𝐅𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘 • Randall Floyd

Chapter 3

WILLA was so agitated with herself that the moment she got in her car she groaned from the pit of her stomach.

She hated herself for revealing where she was going because now she couldn't tell if this guy old enough to have seen the signing of the emancipation proclamation was going to the Emporium for her sake or his own. A part of her considered just going home, but the paper bag sitting in her passenger seat coaxed her to do otherwise.

As much as she dreaded being in close proximity to the sleazy guy that got the wrong idea, she dreaded going home to her interrogative anti-Carter grandparents even more. So she circled a few blocks and took the sleeping town in before she made her way.

She took out the box of cigarettes from her father's glove compartment and pulled one out for herself along with the lighter inside. Her mother didn't let him smoke in the house so he mostly smoked in the car but other days he smoked with his wife in the kitchen and kept the back door open.

Willa lit the cigarette as she drove, and it got a quarter of the way down by the time she turned onto the lot next to Quinn's that the older blond directed her to. She couldn't miss the Emporium—which was directly across the lot like he said it would be—because along the side of the building in huge bubble writing read its name and each letter had coloured circles behind them.

Closer to the second 'M', Willa noticed Jodi and her friends lined against the wall trying to flip alcohol bottle caps and failing horribly. So with the hand holding her cigarette, Willa picked up the paper bag and headed out the car.

Once she stood up straight, Willa realised Jodi was already looking at her. "Look who finally decided to show up," she said.

She was dressed in a denim vest-top paired with denim bell-bottoms.

Willa shut the car door. "And look who's having the time of their life apparently."

"You're hilarious," Jodi replied monotonously.

Once Willa was close enough and taking a drag from her cigarette, Jodi began to introduce her.

"Guys, this is Willa, the friend from out of town I was telling you about. Willa, this is Shavonne, Kaye and Sabrina."

Shavonne had straight blonde hair that ran down her back and a heart-shaped face; Kaye had olive-toned skin that made her dark brown eyes pop and short brown hair that curled behind and under her ears; and Sabrina, a beautiful brunette with wavy long hair, was visibly younger in her height and small round face.

Willa blew out smoke from the corner of her mouth and said, "Hi."

"What's in the bag?" Kaye nodded towards it.

"Alcohol."

"I like you already."

"I got Jack for us," Willa nods to Jodi, "but the beer's for you and whomever else. Actually, I'm taking out the Jack." She put the cigarette in her mouth and started dipping in the bag.

"What? You don't trust me?" Jodi jested.

Willa removed the bottle from the bag and the cigarette from her lips, then extended the bag to Jodi and said, "Quite frankly no, I don't."

Jodi accepted it as she teasingly said, "Ouch."

"You should put that away or someone will swipe it," Kaye advised referring to bottle of Jack. "Kids around here are unhinged."

"She's talking about herself," Shavonne teased.

Willa smiled between them. "Noted. I'm gonna check out inside."

"You can't smoke inside," Jodi told her.

Willa stopped from where she had taken two steps towards the door. "Are you kidding?"