Wildflowers

Chapter 29- Red

Alexandra, August 19th

I push the shopping-trolley, as I look around the ginormous high-ceiling store, it has everything- food, furniture, home-products, building supplies and whatnot.

I'm spending quality time with Lucas Aden; he took me out to a store thirty-minute bus ride from home.

"...there's this two-story slide too." Lucas states and a second later after we have walked out of the kitchen furniture aisle, he points up to where the slide starts.

"We're so going there"

He grins, "That's exactly about right" he bumps his hip into mine. I shake my head at myself for my childish nature-y act, but gotta live out my inner child.

I leave the cart to the others and Lucas grabs my hands, dragging me up the stairs. It's a spiral tube slide, wide enough to fit two average sized people to sit side-by-side. We don't do that, though, the safety rules, and all.

Lucas goes first and I give him a little push, he flies down with a little yelp. I grin to myself.

"Aye, you!" a voice behind me says. "You can't go there, up to age twelve only!" A bald dude in staff uniform is trudging my way, but I'm already spiralling downwards.

Literally.

Lucas stands at the end of it and I fucking gasp, "The fuck are you doing?" Bro is just causing ruckus.

He shrugs and pushes me by shoulders as I stand up. We walk around the store and throw random shit into the cart, whatever looks cool and interesting enough.

I'm not paying so, I don't care.

Lucas puts his hand on the cart, and we stop absurdly. "Wait"

"You good?" I ask, he shakes his head.

But I see it's already too late, because a group of teenage guys and a few girls are walking our way.

My biggest fear, to me honest.

The group approaches Lucas, making jokes and whatever guy-talk they have going on. Lucas' friends I can tell, or something like that. The girls throw glances at me, and I avoid eye-contact, at the same time trying to act indifferent. I hate everything.

Finally, Lucas walks us away and the gang walks the other way, laughing or whatever. Lucas kept his cool and interacted like friends do, but shit is off.

"Friends don't like you too much?" I expect him to be offended or something, but he shrugs and looks away.

Tough guy act on, now.

"They are douches, lowkey" he says, shoving hands into his shorts' pockets. "My friends from school, yeah."  I can see where this is going.

"Not as cool and funny and sexy as me?" I tease, smirking, giving my best to brighten the mood.

Shitty friends can drain you so bad, I want to hug the dude.

Lucas cracks a smile, his brown eyes still a little sad. "That's right, Al. You're one of a kind"

"What was that supposed to mean?" I gasp, playing along. Offended.

He slings an arm around me after he swipes the card, takes one of the bags, me taking the other one and we leave the store. "Nothing, Alex. You're perfect."

I raise my eyebrow. Not perfect, but I try, I guess.

Lucas begs me to go to the mall few minutes away, but I refuse. Too much social interaction already done. I will force myself to pass out if I were to go somewhere and be more social, with more, lot of people.