I'm Only Human -- [Editing]

[1]

I'm going to die 

••••••

Autumn sauntered into the store, instantly hit by the overpowering scent of buttered popcorn; she couldn't help but grin. She could practically taste the sweet saltiness on her tongue.

Every time the scent of popcorn filled her nostrils, she was taken back to the grocery store trips with her mother. If Autumn was good, her mom would let her have a bag, and, most of the time, her mom would end up eating 98% of it.

But Autumn didn't mind. She never cared, because she was with her mommy.

Autumn swallowed the lump in her throat as she glanced over her shoulder in search of her boyfriend, Mark.

Mark trudged through the automatic doors with tired eyes and a heavy frown, acting as if they'd been shopping all day when, in reality, this was there first stop.

"Oh come on," she pestered, shaking her head with a playful grin. He scowled in her direction as he finally made it to her side.

"I don't understand why you need my help," he whined, crossing his arms over his chest like a child throwing a temper tantrum.

"We're shopping for your mom." Mark opened his mouth to utter a response but went silent. "Exactly."

Marv's, the store they were currently in, had initially been a small mom-and-pop shop. They decided to move into what used to be referred to by the locals as "ghetto grove" – a shopping center with a laundromat, a cell phone shop with bars over the windows, and ten other decrepit and vacant buildings painted with graffiti.

Marv's seized control over the largest building in the complex and, much to everyone's surprise, it took off.

The shopping center was in a small town; however, it was at most fifteen minutes away from three significantly larger cities. New stores relocated to the center, and in less than six months, it was clean, filled with shoppers, and adding five new stores to its roster. Cause of this, Marv's was always packed tightly with customers.

Especially that Saturday morning.

Autumn had to practically drag Mark through the store and around the shoppers and their carts.

Eventually, they made it to the laughably small jewelry section practically hidden in one of the back corners.

"Why can't we just get her a movie or socks or something?" Mark moaned. He had absolutely no skills when it came to giving gifts.

He hadn't even given Autumn anything for her birthday. Mark had repeatedly informed Autumn her present was on its way.

She eventually stopped asking.

"Will you just look?" Autumn laughed, suppressing her annoyance with a rehearsed grin. Mark wandered over to the clearance rack, plucking the first necklace he saw off the shelf.