"Well, since my parents are going out tonight, how about we go out and have some fun ourselves?" Audrey offered, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of the music on the radio.
Hearing her say that, I was taken aback. Audrey always seemed to have kept me out of trouble, kept me safe from hurting myself, why would she be suggesting this?
"What do you mean?"
"Oh, you know, maybe head out to a restaurant? Maybe even a bar?"
"But wouldn't we get in trouble? We're only seventeen, Audrey. And what about Alek? I don't think he would want you to go out without him." I tried to come up with reasons as to why we probably shouldn't do what she was suggesting... but deep inside I seemed to enjoy the thought of it.
"Alek would be coming with us. You can easily pass as eighteen, so it isn't like we will be technically 'in trouble'." She said, using her fingers to make air quotes around 'in trouble'. "And besides, it isn't like we're going to get laid or anything. We're just going to have a few drinks and have a little fun. Besides, it seems like something you need."
She was right, I did need to get out more. "Well, aren't your parents going to know we were out drinking?"
"When they go out they book into a hotel. They won't be coming back tonight. Don't worry, everything will be fine."
I took her word for it, after all I did trust her.
"Other than that, are you ready for a great time at the mall?" Audrey said, pitching her voice high as she finished her sentence, causing me to laugh.
"Totally."
***
After almost fifteen minutes of looking for the perfect parking spot, we strolled to the front entrance of the Gadarine Cafe. Being that this was the heart of the Beaumont Mall, it was best to park nearest to the entrance.
"Where to first?" I asked as we entered the food court, the smell of clashing fast food chains filling my nose.
"Well, we could stop by Bath & Body Works first. I heard they have this huge summer closeout sale. We can get a ton of the summer fragrances while we still have the chance."
I absolutely loved Bath & Body Works, so of course I agreed to go there.
Walking in, we were immediately greeted by a middle-aged woman, "Good morning! My name is Paige, is there anything in particular I can help you with today?"
"Well, we were just coming in to take advantage of the sales today." Audrey said as we walked in further.
"That's fantastic!" Paige said, "Well follow me, there are some great fragrances we have to offer."
"I'm going to go look over here," I said quietly to Audrey, motioning over to the other side of the store.
Seeing her nod, I paced over to the perfumes. I wasn't one to use perfume much, but I did like it.
I scanned the plethora of perfumes, looking to see if there were any that caught my eye.
And sure enough, one did.
Reaching forward, I plucked the square, glass bottle off of the shelf, along with one of the small strips of paper to test the scent.
I pulled off the cap, being sure to spray a small amount on the strip, letting it dry before taking a whiff of the aroma.
Mmmmm, vanilla.
It wasn't just vanilla though, it was intoxicating and sweet. Knowing I would purchase it, I grabbed a different bottle, one that was in a box. After I had it in my possession, I grabbed one of their shopping bags, knowing I would be buying more than just that.
I walked over to the candles and looked at what was on display. Seeing that they were 60% off, I just had to buy one.
I saw a few different ones that caught my eye, Citron Cedarwood, Bow Ties & Bourbon, Bergamot Waters, Watermelon Lemonade, and Mahogany Teakwood.
I picked up the Citron Cedarwood and read the description before smelling it.
Elegant cedar thrives in the countryside of Southern France and is at the heart of this sunny blend of fresh citrus and green moss.
As soon as I smelled the candle, I was addicted to the scent. Placing it in my bag, I picked up the small Mahogany Teakwood.
I closed my eyes and inhaled, taking in the scent of mahogany, oak, and a tiny bit of what smelled like lavender.
I placed the candle in my bag as well, making my way over to the body washes and shower gels. I knew I had to stop myself at some point in this store, so I thought this would be my last stop. Glancing over to the other side of the store, I saw Audrey and Paige by the lotions.... clearly entranced in the 'layering' technique.
I scanned over the bottles, deciding which ones I would like. I swiped Mediterranean Blue Waters into my bag as well as Beautiful Day and Sea Island Cotton. Knowing I had to stop myself, I approached the counter and placed the mesh bag down, allowing the clerk to ring me up.
"Your total today will be $27.43. Did anybody help you today?"
"Paige had offered my friend and I help, but I didn't need any." I said as I handed her $30. Once she handed me my change, I took my blue and white striped bag and walked past Audrey.
"I am going to go wait in the hall, okay?"
"I will be done in a few minutes." She responded and began to finish up gathering the items she wished to purchase.
While I was sitting on the small bench, I had the chance to look at what I was wearing.
I had on my Stitch T-shirt and my baby blue shorts. I wasn't very good at styling my clothes, but I did know what matched and what didn't. Instead of wearing my green converse, I had my light grey, worn out pumas on.
When Audrey came into view, she had a mischievous look on her face.
"What are you thinking?" I asked, cautious of what she could possibly be planning.
"I am going to treat you to something you haven't been treated to before." She said simply, leading the way down the hall. I was perplexed, I had know idea what she was talking about.
It wasn't long before we wound up in front of Victoria's Secret.
"So this is the little secret you were keeping?" I asked, trying to hold back a laugh, "pun intended."
"Yes!" She exclaimed and grabbed my hand, pulling me into the large store.
There were mannequins upon mannequins, all displaying some sort of lingerie.
