ᴏɴɪᴋᴀ ᴍᴀʀᴀᴊ
I rolled my cart through the beauty aisle. Rylee and China were still huddled over their phones, giggling and gasping at the screen.
"Oh my god, he was really beating the brakes off him!" Rylee nearly shouted, holding back laughter.
I sighed, half-rolling my eyes. "How many times are you guys gonna watch that video?" I muttered, reaching for a bottle of Dove body wash. I took a quick sniff before tossing it into the cart, trying to act indifferent.
China nudged me. "Girl, come on, you have to admit Aubrey went in on Kevin. I mean, he didn't hold back at all."
"I've seen it," I said, keeping my voice steady, hoping to leave it at that. I was already getting exhausted with the constant reminders of that night, of everything that led up to it, and everyone's obsession with the video making its way around.
"Yeah, but every time we watch it, we see something new," Rylee argued, laughing as she pulled her eyes away from the screen for a moment.
I shook my head and moved on, grabbing a few other things for the cart.
"Alright, come on, ladies, We have a list to finish up."
Rylee pouted, slipping her phone into her pocket as she finally tore herself away from the video. "Alright, alright, we're done... for now," she said with a playful smirk, nudging China as they both trailed behind me.
We wandered down the next aisle, where I grabbed some shampoo and conditioner. But I could feel them glancing at each other, probably dying to bring up the video again.
"So, have you talked to Aubrey since it all went down?" China asked casually, trying to sound nonchalant, but her curiosity was practically dripping from her tone.
I paused, pretending to be focused on reading the label of some random moisturizer. "Of course I have."
"Girl, that fight was intense! It looked like Kevin didn't even stand a chance," Rylee cut in, her eyes widening as if reliving the scene.
I could tell they weren't going to drop it until they'd picked my brain clean. "I mean, I knew he was mad, but I didn't expect things to go that far, But honestly, I don't want to keep talking about it."
Rylee and China both nodded, though they shared a look like they weren't entirely convinced. I moved on to the next aisle, grabbing a few more essentials.
"Okay, which one of you is helping me pick out snacks for the night?"
Both of them raised their hands, ready to dive in.
We made our way to the snack aisle, and Rylee immediately grabbed a bag of hot Cheetos, tossing it into the cart with a grin. "You can never go wrong with these," she said confidently.
China scrunched her nose. "You know those are gonna be gone in ten minutes. We need something everyone can enjoy."
I shook my head, watching them bicker over chips like they were life-or-death decisions. "Alright, how about we split it down the middle? Salty and sweet."
I grabbed a family-size bag of kettle popcorn and threw in some M&M's for good measure. They both seemed to approve.
We headed out of Target, laughing and joking about what the night might bring.
Loading our bags into the car, and the whole ride back, Rylee and China kept me entertained with their usual banter, filling the car with laughter. By the time we got back to my place, I felt lighter.
