I text Talie back telling her that I'll be waiting outside in front of dorm building C. Not finding it necessary to wear something extravagant for the mall, I simply wear white shorts, a tight tube top, and flip flops with gold hoop earrings. Being that it's late August, it is still very hot out and I need to dress as comfortable as possible. In other words, not reveal too much to look like a slut and not wear too much that I perspire to death.
I haven't bought clothes here yet, so I figure I might as well do it tonight. Most of my clothes are either behind at home or I gave them to my younger sister. I check the balance in my checking account to making sure that I don't spend over too much on this shopping spree. I have to admit, I'm a little excited. This is my first time shopping in Los Angeles, and I don't know what to expect.
I head outside at 6:30, surprised to see Talie in the passenger seat of Axel's car. Dammit, Natalie! What's up with these surprises? I have to save the scolding I was going to give her for later.
Or not.
Needing to get out of this heat, I quickly step into the car and shut the door behind me. I'm pleased to find that Axel has the air conditioning on high; almost instantly I've cooled down and I'm not on the verge of sweating anymore. Natalie's sassy, yet cheerful voice greets me the moment I close the door behind me.
"Esme!" she chirps, "I haven't seen my best friend in forever!"
"Hey Tal," I say back. Much of my annoyance disappears when I see how excited she is to see me. "Hi Axel."
"Hi Esme." I see the corner of his mouth begin to tug upward into a smile. "You never texted me to let me know when you were free so I decided to take matters into my own hands."
"Oh, uhm yeah sorry about that," I attempt to apologize, "I was really busy yesterday and today, yaknow with the first two days and stuff."
"I'll forgive you this time Esme," he teases as he puts the car into drive. That English accent is to die for.
"How were your first two days at UCLA? Not as bad as you thought originally?" Talie turns around in the passenger seat to face me as she's talking.
"No, it wasn't that bad," I admit. "People on campus are actually willing to help me find my way around so I haven't really been struggling."
"People like Pierce?" She puts me on the spot, and I quickly attempt to dodge the topic before it has a chance to grow into something more.
"That was only once to bio class! I've been getting help from everyone. Axel actually drove me to campus once," I start, "Who you never, by the way, told me went to England!" I glare at her with accusing eyes.
"Oh, that," Talie glances sideways to Axel, "that's nothing."
She lifts a perfectly manicured hand and simply waves it off as if it doesn't matter. Axel chuckles to himself in the front seat.
"So?"
"You also forgot to mention that Axel goes to the same freakin school as me," I cross my arms over my chest.
"Honest to God, it slipped my mind. Does it really matter Esme?" she asks. "It's not like you would've never found out."
"Because you, as my best friend," I raise my finger to point an accusing finger at her, "should remember to tell me these things."
"Sorry May," Talie raises her hands in surrender, "from now on I'll tell you even the little things," she promises.
"Thank you, that's all I ask." I say, satisfied.
"Now, you and Pierce?" she squeals excitedly. "Ohmygod, tell me all the deets!"
"What do you mean? There is no me and Pierce," I state matter-of-factly.
She stares at me with her signature Are you sure? Don't play games with me look. "Then why did he have his arm around you??" she questions, not giving up.
"Tal, that was within the first ten minutes of meeting him!" For some reason I don't feel comfortable talking about this with Axel in the driver's seat, listening to every word in our conversation.
"And your point is?" She rolls her eyes. "It could've been love at first sight like Romeo and Juliet!" To dramatize the moment, she sighs dramatically and clasps her hands together.
"Yeah, most definitely," I drawl sarcastically. "He's good-looking and all but we're just friends," I assure her.
"Hmmm..." Talie taps her finger on her chin and looks at me for a couple more seconds before turning back around in the passenger's seat.
Axel doesn't say anything, which, if I know him, isn't a good thing since he's never at a loss for words. He seems to be deep in thought from his facial expression, but I can't read him.
"So...what are we even buying?" I wonder aloud.
"Whatever the hell we want. We're in L.A., the options are practically endless," Tal says back.
"I don't know, maybe I'll only window shop. I should be saving up my money for a car and everything." I start to reconsider my earlier decision.
"Okay, you should know by now that if you go to the mall with Natalie Parker in frickin Los Angeles, it sure as hell won't be to window shop. I mean, come on Esme! We have to live, have fun! We're in fucking college!" She points out.
"I guess you're right..." By this point Axel has parked and we've arrived at the biggest mall in L.A. "But I'm not spending too much!" I remind her as she practically drags me out of the car.
"Yeah, sure, whatever." A grin the size of California is painted on Talie's face. By the way she's smiling, it seems as if tonight is going to put a huge gap in my wallet.
The entrance of the mall is simply amazing. There are what seems like glass crystal panels that act as the mall windows. It looks especially beautiful because it's the nighttime, making them glitter in the moonlight. Talie and I seem to be frozen and stuck in our spots when Axel finally breaks his silent streak and cuts us out of our trance.
"Try not to catch any flies princesses, it's only a mall." He laughs at our incredulity.
I close my mouth immediately and give him what I hope looks like a playful glare. Talie is now more excited than ever and can't seem to form any coherent thoughts as we make our way toward the extravagant entrance.
Inside is just as beautiful, if not even more breathtaking. There are lights that decorate the railings, lighting up the mall in spite of the time of day.
"This is so overwhelming," Talie remarks, finally breaking out of her trance.
