A Year Around the Sun

f o u r - i think you're strange

i'll shake the ground and take you
to a beautiful i n f i n i t y . . .

🌊🌊🌊

I'm convinced that shopping can cure anything. A bad mood, indecisiveness, a broken heart – whatever it may be. Being a teenager, I like to spend money on pointless things, mainly clothes and food. So when Jodie and Sadie asked me if I wanted to spend the day shopping with them after my shift at The Sand Dollar a week later, I couldn't say no.

Living at the beach means we usually get tired of the shops on the boardwalk and downtown, so we piled into my car and ventured over the bridge to Verbank; a county much bigger than ours that's home to some of the best shopping centers and boutiques. We had been in and out of different stores all day, finding a few things here and there but not running our wallets dry. When it started to get closer to 6 o'clock, we were all pretty tired of walking around and figured we'd stop in one last place before getting some dinner.

My reflection stared back at me in the mirror of the dressing room I was in, unsatisfied with the dress I tried on. It didn't sit right on my small chest, and the length was too long for my short legs. Sighing, I tugged it off and put it to the side, trying on a soft strapless top instead. It's an off white color, made out of crochet lace and pretty daring for me. The bandeau going across my chest is the only part that's really covered because other than that, you can see my skin through the rest of the lace.

I shrugged and took it off, placing it in the small pile I was planning on purchasing. Why the hell not?

The last thing I put on was a light blue babydoll dress, which I had on for about a minute before I decided on getting it. With a sale price tag and the perfect fit, there's no way I could leave the shop without it.

A door opened and I figured Jodie was done in her dressing room next to mine, so I redressed myself and gathered my things, meeting her in the center of the store. I shook my head when I saw her standing by the rack of sun hats, a laugh escaping my mouth.

She twirled around to find me, the gaudy orange hat moving with her jerky motions. "What do you think?" She asked, a faux contemplative look on her face.

"I think you're strange," I couldn't help but smile at her. "But if you like it, get it."

Scoffing at my comment, she took the hat off and put it back. "Orange is not my color," she admitted. Both of us each picked out a different hat, giggling at ourselves while we waited for Sadie to finish up trying her things on.

After we paid for our things and headed to where my car was parked, we threw out ideas on where to go for dinner. All of our stomachs were rumbling with hunger, and without any specific tastes in mind, we chose to go back home to our favorite place on the boardwalk, Mack's. The most basic boardwalk restaurant in the world, serving pizza, burgers and the like, but we've been going there for years. We spent our entire pre-teen lives in the booths of that place, driving the staff crazy with our ridiculous orders and obnoxious conversations.

Seated and ready to wait for our food, the waiter walked away from our table to put them in. Jodie had a smirk on her face, one that meant she was thinking about something.

"They must have hired some new guys 'cause the waiter is cute," she spoke her thoughts, making Sadie and I both roll our eyes.

"Girl, what about Ryan?" Sadie asked. Jodie's cheeks reddened at the name of her crush, and she quietly sipped from her soda while we waited for her answer.

"I didn't forget about him, I just... like to notice my surroundings," she said shamelessly. Sadie and I exchanged looks and Jodie scoffed, sputtering to make up a response. "What? I tried talking to him at Heather's last weekend, and that didn't work. The guy is clueless."