Hendrix ✓

16 ★ Rookie maneuvers

𝔻𝕒𝕚𝕤𝕪 𝕔𝕦𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕣  -  𝟛𝟙𝟙

"I'm full of rookie maneuvers,

and gestures meant to be grand"

Hendrix POV

     I stare begrudgingly at the sea of produce lying before me. Why is it so hard to choose what to buy? I budget my heart out as I examine everything, trying to scour my brain for what I need versus what I want.

     Grocery shopping is hard. It's harder when I have someone with me who is trying to force me to choose wrong.

     "Come on. Just one sweet thing, you gotta treat yourself." Dylan urges, grabbing a box packed with tempting twinkies and shoving them right in my face. "There's a special going on right now. Right that down in your coupon book."

     I shove my little coupon book back into my purse with a frown. I try not to groan, I'm so tired of people teasing me for owning a coupon book. It's not my fault that I'm scraping by, and that food wracks up quickly. I'm pretty good at budgeting.

     It doesn't help that grocery stores here are astronomically more expensive. I miss my local Piggly Wiggly. I used to drive there after school, but that was back when I had a car. I sold it as soon as Mama started her treatment.

     "We have to stay on track, okay? I agreed to let you tag along, but you need to behave yourself." I reprimand in a teasing tone as I toss a bag of off brand carrots into the cart and continue down the aisle.

     Dylan snorts a very obnoxious laugh, rolling his eyes.

     "Yeah, I gave you a ride here, so really you're the one tagging along, crazy coupon lady." He says, and I shoot him an infuriated look.

     "I am not crazy." I insist, and my friend shakes his head.

     "That's what all the drummers say."

     We walk around the store in silence for a while, the basic radio music blaring around us as shoppers of every shape and size fill the aisles around us, some are in a hurry while others mozy along their way. I take comfort in the fact that everyone seems to be different in their own sort of way.

     Like the fact that some people use coupons, and some don't.

     Dylan groans when I take a little too long picking out which apples I'm going to buy. I grin as I sort through the piles of shiny, red fruit. Maybe I'm drawing this out a little bit, and gaining too much pleasure out of it too. It's fun to tease him.

     I realize a few seconds later that he's not complaining about me taking too long, but that it's for a whole other reason.

     "Damn, I hate seeing teachers in public. It's not right." Dylan grumbles low, and my whole body prickles at his words.

     It.. it couldn't be, could it? I freeze before turning my head up, and scan the store with anxious, hungry eyes.

     It's Cedric. He stands there silently, looking at a display through a pair of dark, shaded sunglasses. He's so tall that he draws everybody's attention like a magnet. He's enormous. He's handsome. Even when he's minding his own business, people still stop and stare. He's just grocery shopping for heaven's sake! I have to admit, he does look perfect doing it.

     That leather jacket will never get old.

     Once I've snapped out of my daze, I glance back down at what I was doing in the first place. My cheeks are already red with heat. He'll probably see me. I just got back from band practice, and my hair is a rat's nest, not to mention I smell like BO. Not a great look for me.