A Gang of Our Own

Chapter Seven

"Avery, this is darling!" Malissa exclaimed. She held up a grey longsleeved shirt with lace on the bottom and around the wrists. We had been shopping for the past hour and the trunk of her dart was already getting full, even though we had only been to two stores.

"Yeah, that's pretty cute." I said as I held up a maroon sweater.

"Ooo! That's pretty!" Malissa said as her eyes widened. She threw the sweater and the grey shirt in the cart as she held up a blue dress. She looked at me with hopeful eyes. I scrunched my nose and shook my head.

"But it's gorgeous!!!" Malissa looked defeated.

"I prefer jeans."

"Well, in that case, I say we go to JC Penney, instead."

Malissa. A grandmother trapped in a mother's body.

We walked out of Macey's, each with an armload of bags. Malissa was spending a fortune on me, and I didn't  think she intended to stop anytime soon.

We entered Penny's and went to the back of the room where the jeans were. I selected a pair and threw them in the cart.

"Kinda bland, aren't they?" Malissa stated.

"Anything that isn't bland will cost you a fortune."

Malissa just shrugged. After we paid, my stomach got in a growling fit. I hadn't eaten since that little bit of spaghetti at school. My stomach made a high squeak in hunger and Malissa and I laughed.

Malissa took the hint. We went to the Pretzel Place and ordered two giant pretzels.
She dipped a corner of hers into the cheese and bit into it. She had a look of satisfaction on her face.

"There goes my diet!" She said with her mouth full.

"What's life without a giant pretzel every now and then?" After I slurped down a cherry Dr. Pepper, I decided I had to use the restroom.

"I'm going to go to the bathroom, ok?"

"Ok," Malissa said as she sipped from a diet coke.

I looked for the closest bathroom. The closest was so conveniently placed at the other end of the mall by Sport's Authority. I started to walk towards it at a normal pace, which progressed to a speed walk. Then I got to the point of running as fast as I could when no one was looking. It seens I always had to pee at the most inconvenient times.

I was running as fast as I could when I ran smack into someone walking out of Sport's Authority. I felt a strong but gentle hand on my left arm steadying me.

"I'm so sor-" I looked up and my blood ran cold. It was Cory. By himself. Flashbacks of the fight raced through my mind. The terror, the pain, the hate.

I ripped my arm away from him and backed up slowly.

"Avery." He said softly. Stay away from him. All I could think about was how he meant danger.

"Avery," He repeated and he slowly took a step towards me. I ran into the woman's bathroom and hid in a stall. I locked it shut and rested my head on the door. I was traumatised. He had scarred me for life. I will never forgive him. I was so frightened, I couldn't think straight. Why didn't he look threatening? Why didn't he try to hurt me? Something was different about him. He looked...different. No. He acted different. What was it?

*****

Beeep!!!!!! Beeeeeep!!!!!! Beeep!!!!!!

I'd only had to use my alarm clock once that week since Malissa and I went shopping, and I already hated it. Wait... why was my alarm clock going off? It's Sunday.