Love, Natalie

Chapter 13

"Natalie, your friend is here." I open my eyes and look over at the clock on my nightstand.

8:17 AM

Well, she did show up after 8 AM. Leave it to Sam to be punctual, even on the weekends.

"Can you hurry up, please? She's going to finish all of the coffee Aunt Sherry made!" Max's tone causes me to roll off of my bed slowly. "Natalie!"

"Fine, I'm going! Just let me get dressed," I say as I walk to my closet. Hm should I wear something nice, or just flat out casual?

"You're already dressed. Why do you have to change? Are you going out?" I certainly don't want my brothers, especially Max, hear that Sam went to a party last night. That will lead to Max thinking Sam is a bad influence on me and blah blah blah.

"Yeah, we were going to stop by the mall. Wanna come?" I know how much Max hates going to the mall. Since we were younger, he'd be impatient as the twins and I shopped for clothes. Georgie was the patient one, and would even help us pick out clothes sometimes.

"No, no. That's fine. Go have your 'girl time' with Sam," he was quick to say. I smiled to myself as he left my room and closed the door. Now, let me choose a random pair of jeans and a shirt. Oh, and let me pack my laptop in my bag too. Can't let anyone read what I have on here.

Once I get downstairs, I see Sam sitting on my couch. She looked at what I was wearing, and immediately stood up. "I'll be back in a few hours, Dad."

"A few hours? Oh, are you two going to the mall?" I nod with a grin. "Okay. You two have fun! Be back home by 2 in the afternoon."

"Sure thing, Dad!" I yell back in response before closing the door behind me. I wonder why he wants me home at that time. "Alright, spill the beans!"

"Calm down, let's get in the car first." I roll my eyes, but do as she says. "Let me turn on the radio-"

"Sam, start talking! What did you find out?" I ask impatiently. She hands me her cellphone. "Did you record it on video or voice?"

"Voice. Video would have been way too hard to do. He would have noticed that I was recording him." I click on the audio recording app.

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"So, I remind him of someone?" I ask Sam after hearing the entire recording. We made it to the mall and quickly went inside. This windy weather is no joke. And I forgot to bring a sweater.

"Yeah, apparently. I tried finding out who he was talking about, but he walked away. I wish I could have found out more!" We stop at a chocolate store, because the smell just lured us in. "Why did you bring your laptop with you?"

"Because I didn't want to leave it at home where someone could easily have access to it. I take it with me wherever I go," I state. I wouldn't want my brothers or Sherry to read my diary. They don't need to know anything that's going on.

"I'm going to buy these hot cocoa mugs for when we have sleepovers this winter!" Sam squeals. I nod in agreement as I look around the store. I don't have much money on me, just enough to eat at the food court.

"Hey, I'm gonna head to the food court and get a table." I leave Sam as she adds more things to her basket. Well, looks like I'll be waiting for her a bit longer.

I thought the mall would be full on a Sunday, but surprisingly enough, it's empty. Sure, there are a few groups of people, but not much. I find a table next to an outlet. Perfect! I can charge my laptop as I'm on it. I start setting up my laptop as someone taps on my shoulder.

"Natalie?" Mathew?

"Oh, hey Mathew." He takes a seat next to me.

"What are you up to today? Is Sam here with you?" I look back, and point at the chocolate store where Sam's in.