The air reeked of crusty feet, the odor wavering to my nostrils, torturing my strong sense of smell. Sweaty bodies pressed up against mine, invading my personal space, making me feel claustrophobic. My stomach churned in disgust at the sight of an old man eating spaghetti with his fingers –God knows where his hands have been.
I glared at my three best friends who were sitting down on the bus seats, while I stood up, clutching the silver, metal pole. Eric grinned at me, sensing my displeasure as he lazily relaxed in his seat next to Tiffany.
“Why are we taking the bus?” I asked, gripping the pole harder when the bus bounced up and down on rocky gravel.
“Because none of us have a car,” Emily answered immediately. “Man, this sucks.” I nodded my head to agree, but a fat man blocked my view of Emily’s face. His butt crack was mooning me, and I shuddered in horror, my eyes averted to the dusty ground.
Eric snickered, pointing at me as I hugged the pole when the bus dipped in a pothole. “Stripper pole!” he laughed, earning a smack on the head from Tiffany. “Kidding,” he mumbled, rubbing his head.
I shook my head at Eric’s immatureness. “Why do you seen in him, Tiff?”
A light blush grew on Tiffany’s face, while Eric smirked. “Well, what doesn’t she see in me?” Eric didn’t wait for me to reply and said, “I’m every girl’s fantasy.”
I barked out laughing, whereas Emily choked on her spit. “That’s gross. I’m your sister!” Emily scrunched her face in disgust. “You are definitely not my fantasy.”
Eric rolled his eyes. “Obviously you don’t count. But I’m serious, all the ladies want me.”
Emily snorted. “Ha, yeah right. Dad keeps lying to you.”
“Emily you’re just jealous. Let’s face it. I’m the good looking twin while you’re the ugly duckling,” Eric paused then said, “You don’t even have a date to the dance!”
And the arguing began.
My head lolled back and forth, as I watched Emily and Eric’s non-stop spatting. I would stop them but I just didn’t feel like it. I was stuck on a bus, full of weird, smelly people, so their arguing wouldn’t really make a difference right now. I was actually glad that I was standing up, away from their squabble. Tiffany’s head slumped down in annoyance, her hands scrunching her dirty blonde hair.
I felt a burning sensation in my arm from an incessant poking and I immediately inched my arm away. I glared at the little boy who was poking me, with a silly smile on his face. He prodded my arm again, and this time I winced. I could feel the blood dribbling down my arm, in need of a new band aid. His mother didn’t say anything at all, instead she just watched her son afflict pain on me. Ignorant much?
Because his mother was watching, I wasn’t allowed to swear at the little boy. “Stop it,” I hissed in a low voice, but he didn’t stop. Sighing, I moved away from the pole to another pole, away from the pesky little boy. “I should’ve asked Adam to drive us to the mall,” I muttered.
Emily gasped. “Hey, maybe I should ask Adam to be my date to the dance! Lila, your brother is hot!”
“He’s nine years older than us. Wouldn’t that be weird?” I laughed. “If you really want to ask him, knock yourself out!”
Before Emily could reply, the bus came to a fast jerk, and the fat guy that mooned me earlier fell –on me. I tried catching him, but he was way too heavy to hold. He could be mistaken for a sumo wrestler if it wasn’t for the fact that he didn’t give the bus a lowrider! Or maybe he did give the bus a lowrider, considering that the drive was kind of slow.
“Oh God,” I gasped, my face smooshed into the dirty, germ infested floor. Pain shot up through my wounded arm, and I was pretty sure that I was going to get it amputated later. “What did I do to deserve this?” I mumbled, waiting for someone to get the fat guy off of me.
“Oh my God!” a voice shrieked. “Yeah! We’re finally at the mall! Damn, it felt like hours! Shopping, here I come!” Oh, well, I thought it felt like hours before the fat guy clambered to his feet. He didn’t even bother to help me up or apologize.
“Lila? Are you okay?” a soft voice spoke, pulling me up, fortunately, by my good arm. I straightened my glasses on my face, surprised that they didn’t even break, and looked at the person gripping my arm.
My lips twitched into a grimace as I said, “Tiff, do I look okay?”
