Two Queens

Window Shopping

~Heather~

"Now this is one way to distract yourself," I sigh, completely satisfied with the atmosphere of the mall today.

Unlike everything else in my life, the mall seemed to maintain its usual bustle and thrum of busyness. People flocked to and from different stores, toting colorful bags and holding cups of iced tea or other beverages. Others queued on the escalators, chatting away on their phones or gasping at the bright display of lights that they'd forgotten to take down when the Christmas period ended months ago. A few kids were about, either being dragged by their parents, throwing a hissy fit or calmly holding their parent's hand.

Like always, the mall was a prime example of a working food chain. Mall employees were placed in the middle, depending on their role, store clerks and workers often being lower down than managers or esteemed business owners. Then you had the normal customers, the ones who came here regularly and fought over products that were priced as thirty percent off. Then came the more wealthy customers, the ones who left generous tips or more or less funded the continuation of certain stores. Then, finally, came the most important person in the mall: its owner and their family.

Whenever things got particularly stressful at school, I often tended to come here. Just watching the peaceful chaos of this place was wonderful. Most of the time I used it to see how I could fix flaws in Wawanakwa's own food chain.

Today, however, was different from most days. Even though I did feel stressed as hell with school matters, I didn't come here to seek some peace and quiet. Instead, I was here to distract Courtney and hopefully keep her on track. With the little slip up she had done last night, I'm not too sure if she's reliable anymore. Too much points at her straying away from the plan and if that was true, I needed to adjust it before she ruined it.

"I don't see how this helps, Heather," Courtney frowns, her nose crinkling as she watches a small, chubby kid pick his nose. When I spot it, I also frown. Ew. I get he's a kid, but isn't he like twelve?

"Oh Courtney," I tut, shaking my head as I point toward the storefronts directly opposite where we were. Standing there, in a group, were some guys from another local school, looking very bored but also very much like the thing Courtney needed to ease up a little. After all, Duncan worked very well at distracting her; what's to say another him wouldn't work? "It's not the mall that helps, but the people you meet there."

Courtney bites her lip, "I don't know, Heather. I'm still struggling with Duncan and I'm not completely over what happened."

"Yeah, but you kissed Justin," I say, smirking as she stares at me with wide eyes and an open jaw. Easily, I take a sip from my bubble tea, completely ignoring her surprised and shocked face. "Plus, no-one would really blame you if you just... moved on. I'm sure testing out the waters a little won't be such a crime. I mean, you deserve it after putting up with that dick for two years. You were everything he wanted and yet he still chose to fuck his best friend."

Toying with Courtney like this isn't nice. I know that. Using Duncan and his actions to get what I want isn't something I should do. However, I am too used to using anything and everything to preserve the power I so rightfully want to keep. Losing Courtney would mean losing everything I have worked on. Losing this Gwuncan vs Duncney war would mean going right back to where I was four years ago - leaving myself to soak in my own self-pity.

Plus, I want Alejandro to think again about what he said earlier. I want Alejandro to know that I can replace him just as easily as he can replace me. While he is busy trying to make me feel as weak and insecure as he is, I am going to show him that I have more power than he thinks. I'm going to show him that just because we almost dated once, doesn't mean that he will forever hold my heart within his slippery hands.