Don't Get Angry

2- Dalta: Bright Pink

"I love Pink." I pulled the bright Pink t-shirt on the clothing rack. 

"Take it," Penny said with a shrug, looking at the other tops, "you can try it on later."

I stared at the top, then I took it off the rack and put it in my basket. I traced my fingers down the line of shirts as I walked beside them. My hand stopped on one. Another pink shirt. I sighed. "No more pink clothes, Dalta." I let go of the shirt then looked at the entrance to the store. "Oh no." My eyes followed the two figures walking in. I quickly walked back over to Penny. "Otis is here." I grabbed her arm. "We should go."

She immediately started to look around for him with these desperate, wide eyes. "So desperate." I hated it.  When she saw him, she glared at him but, I could tell that behind her anger she still felt something for him.

"Look, we don't have to stay. I can order the top online or something. It'll probably be cheaper anyway-"

"No!" She yelled, sneering at Otis. We're shopping. He can't just show up and make us leave." Penny continued to look at clothes, violently pushing them on the rack and glancing over at him.

I frowned at her then I looked at Otis. His mother pressed a pink shirt up against his chest to see if it would fit. He looked up at the ceiling and shook his head. "Don't do it, Dalta. Don't go snooping." I swallowed my worry, then something started to pull me; inquisitiveness. I put my sunglasses on over my eyes, then, I slipped between the racks and started making my way closer to him and his mother. "This is a pretty color?" His mother lifted another shirt from the rack. It was this bright yellow polo shirt that I thought, like his mother did, would look pretty nice on him. But Otis did what Otis always does; said something rude and sassy.

Otis rolled his eyes at his mother, something I could never try, and said, "I guess... if you wanted a daughter."

His mother squinted her eyes at him and mockingly smiled, wrinkling her nose. Then, she put the shirt in the basket. She started looking at others. Otis stood with his hands in his pockets not helping her look for clothes for him. I got closer to them, acting as if I was looking at the clothes too. I looked at them, then I looked over at Penny. She was flagging me down.

"Come back!" She shouted...in a whisper.

"Wait!" I whisper-shouted back. When I turned back to Otis, he was looking at me. I quickly ducked behind the rack, stooping down on the floor. After a few seconds, I slowly stood, peeping to see if he was still looking. His mother was still there...but, he was gone. My brows fell. 

"What are you doing-"

"Sweet Jesus!" I prayed, stumbling back and falling on my bottom. Otis stood above me with folded arms looking as judgmental as he always did.

"Yeah, I'm not him. Or I would probably know why you were staring at me and strike you with lightning right now." He looked at Penny. "Did Penny send you to spy on me like she did on our date...HANG OUT...Whatever-"

"No." I stood, dusting myself off. "I was..." I grabbed a shirt. "I was looking at the clothes."

"Men's wear?" He lowered his head and lifted a brow at me. 

"Don't assume my gender, dude." I smiled, expecting him to laugh or at least show an emotion other than disgust.

"Look, I don't have patience, okay? Could you please tell me why you were staring at me? My mother's uncomfortable."

I looked over at his mother. She was looking at the clothes not bothered by us one bit.

"Delta."

I turned to Otis on my name like a puppy. "You know my name?"

He squinted his eyes at me. "Why wouldn't I?"

I shrugged and blushed a little, feeling appreciated. "I don't know. I'm not exactly the kind of person people pay attention to, you know? I keep to myself and-"

Otis threw his arms up. "Are all girls like this?" He rubbed his forehead. "Geez."

"Like what?"

"You're not in a teen movie, okay?" His voice got harsh. "Stop believing that the school is supposed to pay attention to you. This is real life. You're not this remarkable person who doesn't get the attention she deserves. You're just another girl who sits in class and talks about the latest iPhone and how adorable boy bands are. You're not special. You're normal. We've been in classes together for years. We're in a class together right now. You're an airline, for Pete's sake! Your name is engraved in my memory."

I gulped down my urge to cry. I hated it when people shouted at me and from his first sentence, tears had already begun to form. "My name's not Delta." I pushed my way past him.

"Ugh, great. She's crying, everyone," he groaned and mocked me, making me feel even more embarrassed. "Because why not make a scene."

I wiped my cheeks, sniffling as I walked away. I heard his mother scolding him behind me and seconds later he touched my shoulder. I turned back to him. He looked at me as if I had just told him nine-eleven was an inside job; as if I was stupid. It was by the way. "Don't apologize to me because your mother told you to-"

"Oh, I'm not here to do that. I'm here to pretend that I'm apologizing. Because nothing I said to you was worth crying over. I was honest and I'll be honest with you again." He put his hands on my shoulders and stared into my eyes. "Don't cry over little things. It's unattractive and it makes you look weak."

"What-"

He suddenly hugged me. I looked over his shoulder at his mother. She was smiling, feeling proud that her son had said sorry... because he never did that. Otis never apologized for anything. Narcissist. He stepped back, smiled and turned to walk away. "Otis' mom?" I shouted. She looked up from the rack in front of her. "He didn't apologize to me! He was just pretending to!"

He turned back to me with lowered brows and terrified eyes. "Seriously?"

I looked him up and down, then flipped my hair over my shoulder like the queen I was. "It's Dalta, not Delta. And you might think you're special for calling people out on not being special, but you aren't special, either. You're a nobody, just like everybody else."

He jerked his head back, his expression showing how completely confused he was by what I said. He actually cracked a bit of a smirk. I waltzed away with my head held high, proud of myself for- I mean, I didn't do much. But it took a lot...like, a lot of courage for me to tell Otis off.  I felt empowered and flawless and like I could burn down a city, until Penny messed it up. "What happened?" Penny stared at Otis and his Mom. I turned to them. His mother slapped him on the back of the head. I covered my mouth and giggled. "Oh my—WHAT DID YOU DO TO CAUSE THAT TO HAPPEN?" Penny looked at me like I was the one who ran over her cat. "Like, are you kidding me, Dalta? You always make things worse." 

I watched her as she sighed and sulked and pulled at the clothes on the rack. My eyes grew. "Penny, you can't still like this guy? Are you kidding me?"

She sighed.

"Pen, he's a massive idiot. He clearly doesn't like you back." I looked over at him. He was looking at clothes, now helping his mother. "And he calls you fat when he has a double chin and a triple forehead." Otis looked at us. He blocked his face with his hand like a child. "He's an immature know-it-all who thinks he knows everything about everything." I looked at Penny. She was looking at me like I'd offered her a crack pipe; like I was crazy.

She looked at Otis again and smiled. "He's just...broken." Penny tilted her head and gawked at him. "Nothing a little love can't fix."

I rolled my eyes and groaned. "Penny, you read too much crap. This is the real world. Things don't work that way. Crazy can't be fixed with love."

"He's not crazy. I know him better than you do." She shook her head at me and snarled in disgust. "I'm going to pay for my clothes." She walked away, infuriated.

I shook my head then looked at Otis. He was glaring at me. I stuck out my tongue at him and formed an "L" with my fingers on my forehead, then I ran after Penny.