Eric chortled next to me. “Ha! You got squashed by a fat guy!” Tiffany smacked Eric on the head, while Emily punched him in the shoulder, a cry escaping his lips.
I groaned but proceeded to walk out of the bus. When we were all out, I muttered, “Never again am I taking the city bus.”
Even though it was a weekday, the mall was packed with people. I squeezed through the crowd with my friends in tow, hoping to find an empty space where I could stand without someone stepping over my foot. My right arm stung, and I really needed to check it. When we came to an area with small, leather couches, I plopped down with a sigh. Eric stared at the video game store across from us, while Emily and Tiffany frowned at me.
“Don’t you want to come help us find dresses?” Tiffany questioned softly.
I narrowed my eyes at her. “No. I’m having a bad day and I’m tired after the freaking bus incident. I just want to relax. Go on without me.” My voice was strong and stubborn, and they knew that I wouldn’t budge. After seconds of staring at me, they sighed and walked off to shop.
Emily turned and shouted, “When you get that stick out of your ass, come find us!” Gasps escaped mothers and the elderly’s mouths at Emily’s bad language. “Oh and if you don’t find us, make sure you don’t miss the bus!” She grinned wickedly, knowing fully well that I despised the bus after what just happened.
After they left, I decided to troop to the bathroom to check my arm. When I got to the bathroom, there was no one there which I was glad for. I didn’t want people to eye me nosily or have to be stuck in a tiny stall. I carefully pulled my sweater off and I didn’t even have to look at the wound to know that it was bleeding badly. I winced as I carefully pulled the band aid off, the adhesive peeling. The skin was ripped even more, probably from all the movement I had been making, and it hurt like hell when I touched it with wobbly fingers. Because there wasn’t a drug store or superstore in the mall, I had to settle with paper towels from the paper towel dispenser. I wiped off the dried blood on my arm, the metallic smell drifting to my nose. The paper towel wouldn’t stay on place on my arm, so I had to use two small band aids that I had in my pocket, and used them to tape the towel on my arm. When I was finished, my arm felt much better, the stinging reduced to a light tingling. Because my sweater was a dark blue, the blood wasn’t noticeable, as I pulled it back on.
I left the bathroom in better spirits than when I first got to the mall. Strolling around, I watched as people carried shopping bags, grinning at what money could buy. A few kids passed by me, eating some frozen yogurt, and my stomach jumped at the thought of having some. Frozen yogurt, here I come! I began walking in the direction of the frozen yogurt shop, licking my lips in excitement. Because I was eager to get some frozen yogurt, I didn’t stop myself from running into someone, even though I saw them heading towards me. This was what fro-yo did to me!
“Oh, sorry,” I apologized, looking up at the person I bumped into. My previous smile twisted into a scowl. “Just great…”
Luke’s face contorted in revolt. “Are you stalking me?” he asked. “Not only a loser but a stalker too.”
I gaped at him, not believing my ears. “Hell to the no!” I spluttered incredulously. “Stalk you? You’re out of your mind! Why would you think that?” I yelled furiously.
“Well, nerds don’t have lives outside of school. And because I’m so hot, you decided to stalk me… because you have no life.”
Rude and offensive. Oh and I forgot, conceited too.
“You’re such a vainglorious ignoramus!” I huffed out, glaring at Luke.
He stared at me with a blank face then his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Did you just speak Spanish? Or did you speak magic or something. Wait a sec…” he paused then asked, “Are you a wizard?”
Note to self: Do not use big words in front of Luke. It will only confuse him.
“You are a conceited blockhead,” I clarified, pursing my lips. “That actually describes you very well,” I added with a chuckle.
“Loser. That word describes you very well,” he retorted and pushed past me. “Ah, exactly what I came here for.” Luke’s eyes were trained on a group of giggling teenage girls. I shook my head at him and continued on my journey to the frozen yogurt shop.
What I liked about the frozen yogurt shop was that it was self-served. All you needed to do was grab a cup, fill it with yogurt, add toppings, pay, and viola, you were done. And that was exactly what I did when I got there. After paying, I sat down at an empty booth in the farthest corner of the shop that was isolated from all the other seats. I stuck a spoon in my mouth, the frozen yogurt melting on my tongue.
