a long way from home ; g.d.

e l e v e n

After James and Emma finished getting ready, we headed out the door and left the hotel. We got breakfast at a nearby pastry shop, and sat down at an outdoor table.

"Alright we need a plan for today," said Emma. "What does everyone wanna do?"

"Shop," said James. "At Gucci, and Sephora."
Emma rolled her eyes. "Alright well I guess I'm going with you because I need foundation and you're the only one that can find my shade." She took a sip of her iced coffee.

"What about you three?" She asked Ethan, Grayson, and I.
"I'm going with you two so you guys don't try to kill each other again," Ethan said. James and Emma shot a glare at each other, then smiled right after. "Well, I'm with Elle, wherever she wants to go." Grayson said.

Wasn't this a cliché.

"Well I'm just gonna drag your ass all over New York then," I said, hitting him underneath the table with my knee. "Well that's just fine then," he said, kneeing me back. After we finished breakfast, we all agreed to meet back up at 1:30. Emma, Ethan, and James headed down the street, and Grayson and I sat back down at the table after they left. He was sitting across from me.

"So," Grayson said. "Where to first?"
I shrugged. "I don't really know. Shopping? Dave and Busters? Strip clubs?" He laughed and ran a hand through his hair. "Dave and Busters is a night time thing and strip clubs just flat out aren't my thing."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Strip clubs are every guys thing." I took a sip of my water. "Especially hot 18-year-olds."

He shrugged and squinted his eyes at the sun. "Not this hot 18-year-old, then. Guess I'm just unique."

I leaned forward and put both elbows on the table, locking my hands together. "You're just a porn guy aren't you," I whispered. He laughed again, and leaned forward in the same position I was in. "You caught me."

I smacked his hand and stood up from the table. "Let's get to shopping, pervert." He smiled and followed me down the sidewalk.

Our first stop was H&M. I've never bought anything from there before and I've heard their clothes are really cheap and cute. I guess somewhere down in this artsy, edgy, "not-like-other-girls" exterior, I have a soft spot for shopping. It was fairly busy, mostly just teenage girls and a few older women here and there. "Are you gonna follow me around the girls section or are you gonna go to the men's?" I asked.

"I'll meet up with you in a few minutes, sound good?"
I pushed him lightly. "Have fun."

I walked towards the shirts and found a few long-sleeved cropped ones, which were my favorite if you couldn't tell, some cropped t-shirts, and some light jackets. I picked out a few and hung them over my arm as I continued scrolling the racks. About 15 minutes later, Grayson found me. He was carrying a hat, some sunglasses, and a couple of shirts. "Jeez, you're fast," I said, my eyes still on the shirts in front of me.

"I planned ahead," he answered. "You seem to be taking your time though."

"I told you I was gonna drag you around."

"I don't mind," he said, crossing his arms across his chest as he stood behind me.

"Eh, I'm done anyway, I'm gonna go try them on. Wanna be my critique?" I asked, already walking towards the dressing room. He nodded. "Obviously."
He sat down on a bench outside of them as I found one all the way at the back.

(pic above) I put on my first outfit, and walked out of the dressing room, trying to adjust the shirt. I stood in front of Grayson, and spun around a few times. "What do you think?" He looked up from his phone and his eyes widened. "It, looks, uh....cute." He stuttered.
"No, be honest."

He sighed, and dropped his face in his hands. "You look hot as hell."

"Yes!" I exclaimed. I looked at myself in the large, body-sized mirror behind Grayson. I tilted my head a little bit and sighed. "What?" He asked.

"I think I'm wanna pierce my belly button," I said as I crossed my arms and looked up at the ceiling. He scoffed. "Are you serious, Elle?"

I turned and smiled at him. "Might as well complete my 'runaway' vibe with a badass piercing." I took off towards the dressing room to change back into my old clothes and grab the rest. I didn't bother trying them on, because I knew if I waited any longer I'd probably change my mind about the piercing.

I walked back out, all of my clothes hanging on my arm. "Aren't you gonna try those on?" Grayson asked. "Hmmm," I said, turning around to look at him. "I'm not sure you could handle it."

He stuck his tongue out at me, then sighed. "Probably not."
I laughed and waved at him to follow. "Let's go get pierced."
I paid for my clothes, he paid for his, and he headed out to find a tattoo parlor. While I'm at it, maybe a tattoo would look good. Okay, no, one thing at a time, I told myself.

We finally found one across the street from a bar.
We stood at the front door for a minute. "You sure you wanna do this?" Grayson asked.
I nodded. "Definitely."