished, extending his hand through the window for a handshake. Miriam grabbed it apprehensively and cleared her throat.
                          
"There's a," She struggled to find the right words. "Possibility that I may have overreacted. I get told that I can sometimes be overdramatic. So, I'm sorry about that." 
                          
The boy's smile widened, and the two continued to awkwardly shake hands. "That's great! Like I said, I'm David, and I hope I run into you again. Although, different preferences would be preferable." 
                          
"Miriam." She said, immediately cursing herself for her incomplete sentence. You dummy. "My name is Miriam and if the next time we see each other, you don't pelt me with oily balls of death, I wouldn't be opposed to it." Miriam could feel Caroline's laughter emitting from miles away.
                          
Raising an eyebrow, David said his next words carefully. "So, Miriam, if I hear this correctly, there's going to be a next time?"
                          
Miriam's heart rate sped up as she realized her blunder, her cheeks transitioning from light brown to pink. Silently, she turned and reached into an overhead compartment, grabbing a pair of sunglasses to help her drive home in the setting sun. She buckled her seatbelt and then shifted in her seat to look the stranger dead in the eyes.
                          
"I like Deadpool. Please make way for my vehicle to exit. Thank you, good night." Miriam huffed in one breath, turning her key to hear the engine roar. With that, she pulled out of the parking lot in the direction of the horizon, leaving the stranger in her dust.