POV: Cordelia
_______________________________________
Sitting in the driver's seat of my maroon volvo, I looked around the Walmart parking lot. It was sparsely populated, with only a couple parked cars, and a group of teenagers hanging around the entrance of the store. I took a deep breath, pulling the key out of the ignition. Since Rose had a swim meet tonight, I was the one doing the shopping for the after party.
The store was lit brightly, and bustling with people. I bent down and pulled a basket from the stack near the door, making sure not to lose my balance as I had done many times before. I fetched the shopping list from my pocket and unfolded it.
GROCERIES:
FROZEN PIZZA
BREAD
PEANUT BUTTER
ICE CREAM
BUTTER
EGGS
JELLY
MICROWAVE VEGGIES
HOT POCKETS
RAMEN
INSTANT MASHED POTATOES
DOUGHNUTS
SKITTLES
M&MS
MARSHMELLOS
Yep. Sounded about right. Rose always made sure that the house was packed with junk food, and you wouldn't believe how much Rose and her swimmer friends eat after their meets. After struggling to find the instant mashed potatoes, I was ready to check out.
I headed towards the self-checkout machines, switching the now heavy basket between both arms. The self-checkout line was longer than usual. It wasn't until I got a little closer that I realized that two of the machines were out of order...crap. I glanced nervously at the registers, my heartbeat speeding up. I had put off shopping for a while, so I was already late. If I didn't get home on time with the groceries, Rose would be pissed.
I took a breath and headed towards the register, getting in line behind a man with a cart half full of produce. I waited for the clerk to bag his groceries, reaching into my basket and placing everything on the conveyor belt. The man paid with his card and left, leaving me standing awkwardly at the counter as the teenage clerk scanned my groceries. The woman behind me, carrying a baby on her hip, tapped her foot impatiently.
"$44.65." The teenage clerk said quickly.
"Wh-what?" I asked.
"Your total is $44.65." She repeated.
"Oh...uh..."
I looked down at my bag, opening it and starting to dig around.
"Sorry...I forgot to get my wallet out." I said, forcing a meek laugh.
Instead of laughing, the clerk stared at me, her bored expression unchanging.
I fished my wallet out of my bag, and handed my debit card to the clerk.
"Your card declined." She said, handing it back to me.
"De-declined?" I stuttered.
"Yes ma'am. It declined." The clerk said pointedly.
I heard the woman behind me sigh.
"I-I'm sorry...I think I have cash..."
I breathed in, my chest beginning to tighten.
I pulled out two twenties and laid them on the counter.
"Come on. Just find a five and you're good." I thought.
I dug out two one dollar bills.
I could almost hear the woman behind me sighing louder in frustration. I forced in a breath, maybe a little too loudly. My ears started ringing.
I dug into my wallet more, only finding a few nickels.
"I...can I maybe have a few of these put back?"
The clerk pursed her lips.
"Yes. Which ones?"
"The uh...the jelly..." I said.
The clerk took the jelly off the conveyor belt.
"Wait. No. Actually the Skittles...wait."
"Make up your mind." The woman behind me said under her breath.
"The pizza. Take off the pizza." I said.
The baby in the woman's arms started crying.
"Still not enough." The clerk said.
"Uh, ok...the Skittles..."
My mind struggled to think as the world grew hazy around me.
"Wait no..." I interrupted again.
I could feel several pairs of eyes glaring at me. Glaring at me for wasting their time. Glaring at me for wasting everyone's time. The ringing in my ears intensified, along with the baby's sobbing.
"Not now..." I mumbled, biting my lip.
"What?" The clerk asked.
"Ice cream." I said softly.
"What?"
"I'm sorry." I choked out, feeling hot tears filling up in my eyes.
"Ma'am...are you alright?"
"Sorry." I repeated, snatching the money.
"Ma'am, where are you-"
"P-put everything back..."
"Are you sure-"
I sprinted off, leaving the groceries behind. The world was spinning around me as I ran outside towards the parking lot. I wiped my eyes, finally making it to the safety of my car. I slumped over in the driver's seat, breathing in and out heavily.
...In through the nose.
...Out through the mouth...
...In through the nose...
...Out through the mouth...
...In through the nose...
...Out through the mouth...
...In through the nose...
...Out through the mouth...
...Keep breathing until the feeling of helplessness goes away.
Stupid fucking me thought she could do something normal for once without breaking down.
She was wrong.
YOU ARE READING
Not another Day at the Beach
Genç KurguLife is just another day at the beach, until different lives intertwine, and someone else's problems become yours. Cameron Ferris has the world at his feet. His parents own the biggest tech company in America, making his family extremely rich. His l...
