The Time Before Dawn

Part 3

I toss my empty cup in the bin as I make my way to Everett's truck.

Yanking the passenger door open, I flop dramatically onto the seat with a sigh. Honestly, hanging out with Aiden today wasn't too bad.

Wait, what? Brain, hello, what the hell was that?

Ev side-eyes me with a weird look but doesn't question my behavior.

Breaking the silence, he states, "We're stopping at the store on the way home, I need more protein powder."

What a typical Everett thing to say.

I start to roll my eyes but immediately perk up when I remember I can finally buy some whipped cream! I used the last of it about a month ago but Mom simply does not support my eating habits and refused to buy any for me, and I was merely too lazy to get it on my own.

As if he knows what I'm thinking, Ev glares at me. "You're not allowed to buy more sweets, remember?"

"Yeah yeah, I know," I nod convincingly.

*~*~*

Once Everett's back is turned in the sports drink isle, I speed-tiptoe away from him and make my way towards the dairy isle.

All too soon I'm surrounded by glorious cans, containers, and boxes of my favorite food. I wonder...is this what heaven looks like?

I carefully compare each one. When I've finally settled on a white spray can with a red cap, the sound of someone rolling their way down the isle brings me out of my whipped-cream daze.

This can't be good.

With one quick glance to my right, my suspicions are confirmed when no one other than Aiden Hurley starts towards me, stopping and facing the ice cream section. Oh, mother truck. What do I do? I definitely don't want to talk to him, but if he sees me I'll have to say something to not be rude. What to do, what to do...

Suddenly an idea pops into my head. Mentally preparing myself for the most athletic stunt I'll ever pull, I take a deep breath. And then, I run.

Oh goodness, no. This is why I don't do sports.

I make my way down the isle towards an old lady and her cart. She doesn't see me until I nearly run her over, and with a loud gasp she brings her hand up to her chest in shock.

"Sorry!" I whisper, clutching my can tighter.

Once I reach the end of the isle, I cut to the right and scan the checkout lines for Ev, dodging people right and left. He should have found his powder by now.

There! I spot him at the end of a line at Register 4. However, as soon as I run to meet him I slam hard into a brick wall.

"Ow, what the hell?" I mumble, blinking. The stupid collision causes me to land hard on my ass and nearly drop my precious whipped cream bottle. So when I don't receive the expected apology or even a reply, I roll my eyes, "Watch where you're going."

As I prepare to get off of the ground, I notice with an embarrassed glance that quite a few curious pairs of eyes are on me now. A blush makes my way across my face when an outstretched hand makes its way into my vision.

"Long time no see, pumpkin."

Oh hell to the mothertrucking nah. It can't be.

But of course it is. It's as if God decided to play one big joke on me.

I sigh, glancing upwards to see Aiden's smirking face. I roll my eyes (again) and slap his hand away, pushing off from the ground and dusting off my bottom. I swear to God, if my shoes have one tiny, little speck of dust after this encounter, I will-