"And why are you doing this?" I asked as we walked over to the bras, a sheepish feeling overcoming me.
"No questions. What's your bra size and your waist size?"
After giving her the dimensions of my chest and rear end, I began to blush as she went around the store, grabbing multiple things. I couldn't help but feel embarrassed, I never bought nice lingerie for myself. I always bought cheap stuff from Target or Walmart.
It wasn't long before she had motioned me towards the dressing room.
"I'm supposed to try these on?" I asked quietly, quite embarrassed by my inexperience in these types of stores.
"Um, yeah," Audrey responded as she laughed a little, "Here's your dressing room, just go in and put these on to make sure they fit. Every bra doesn't fit the same. Now panties on the other hand, you don't need to try them on because they all fit pretty close to the same."
I followed her orders, feeling slightly uncomfortable at the thought of her buying all of these things for me... considering I loathed taking money from people. Especially if I couldn't pay them back or they didn't want to be repaid.
***
Finally, after shopping in many stores, we made it to the food court to get a bite to eat before heading back home.
"I will stay here and watch the bags while you grab food and vise versa?"
"Sounds good," I agreed as I turned around in a small circle, scanning the different restaurants, trying to decide which I would go with for satisfying my appetite.
Seeing the options, I decided to go with Subway, knowing I order the same thing every time.
I weaved my way through the crowds of people, trying to get to the sandwich shop. Thankfully there wasn't a line and I was able to be helped right away.
Walking back to the table with my meal, I set down my tray, taking a seat.
"I think I'm going to get Panda Express this time..." Audrey said as she looked around, walking towards the Chinese place.
I took a sip of my Dr Pepper, letting the unique flavor sit in my mouth for a moment before sending it down to my stomach.
Pulling out my sub, still warm from the toaster oven they use to toast my sandwich. I took a bite, letting the taste of roast beef and American Cheese dance on my tongue as I chewed, swallowing after it had been processed in my mouth long enough.
By the time I had half of my foot-long finished, Audrey had finally made it back to the table with her orange chicken and fried rice.
As I ate, I looked around the food court. Near our table there was a small family of three. A young girl, her father, and her mother.
I felt a sense of annoyance stir inside my chest. I wasn't exactly sure why, but I resented them. They all looked so happy, they sat at the small square table eating their McDonalds, laughing at the silly face the girl's father had just made towards her.
"What's wrong?"
I was snapped out of the trance I was in, however, because it didn't take long for Audrey to notice what I had seen.
"It will be okay, sweetie. I know you're upset, but it will be okay." She voiced to me, placing one of her hands on mine.
"Why did she have to do that? Why can't he just be alive?" I said through gritted teeth, squishing the small piece of sub I had left in my right hand.
"I don't know. But I know he wouldn't want you to be mad over this." Audrey responded, packing up the rest of her chicken in the Styrofoam box. "Do you want to go?"
As she asked me this, I stood up, packing the rest of my food up. I couldn't help but try to hold back the tears that were starting to form.
By the time we had made it back to the car, tears were rolling down my cheeks. After putting all of the bags into the trunk I sat in the passenger seat, crying once again.
I felt a pair of arms wrap around me, "It's okay, you can cry." I heard Audrey whisper to me as I hugged her, sobbing into her shirt.
"I just want to have my dad again."
"I know, it'll be okay."
After I managed to stop the tears, Audrey started the car and backed out of our parking spot, beginning our journey back home.
"How about some music?" She asked, turning on the radio that was bluetooth connected to her phone.
It wasn't long before the first few beats of the song began to lift our moods, causing us to sing along to Twenty-One Pilots
"I wish I found some better sounds no one's ever heard,
I wish I had a better voice that sang some better words,
I wish I found some chords in an order that is new,
I wish I didn't have to rhyme every time I sang,
I was told when I get older all my fears would shrink,
But now I'm insecure and I care what people think.
My name's 'Blurryface' and I care what you think.
My name's 'Blurryface' and I care what you think.
Wish we could turn back time, to the good ol' days,
When our momma sang us to sleep but now we're stressed out.
Wish we could turn back time, to the good ol' days,
When our momma sang us to sleep but now we're stressed out.
We're stressed out.
Sometimes a certain smell will take me back to when I was young,
How come I'm never able to identify where it's coming from,
I'd make a candle out of it if I ever found it,
Try to sell it, never sell out of it, I'd probably only sell one,
It'd be to my brother, 'cause we have the same nose,
Same clothes homegrown a stone's throw from a creek we used to roam,
But it would remind us of when nothing really mattered,
Out of student loans and tree house homes we all would take the latter."
As the song continued, we sang along with the consecutive lyrics, just as we would on any other day. When we listen to music, we go all out and I'm sure strangers in other cars think we're nuts when they see us at stoplights.
I wasn't a singer, but I didn't care when I was with Audrey. I would always sing by myself but when I was with her, I went all out. She claimed I was a good singer, but I felt as if I was a dying walrus.
Before we knew it, we were already back at Audrey's humble abode. We lugged all of the bags back into the house and up to her room.
"Only three hours left before we hit the town... that means only three hours for us to finish our food and get ready!" She said slightly frantic, yet excited. However, I wasn't sure if I was ready for this.