Worlds Apart

Twenty Three

This was the worst idea Victoria had yet. On our short walk to the car, a breeze brushed through my hair while it tore through Victoria's. Once inside, she ripped the elastic band from her hair, and I watched as it spilled onto her chest and shoulders. I'd say it was about 20 inches, hanging almost to her waist. Mine was similar in length, but we looked like yin and yang with our contrasting colors.

"This should be fun," she said. "I love shopping."

I felt like agreeing, but I wasn't sure if she was being sarcastic or not. She pulled into the nearby sand and backed out so we could go the way we came. The drive was relatively quiet, as I assumed it would be. Victoria's driving made me a little bit anxious with her sharp turns and nearly running every red light. A part of me wished the police would pull her over and she'd go away forever. But that was a silly thought, because then they'd find me too. I wasn't sure exactly how long running red lights got you in prison anyway. We passed by many large and colorful shops, all displaying neon signs like the ones back home. Eventually she pulled into a large parking lot of a presumed grocery store, and Victoria skidded to a stop. She yanked her seatbelt off and opened her door. I decided not to prolong my stay with her, so I quickly did as she had done. My door swung open to my surprise, and Victoria stepped out of the way for me to exit. I watched her for a second, waiting for her to slam it shut in my face.

"Are you coming or what?"

I hopped out and let her shut the door behind me. She must be playing nice, just as I had done to her. Or maybe she realizes I don't really care about cat fighting over meaningless things. We walked toward the entrance until she stuck out her arm to stop me from walking any further.

"What?" I asked, poison on my tongue.

She only smiled. "You have to look both ways before crossing the street. Didn't your parents teach you that?"

She had a point with how fast cars were zooming through the lot, but I never figured she cared if I got run over. Perhaps if I did, Rylie would blame her. I copied her as she looked for more cars. As we crossed, she kept her stride slow. If she wanted to, she could walk a lot faster and leave me stranded, unless I decided to run after her. I wasn't accustomed to chasing others, so I'd probably wait for her to notice I was gone. The sliding glass doors granted us entry, and Victoria took the lead, undoubtedly knowing where everything was already. I followed her, leaving a good measure of space between us. She pulled a cart from the long line of other connected ones and pushed the handle toward me. I took it without question, pushing it behind her while she entered an isle of colorfully packaged foods.

"Hm," she said, putting her finger on her lip. "What type of snacks do you like?"

I almost looked around to see who she was talking to, but she kept her eyes on me. I scrambled to name a random label off the shelf, but it would be too obvious.

"Salty ones." I declared.

I wasn't exactly lying, but I hadn't really ever had a snack either. I knew most of the salty dinners our servants prepared were good, but food was never something I cared about that much. I only ate what was given to me, and I had no idea what anything in here even was. Victoria giggled at that, as if she read my mind.

"Is there no junk food where you come from?"

I was sure Amish families didn't buy snacks from supermarkets, so I nodded. I put my weight on the handle as I watched her skim through the brands that looked to be all the same. She picked out a few boxes of cookies and crackers, tossing them into the cart and ushering me forward to keep the cart within arms length.

"We should get liquor while we're here. How does that sound?" She grinned at me.

I never had any alcohol but a few sips from the parties I was forced to attend. None of it was enough to feel the effects of being drunk, though. The idea didn't exactly excite me as much as it did her, but I wasn't going to show her that. As if she were a witch, Victoria combed through her hair and raised her eyebrows to mimic a soft expression.