Gum on the Sidewalk

Chapter Two: The Escape

We got gasoline at a Casey's General Store nearby, that was strangely open at this time of night.  After paying and getting some cheap snacks from inside, we headed out again.  I asked them where they wanted to go next, but all they did was point to something across the street.  When I looked, I nearly cheered.

When we pulled into the Wal-Mart parking lot, I put the car keys in my pocket, out of habit and I said, "All right, guys, I'm going in, is there anything special you wanted me to get?"

"No, but shouldn't we come in?" Daniel asked.

"Nah, I need someone to stay and watch the car, just to be sure no one makes off with it," I said, protectively.  I could feel their stares on my back as I walked away.

I walked to the double doors leading in to the left side of the store that read "Groceries", but as it turned out, they were locked.  So I sprinted over to the double doors on the right side that read "Home and Pharmacy", they opened.  'Good,' I thought, otherwise that would make them liars, since the sign said twenty-four hour service.

As soon as I entered the store, since it was night now, I noticed there was hardly anyone there.  I went back and looked around in the pharmacy part of the store, where the hairbrushes, the toothpaste and toothbrushes are. I picked up three toothbrushes, three hairbrushes, and a tube of toothpaste that we could share.  I grabbed a two-liter bottle of soda and a jug of water from the grocery department and some more snacks that we could eat.  After grabbing some shirts and pants off the clearance rack in the boy's department, I went to pay.  I could wear boy's clothes; I didn't mind.

I started strolling out the door, ready to leave the store when an annoying blinking light caught my eye.  I turned just to see what it could be.  Then, I saw it, one of those dollar machines that you get the stuffed animals out of.  Since we had nowhere to be, and had plenty of time, I skipped over to it, ready to play; I'd always wanted to play one of these, since Dad had always said it was impossible to win.

I played a few times, but couldn't grab any of the stuffed animals.  I began feeling a little frustrated, even angry.  Why though?  It's just a stupid stuffed animal!  After a while, I got so mad, I shoved my hand through the slot and took the one I wanted.  Someone had seen me, though, and I was soon being chased by security guards.  I ran through the double doors like a bat out of Hell, sprinting for the car.

"Daniel!  Chris! Open the dang door!" I screamed.  The guards were on my tail by then.  Dan and Chris just sat looking at me, dumbly.

"Just open the dang door!" I insisted.

They finally got the door open, but just.  One of the guards grabbed hold of my ankle, making me slip in the door jam and hit my head.  This made me angry because it was the second time I'd hit my head in one day.  Daniel grabbed my hand to pull me in.

"What's their problem?" Chris asked as soon as we'd shut the door.

"I stole this," I answered, holding up the stuffed animal I'd taken.

"Why?" Daniel inquired.

"I like it and I had tried and tried to get it!  Besides, why do they even care, it's just one stuffed animal?" I cried.

"You risked getting our records ruined for a stuffed animal? Don't do anything like this again!" Daniel huffed.

"Let's just get outta here before the cops get here!" I said anxiously.

"Do you think they called them?" Chris breathed.

"I stole something!  What do you think?" I asked sarcastically.