Always Waiting

Part 5

I wake up the next morning with a text from Emily.

Emily: Hey, wanna go to Forbidden Planet? I can come meet you at your house in like an hour if you want.

I text her my address, roll out of bed, and head to the kitchen.
"Mom, can I go hang out with a friend today?" I ask, peeling an orange. She looks up at me from her new cookbook, coffee in hand.
"Sure, but don't be out all day." She says, and I go to get a shower. I dress in black jeans, a green shirt, and my favorite gray hoodie. Then I pull my hair into a ponytail, apply makeup, and wait for Emily.
She shows up 5 minutes later, wearing jeans and a nice top. I feel under dressed.
"Wow, I like your apartment building!" She looks at it from the steps. Somehow, I know she means it.
"Thanks. So, what exactly is Forbidden Planet?" I ask as we head toward the L train.
"Well, comic books, anime. A few novelty board games. It's pretty cool." She says. I nod. We swipe our metro cards and get on the train.
"It's also kind of far from here, so let's grab a seat." She says, and we do. I pull out my phone and check Instagram. We get off the subway and walk about a block.
"Alright. Here is the magical Forbidden Planet." She opens the doors, and I follow her inside.
The first thing I see is My Neighbor Totoro plushies. I suppress the urge to scream. Then I see Sailor Moon and Full Metal Alchemist figurines, and a section of comic books in the back, and a ton of things for anime's that I haven't heard of. Emily leads me to the back.
"Have you ever played Munchkin?" She asks me. I shake my head.
"Oh my god, you have to play it with me sometime!" She exclaims.
"Hey, are you hungry? Let's go get some lunch." I say, and we head to Shake Shack.
••••
"Why is Shake Shack so good?" Emily wonders aloud.
"Same." I say, and she laughs. I end up laughing too. Then Emily's phone buzzes. She pulls it out of her small purse.
"Sorry, I gotta run. Let's hang out again sometime. Bye!" Emily turns and runs off in the other direction. I watch her until the crowds of people hide her from my view.
What should I do now? I ask myself. Maybe I should just window shop for a little while. My mom's birthday is coming up, so I should probably get her a present too. Hmmm, what could she want?
I head into the cookware store and purchase a set of new cooking utensils. Then I go home.