A Synonym for Chill [COMPLETE]

7. Payless Shoes

I let out an admittedly shaky exhale, pacing back and forth in front of a bench while ignoring the stares of the people around me. I knew there was only one Payless in the entire complex, but for some reason, I was extremely nervous. Not only that, but the store was nearly empty, save for a few scattered boxes of shoes that were hastily thrown into the aisles since the store was set to be closing. Eli stood up and grabbed my shoulder, stopping my pacing.

"Look. You can do this. You have everything you need." He said softly. I nodded, walking into the store and looking around. My eyes landed on a guy behind the counter. He had dark brown hair that stuck up at the sides, resembling Wolverine, and his eyes were almost neon blue. I felt goosebumps break out over my body as I walked up to him, Eli giving me a gentle push in the right direction.

"I like your sideburns. Wolverine, right?" I asked awkwardly. The guy looked at me with contempt.

"Let's see the money." He said simply. His voice was gruff and seemed to be slightly robotic, just like Dallas's had gotten when he was talking about the Squip. I looked at him with complete and utter bewilderment.

"What?" I managed to say. He laughed slightly, giving me a grin.

"It's from Japan. It's a grey, oblong pill. Quantum nanotechnology CPU. The quantum computer in the pill will travel through your blood until it implants in your brain and it tells you what to do." He said. A chill shot through my body, mostly due to the fact that I had previously heard those words from a friend, and now this complete stranger echoed them while using the exact same condescending-yet-sinister tone.

"How...How do you know why I'm here?" I asked. He looked me up and down, giving me a blatantly obvious once-over.

"Just from looking at you, kid," He said the word 'kid' like it would kill him. Eli nudged my back with his elbow, jolting me back into reality and prompting me to pull out the money I had in my back pocket. The stockboy looked down at it, then back to me. "So, that's four hundred?" He asked. My eyes widened.

"Four?!" I nearly shouted, then looked at Eli. "Did that scumbag actually lie to me?!" I hissed. Eli looked panicked. The stockboy snapped his fingers, and I suddenly snapped to attention, feeling like someone had tied puppet strings to my neck and arms. I stood frozen for a moment before he snapped his fingers again, and I visibly saw myself relax.

"Is there a problem?" His voice was cold. I shook my head.

"No! Actually, there's a guy at my school charging-!" I was cut off by Eli violently coughing from behind me, almost as if he was warning me not to say anymore. I took the hint and swallowed hard. "Uh. Four hundred? Wow. Well, if you insist." I tried my best to sound indifferent, handing him the money. 

The stockboy looked at Eli and me for a moment, almost as if he was gauging our reactions, then gave me a grin and walked into a backroom, reappearing moments later with a shoebox in his hands. I raised an eyebrow. "Ladies running shoes?" I asked incredulously. He let out a light laugh, opening the box. Inside, nestled between two fluffy pieces of cotton fabric, was a small grey pill that was seemingly covered in circuits and glowing neon blue. I gasped in awe. "Woah..." Before I could do anything, he clicked his tongue in almost disapproval and closed the lid.

"Just so we're clear, sweetheart..." He said, leaning in closer to me. "...this is untested technology. And it's not exactly legal. Which is why you're paying for it with cash in the back of a shoe store. I take no responsibility for what you might do with it. Or what it might do with you." He sounded completely serious. I felt my face turn a few shades paler.

"What might it-!" I was cut off by him speaking again.

"To activate, take it with Mountain Dew. Don't know why. Just something about Mountain Dew. And, this is important. To deactivate a Squip, all you need to do is-!" He was cut off by Rose Kleinman walking in with a confused expression on her face. "I'm sold out!" He barked at her. She looked at him with that same confusion.

"Of shoes?" She asked. He looked from her to me, then seemed to realize something.

"Oh, you're here for shoes?" He asked. She raised an eyebrow.

"This is a Payless." She commented, crossing her arms. He gave her an apologetic smile.

"My bad." He then turned his attention back to me. "Scram, kid." He hissed. I flushed.

"Wait, you were saying something important...?" I trailed off after he gave me a surprisingly wicked grin, shoving the box into my hands.

"Oh yeah. All sales are final," He said, then turned to Rose while gesturing for her to follow him. "We may have limited stock, but I know we got some new lit AF Yeezys." Rose followed him into the aisles, allowing Eli and I to sprint out without being seen.

"Lit AF Yeezys. I think I heard my bones crack from how hard I cringed at that." Eli said after we made it into the food court. I let out a nervous laugh.

"True. That physically hurt," I said, then sat down at a table and examined the box I had been clutching. "I hope you're worth four-hundred dollars..." I murmured. Eli slid a bottle of Mountain Dew my way, catching me by surprise.

"Four hundred and one! Don't forget the Dew." He said. I smiled in spite of myself.

"If this is real...my whole life could change." I looked at him. "We should split it. You helped me get it. We should both benefit, right?" I reasoned. Eli shook his head, smiling.

"Nah, I don't think it works that way. Besides, I like knowing that when you're cool, you'll owe me." He replied. I cracked the soda open, relaxing as I heard the all-too-familiar fizz.

"Here goes...everything ..." I said softly, taking the pill out of the box, placing it in my mouth, and taking a swig of soda. I could practically feel the pill drop down my throat, something that made me wince slightly.

"How does it taste?" Eli asked. I pressed my tongue to the roof of my mouth.

"Minty," I noted. Eli's eyes were practically glowing.

"How do you feel?" He asked excitedly. I closed my eyes.

"Like..." I took a deep breath, then opened my eyes. Eli's eyes widened slightly.

"Woah!" He whispered. I blinked slowly.

"An idiot." I finished. His brow furrowed.

"Nothing? At all?! But...but your eyes...!" He floundered for a reply, then shook his head and tried to save face. "Uh...try and say something cool!" He instructed. The realization hit me in the face harder than a dodgeball in gym class.

"I think I just blew my New York money on a Wintergreen Tic-Tac." I bemoaned. Eli exhaled through gritted teeth.

"Yeahh... Not cool." He said simply. I put my head on the table.

"Please, just let me drown in this soda forever," I muttered. He let out a light laugh, standing up and patting me on the head.

"Five minutes." He replied. I looked up at him, confused.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"Check it out. There's this guy at Spencer's Gifts who's hooking me up with a case of Mountain Dew Golden Lime. It's kinda like regular Mountain Dew, but with just lime!" He chirped.

"Yeah, but wasn't that discontinued in the 80s or 90s?" I remarked. He shrugged.

"80s, actually. And that's what makes it so awesome! I'll see ya in a few!" He said, sprinting off. I groaned slightly, looking around and trying to see if anyone else I knew would be here. 

Suddenly, I spotted a familiar face.