"I know right?" I agree completely. "Where do we even start???"
"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, to come with you guys," Axel runs his hands through his hair nervously.
"Oh, man up big brother!" Talie says, punching him in the arm. "This is going to be so much fun!" She rubs her hands together in glee.
I take a thorough look at my surroundings. There's literally every store you could every imagine, all in this one mall. Forever 21, Express, Wet Seal, Guess, New York & Company, Tilly's, H&M, Macy's, JC Penney, Urban Outfitters, A&F, and much, MUCH more.
"Let's look around first maybe to know what these stores have to offer," Axel suggests.
"Okay," Talie and I both agree.
"I need to stock up on more party dresses. The ones I have now have been worn too often," Tal complains.
"You shouldn't even be clubbing, you're much too young!" Axel scolds.
"Thanks, Dad," she fires back sarcastically. "You can't tell me what to do anymore, I'm 18," she reminds him.
Axel frowns in disapproval, probably annoyed at the thought of his little sister dancing with random strangers in a club.
Talie sways her hips as we walk through the mall, attracting the attention of many males, one of whom has a girlfriend clinging to his arm. I shake my head to myself. Guys.
A dress in the window of Express catches Talie's attention, and she squeals delightedly before forcefully taking my hand and pulling me into the store. Along with that one dress, she grabs at least 15 more party dresses. We have no problem sharing clothes since we are basically the same size. Her eyes brighten with desire increasingly as we walk through the store. She gives Axel all the dresses that she picked out. I see a pair of high waisted shorts that I like, so I take it off the shelf. I also get crop tops, more shorts, summer dresses, maxi skirts, capris, bandeaus, and more - I can't help myself.
At this point, Axel begins to struggle with the overwhelming pile of clothes that me and Talie have given to him. It's not that he has a difficult time because of the weight - trust me, he is very muscular as is - but every time a piece of clothing fell to the ground, he would bend down to pick it up, causing more clothes to tumble off of the increasing pile. I try my best to suppress a giggle as the three of us make our way to the dressing rooms.
Since all of the dressing rooms are full, we wait patiently for a stall to open. After about 5 minutes, a girl steps out of a dressing room. It is one of the small stalls meant for one person only, meaning that Talie and I have to go one at a time.
Talie is too enthusiastic, so I urge her to try on her clothes first. I'll go after her.
"I want to see all of the dresses on you!" I tell her as she enters the stall.
Axel and I wait for about 10 minutes, making conversation as we do so.
"How does it feel to be back in America?" I ask him.
"It felt a little weird on the first day back," he admits. "But yesterday was better, cause I sort of knew what to expect. America is...." he searches for the right word, "a little different compared to London."
"I can imagine," I agree. London probably is probably filled with poise and proper when it comes to manners and such. "Two years away from home is a long time, have you seen your parents yet?"
"No, not yet, I'm going to go in about three weeks. They left on a month-long vacation to the Bahamas about a week ago, so I won't be able to see them till they get back."
"Oh, right! Talie mentioned that your parents went on vacation recently."
"Would you like to come with me?" he asks suddenly.
"Where?"
"To see my parents when they come back." He rubs the back of his neck in...nervousness?
"I would love to," I smile. Our conversation is cut short when Talie exits the fitting room to show us her dress.
Wow. The black dress accentuates her curves and has a V-neck that drops to the middle of her torso, baring some of the skin beneath her chest.
"I like it!" She exclaims. "I'll wear it to my first party," she comments, examining herself in the mirror.
"It looks amazing on you!" I say. Talie loves attention, and if anything screams Here I am, this is it.
"Absolutely not. Are you trying to get raped??" Axel obviously does not agree. We catch the glares of some mothers in the fitting room with their daughters. Axel doesn't know that his disapproval will only persuade her to get the dress even more.
Talie ignores his opinion and states, "I'm getting it." She struts back into the stall to try on another dress and I roll my eyes in amusement. Oh Talie.
She tries on a lot more dresses, all of which aren't exactly what you would call modest. Finally, she's done trying on her clothes and leaves the dressing room smiling with a bunch of clothes in her arms. "Your turn," she tells me.
I enter the dressing room and start by wearing the first pair of high waisted shorts and fall in love with them immediately. I try on the rest of the clothes I got and am pretty pleased with the results. For the most part, they all fit me perfectly.
I turn to the hook on the wall and stare at the last thing that I have to try on. I only got one party dress just to see how it would look on me. It is fire red and strapless, with sequins that embellish the chest area. Nervously, I slip the dress on over my head and tug it down over my hips. I look down to smooth it out, and look back into the mirror.
Holy shit.
The dress actually makes me look...desirable. There isn't a back to the dress, meaning my back is entirely exposed, dipping all the way to above my bottom. This dress bares a whole lot of cleavage. In the middle of my scrutinization, Talie speaks from the outside of the stall.
"Did you get any dresses?"
"Only one," I say back.
"Well, come on let's see it!"
"No, it's much too short and ---"
"Esme..." Talie warns.
"I mean it's actually a bit too tight if you ask me ---"
"ESME." Talie says much more sternly.
Embarrassed, I slowly open up the door to the dressing room and walk into the shocked expressions of Talie and Axel.
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Can't you imagine Talie's sassy personality to go with Ashley Benson's? (aka Hanna from Pretty Little Liars)
I'm at about 370 reads! Next update will be when I get to 500 total ;) VOTE PLEASE <3 I love you all so much!