Shoving too much of the frozen treat in my mouth, yogurt dribbled down my chin. Laughing softly at myself, I got up from my seat to grab a napkin. I stopped in my tracks when I saw Luke at the utensils station. So was he stalking me now?
He turned around, juggling three cups of frozen yogurt, and when he saw me, he smirked. “See, you are stalking me.”
“No, I’m not,” I countered. “I was here first.” I sidestepped around him to get a napkin. “Maybe you’re the one stalking me?” I narrowed my eyes, wiping my chin with a napkin.
“In your dreams,” Luke sneered. “Why would I stalk you when I have two hot girls waiting for me over there?” He pointed towards a table in the middle of the shop, where two Barbie girls sat. “Goodbye, loser.” Luke sauntered over to their table, giving them his signature smirk.
I scowled at his retreating back, annoyed with being called ‘loser’. Sighing, I headed back over to my booth to enjoy more of my delicious treat. Licking my lips, I brought my spoon to my lips but stopped midway.
I could sense it. My stomach tossed and crashed like a tsunami, twisting in all directions. My heart pounded in my chest, louder than a thunderstorm. I clenched my eyes, trying to get a hold of myself. I gripped the edge of the table, taking in shaky breaths. My eyes searched the shop, looking for the opponent.
That was when they came in.
It wasn’t obvious that they were thugs. They dressed in normal apparel, not the black ski mask. That was a stupid move because people would obviously remember their face. There were three of them, all bulky except for one. I immediately ducked down, safely hidden by my booth in the dark corner. This was a difficult situation. They were robbing a mall, full of innocent citizens. No doubt that they had weapons on them. I couldn't let them injure someone, or worse, kill.
One of the bulky men pushed a button on the side of the shop, and a metal barrier cascaded down, blocking off the entrance and or exit. We were now hostages. Customers looked at them in confusion and shock, wondering why they activated the barrier even though it wasn’t closing time.
“No one move!” the slender thug commanded, holding up a revolver. “Or I’ll shoot!” Against the thug’s demand, people screamed and scurried over to the barrier, banging on the metal in need of help. A loud bang chorused, and gasps escaped everyone’s mouths, hearing the gunshot. “I’ll shoot again but this time it won’t be the wall, it’ll be one of you.” There was a deafening silence as everyone realized that he was serious and they were all screwed. Well, not entirely screwed. They had me. “All of you, stand in the corner! You too!”
I bit my lip in anxiety. I couldn’t mess up, or innocent people would get hurt. I slowly pulled up my hood, making sure to be quiet. I tightened the strings so that it would cover most of my face but not block my vision. I needed the right moment to make my move. I couldn’t be careless. I was their only hope.
“Hey, hey man! Don’t point that thing at me!” a familiar voice protested, and I internally groaned. Couldn’t Luke just shut up? Did he want to get killed? Idiot! “Ow! Okay! You got us cornered now!”
I peeked out from under the table, seeing that the thugs indeed had them cornered. Both of the bulky thugs cradled a revolver while keeping watch, as the slender thug pilfered the cashier machine. Why didn’t they just rob the Abercrombie & Fitch store? I was pretty sure they had more sales than a freaking frozen yogurt shop!
“What the hell are you doing?” The slender thug moseyed over to the trembling people in the corner. “B*tch! Give me that!” I watched as the thug smacked his hand across a woman’s cheek. The woman let out a cry, sinking to the floor. “Calling for help?” he sneered, fumbling with the phone. “Who is this?” he demanded on the other line.
The phone was on speaker, so all of us heard the reply. “Let the hostages out,” an authoritative voice spoke. The man on the other line was obviously an officer by the way he spoke with confidence.
“Alright,” the slender thug replied, and hope crossed everyone’s face. “For a ransom of ten million dollars. Give me that and I’ll let ‘em go… with some minor injuries.” The thug snapped the phone shut and chucked it to one of the other thugs.
“W-what are you going to do with u-us?” a fearful voice asked.
“Whatever I want,” he sneered, crossing his arms. “Torture.”
Cries and gasps erupted, and I took this chance to move out from under the booth to behind the cashier counter. No one saw my movement, and I was glad for that. I didn't need to give up my cover.
