Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
— ✷ —
"I don't know, I don't think this is really my color."
Ricky stared himself down under fluorescent lights as he was face to face with his reflection in the mirror. Megara looked up at him, sitting on the bench in the dressing room, staring at the jacket she picked out for him as she gently chewed on the straw of her boba tea. "Hmm, yeah, maybe not," she hummed as Ricky shrugged off the faux leather jacket, not having the heart to tell her he absolutely despised the tan color.
Though if he said it out loud, Megara would surely understand. It drowned him out.
Megara set down her boba softly, pulling a shirt from the pile of clothes she grabbed him. "Try this shirt," Megara unfolded it, revealing it to be a white long sleeve with thin red and blue stripes across it. "Oh, this is cute," she said with a smile, tossing it up at him.
Ricky gently hung the jacket back on its plastic hanger before turning to look at Megara expectantly. "Well," he said in a matter-of-fact tone, bushy eyebrows raised. "Could you, uh, turn around?"
Megara scoffed, tucking a piece of her wavy hair away behind her ear. "Whatever," she took the jacket from him, turning and hanging it on the hook on the back of the door. She heard Ricky fidgeting, crossing her arms impatiently. Time passed by slower when you wanted it to go faster.
"Everything going okay in there?" one of the workers asked.
"Yes, thanks!" Ricky said, pulling down the shirt and brushing his palms against the soft fabric. "Ohh, me like."
"This probably looks really weird," Megara said, realizing both their bodies were facing the same way and they were standing ridiculously close. She felt his warm breath down her neck, encouraging her to pull some hair in front of her shoulders to avoid the chills.
"Alright," he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck as Megara whipped around. He couldn't quite read her expression, but he thought by the way she nodded and her lips slowly turned upward that she liked what she was seeing.
Even under the crappy lighting, Megara still looked as tan and alive as ever. If anything, she was glowing. Megara could make the cheapest and ugliest shirts look designer if she wanted to, and everyone knew that about her. Between her looks and her trendy style, she was easily one of the prettiest girls in school.
"You ever been this close to a guy before?" Ricky said in a low voice, taking advantage of the small space they were stuck in.
Megara knew he meant physical, but she chose to ignore the double meaning. "I was pretty close to Ej before he and Rita started dating," she shrugged, using her hands to smoothen out his shoulders as he stared her down.
Ricky nodded, his gaze falling on the door behind Megara. "Oh, yeah. I remember those days."
Megara laughed. "Yeah right," she crossed her arms again, her middle school days presented as memories in a flash. "You were so busy dating what's her face? Katie, I think?"
Ricky pretended to wince, like the name actually hurt him. "Yeah, let's not talk about that," he awkwardly laughed. "I think it's safe to say this shirt and the blue sweater are our best contenders."
Megara was already picking up her drink and bag. "Yeah, Navy blue looks good on you. Well, come on. I gotta get you home eventually," she unlocked the door, allowing them more space as she stepped out first. Ricky stood back for a split second, trying to figure out why he was suddenly missing her warmth and the sweet smell of coconut shampoo.
"You mean your home," Ricky said, leaving the ugly jacket on a rack outside.
"What's mine is yours now."
— ✷ —
"Oh."
Megara and Ricky stood in front of Mr Montez, who was rubbing his temples as he sat at the dining table nervously. The two kids had awkwardly come back home to realize Ricky's mom had left, breaking things off with Megara's dad in the process.
The young girl's stomach turned when she saw the look on Ricky's face. With his lips parted and feet froze in place, Megara could tell she had to take it easy on him this time. Sure, the news wasn't bad, per se. Both kids were secretly wishing they would call things off, but now that they did, it was awkward to just stand there and process it.
After a moment of silence, Ricky spoke up. "I guess I better..."
"Yeah, go see her," Megara said through a dry mouth, feeling hurt for the boy more than anything.
He nodded, neither of the kids able to add anything else as Megara watched him leave the house with his skateboard in hand. She sighed loudly once he was gone. "Oh, shit," she said, looking down at the H&M bag in her hand that she'd forgotten to give him.
"Language," her dad grumbled. He and Megara shared an uneasy look before she walked over and placed a loving kiss on his head, gently patting his thick head of hair. "I take it we both had long nights?"
Megara nodded, looking down at her dad with a sad smile. "Yeah," she said weakly. "I'm gonna go lay down, dad. Call me if you need a hug, or to be spooned, or whatever," she walked away from him, carrying the bag up with her. She dropped the bag inside Ricky's room before welcoming her own bed with open arms, falling face-first into her pillow. She lazily unbuckled her heels and swiftly changed into the sweats she kept at the edge of her bed from the night before. Turning off her light and laying in the dark, she took a deep breath, wondering what reality would be like from then on. She didn't think for long, as being worn out overcame her and she quickly drifted off to bed.
