Rhythm Tunes

Overwhelmed

Myke hated going to the mall.

He didn't always hate it, despite what one might think. Coming to the mall on Christmas was normally a fun time for him, and on a few other days he liked coming to this money-draining hellhole.

Today, however, wasn't one of those days.

Mya had dragged him to the mall that day because the demon wanted a part of shoes that she just had to have. She had thrown him into the back of her family's car that day after finding out online that their local shopping mall had them in stock. Her parents, less than thrilled about him tagging along with them, drove the pair to the mall so their child could get what she wanted so badly.

The singer could never understand girls, and their obsessions with getting fancy shoes, or makeup, or other typical things they did. He had no interest in it, though he put up with it all due to his partner being so into it. He didn't understand why Mya had insisted that he go along with her, when she was just going for some shoes. It wasn't like she was going to be gone terribly long.

It would have saved him the nasty glares and overly passive-aggressive comments by her parents on the way there too, but she had promised to get him some yummy treats after it, so he didn't put up much of a fight. It would all be worth it at the end of the day.

He regretted that choice right about now.

The second the two got into the mall, Myke got a bad feeling; like he was about to have the worst time of his life. His red-haired girlfriend grabbed onto his hand, dragging him toward the store that she needed to get to.

The store that Mya was rushing towards, was deep within the mall. The feeling that Myke had gotten earlier had intensified, making a knot form in the pit of his stomach. The mall, as he looked around, was packed today. No matter where one turned, there was a high chance of bumping into someone with how crowded it was. Due to Mya's eagerness to get her shoes, she had no problem with nearly crashing into strangers while pulling her boyfriend behind her. That caused him to have people he didn't know brushing up against him or pushing him to get him out of their way.

The deeper the couple got into the mall, the louder the crowd got. Chatter echoed around the building, people speaking loudly so others could hear them over the other noises. Music blared over the speakers, which on any other day, he wouldn't mind, but right now, it was too loud. He could only hear random gibberish and a mix of other odd sounds from it. Other noises began to mix in as he started to spiral. Echoes of footsteps against the floor, the vending machine flaring to life, kids yelling and shrieking—the sound of mall games sounding from where they played out in the open—. They all cut into his nerves like a hot knife.

The black-haired teenager could hardly think anymore. Why were he and Mya here again? It felt like they had been walking for hours at this point, but in reality, it had only been five or so minutes since they ventured off to the store. He was too out of it to realize it, the sense of time was out of his control. Myke's breathing picked up slightly, not enough to be noticed by his girlfriend, but enough to cause him discomfort.

Myke's stomach twisted into another painful knot, it grew ever larger. Mya moved her hand around his, locking their fingers together. If it had been any other day, he would have been happy to hold her hand, but right now, it only made him more uneasy. Mya, being a demon, had long, sharp nails, that dug into the teenager's flesh. The singer knew that his girlfriend couldn't help it, as it was a part of her, even if she cut them, they grew back quickly. She didn't bother to cut them due to that. On any other day, Myke wouldn't mind it, but right now, he wanted nothing more than to tug his hand away from her.