A Year Of Hope

I had never ended up texting her.

 I had thought she wasn't actually interested in becoming friends, but she just wanted to make a pitiful loner feel better. Boy, I found out later how wrong I was.

The next week I was put back in the schedule to work. While I was stocking the new shipment of CDs I felt a sharp tap on my shoulder.

I turned around and there she was, looking a little annoyed.

"Why didn't you text me, dude?" she asked loudly.

I looked around making sure no one was listening, relieved to see we were the only two in the store.

"I- uh... Don't know, sorry."

"Yeah you better be! What time do you get off?"

"In an hour."

"Great! You and I have plans, and I'll be sure you don't bail on me."

After work, I walked out of the mall. I didn't see her, so I began to smoke a cigarette. Then she drove up to me in her car.

"Those will kill you, ya know," she said teasingly, just like she had the first night.

I smirked. I put out my cigarette and threw away the butt.

"You have a car?"

"Yeah, but I walked to work."

"That's right you live right down the road. Well hop in!"

I obeyed. As soon as I buckled my seatbelt, she sped off. Her driving was just as erratic as the previous time.

"Did you even look at my contact? Do you know my name?"

"You had said your name when you were on the phone with roadside assistance. Jane, right?"

"Oh, yes that's right." Jane sighed, "Well, I never got your name, what's yours."

"Mordecai, but you can call me Cai."

"Damn, that name is sexy! Well, nice to formally meet you Cai."

Never before had I heard anyone describe my name like that.

"Do you like going to abandoned places, Cai?"

I shrugged. "I don't do much other than work, and sleep."

"Why? Busy schedule?"

"Just no friends and no interest."

"Cai, you sadden me  with the things you say. I'm going to be sure to change that. I'm going to introduce you to so many wonderful things in the world."

We parked in to a strip mall parking lot at the far end of town. She parked where the majority of the cars were located.

"This doesn't look abandoned," I stated.

"Obviously, you dork," Jane teased. "We can't park there, we may get caught."

"Well, where are we going?"

"It's a surprise," She winked.

We got out of the car, and Jane grabbed a large bookbag from her trunk and swung it onto her back.

We walked through a slightly wooded area behind the strip mall, and after walking for about ten minutes, we exited by what looked to be a movie theatre.

I remembered the theatre from when I was child. I maybe went once, on a class field trip. It closed down when I was in middle school. Never sold, or repurposed, just being left on the outskirts of town to be forgotten.

"Should we be going in there? Have you done this before?"

"Should?" Jane shrugged, " Probably not. Have I? No. I've been to other abandoned places, but I drove by here recently and decided I wanted to explore."