Unbroken

Abeyance

(CARTER’S POV)

We just hung around the park for about thirty minutes.  Then Ricky got bored, again.  Ghost suggested that we go to the mall. 

“What store first?” Chris asks us as we pull in.

“As cliché as it sounds, I would like to go to Hot Topic,” I say.  Everyone nods in agreement and the guys and I all pull our hoods on our hoodies up to avoid being recognized.  Apparently, even though UO haven’t been very active with the fan base, we have become popular.  We were even featured on Instagram’s favorites list a few times. 

We walk into the mall and locate Hot Topic.  I rush in and walk over to the band tees.  I picked out a few then went to the pop culture area.  I wait in front of two guys that are standing in front of all of the Doctor Who shit.  One of them looks slightly annoyed while the other is focusing on the Eleventh Doctor’s Sonic Screwdriver. 

The one looking at the Sonic turns and looks at me.

“J!” I gasp as I hug the guy.  He hasn’t changed at all.  His hair was still curly and brown and his skin was still pale.  He had a RWBY shirt on and a Black Butler lanyard that I got him for Christmas a few years ago. 

“What?!” the guy that was next to J says.

“Narwhal!” he says back as he hugs me. 

“How have you been? It’s been forever!” I say.

“I’ve been good! I’m so sorry to hear about Ashley,” he says, looking down as if he said something wrong.

“Thanks J,” I say.

“I love your band by the way, even though I normally don’t go for that genre,” he says. 

“Thanks! What have you been up to?” I ask him.

“The usual.  You know, going to school then work then passing out at home.  I live in Orlando at the moment with my cousin.  He is visiting some friends and asked me to tag along,” J said, motioning behind him.

“Are you just going to point at him or are you going to introduce me to him?” I ask, lightly punching J in the arm.

“Right, sorry.  Narwhal, this is Jayy, Jayy, this is Carter, or as I call her, Narwhal,” J said.

“Lovely, two people that go by the letter J,” I mutter as I pulled back my hood and he did the same.  I look at the man.

“I’m going to murder you, “I say to J

“Wait.  What?! Why!? What did I do wrong this time?!” J asks me, putting his arms up in surrender.

“You never told me he,” I pause, motioning to Jayy, “Was your fucking cousin!” I keep my voice down and pull my hoodie back up and Jayy does the same.  “Unbroken Outcasts have covered several of their songs,” I hiss. 

“Sorry, Narwhal, I just found out I had a cousin after Mum went to jail,” he said.  I remembered that.  He emailed me the month after he left saying his mum was in jail for murder and that he couldn’t contact me again in case she found a way to find me and hurt me.

“I know, I’m sorry Monkey,” I say, pulling him into a hug.

“I haven’t heard that one since ninth grade,” he says and smiles.

Jayy clears his throat and I realize I dropped my stuff that I was going to buy.  Chris comes over just then and picks it up for me.  Ricky has some sort of stuffed dog in his hand.

“Here you go, Kitty,” Chris says as he hands me my stuff.

“Thanks, Chrissy,” I pause and see Chris looking at J and Jayy.