anything (a cameron boyce love story)

twelve: incoming.

Ada felt it coming.

It felt like someone was climbing onto her back. Grabbing a hold of her neck to hoist themselves up. Placing each leg onto her shoulders until they were sitting there. She tried to fight it off, the fat lump trying to climb her until it settled itself down on her skeleton.

It was happening, and she didn't know how to stop it. She never did. It was like one moment she was fine and the next she was suffocating. This feeling of oncoming depression was familiar, but she didn't want it to come. She couldn't let it come. She needed to combat it before it made its arrival. And fast.

She had gone and sat in her usual lounge chair on the balcony, looking out at the interstate ramp. The familiar sounds of the cars driving by and the yells of children playing in the pool below her sounded... the same.

Ada figured that maybe she just needed to get out of the house. Get some fresh air. She would call Lauryn to come get her, maybe go out to the mall. But Ada changed her mind, realizing she was actually sick of that damn mall. The routine of going out to eat at some overpriced salad joint and then walking from one boujee store to the next until her feet hurt and gossiping about shit she didn't care about honestly felt so played out.

Everything sounded the same. Everything was the same. Every single day was the same.

Ada let out a sigh as she stared out at the outside world beyond the condo. She could see the shopping center that was across the street. Expensive fast food chains, department stores, and spas. She could faintly see people parking and getting out of the cars, families holding hands as they entered stores. Fashionable middle-aged women talking on the phone with their purses on their arms, sashaying as they headed to spend their husband's money on unnecessary household items and decorations and clothes. Teen girls drinking smoothies as they walked in groups on the sidewalks, shopping bags softly hitting their hips.

Ada perked up a bit, wondering if she should take a walk to the Target that was the epicenter of the shopping center. That was something she hadn't done in a while. She did need to pick up some more pain medicine. And Cameron was running out of his hair conditioner. And she needed some more face wash. Maybe she could grab a smoothie from the juice bar that was near-by. This little trip could kill two birds with one stone, combatting her redundant everyday routines as well as pushing away that incoming emptiness that was trying to lay itself inside her.

So Ada changed from her pajamas and threw on some leggings and one of Cameron's shirts, grabbed some tennis shoes and headed out on a little walk. She walked a bit slowly, more like a stroll. Looking out at the pretty sky mixed with the early afternoon sun. It felt so good, being out by herself. Not in someone's passenger seat or holding onto a hand as she was being led somewhere.

When she reached Target, she grabbed a hand-held basket and simply walked the aisles. She picked some stuff up for Cameron, knowing he needed more of those white t-shirts that he liked to sleep in, he was starting to outgrow them. And she picked up some more of his favorite cereal and of course his green tea that he couldn't live without. After making sure his items were squared away, she went to the beauty aisle. She happily and peacefully browsed, taking her time and looking at different products.

But she felt a feeling wash over her while she was reading the information on a box of face masks. Like someone was looking at her. She paused before darting her pupils to look out of her peripheral and noticed a girl standing near her. Ada glanced at the girl, and ended up making eye contact with her. Nervously, she gave a quick shy smile before going back to looking at the face masks.

But fifteen seconds later, Ada could still feel the girl's eyes. Getting creeped out, Ada put the box down back in its place before taking herself over to another aisle. But she quickly got a weird feeling when she went into the main aisle of the store, a group of young people abruptly pausing when they laid eyes on her. They all looked at each other with questionable faces that turned into excitement as they whispered to themselves. Ada wasn't sure what the little clan were chatting and getting hyped up about, figured it was none of her business so she kept walking.