Only now did it really sink in for William that he had traveled through time. No one acted like that in his time. You could get punched in the face for less, no warning given. Some tall idiot had decided to mess with him. Maybe William had gotten stuck staring at the digital board, but that didn’t give anyone the right to get all up in his space.

He shifted his gaze to the stranger, who reacted to his threat to “break his face” in a completely unexpected way. The cocky smirk turned flirtatious, like he was amused by William’s behavior. Usually, people steered clear when they saw his angry expression, but this guy just gripped his shoulder harder.

Clicking his tongue, the troublemaker reached out and snatched off his cap. Smirking, he spun it in his hands and bit his lip, nodding at William.

“So, what’s it gonna be, baby? You ordering or what? Look at that line. Don’t keep people waiting. You still gotta hit up a barber to fix that tragic blowout. What, did you walk into a hairdryer from the seventies?” the stranger finally stepped back and let go of his shoulder.

“And you must be the local fashion icon,” William snorted, reaching for his cap. “Hey you, magnet maniac, give me back my cap,” but instead of returning it, the stranger took a step back and held it higher, making William jump for it. “You’ve really got a death wish, huh? Paperclip giraffe, give the damn cap back.”

“Oh? You got a bad boy mode?” the stranger stuck out the tip of his tongue—and William was pretty sure it had a piercing. “How about I buy you lunch, and you tell me all about how naughty you are... The more vivid, the better.”

“I’ll be vivid at the trial, telling the jury how I turned you into ice cream and fed you to the city’s stray dogs,” William jumped again but still couldn’t reach the cap. “You lost, diplodocus? Go back to the Mesozoic.”

“Ooh, sharp tongue on you...”

“Asher, get away from William.”

Before the pest could blink, Lucas ripped the cap out of his hands. Not without Max’s help, though. Since neither of them was tall either, Max had to lift Lucas up in a quick, practiced move they often used when dealing with those more blessed in the height department.

Asher’s sour expression didn’t faze the boys—they just started dancing to the cheesy food court music. William snatched his cap back with a scowl but didn’t put it on. No way those clowns could pull that stunt again, and he actually liked that cap.

Asher, meanwhile, kept staring at William, his flirty gaze now replaced by something more intrigued as it roamed over William’s body. Max and Lucas stepped in front of him, arms crossed.

“Asher, think your pale skin can survive a cheeseburger and a Coke?” Max spoke with a challenge, lifting his chin. “Better move on, go bother someone else or get a new piercing.”

“Like a labret between your lips so you stop acting smart,” Asher spat, still watching over their shoulders. “Who’s that? I’ve never seen such a cute guy at our school… Where’d you find him? ‘Cause I saw him first, right, baby?”

“What am I, the last pork tenderloin on the shelf?! What do you mean you ‘saw me first,’ you skyscraper made of scrap and stupidity?! Answer me!” William wanted this pointless argument to end already. “Go to hell, please!”

He’d been waiting so long to finally try McDonald’s fries, and now this guy shows up out of nowhere. He was also running out of creative insults for the guy’s face.

“Oh, William, you’re way more tempting than pork tenderloin,” Asher smirked. “Why do you need those two? Come eat with me. My treat. Want a Big Mac? Fries? Then we can head back to my place…”

William had no idea how to respond to that—he didn’t even know what a Big Mac was...

“Hey, webcam star, this is a food court—cool your skinny jeans till midnight when the coins start dropping,” Lucas stepped forward. “Asher, what do you even want? Don’t you get enough attention at school? Beat it.”

“Yeah, Asher, it’s bad enough we have to see your face at school,” Max sighed, stepping up beside Lucas. “Where are your friends? Finally realized you’re a jerk and ditched you?”

“Oh, you must mean Oscar?” Asher said sweetly, watching Max pale and Lucas blink in surprise. “He’s downstairs on the first floor, picking out clothes. Want me to call him? While I chat with the cutie…”

Just then, a teenager walked by with a tray of food and a stack of napkins. Without hesitation, Lucas grabbed a couple with a loud “Hey!” from the kid and pushed Max aside, lunging at Asher. The guy didn’t see it coming. His mouth opened in shock—fatal mistake. Lucas stuffed the crumpled napkins right in.

“I’m done listening to this guy. Aren’t you?” Lucas shrugged.

Then William stepped in, a sly look on his face. Taking advantage of Asher’s total shock, he traced a hand down his jawline, barely missing his lips.

