Two Ways to Make Me Smile (Dolan Twins)

2. Maybe Time to Buy a Car?

"Is that all for you today?" The cashier asks with a happy tone.

"Yep," I struggle to hide my internal frowns. "Thank you," I mumble quietly as he bags my items.

The cashier heaves my bags of groceries and daily necessities onto the counter for me to grab, politely giving me a farewell. I weakly smile and say goodbye back to him as I leave through the store's sliding doors. A warm light from the LA sun shines down on me as I place my bags onto the sidewalk so I can call an Uber to drive me back to my apartment. I really need my own car.

It's not like I don't know how to drive, it's just that my parents refused to buy me my own car for some damn reason. So here I am, fucking stuck in Los Angeles without a car and having to struggle to find my own way around. Maybe it's finally time for me to actually man-up and purchase my own vehicle to drive around freely.

"So where are you heading today?" The Uber driver asks me. This guy seems to be the frequent driver for me, it's kinda cool, but weird at the same time. "Just to the apartments?"

I nod, "Yeah. I didn't catch your name."

"Larry," he smiled at me through the rear view mirror. "You seem to always be my passenger," Larry jokes.

I fake a laugh. "That might be changing soon," my gaze pulls my view outside the back seat window. "I'm thinking of buying a car soon."

"Ah, that's a great idea, my dear," the driver chuckles warmly. "Trust me, it's much easier to get around, plus you don't have to complain about the radio stations that we play," he explains. "I once got this guy who was always Snapchatting in the back of this car, complaining that the music in this car sucks. He's some beauty guru or something."

Huh. I think I know who that is.

"Wild guess, but was it James Charles?" I bring back my view inside the car.

"Yeah! That's the kid!" He laughs. "He kept going on about sisters or something like that."

This time a real laugh erupted from me. I had to tell the guy that it was James' way of greeting his fans and followers, but it was worth it because it meant I got to laugh. It wasn't something I had done for weeks already, and the feeling of my stomach aching from each cry of amusement felt good.

"Looks like your ride has come to a happy end, Missy," the Uber driver grins.

"Thanks, Larry," I say with an uncontrollable smile, paying the driver the fee before I get out of the car.

"Catch ya later," he chuckles. "I hope you have some luck finding a car," Larry says, then driving off into the distance of the busy LA traffic.

I let out a sigh and turn around to face the sliding doors of the apartment building. A young couple heaving their laundry into the elevator greets me politely as I do the same, awkwardly standing in silence beside them as the elevator lifts us up past the first floor. I quietly reach out to press the button for the sixth floor, quickly returning to my still and socially uncomfortable position in the corner of the elevator.

A soft ding rings out inside as the elevator stops at the fourth floor. The couple exits, turning back once to say goodbye. I painfully smile over my decreasing happiness and wave at them as the doors slowly slide shut. Then I feel the motion of going up again, stepping closer to the doors as the elevator reaches the sixth floor of the building.

"Hey there," the next door apartment neighbour greets with a slightly surprised face. "Out shopping for food I see?"

I tighten my grasp around the handles of my bags. "Yep."

"Well, have a great day," she says, stepping into the elevator after letting me get out first.

Yeah, thanks.

"I just need food," I mumble to myself as I shuffle around my pocket for the keys to my unit, eventually finding them.

The lock clicks and the door swings open as I enter my home, gently shutting the door behind me as I set the bags down on the floor in the kitchen. It's conveniently to the left of the main doorway. Today, I hastily put things away and pack away my supplies before I slump onto the couch facing my flatscreen TV.

Local car dealerships in Los Angeles.

The first thought that pops up in my mind when I open Safari.