What Could Have Been
What Could Have Been
Suzette’s POV
I felt something breeze past the skin of my cheek as I walked outside. I looked back, only to find a small leaf blowing through the breeze. I held my coat closer around me for warmth against the October air as I watched it do cartwheels through the sky. Before I knew it, a fingerless gloved hand shot up and grabbed it, crushing it to pieces.
“Hi Hayley,” I greeted, immediately recognizing the platinum blonde hair.
“Hola,” she greeted smiling. She looked around, “Where is everyone?”
“Dunno,” I replied. And at that very moment, six different kids came pushing through the crowd coming out of the school doors. “Speak of the devil.”
It took a minute before they finally reached us and calmed down. Only a split second later, I was wrapped in a familiar hug. “Hey Aiden.”
“Hey,” he said, pulling out of the embrace. I wrapped my jacket even tighter around me. Several conversations started at once, all with different people, until the security guard yelled for us to get on the bus. I stood there for a moment. It was Friday, the day I stayed home alone until late at night. I sighed. I didn’t want to leave for nothing.
“Hey,” Aiden started, “You guys wanna go to the mall?”
“Hell yeah!” Davina yelled in agreement. Aiden turned to me. I nodded meekly.
“Okay,” he started, “Now that that’s settled, who’s bus are we riding?”
??????????????
“I want this!!!” Leigh yelled, holding up a cupcake tube cop. She twirled her hair mockingly. “Would this make me look fat?”
“Yes,” Davina started. Leigh’s mouth dropped, “I’m joking! I’m joking!!!”
“You’d better be Davi,” I warned, “She’d kick your ass!”
“No, Davi’d eat her first,” Aiden replied jokingly. We all laughed, including Davi. Of course, she was used to Aiden’s somewhat rude, but loving comments. We all were, after a while.
After the chuckling died down a bit, I reached up and pulled down a rainbow t-shirt I’d been saving up for for a while. I smiled to myself and walked over to the black earring display, and picked out giant button ones. As I went to the cash register, I noticed that everyone went outside the store entrance. I quickly paid and ran out to join them.
“So, where to next?” Aiden asked the group, as if a field trip chaperone.
“I want to get those earrings I saw!” Hayley added, “The mummy ones!”
“That was in there Hails,” Leigh told. Hayley narrowed her eyes, frustrated at her stupidity. I walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. Aiden then looked at my plastic bag in hand.
“You paid?” he asked. I gave him a strange look.
“Yeah,” I told him, “I don’t steal.”
“Why?” he asked.
“Um, how about because, stealing is wrong?”
All was silent for a moment, until Hayley spoke up. “But it’s easy,” she defended, “And people hardly get caught.”
“But didn’t just last month,” I remembered, “Your sister’s manager busted someone for trying to nick a CD?”
“Well,” she paused, trying to think of a good lie,” Yeahhh.”
“People hardly get caught huh?”
“Look, I don’t have money with me. So I’m just gonna go and get those earrings, and that’ll be it!”
“But Hayley-”
“Don’t worry! I’ll be fine!” she began to walk away. I sighed.
“You know, if you get caught, I’m not coming to back for you!!” I yelled at her. She turned and looked at me with her large blue eyes. They were wide with shock, but mocking me. I could see it. I sighed and turned.
“I’ll meet up with you guys later,” I stated. I walked over to Erika. “Erika, do you want to go to Waldens?”
“Uh, sure!” she cheered. She started walking a little ahead of me. I looked back to see if Hayley was still looking at me, but she was already gone....
????????????????????
Hayley’s POV
Who’s Suzette to talk? She’s never felt the real rush of shoplifting has she? I suppose not, considering she tried to stop me. Attempt failed. I’m getting those earrings if it’s the last thing I do.
I was going to get another pair for her birthday, but decided against it. It was already too hard to steal one thing, but two? And for someone who wouldn’t appreciate it? Don’t think so.
Yes, it did get to me that she said she’d never come back, but really. Suzette’s a sucker and has zero back bone. Would she come back to save my ass if it needed saving? Yes. Would she leave her best friend like that in the cold? No.
I scanned the jewelry area nonchalantly. Since it was right in front of the counter, it was fairly hard, but there were only two people working today, and Davi and Aiden were distracting them both with trying to find the right sized t-shirt on the high wall of the front of the store. It all worked out, didn’t it?
After checking there was no one there, I walked over to the earrings and brought took them from the hook. I began to walk over to the back, where I started to slip the hooks of the lobe decoration quickly, stuffing them in my pocket and getting rid of the package. What made me freeze was a small cough behind me.
