Under My Skin

Chapter 19- The Elevator- Part 1

Natalie's POV

I can't help but think about Luca and everything that has happened. I start to text him multiple times but I chicken out every time. I don't know what to say. And if he knows it was me that outted her, he may be mad because I didn't tell him first. I am not sure.

I am on Christmas break and it's two days before Christmas. I have sat around and done nothing for the last few days. Jessie texts me and asks me to go to the mall with her to get some presents for her mom and her grandma. I decide to tag along even though I don't have the money to buy anything for anyone. She's the only one I would buy for anyway. She understands I can't afford to and she doesn't care. That's another reason I value our friendship.

My grandma and I don't exchange Christmas presents. We never have. We don't even celebrate it together. I usually go to Jessie's house and we play games and hang out. It's become our tradition.

On our way to the mall, the snow starts to come down hard.

"Wow, we may want to make this a quick trip or we won't make it back home." I tell her.

"Oh it's fine. It's not even supposed to amount to anything. I checked the weather." she says acting like it's no big deal.

I just shrug it off as we pull into the mall. The mall is about a 45 minute drive from our house but it's huge! It's 4 stories high and has just about every store you could think of inside of it. There are certain ones I like to visit, even if I can't buy anything. One of them being the bookstore. I usually find a quiet corner in there and find a book and curl up and read while she shops. She loves to shop, where I typically don't. We go into a few stores together, but then we decide to separate. I let her know I was going to the bookstore and told her to text me when she was ready to leave.

The bookstore is on the top floor and I have to ride the elevator to get there. There are steps but they are for emergencies only so I have to take the elevator. I hate being on an elevator because of my fear of tight spaces and being closed in. I just always take a deep breath and close my eyes while I ride on one, so I can keep myself calm until I get to the floor I want.

I find a cozy corner in the bookstore to snuggle up to read in. It's out of sight of everyone and it's just peaceful. At some point while I was reading, I fell asleep. The only reason I wake up is because I hear someone come over the intercom in the store and say they were closing the mall down early due to the storm outside getting worse. I look at my phone and panic when I see that Jessie has tried to call and text me multiple times for the last 3 hours. Her final text said that she had to leave but would come back if I didn't already find a ride.

Geez this is not good.

I walk out into the mall and notice there is almost no one around. I almost start to freak out but Jessie's phone call relieves me.

"Hey where are you?" I ask her trying to stay calm.

"Are you still at the mall?" She asks.

"Yes, I fell asleep in the bookstore." I tell her.

"Geez, I looked all over for you before I left. I am really sorry but the roads are so bad they shut them down. I can't come back to get you. Try to call and see if an Uber or something can pick you up still? Tell them it's an emergency. I thought maybe you found someone to take you home and ditched me! I tried to call you and text you several times." She says.

"I know I saw it when I woke up. Let me try to figure it out. Maybe I could find a ride with someone that is still here. Hopefully there is someone I know." I tell her.