Life Before You

Chapter 10

I continued walking towards the bus stop, unable to shake off the surprise that Noah had acknowledged me. I thought about how he and I were from completely different worlds. I didn't know him well, but his car and the clothes he wore made me think he had so much more than I did. 

My desire to buy new sneakers was momentarily forgotten, but Carla was already on her way to the mall, so I couldn't cancel our plans. I took a bus to the mall, which took about an hour. When I arrived, I found Carla waiting just outside the entrance. 

"How are you?" I welcomed her. 

"I'm good. We went to a club last night; it was so much fun," she replied. 

"Nice," I said, lacking enthusiasm. 

"Manuel didn't want to leave me alone; we danced all night," she continued.

 I tried to maintain a polite conversation with Carla, but I really didn't want to talk about Noah or his friend.

We entered the mall, which wasn't the upscale mall where wealthy people shopped. It was a simple one with a few budget-friendly stores and a small cafeteria. 

Carla spotted a shoe store and suggested we go in. I roamed around to see if I could find something I liked.

 Eventually, I found a pair of white Vans for $100, and they happened to be my size. I tried them on, and they fit perfectly. 

"Carla, I'm going to buy these shoes," I told her. 

She was busy on her phone for a while. Then she looked up and said, "Manuel wants me to go out with him tonight. Do you want to go?"She gave me a serious look and said, "Meliah, you owe me one. Come with me." 

"I really don't want to go out. I'm not in the mood," I replied. 

"Why not? What's going on with you?"

 " Early today I saw Noah standing with his friends, and he looked at me, but then he just turned away and acted like he didn't know me." 

"Are you sure it was him?" 

"Of course, I'm sure. He looked at me right in the face, and I saw him." 

"That's weird. Maybe he's just playing it cool." 

"Yeah, that's what I thought. So, I'm not in the mood to go out or hang out with him anymore." 

"Why not go out and show him what he's missing?"

 "Yeah, right." 

" I can tell Manuel to bring A friend" Carla say.

 "Okay, let's buy an outfit for tonight." 

We continued shopping and entered a clothing store. Carla found a short black dress that she liked. 

"Carla, it's very short," I remarked. 

"You'll look great in it; you have to buy it."

 But as I looked at myself in the mirror, it seemed like it revealed too much. I didn't know what my parents would say, but I could always wear a sweater over it. 

I decided to buy it, and then we sat down in the mall's cafeteria for a meal. 

Later, we took the bus back home, and Carla said she would come by my place around 8 p.m.