Café au Lait (slow updates)

four.

chapter four

It's always hard to lose somebody. It leaves a hole in your heart that never grows back. ~Kevin Brooks

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Shopping has never really been my thing. I’ve never really had the spare cash to splurge on something that I didn’t need, and let’s face it- shopping is tiring business.

Especially if you’re shopping with Myra.

“Come on Tal, you’ve got to buy something!” She sighs, exasperated, as we leave another store. She and Rida are each holding a bag of their new purchases, and once again, I am empty-handed.

I shrug. “Nothing really caught my eye.”

“Nothing caught your eye?” She snorts. “I call bull.”

Rida chuckles. “Aw, come on, Myra, we’ve got time.”

I open my mouth to thank her, but then the next words tumble out of her mouth. “Besides, we’re heading to Windsor next, aren’t we? I’m sure even Talia can find a Homecoming dress there.”

“I’m not buying a new dress,” I say. “I didn’t bring enough money for a new dress, anyways.”

Myra just rolls her eyes. “You’re getting a new dress.”

That’s when I start to really regret my decision to come shopping with them.

 Unwillingly, I follow them into the dress shop. It’s a gargantuan space, the shiny wood floors and the meticulously neat racks giving me the feeling that this place was pretty high end.

Shit.

Immediately, Rida and Myra start flicking through the racks, and I stay behind, a little uncertain. I don’t want to look at those price tags.

 I wander to the back of the store, the bright red of the large SALE signs drawing me like a moth to light.

I sigh as I look through the rack, mindlessly flipping through the dresses. Nothing catches my eye, and after a few minutes, I’m already bored.

I settle in the chair in the corner, Rida and Myra still shopping. Sighing, I pull out the book we’re reading for English class, and with nothing else to do, I start reading.

It’s ten minutes later before Myra calls my name and I hurry to catch up with the two of them, who’ve decided that this store doesn’t have anything for them.

“Hey guys,” I say, a little breathless from running across the store. “How about some food? The food court’s just down that way.”

Apparently, shopping depletes energy pretty quickly, as they both readily agree to my proposition.

“So, Myra,” Rida turns to her, eyes glinting.

This cannot be good, but I stay silent. I want to hear it as well.

“Mm?” Myra asks, looking up from her bag.

Rida chuckles. “I heard a certain someone got asked to the dance…”

I whip my head around so fast that I’m surprised I haven’t gotten whiplash. “Myra, you got asked to the dance and you didn’t tell me? What kind of best friend are you?” I place my hand dramatically to my heart. “How could you? After we’ve been through so much…”

Myra snorts, giving me one of her signature eye rolls. “I would’ve told you earlier, except that it literally happened three hours ago.”

I pout. “Then I expected a call three hours ago.”