Lost Words IV

That Sunday afternoon Evie was at a mall with her sister and mother, shopping on the weekends was a ritual they never missed. That's when they all take a break from the busy daily life that is often times separate them, and can gather together even if just for shopping.

Evie walked behind Olivia and her mother who walked side by side, each of them looking so busy with several shopping bags in their hands. While Evie did not bring anything, she was just busy enjoying her favorite ice cream which she bought at a shop near the mall entrance. The melted ice cream dripped onto her gray cardigan, she rubbed the slightly rough surface to brush off the dripping ice cream.

It was so crowded around them, it seemed like almost everyone in the town they lived in was there. In restaurants, in theaters, in coffee shops, in rows of clothing stores, and walking along the paths in malls. Since they entered the mall, her mother had seen about six of her acquaintances and Olivia about twelve. Especially when you're in the mall on the weekends.

"Looks like the stuff here is cute, Mom. Let's see, shall we?" Olivia suddenly stopped in front of a clothing store that was displaying a summer collection dominated by dot pants and semi-formal to formal clothes.

"Yeah, yeah. It's kind of funny." Her mother seemed to agree with Olivia too, and the two of them started walking into the shop.

"Come on, Evie," said her mother when she saw that Evie was not following them, she was just standing in front of the shop.

"Evie just wait here, Mom. The ice cream not finish yet. Evie refused as she raised her hand that was holding the ice cream.

"Okay, wait here, okay. Mom and Olivia just a moment." Her mother smiled, then disappeared among the rows of women Olivia's age sifting through the clothes on display.

When she heard the words "just a minute" her mother said in a tone full of guilt, it was like a child saying that she would eat just one candy for the whole day. She found it so funny it made her want to burst out laughing. Who would believe the words "just a minute" that came out of the mouth of a woman in the middle of a clothing store? No need to think anymore, the answer is definitely no one will believe.

They would spend at least an hour in there. Not to mention the drama that consumes so many emotions when they are caught in a dilemma when choosing between the two clothes they like. And in the end they would buy both, Evie had memorized. Evie turned and walked towards the barrier and guardrail side of the mall walkway where the road ended. She leaned against the stainless steel handle at the top of the railing, her hands sandwiched between her armpits.

Sometimes Evie still wonders why women can spend so long in a clothing store. If she been there, she would have passed out in less than fifteen minutes, considering how crowded it was inside (especially when the shop was on discount). She felt that the clothes she had now were more than adequate, and very worthy of her to wear. So why should she buy it again?

Evie's eyes looked down (to the ground floor, she was on the third floor), and looked at hundreds or even thousands of people passing by below her. Several simple shops line up in the middle of the ground floor, they are usually entrepreneurs with mediocre capital and prefer to open their shops. However, their advantage over shops with their own stores is that they offer lower prices. This makes them also crowded with buyers from the middle to lower classes. Seeing all the movements that were taking place on the ground floor, Evie was reminded of a swarm of ants swarming a loaf of bread on the floor of her room. She chuckled remembering how stupid she was who still had time to think about the swarm of ants in her room.

Evie's attention changed direction, now she looked at two people walking side by side so intimately. When climbing the escalator, the man kissed the woman's forehead several times. This hints that there is a special relationship between the two of them. Evie seemed to recognize the faces of the men and women she had been keeping an eye on for the past few minutes, but the distance was too great for her to recognize them. When they stopped at a restaurant on the first floor, Evie finally recognized them. It was Darcy and Mia. At that time Mia had just returned from Leah's house after staying overnight and of course Darcy picked her up and then he invited her to eat in the mall (if only Evie knew). Evie was flabbergasted for a moment, she really didn't think there was a special relationship between Darcy and Mia. All this time she only thought that they were just friends, nothing more. Evie smiled happily, she really wanted to greet them or congratulate them on their relationship.

Evie left, and left the clothing store where her mother and Olivia were. She walked (somewhat ran) to the escalator to go down to the first floor, and approached Darcy and Mia. As she walked she kept watching their movement. They look friendlier in there. They sat side by side, at a very close distance. Arriving on the first floor, Evie went straight to the restaurant where Darcy and Mia were sitting together. Evie approached their table, and greeted them.

"Didn't expect to see you here, huh?" greeted Evie in a tone full of pleasant surprise. When they saw Evie standing in front of the table they were sitting at, Darcy and Mia were shocked. Unlike what Evie expected, they panicked instead.

"Eh... what are you doing here?" Darcy immediately released his hand that was holding Mia's hand. Mia also shifted his seat to create a distance from Darcy.

"I'm traveling with my mom and sister. You're alone? On a date? huh ..." Evie smiled coquettishly.

"No, really. I'm just walking. Then I met Mia. Don't be silly, you know," Darcy tried to cover it up with a stuttering voice.

"You don't have to be ashamed, I've been watching you all this time. I'm glad that you two have a special relationship," Evie tried to speak as friendly and tactful as possible to cover up her bad feelings for being ridiculed, and embarrassed Darcy.

Meanwhile, Mia hasn't spoken at all since then.

She just looked down. Evie couldn't see the look on Mia's face since she came. Darcy was no longer able to dodge, she failed to find another reason to cover up what happened. They were caught off guard. Evie read the whole thing, she felt even worse. Her initial intention of just saying hello was humiliating them, and she intended to say goodbye to the two of them. However, before she could say what was on her mind, Mia was already standing in front of her with a defiant look. Her hands that were shaking from holding back emotions tugged at the cardigan Evie was wearing, her body being pulled so close to Mia. She could feel Mia's fast heartbeat, and her erratic breathing. Mia seemed to be about to explode, Evie realized that.

"Listen, smart kid, until the others or school kids know this, you're done!" A warm breath that came out of Mia's mouth brushed against Evie's skin, it seemed to carry an uncontrollable anger. The gust also confirms that the threat is not kidding.

Evie was surprised, she didn't expect that her intention of just saying hello would end up with a threat that wasn't kidding.

"I don't care how smart you are, or how much the teachers like you. But if my relationship gets leaked, I'll make you regret it!" Mia's face started to turn red, her eyes seemed to want to jump out of place.

"You heard, right?" Mia solidified her threat.

Evie was starting to feel uncomfortable with the threat (perhaps scared to be more precise), all the friendliness smile disappeared without a trace.

"Yes, I understand, really." replied Evie in a low voice "Good," Mia took her hand off from Evie's cardigan, Evie's body crashed a few centimeters from her body.

"Now you can go," said Mia. Evie left with her face wet with tears. "What did you say to her?" asked Darcy when

Mia sat and froze for a while.

"It's okay, really. The important thing is she won't tell anyone." Mia's tone is still heard odd, maybe because of the anger that still lingers.

"Oh, that's good then. Almost," Darcy rubbed his forehead.

A few minutes later the food they ordered arrived. After being silent for a few minutes, they began to eat the food that had been served in front of them.