Fallin' For You-Part 4

TWENTY-TWO

"Hey Edaline," Sophie said as she walked into the kitchen early that morning on the lovely date of exactly-one-week-before-Keefe's-birthday. "Can we go to the mall?"

Edaline stopped what she was doing (making blueberry pancakes), and stared, confused, at Sophie. "Who are you and what have you done with my daughter?"

Sophie blinked. "What do you mean?"

"You never want to go to the mall," Edaline told her, putting her hands on her hips. "Aren't you afraid of Gordy the Clown?"

Sophie shuddered at the name for probably the one-hundredth time that year. "Yes, but the last billion times I've been to the mall, I haven't run into him. I have a feeling that after Dex got punched in the nose, they decided to be rid of him."

Edaline shrugged. "Okay, if you really want to go to the mall—"

Sophie grinned. "Yes! Thanks, Edaline!" Then she bolted out of the room and ran upstairs to get dressed.

She picked out crop-top hoodie, leggings, her converses and she pulled her hair up into a high ponytail. She brushed her teeth really quickly, fed Iggy some cat food, and then made her way over to her desk.

She screwed the lid off the jar and pulled out a pink slip of paper. This time, it was a joke.

It said: What do you call a blind dinosaur? Then on the back was the answer: Do-you-think-he-saur-us?

Even though it was super cheesy and weird, Sophie couldn't help but laugh. She put the slip in the drawer with all the other slips she'd opened in the last few weeks, and then made her way downstairs.

"Are we ready to go?" Sophie asked, walking into the kitchen once again.

"Well, first, you need to eat," Edaline told her, sliding her a plate of blueberry pancakes. "Secondly, I have a question. Why do you need me to go to the mall with you when you have your own car?"

Sophie shrugged. "Well, I just wanted to hang out with you. Plus, I'm getting Keefe a birthday gift and I might need a second opinion."

Edaline smiled, walking over and giving Sophie a kiss on the head. "You're such a good daughter," She told her. "And such a wonderful friend."

Sophie grinned, shoving some pancake in her mouth before saying, "Thanks Edaline."

After Sophie had finished eating and Edaline had gotten all dressed up and ready, they got in Edaline's car and drove into to town. They made a quick stop at a convenience store to get a drink before finally reaching the mall.

"So, what're you thinking of getting him?" Edaline asked as they walked through the doors. "Anything in particular?"

"Something art related," Sophie said, looking through the windows of each store as they walked by. They'll have stuff like that here, right?"

Edaline smiled, pointing to the other end of the mall at really pretty art shop. "There,"

Sophie smiled as they headed over.

§§§

"Why can't it be three o'clock already?" Sophie groaned exactly a week later.

"I know right." Biana said, looking at her nails. "I want this day to be over with."

"That's not what I'm talking about," She groaned again, earning a glare from Ms. Clarette. So, she whispered, "I can't call Keefe until three o'clock because that's when he's finally done with all of his school-work."