They Know The End

Russell

But I guess that didn't matter anymore today.

-

As we entered the mall, the guard gave us a suspicious look. We both made eye contact and I just managed a small smile.

Then, the cold air hit me, a relief from the boiling summer air. I looked around and saw many restaurants and stores.

It was huge. There was so much space. I could only imagine how many people back at my place could fit in here. It would last us years.

My place. . .never mind.

Matt was beside me. "So, where do you want to go?"

"Let's look for it," I replied.

"It? What's it?"

"You'll see."

"You don't even know your way around here!"

I grabbed his arm. "That's why you're coming with me!"

We walked past people walking slowly, taking in the change of place. I inhaled the air. Even it was different from my place.

What got me was the soft noise. I usually imagined malls to be very noisy, despite the obvious lack of people when I passed by here sometimes. But, apparently, when the roads became deserted, so did the malls. And I noticed that there were barely any people our age.

This was good. The fewer people, the better.

I tried to hum to the music, but it felt like a new tone. It didn't sound like the music I'd hear from the radio at all.

I looked up and saw a digital billboard hanging within a very tall space. I gasped in awe.

It felt like I entered a different world, even if this was quite literally close to my place.

"This is so cool!" I said, a little too loudly.

"Shh! People are staring at us! Stop looking up!" Matt hissed at me.

I turned to him. "Sorry." I looked and saw two bakeries across each other. "Do you want to eat?"

"Are you hungry?"

"No," I said. "Are you?"

"No."

"Okay."

"Okay."

We continued walking.

After we passed the bakeries, I encountered a strange sweet smell from them, and a more concentrated crowd in front of us.

I looked to the left and right and saw more restaurants. Beside us was an elevator with glass walls. I watched in amazement as a pack of people were carried up and down.

This was the stuff of fiction I had always wanted to read.

I turned right, following the majority of the crowd. There we came across more restaurants. Jollibee was the biggest and had the most people there, which was a given. Practically everyone in the Philippines had heard of Jollibee, regardless of the kind of people they are.

We passed by a supermarket, which was also filled with people. I didn't have any plans of shopping, so we passed by the store.

A family riding some electric bike passed by us.

"Let's ride one of those soon," I told him.

"I don't have any money to rent those bikes. Some peopke stole it."

I winced at the memory. "But I do."

He looked at me in disbelief. "How did you get some?"

I considered keeping it as a secret, but I sighed instead. "I stole them."

"What?"

I harrumped. "Don't act surprised." I turned away from him and continued marvelling at the grand structure I was in. I still couldn't fathom its sheer magnitude.

"Okay, fine. But you still haven't told me what you want to do."

"Sheesh. You're so tight. Loosen up!" More people ended up staring at us again.

He had to give them a smile and dismissive wave before turning back to me. "Don't be too loud. We'll get escorted to leave."

I giggled at my loudness. I decided to hop on the escalator, the moving stairs, so it can carry me to the second floor. I looked back and saw Matt follow suit, with a not-so-happy look on his face.

I sighed to myself. I waited for Matt to arrive and looked at him.

"What?" he asked me.

"Okay. So. . ." Suddenly, I fumbled my fingers in embarrassment. "The thing I want to try doing. . ."

"Why are you so nervous?" He placed a hand on my shoulder. "I'm your Last Friend. You can say things to me, even without context. I wouldn't know what it is anyway. And, I get to take it to your grave."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "I have always wanted to try dresses."