My eyes dart back and forth. Store to store. I thought malls were supposed to be busy? My legs cross and I rest my hot tea onto my knee. I can feel the heat from the tea through my dark grey sweats. My finger traces the top of the lid. I rest my finger on the hole and let the steam burn my finger.
My eyes travel to the big tent, that is supposed to have 'Santa' sitting on a huge chair that fits his cookies and milk stuffed stomach, that somehow can fit down my chimney with a bag of gifts. I mean how does he do it? Right now he is probably in twenty-five different malls. This 'Santa' guy is a total wacko.
I watch the line of moms with their kids get shorter then longer. "Who pays twenty-five dollars to get a picture in a frame of their Oh-So-Darling-Little baby with a man they most likely don't know?" I say soft enough so no one will hear me. But I guess someone did.
Behind me a boy says "I know right. I mean this guy could be some sort of creep who watches girls through their open windows." The mystery boy walks around the couch and sits on the same on as me, only a foot away. I turn towards him and smile. The boy has on black jeans and a multi-fandom t-shirt. He is wearing white high tops. His hair is black and messed up perfectly. His eyes are sea-green and big, beautiful actually. "Hey, I'm Titan. Multi-fandom king and Santa hater. What's your name?"
I stare at him for a second. "I'm Tate. Multi-Fandom Queen and also a Santa hater. Nothings worse then an old dude crawling down your chimney and eatin' my cookies. Not to mention he knows when we're sleeping and when we're awake. If that doesn't scream creep, I don't know what does!" I take a drink of my tea and set it back on my knee.
Next to me Titan chuckles. People slowly trickle past us with various brands of clothing in big plastic bags from different stores. I glare at the rip off Santa. "You ever seen Elf?" I ask Titan. An idea starts forming in my mind.
Titan looks at me with a quizzical look. "Of course. But why do you ask?" I explain my plan to Titan an then stand up. I walk over towards the 'Santa' tent. Titan follows close behind. We stop right in front of the red tent and both yell at the same time.
"You sit on a throne of lies!!!!" 'Santa' looks up at us. We both try to hold in our laughter. "You stink. You smell like beef and cheese! You don't smell like Santa." I fall to the floor laughing. Titan laughs with me. He pulls me up by the arm we stumble/jog away from the tent. We collapse on the floor in front of Victoria's Secret and laugh. Surprisingly Titan doesn't look at the blown-up models half-naked behind us. He looks at me, his eyes sparkling.
"We should hang out sometime." Titan grabs my phone from inside the pocket of my sweatshirt. He types something into my phone then pushes send. A second later his phone buzzes and he checks it. "Now I have your number. Well I don't have to be home till one in the morning so how about till then we hang out?" He nudges my shoulder and gets up. He extends his hand out and I grab. Titan pulls me up. I stumble forward and run into Titan.
We both smile and laugh at each other. "C'mon Santa hater, let us walk to wherever Santa may not find us." I link our arms and we walk through the mall for the rest of the day.
