Destined Part I

Shopping

The girls came in my room the next day to announce that we were going to go shopping. Angelina came barreling in with a gust of enthusiasm, and Grace walked in behind her, meeting me out on the balcony where I was sitting. I had been lounging out there, enjoying the morning light outside, listening wistfully to the tranquil rush of the waterfall.

I hadn’t bothered to shut the balcony doors, and I could hear Angelina come in before she even made it through my room.

“Morning, Adia!” she exclaimed as she skipped across the room to find me.

She was beautiful, like a movie star. Blonde hair, dark eyes, huge pouty lips. Perfect. And she was so kindhearted on top of that. She was already making me feel like I was their new best friend.

“We figured out what we’re going to do today,” she said, smiling from ear to ear.

I shifted in the chaise lounge so that I was leaning on my elbow, able to look up at her.

“What do you want to do?” I grinned at her, energized by her excitement.

She nearly bounced out of her skin with her anticipation to tell me.

“Let’s go shopping!”

I laughed up at Grace who was shaking her head, hiding a smirk that was playing on her face.

“Excuse her, she’s our little bubble of enthusiasm,” she said, laughing as Angelina slapped her playfully on the arm.

It sounded like a blast. It had been too long since I gave myself any time to just hang out with the girls. When I was in Austin, I hadn’t had enough time to meet anyone that I could become friends with. I was too busy working, or too engrossed in my books to allow myself a social life. But now that I was here, living with these girls, with really nothing more to do with my time than obsess about what Haiden was doing to me, I thought- now more than ever- that I needed this kind of camaraderie. A good, healthy dose of impulsive shopping seemed like the perfect idea.

“What time are we leaving?” I asked, now completely excited about the trip.

“As soon as you are ready,” Grace said, smiling.

When I looked, I noticed that they were already dressed and ready to go. Grace looked so classy with her dark jeans and black silk blouse. She had on the cutest black leather ballet slippers, and a grey pea coat to ward off the cold Alaskan temperatures.

Angelina was obviously the fashion conscious one of the house. She was like a model, dressed in the trendiest designer clothes, all the way down to her black, pointed toe boots. She wore a black leather motorcycle jacket over a dark grey printed t-shirt and thin jeans that were practically painted on her long legs. There were small tears at the knees, exposing her skin, and as if she needed any more height, the boots gave her an extra two inches.

I was going to look like a bum. I didn’t hold a candle to these two, amazing looking women.

After they left my room to wait for me downstairs, I dressed in the most stylish outfit I had- my dark wash jeans, a tiny pink baby doll shirt that said It’s Good To Be Bad, and my army green jacket. And of course, the flip flops. I smoothed my long hair into a sleek ponytail, then stuck my money in my back pocket, not wanting to take my purse along, and walked downstairs to find the girls.

Giada was in the parlor, sorting through some paintings that were going to be in Kristopher’s newest exhibit for the art museum. Angelina and Grace were sitting in the seats next to her, helping to catalogue the name and date of each artwork as I walked in to meet them.

“Red Vineyards of Arles, 1888, Van Gogh,” Giada stated, looking at Angelina as she hurriedly transcribed the information on the index card.

Giada looked over at me as I walked in the door and smiled in her usual warm, comforting way.