Sativa.

11. Vandalize

The moon is a thin claw in a velvet sky. A dreary darkness overwhelms the supermarket parking lot. Nearly closing time. Blaine's in such a hurry she opens the door before Travis kills the car engine.

"Where are you off to in such a rush?" He latches onto her wrist, tempting her to remain still. "Come here."

Even his most chaste of kisses are widely unpredictable. Blaine is overwhelmed by his taste. Yearning for more as she parts her mouth for his tongue. When he deepens the kiss, yanking slightly on her hair, she groans and tugs his lip with her teeth.

"Soda," she mumbles as an afterthought. Her lips are left glistening with more than gloss. "We need to buy soda."

Travis's passion has her worked up, lessened only marginally by the wind. She ducks her head against the bitter air and jogs across the lot. He yells about not waiting for him and, to tease him, she lengthens her stride. Travis catches up fast, wrapping his arms around her then pressing her against his chest.

"You aren't getting away from me that easy." he whispers, tilting his face against her cheek. Although his breath fans flush on Blaine's skin she shivers at it worse than the freezing wind.

"We're not going to make it to the store on time."

"You're going to have to figure out how to get me to let you go first."

"Travis. Stop."

A laugh weakens her tone from something commanding into a sound as carbonated as soda pop. Reminding her of their purpose here. After squirming from his embrace she loops her arm around his waist. Joined at the hip they pass store clerks as vacant as zombies.

The emptiness of the supermarket encourages a new game between Travis and Blaine. Whenever she walks toward the soda isle he lets her get a little closer each time before picking her up and carrying her the opposite direction. After three laps she starts to sprint, trying to trick him to get to the soda isle before he catches up. They both run the halls laughing like kids.

Carelessly, Blaine whirls to escape when he closes the distance between them. She barrels into a flimsy shelf that tips over. A display of chips scatters across the floor.

The clerk restocking canned goods notices the crash and snaps, "What do you two think you're doing running around here like that? It's a store not a zoo!"

Laughter dies when Blaine recognizes the woman. She whispers, "Tina," then pushes back a mess of hair away from her eyes. Her vision must be playing tricks on her.

Since their visit at the café, her older sister has put on some weight. An opposite image of the sad and frail girl hunkered over a coffee mug. She stands in the middle of the isle, cross, with her hands on her hips.

"Um." The awkwardness of the situation causes her to stutter. "Tina this is Travis my boyfriend. Travis this is my sister Tina."

"I don't give a flying hoot who he is! I spent the whole day setting up that chip stand now it's ruined!"

Like a scolded child, Blaine kneels to pick up an armful of chip bags. "Don't worry we'll pick it up."

Tina snatches one of the bags from her hands, her glare venomous enough to freeze even Travis in place. "I've got it."

"Tina..." By now Blaine is whispering, hurt.

"I said I've got it!"

Dumbfounded, she watches her sister stoop over and scramble to scoop the chips into a single pile. Trying to make amends, Blaine sets her remaining two bags on the crumpled stand. "How have you been?"