I peeked forward a bit to see what was happening. Two young men in the corner were furtively conversing, shaking their heads, mouthing words. From my standpoint, I could see that they were going to take on the thugs. Too bad, they had no chance and were most likely going to get killed.
Before I could make a move, the two young men broke out from the group and rammed themselves on the two bulky thugs. The thugs didn’t shoot but took this as a challenge and began swinging their fists. One of the young guys fell back as a thug punched him roughly in the stomach. The other young man was still on his feet, but the other thug was repeatedly smashing his fist in the young man’s face.
I was going through all the possible things I could do. I needed a distraction without getting noticed. An idea immediately came to me when I looked over my shoulder, seeing an opened door, leading to the storage room. Crawling over to the door, I could hear groans coming from the young men. At least they tried.
The storage room was completely dark, but with my sharp vision I could see almost everything. The coldness of the room made me quiver slightly, but I bit my lip to stop my teeth from chattering. I found a baseball cap from a clothes hook on the wall and I topped it on my head, prohibiting people from seeing my eyes. I tucked my glasses in the pocket of my sweatshirt, making sure that no one would recognize me, especially Luke. Creeping over to a metal shelf, there was a box of gumballs that would work for later. Gently sliding it out the door, I looked for something breakable.
A glass plate glittered in the dark, and I swore it was a signal from the heavens. I picked the plate up, feeling that it was hard and smooth. It was perfect for the job. My heart hammered in my chest at what I was going to do. Counting to three, I hurled the plate to the floor, smashing into a gazillion pieces. There was a commotion coming from outside along with swearing, and I dashed behind the storage door, ready to bring it on.
The two bulky thugs burst in the room, and I planted my fist in the first thug’s face, knocking him out completely. The other thug raised his gun to shoot, but I managed to swing my foot in the air and knocked it from his grasp. I punched him in the stomach then grabbed his hand and whirled him into the metal shelf. The shelf collapsed over him and when he didn’t move, I was pretty sure he was unconscious.
Dropping down to my knees, I sneaked out of the storage room and crouched behind the counter. My hands throbbed from the blows I kept giving the thugs but I ignored that, hearing the main thug roar.
“What the hell’s going on, boys?” he screamed, looking towards the storage room, where his two bulky men were lying unconscious.
When there was no reply, the main thug narrowed his eyes. I could tell that he was debating on what to do by the way he kept looking towards the storage room, then to the cornered people. He kept his eyes trained on the cornered people as he walked backwards, and I grinned at how lucky I was. Releasing the box of gumballs next to me, the gumballs rolled all over the floor. Not seeing the mess, the main thug stumbled over the gumballs, falling on his butt. Unfortunately, his gun was strapped to his belt so he still had that on him. He tried getting up but failed miserably.
I rushed out of my hiding spot and pounced on the man. I swung my fist at his face while fumbling to get the gun with my other hand. I managed to unstrap the gun from his belt, but he gripped my hands to steal it away from me. I accidently fired the gun, but luckily, the bullet hit the ceiling. Screams broke out upon hearing the gun shot. The main thug was angry with having to fight with me over the gun, so he punched my cheek.
The impact was so hard that the gun slipped from my hands, gliding across the room. The thug flipped me over, his body crushing mine. I gasped, his heavy weight cutting off my oxygen. He aimed to punch my face, but I thrashed my leg up, making him fly into the wall.
A loud metal noise stole my attention. I glanced at the metal barrier to see that it was rising up. Officers swarmed inside the shop, swaying their guns. I scrambled to my feet, dusting off my sweater, making sure that I looked ordinary. The cornered people dispersed among the officers, looking for protection. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the main thug slump towards the deserted gun. The officers were too busy assisting people to notice, and I was the only one that could stop him.
In a swift move, I hurled myself at him to get the gun but he darted out of the way. I scurried over to get the gun first, but unluckily, the gun was in his filthy mitts. He mounted to his feet, and I jumped back a few steps.
“My baby!”
He brought out a sobbing little girl from behind him, and my eyes bulged out of their sockets. What was I going to do now?
“I will shoot."
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Will he really shoot? Haha, vote and comment to find out! This wasn't that intense, not the climax guys, okay?