Sugarcane Chronicles Volume I: One and Lonely (ryden)

Team Freebird

We split into groups of three, an adult and two 'kids'. It was Pete, Patrick and Spencer (Team Freebird) and Jon, Ryan and me (Team I Dunno or Team Pete this is a Stupid Idea but can also be known as Other Team).  The 'teams' split up and went to different sides of the Macy's and decided to meet at the Applebee's at 1:00 for lunch.

"Why are we in Macy's?" Ryan asked as we walked through the cookware section.

"Because it was the closest store," Jon answered. "We can go to a different store if you'd like."

"No, it's ok," Ryan said as we neared the curtains section. Jon and I continued to walk and talk a little with Ryan following us.

"Hey Ryan?" Jon turned around to look at Ryan, but he wasn't there. "Ryan?"

I saw one of the curtains move, so I walked over, looking for Ryan.

"Ryan?" I asked before yanking the curtain aside. He wasn't there. "Come out, come out, wherever you are." I kept following where I saw the curtains moving but couldn't catch him.

I stood at the end of one of the isles and looked around. I saw his shoes peeking out from the bottom of one of the curtain.

"Gee, I wonder where he could be," I said, slowly stepping closer to the curtain. I heard him giggle as I stopped in front of the curtain. "Could he be right here?" I pulled the curtain back and he smiled at me.

"Ah, you got me," he said. He pulled me closer and pulled the curtain over us before leaning down and kissing me softly.

"Boys?" Jon's voiced called through the curtain. He pulled it back and dragged Ryan away from me. "Stop fooling around. We need to go to Borders."

Ryan and I sighed and followed Jon out of the Macy's. I wondered how I was going to get Jon a present while I was shopping with him as we walked across the parking lot. I figured I would get it later.

Jon left me and Ryan at the kid's Legos table in the children's section and would occasionally ask our opinions on potential gifts.

"Did he just give away who he's shopping for?" I asked after the first time Jon had come over.

"No, it's just a strategy he uses," Ryan explained without taking his eyes off his Lego tower. "He asks you what you think of things for different people and you never know who he actually has."

"Hmm. That's pretty smart," I said.

"Yeah," he said absentmindedly before looking away from his tower and at me. "So who'd you get?"

I scoffed. "I'm not telling you."

He stuck his lip out in a pouty way and looked down. "You don't have to be like that." He was sitting across from me at the table of Legos (where there was also another kid who had joined shortly after Jon left me and Ryan), so I stood up and walked to his side and hugged him, placing my head on his shoulder. He leaned his head on top of mine and hugged me back. I looked up at him and pecked his lips as he tried to push me away, because I was probably squeezing him too tightly. I finally let go when Jon came back.

"Alright, I paid and everything. Are we ready to go?"

I stood up, Ryan following soon after. We both nodded and all walked out of the Borders.

"Is there anywhere specific you boys want to go?" Jon asked as we stepped outside the Borders.

"No, not rea—" Ryan began to say but was interrupted by me.

"There's a toy store over there," I said and I pointed to where the store was located across the lot. "Can we go?"

"No," Jon said. "We are not going to a toy store."