𝙵𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚆𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛 || 𝙰𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗 𝙱𝚞𝚝𝚕𝚎𝚛

09 - Thanksgiving Pt. 1

𝚂𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐, "𝙾𝚑, 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎, 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚖𝚎 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚕𝚍, "

𝙿𝚞𝚕𝚕 𝚖𝚎 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚞𝚙 𝚋𝚢 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙸'𝚕𝚕 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚠

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚌𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚊𝚍𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜

Song Suggestion: Even Robots Need Blankets – Mayday Parade

ELSIE

"Oh shit."

With all the commotion with Nox last week, it must've slipped our mind about what was coming up.

"What?" Austin engrossed in some game that had just come out.

His fingers rapidly and diligently working on the controller buttons. His long fingers clicking the sides, his thumb swirling a joystick. The way he was so focused, so determined. There was something so enticing about it. It made me wonder how it would feel—

Maybe I had been away from Nox too long.

I hadn't complained about his time spent on it all week because I would just observe him. I'd lay on the couch next to him. Start by reading some book, but my eyes drifted up to watch him. The book was a good cover. Although my not so innocent book choices really did not help.

"Thanksgiving is tomorrow." I sat up.

He immediately paused his game, "Oh shit. How the fuck did we miss that?"

The sun was already beginning to lower across the concrete skyline. Dark orange and yellow rays spread over clouds. If there was any hope at salvaging a Thanksgiving, it had to be now.

"We have to go to the store or something." I liked holidays sure, but I needed this. I needed something good. I couldn't be kicked out of my home and do nothing on Thanksgiving.

"Where are we gonna get a fucking turkey at this time? On Thanksgiving eve?"

He was right, where were we going to get any food now. I twirled a piece of hair around my finger in thought. The coarseness of the strand reminded me that I needed more than man conditioner. The baggy shirt and sweatpants reminded me that I had no clothes here. Suddenly my life's mission became shopping.

"I don't know, but we have to go."

-

We decided that the best course of action would be to take a subway out of the city. Near our old college town. The grocery stores there were prepared for last minute twenty-year olds having their first thanksgiving away from home. And the clothing stores were cheap.

While this wasn't our first Thanksgiving together, it was the first one we had been this late for. We spent most holidays together, especially after his dad passed. I wouldn't want to go home to my mom, and he wouldn't want to see his either.

After rushing into a random clothing store and grabbing anything that was cheap and cute, we headed to our old bodega. I pushed a teeny cart through the cramped store. The metal buggy creaked across the linoleum floor. It was filled with whatever was left from the picked over holiday foods. Air was sweet, filled with the aroma of left-over pastries. Shelves and racks stocked with Spanish candies and snacks. I used to love coming here to pick out fruit you couldn't find in the city.

"Look what I found!" Austin held up a turkey so small it could've been a chicken.

"C'mon that thing is so tiny, there's barely any meat on it."