Hidden in the Night

Chapter 8 - Breath of Fresh Air

I contemplated climbing up the shelves or even standing atop the grocery cart, because with my current height, there was no way I was going to reach the Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I'm sure anyone passing by would have looked at the obviously sleep-deprived girl on her tip-toes in the grocery store like a lunatic. My cheeks flushed when I heard the laughter of two men to my right, knowing that I looked like an idiot right now.

Suddenly, the cereal had been taken off the shelf and was in the hands of someone else. I looked to find the person holding the cereal to be none other than Wyatt, a smirking Sam standing beside him.

"Having some trouble there Paisley," Wyatt laughed, shaking the box in his hands tauntingly.

"Yeah, these shelves really are not convenient, thanks," I laughed, but before I got the chance to grab the cereal Sam yanked it out of Wyatt's hands.

Of course, they weren't going to make this easy.

"I've got a question. You don't have to answer, but it would be polite if you did," Sam announced, that irritating smirk still plastered onto his face.

"Why is it that I can't get a date with you?" he spoke brazenly, evoking a chuckle from Wyatt. The question was bold and not one I had been asked nearly at all, leaving me temporarily speechless. I had no idea how I could answer this question without hurting Sam's feelings or putting myself into a position I didn't want to be in.

"Have you seen your face-" Wyatt began.

"Shut the fuck up." Sam cut him off, returning his attention to me.

"I mean, is it the whole I don't wanna make it awkward because we're neighbors thing?" he asked, Wyatt rolled his eyes from behind Sam and took off in the opposite direction, giving me a small wave. I wondered if this was a common situation he was placed in since he was Sam's friend.

"U-um Sam I just don't think I want a relationship right now," I responded quietly, my face flushing from embarrassment.

"I never said I wanted a relationship either, but a night sounds pretty fun," he smirked again, his gaze shamelessly traveling down my body. I took an unconscious step backward, which he seemed to notice but ignore, taking a step forwards instead.

"C-could I just please have the cereal?" I asked him, trying to get out of this situation as soon as possible. I knew nothing could really happen, not in the middle of a grocery store, but for some reason my mind wasn't thinking very rationally at the moment. Suddenly, the shopping basket I held in my hands held a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, but not the same one that was still within Sam's grasp.

"I think we've got the cereal situation under control. You can leave now," said a familiar voice from behind.

"Thanks though," I said, hoping that Sam would take the hint and leave us alone. He looked between Mia and I for a second and then shook his head slightly, deciding it wasn't worth the trouble.

"Think about it," he said with a wink, turning around and walking in the direction that Wyatt had left a minute ago.

"Piece of shit," Mia spewed out as he walked away, not even waiting until he was out of earshot.

"He can be a little much," I told her, shrugging my shoulders. I truly didn't believe Sam to be a bad person, but he did tend to make some questionable decisions at times.

"Thank you for the help though," I smiled, gesturing towards my shopping basket.

"Daniel really wasn't exaggerating," she remarked.

"Huh?" I questioned.

"He keeps telling me that you're like the nicest person he's ever met and I think I'm going to have to second that opinion," she explained, laughing slightly.

"Oh..um, thank you," I said, feeling a little awkward and unsure what to say next.

"You know that guy?" she asked, referencing a thankfully absent Sam.

"He's my neighbor. He's generally pretty harmless," I replied, causing her to shake her head in disagreement.

"Didn't really seem that way," she quipped, raising an eyebrow in an argument. I shrugged my shoulders in response.

"So have you moved in with Spencer yet?" I asked, hoping to change the topic.

"Yeah, I've finally got all my stuff moved in. You were over there the other day weren't you? You should have come and said hey," she smiled and began pushing her grocery cart again as I followed.

"Well, I'm coming over tomorrow to help Daniel catch up again-"

"Awesome we can all hang out! You're a much needed breath of fresh air around the constant testosterone at that house," she laughed. I wanted to tell her that I had promised to help Daniel study, but I didn't have the heart to crush her plans of hanging out. And selfishly, I didn't want to ruin my opportunity of this new friendship. I liked Mia, and our conversations seemed to flow easier than when I was talking to anyone else. In all honesty, my conversations with everyone in her group tended to be easier.

Even if one of them often had me questioning everything I was saying and then some.

I nodded my head in response and we continued to talk as we shopped together. I learned that Mia was finishing up her business degree in college in order to work alongside Spencer and handle some of the finer details that he wasn't necessarily equipped to deal with. Apparently, Spencer was the right-hand to Dax, who ran his own business. I didn't doubt that for a second, not with all the luxury they were surrounded by.

I wondered what they did, what their company was about. But Mia was fairly vague in her descriptions and I figured there must have been some type of reason why, so I didn't pry. Maybe they had a million-dollar idea but no patent? Or maybe Mia wasn't exactly sure what took place within the business since she hadn't started working there yet, but I highly doubted that.

Mia even asked me about my future plans and I was able to tell her how I wanted to be a landscape designer. What types of jobs I would want to take, the way I planned to work my way to recognition. It was...new. After fighting so hard to get to where I was now, doing things like earning my scholarship and maintaining my grades, it felt beyond this world for it to be recognized, if only for a moment. I wasn't sure if that made me attention seeking, but my career path was one of the few things I was proud of in life, and I wasn't going to let go of that pride now.

We parted ways after shopping and on my walk back to my apartment I couldn't help but feel giddy. Not to mention, I had been able to afford much more than normal and had bought the ingredients for the chicken stir fry that my dad used to make me when I was a kid. I was sure I would absolutely destroy the recipe, but I figured if he were still here he would only laugh and tell me that it was amazing anyway.

Walking into my apartment complex with thoughts of a full stomach in my head, I took the stairs up to my door to find the one person I would have never imagined to be standing in front of my room. My body froze and tensed automatically, evoking a familiar and cruel chuckle from the woman standing before me.

"Forget about me already Paisley?"