“Wrong guy to mess with, pretty boy,” William said in a deep, sultry voice and stepped back. “Now buh-bye. William needs to try these fries before he floods the whole mall with drool.” He winked at Asher.

“The mall?!” Asher choked out, yanking out the napkins. “Perfect. I like a challenge.” He smirked, shot a hateful glare at Max and Lucas, then raised his brows at William as he walked off. “See you around, baby.”

“That was the battle of the century, ending with Asher’s surrender... We should steal a bottle of champagne and celebrate,” Lucas whistled and threw his arm around William. “Dude, you crushed him! Right, Max?”

“Yeah…”

“Why’d you two even come back? Weren’t you looking for a table?” William looked beyond satisfied with how their run-in ended, glowing like a polished coin. “I just wanted to try fries from McDonald’s, and that unpruned reed ruined it.”

“As for pruned or unpruned reeds, too early to say. School showers are separate, and you can’t just tell,” Lucas snorted, lowering his arm. “Let’s go get your fries! Max, stop brooding. Let’s go—we still need to pack for school!”

“Alright, alright,” Max raised his hands and smiled. “William, you really are a force. You don’t let anyone mess with you.”

“And why should I let them?” he replied sharply, then grinned like a maniac. “He hasn’t even met my teeth yet.”

At that, Max rubbed his thigh.

“So take me to food. Or I won’t be responsible for my actions! What even is a Big Mac? Was I wrong to turn that eel down?”

“You’re ready to sell out for a Big Mac?!” Max gasped.

“Just tell me what the hell a Big Mac is!” William protested.

They rejoined the long line. Max pointed to a screen showing an ad, and William’s mouth dropped open. He looked like he was witnessing the second coming of Christ in real time.

“You shouldn’t have stopped me…”

“WILLIAM!” both boys yelled.

“Alright, alright,” the time traveler wiped his mouth. “So why are you guys here?”

“No seats. We tried to find some, but it’s packed, and I wouldn’t let Lucas stare down an old lady,” Max shrugged. “Don’t worry, we’ll just grab the food and eat outside. It’s cooler and there’s benches.”

“Will you buy me a cap like that kid over there?” William pointed at a kid with an Ash Ketchum Pokémon cap. “It’s so cool, I can’t—!”

“Do we need to?” Lucas checked if he had a few spare bucks. “You already have a cap…” he nodded at the one William held like a shield.

“That’s your cap. I want my own cap,” he tried a puppy-dog look and Max caved.

“You’re so cute we’ll get you a cap—but that’s it, William! We’re broke!” Max wagged a finger at him. “So we’ll get him a Happy Meal and call it a day. Go on. Pick. We still need to hit the store...”

At Max’s words, William started clapping and squealing. He kept hearing all kinds of strange words today, but when someone said they’d buy him something, he knew that was a good thing.

“And clean the hallway,” Lucas hissed as William nearly glued himself to the screen, watching the animated boy run by.

Max groaned and ran his hands through his hair.

“We also gotta do something about William’s blowout. Seriously... Even Asher was thrown off by that flashback to the seventies.”

“Let’s just wash it, blow dry it, and if that doesn’t work, we’ll straighten it. You and me can handle his sheepy mess,” Max said while William focused on the animated menu.

“Or shave him bald. He’s got a cap now,” Lucas snorted.

“I’ll burn your house down,” William replied, eyes still glued to the screen.

They waited forever for their order, and even longer calming William down when he got excited over the cap. Even little kids looked at him funny. No one had ever been that happy over a cap. It was just a cap—not a new iPhone. Either way, that food court had never seen a prouder, bouncier walk than the one William pulled off. Max and Lucas just smiled and followed a few steps behind to avoid weird looks.

Thankfully, people didn’t think he was crazy outside, and they found a bench under a tree in a park across from the mall.

It was already getting dark, and with evening plans ahead, they didn’t have much time to eat. They sat the overexcited William down and stood over him.

“Well? Come on, open it!” Max clapped and rubbed his hands. “Start with the fries. They get soggy fast. We didn’t get sauce so you could taste the full flavor. They should be crispy, slightly salty, melt in your mouth and give a whole wave of pleasant feelings…”

“Is this a commercial? I’ll take them from him right now…” Lucas hissed, looking at frozen William. “Come on, do it.”

“Okay.”