The Elephant And The Ballerina

Shopping With A Cheerleader.

I walked through the shopping mall with Persephone, not being able to understand why these girls who were in here every day makning the car parks impossible to get into, were buying more clothes. For one, they probably had a wardrobe the size of Manhattan and would most likely never have to wear any of these items they bought in the Christmas sale. What I found even harder to comprehend was their ability to look at the same thing every single day without them even realising that they were staring at exactly the same crap they had seen two years previous in the same shops, when they hadn't wanted to buy it even though it was in fashion, or the fact that all of the shops had hiked their prices up by 20% prior to Christmas so they weren't any cheaper than full price anyway.

"You having a good time?" I could tell Persephone was seriously controlling her urge to jump at every sale sign and squeal like the typical teenage cheerleader that she was. She had a glint in her eye whenever something in a shop window caught her eye and I knew she was dying to get in their and try on every item with a reduced tag and get an entirely new wardrobe.

"Yeah really good thanks, don't you want to go in?" I gestured towards the little boutique which we'd already passed about five times before on this trip, and yet she still hadn't gone in. Even though it was perfectly obvious that she wanted to. She nodded enthusiastically and I realised she had been waiting for me to say something about the shopping we were supposedly doing. Neither of us had bought anything yet, we'd just been wandering mindlessly around the stores without looking or taking any notice of anything that might have the potential to buy. I hadn't anyway.

Persephone pulled the door open and I walked past her into the shop. It had a smell of lavender and was like some tiny hospital in its clinical appearance. The two girls, one who was behind the counter, and the other who was putting a cute dress on the mannequin in the window, smiled and greeted us at exactly the same time and I found myself wondering if we'd accidentally wondered onto the set of a scifi movie, and whether these two girls who looked terribly similar were in fact robots.

"Hello and welcome to Magnifique Cherokee" I nodded and gave them a weak smile even though I could feel it never reached my eyes. I thought the translation of the store to 'big bird' was strange, but I didn't mention it. I didn't want to instill anger in the twin robots and have their metal limbs throw me through a wall.

"Right, how cute is this?" Persephone had homed in on the sale rale at the back of the store like some kind of missile and now I could see that every item upon the shining silver stick would become her prey. She was holding a tiny nearly non-existant white dress which made my previous Halloween costume look decent and modest. It had elasticx straps all the way down the back to the bottom of the spine with holes where your skin showed through. It was blood red and had a line of small black beads around the collar to look like a necklace. The material was soft and stretchy and it had a leotard like shine to it.

"Thats nice, it would suit you" I forced a smile, and Persephone looked down to her feet and sighed. I felt my stomach clench, I knew she wanted this to be a fun girly day out but I just wasn't feeling it, the fact that I was at least faking happiness had to mean something though right?

"Did I do something wrong, you haven't been answering your phone to me the last couple days and your barely talking now? I figured you had a bug or something so I didn't push it but now I think of it, its been ever since you stayed at Quinne's. Did he say something to change your opinion of me?" I was about to open my mouth and tell her to stop being ridiculous, but then I wondered what Quinn could possible say to me that would stop me wanting to be Persephone's best friend? I flapped my mouth a couple of times and then shut it, not really sure whether to ask the question I now wanted to know the answer to, in case it really could change my opinion of her.

"He told you didn't he?" She turned beatroot colour instantly and her cheeks flamed embarassment and anger. It intrigued me to see her to upset over something that I hadn't even clarified had happened. What on earth did she think he'd said to me? "I cant believe he'd do this to me, he swore to me on her life that he'd never tell and then he tells you?" The way she said 'you' made it sound I was unworthy for this particular tit bit of information. 

"What do you mean he told 'me'? Surely if he'd tell anyone anything he's keeping secret, it would be me, I am his girlfriend?" I knew that sounded a bit petty, that I needed to show of my official title rather than just seeming normal. But I didn't want to be regarded as a casual aquaintance to his life, he was my boyfriend.

"He doesn't have the right to tell anyone!" I stepped back at the sudden influx in her voice, not expecting her to yell in my face so directly as if him telling me was my fault. I opened my mouth to speak and then picked up the dress with a small smile on my face.

"If you don't try it on then I will" I smiled and waved the garment before her eyes, hers were welling up with tears, and knowing it was not my forte to deal with such awkward situations, she took the hanger from my hand and disappeared into the dressing room. I sighed in relief as she disappeared behind the curtain, that was emotionally draining. One thing I knew for sure, I couldn't trust Quinn if he didn't tell me the truth, and this truth was obviously a big one. And I had a sneaking feeling this wasn't just a secret about Persephone, but also about Persephone, and I had an inkling it was something to do with their past relationship.

 And another thing - I wouldn't be telling him the truth about my past until I knew he was trustworthy.