Chapter 7: More Potent Than I Could Handle
1002 Words
"What do you think of this one?" Alicia said, holding up a floral patterned jacket on a hanger.
"I think it looks quite nice," I told Alicia. "But are you sure you don't wanna head down to the food courts now? I hear they've got some pretty good corn dogs."
She chuckled.
"Well, I am getting kinda hungry." She said as she put back the jacket on the rack and we headed out the fashion section of the mall.
I've been inside the mall a few times before but I've never been with a person that wasn't a member of my family. To be honest, my family never really allowed me to go to any places by myself or with another person that they didn't know. I was the least surprised when they said I could go with Alicia.
To them, they saw Alicia as an honest girl who was grateful to be my first actual friend. I guess they would've been skeptical about it when I told them that I was going to the mall today with a friend.
As Alicia and I walk off the escalator, we head to the section of the food courts. There were multiple tables all around us, yet not that many people. In fact, most of them had food with them while they walked around the mall.
We came up to a pizza vendor at one of the service counters and we ordered two pizzas with mushrooms and pepperoni. I was a big fan of having mushrooms on my pizza.
We took our plates and sat at a table that was near one of the vendor advertising signs on the floor.
I took a bite of my pizza and looked around the area. Seeing a bunch of people at the mall like this made me feel a bit uneasy at first when we first came in but when I was with Alicia, I felt calmer. I suppose she had a way of doing that.
Making me feel better.
"So, what are you gonna get?" I asked her, taking a sip of water fro my foam cup.
"Well, I did see these dresses that would look cute on me for my nieces birthday tomorrow." She took a small bite out of her pizza. "But I also saw these shorts that would look good... on you."
The piece of mushroom nearly fell down the wrong pipe of my throat when I heard that.
"I'm sorry, for me?" I asked.
"Oh, come on, Max. If I'm here buying clothes then you should at least get something. You've barely looked at anything since we've been here."
"It's only been thirty minutes. Besides, with my skinny size, I doubt I could wear anything that's in here."
She smiled at me and stood up, throwing the napkin on the half-eaten pizza crust.
"I'll be the judge of that." She took my hand and pulled me out of the seat and over to the ascending escalators.
"Alicia, what are you doing?" I asked her.
"We're gonna get you some clothes..."
We walked into a department store and started browsing for clothes and pants, for me. We spent minutes looking around for the perfect shirt for me which picked up the silence between us.
Then I was thinking to myself, should I tell her about the boy?
I took a breath and walked over to the shelves where she stood.
"Hey, Alicia. Can I ask you something?"
She turned around with a lavender T-shirt in her arms.
"Sure. What is it?"
"I'm... well... see, there's this boy and—"
"I think I see where this is going." She said.
She took my hand and led me to another side of the shelves of shirts.
"Tell me. What's his name?" She asked.
Alicia knew I was gay when we first met and she could never be any more supportive than i already knew she was.
"I don't... really know. But," I pulled out the number he gave me yesterday from my pocket. "He gave me his number and said that he's like to hang out with me someday."
Alicia thought for a moment when I asked her what I should do and she said the answer was simple.
"Do it."
"What?"
"Call him and hang out with him. Who knows, he might like you." She suggested. "This could be a new way for you to make more friends this often."
"I get what you're saying but..."
"Max, I'm sure he just wants to be your friend. Why not just offer a brand new friendship?"
Having a new friend in my life, huh? I was up to the idea, but then contemplated it even deeper.
"Hey, what do you think of this one?" Alicia asked me as she held up a collared plaid shirt with red designs.
I smiled and nodded my head.
"I like it." I said.
"Great, I'm gonna go look for some more."
As she went on to the next rows of shirts, I kept looking at the number and chuckled to myself. Maybe it could be great to make another friend.
When Alicia dropped me off home that day, I went inside my room and sat on the bed. Holding the number between my fingers, I took out my phone and dialed the number.
It rang for a while but then someone picked up. It was him.
"Hello?" I heard him say.
"Hi." I said.
"It's you." He said abruptly. "Uh, what's up?"
He sounded a bit nervous.
"I think... I think I'd like to hang out with you too."
"Great! I-I mean... great." He said in a calmer voice. "When would you like to-"
"Next week." I said without elaborating my hesitant voice.
"Cool. Uh, how about we meet at the diner down Steiner Boulevard?
"I'd like that. See you then."
"Ok. Bye, cutie."
I hung up and chuckled to myself excitedly, although I was a little surprised at the fact that he called me "cutie" when he hung up.
- Writer
