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It creaked open, and a man with unruly hair who looked like he hadn’t slept in weeks climbed out of his vehicle.
“Sorry. I got a text, and when I looked back up at the light, it changed and—-”
I raised my hand and shook my head. “It doesn’t matter what you were doing. This…” As my eyes cut to our collided bumpers, I motioned my hand back and forth, “is going to look like my fault anyway. What’s your insurance?”
He gawked at me as if I asked him to solve a calculus equation. I waited, and he tucked his hands in his back pocket and avoided my gaze. I told him not to worry about it and opened the driver’s side of my truck. A few seconds later, I had a pen in one hand and my business checkbook in another.
He opened his mouth to say something and then zipped it shut. “I can’t take your money. Please. I can call a friend. He’s a—”
“What’s your name?” I asked, cutting him off.
I knew he didn’t have insurance, and from the looks of his clothing and vehicle, it seemed he didn’t have a lot or enjoyed living on the edge.
“Name? Before I change my mind and drive off.”
His eyes slid to the logo on my polo, unleashing a wave of anger. Before I could get another word in, he gave me every curse word in the book and added the cherry on top by telling me to go fuck myself before getting back into his car and driving off. I’ve only been in Stonebridge for a week, and I was already contemplating the decision to pack up and leave.
“Amber, you are the absolute worse parker in the history of all parkers,” Breonna snapped from the passenger seat.
“Then why didn’t you drive?” Amber put the car in park and applied a thin layer of lip gloss to her lips.
Breonna leaned in with a scrutinized look, “what’s that for?” She hissed before snatching the lip gloss from her fingers.
“Just in case.” Amber smacked her lips a few times and traced her finger below the bow of her bottom lip.
A bitter laugh escaped Breonna’s throat, and she shook her head. “In case of what? You accidentally run into a wall and face plant it?”
Amber creased her brows and pouted as she let Breonna’s words slip through one ear and out of the other. We climbed out of the cool car and into the overheated oven which was outside. Unaware of how hot it was today, I left the house wearing a pair of jeans and a dark-colored t-shirt. The front doors to the mall taunted us as we walked the fifty feet, and it seemed like it took forever to walk across the desert-like parking lot. I used to hate the mall.
Well, at least for the past four years, I did. Once my dad realized we had to cut back on things due to lack of funds, my weekly mall trips were reduced to holidays and birthdays only. The worst part about the whole thing was coming up with lie after lie to tell Breonna and Amber why I couldn’t hang out. Eventually, they learned the truth, releasing the heavy boulder off my shoulder, but it still didn’t make me feel all that better.
“You’re going from pretty pout to greasy fried chicken lips real fast over there, sugar tits.”
Amber took heed to Breonna’s warning and placed her tube of strawberry gloss back in her purse.
“You look cute, Amber,” I said as I jutted my elbow into her side playfully.
She smiled shyly and flipped her thick curls over her shoulder. We walked for a few minutes, passing the numerous stores, and I almost couldn’t contain my excitement. I had money to spend, and it was practically burning a damn hole in my pocket.
My call with constructionguy4478 ended four days ago and I remembered coming down from my high as a string of text messages from Breonna blew up my phone. She wanted to know all the details and then urged me to create my own account with the username I picked out ASAP so the mysterious guy could find me again. I logged on every day after that night, but he never came back online.
“Thinking about all the arts and crafts shit, you’re going to buy with your slut bucks?”
Breonna jutted her hip into mine, and grabbed my arm. “I’m not buying arts and craft stuff….” I let my words trail off because I was a lie. I already had my cart filled to the brim with things from my favorite online craft shop. “Well, I’m not spending all my money on craft stuff. Just a little.” I said as I wrapped my finger around a strand of hair.
Breonna gave me her ‘who you fooling’ look, and we both burst into uncontrollable laughter. “At least you're buying stuff you need. Unlike that one.” She said as she side-eyed Amber.
“What?” Amber protested
“You. That’s what. What are you shopping for anyway?”
Amber shrugged before she broke into her happy dance. “Okay, cats out of the bag.” She dug her fingers into her small purse and pulled out a folded piece of paper.
“Let’s see,” Breonna said as she snatched it from Ambers’ fingers.
Our eyes stared at the photo of a sandy blond hair guy wearing a Jersey on a soccer field.
“Oh, God. You’ve resorted to printing them out now and carrying them around in your purse.” Breonna said as she rolled her eyes.