I turned slowly, a smile smeared across my adorable face. Sad to say, it wasn’t a gullible worker at the store. It just so happened to be the mall security guard. And not the one on the scooter.
“Can I help you officer?” I asked, playing innocent.
“May I ask what you have in your hand miss?”
“What do you mean?” I asked, getting a bit shaky. The uniformed guard took me by the wrist and pulled open my loosely closed fingers, and there they were. The voodoo doll earrings.
“I’m going to have to ask you to come with me,” he told me. He started pulling me along to the entrance. I looked around, scared and slightly frustrated, for Aiden, Leigh, or Davi. All three were in the back already, looking for me.
I guess the warning came too late.
The uniformed officer led me into a small white room in the back, and threw me down to a chair. I was already on the verge of tears. I didn’t want him to call my parents. I didn’t want them to know what happened. I’d get slapped around a bit, and then sent to my room with no phone for a week, no after school things for a month, and no Mibba for the next two. I’d go to bed hungry and alone, with yelling coming from daddy dearest to “shut the fuck up.”
Of course, the officer asked me for my number, and I knew it was useless to lie, for not one of my friend’s parents would stand up for me. As he walked away to call my parents and I sat in the cold plastic chair all alone, I couldn’t help but want Suzette by my side.
For she was a girl of promises, who kept them. She wasn’t there....
I felt something breeze past the skin of my cheek as I walked outside. I looked back, only to find a small leaf blowing through the breeze. I held my coat closer around me for warmth against the October air as I watched it do cartwheels through the sky. Before I knew it, a fingerless gloved hand shot up and grabbed it, crushing it to pieces.
“Hi Hayley,” I greeted, immediately recognizing the platinum blonde hair.
“Hola,” she greeted smiling. She looked around, “Where is everyone?”
“Dunno,” I replied. And at that very moment, six different kids came pushing through the crowd coming out of the school doors. “Speak of the devil.”
It took a minute before they finally reached us and calmed down. Only a split second later, I was wrapped in a familiar hug. “Hey Aiden.”
“Hey,” he said, pulling out of the embrace. I wrapped my jacket even tighter around me. Several conversations started at once, all with different people, until the security guard yelled for us to get on the bus. I stood there for a moment. It was Friday, the day I stayed home alone until late at night. I sighed. I didn’t want to leave for nothing.
“Hey,” Aiden started, “You guys wanna go to the mall?”
“Hell yeah!” Davina yelled in agreement. Aiden turned to me. I nodded meekly.
“Okay,” he started, “Now that that’s settled, who’s bus are we riding?”
??????????????
“I want this!!!” Leigh yelled, holding up a cupcake tube cop. She twirled her hair mockingly. “Would this make me look fat?”
“Yes,” Davina started. Leigh’s mouth dropped, “I’m joking! I’m joking!!!”
“You’d better be Davi,” I warned, “She’d kick your ass!”
“No, Davi’d eat her first,” Aiden replied jokingly. We all laughed, including Davi. Of course, she was used to Aiden’s somewhat rude, but loving comments. We all were, after a while.
After the chuckling died down a bit, I reached up and pulled down a rainbow t-shirt I’d been saving up for for a while. I smiled to myself and walked over to the black earring display, and picked out giant button ones. As I went to the cash register, I noticed that everyone went outside the store entrance. I quickly paid and ran out to join them.
“So, where to next?” Aiden asked the group, as if a field trip chaperone.
“I want to get those earrings I saw!” Hayley added, “The mummy ones!”
“That was in there Hails,” Leigh told. Hayley narrowed her eyes, frustrated at her stupidity. I walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. Aiden then looked at my plastic bag in hand.
“You paid?” he asked. I gave him a strange look.
“Yeah,” I told him, “I don’t steal.”
“Why?” he asked.
“Um, how about because, stealing is wrong?”
All was silent for a moment, until Hayley spoke up. “But it’s easy,” she defended, “And people hardly get caught.”
“But didn’t just last month,” I remembered, “Your sister’s manager busted someone for trying to nick a CD?”
“Well,” she paused, trying to think of a good lie,” Yeahhh.”
“People hardly get caught huh?”
“Look, I don’t have money with me. So I’m just gonna go and get those earrings, and that’ll be it!”
“But Hayley-”
“Don’t worry! I’ll be fine!” she began to walk away. I sighed.
“You know, if you get caught, I’m not coming to back for you!!” I yelled at her. She turned and looked at me with her large blue eyes. They were wide with shock, but mocking me. I could see it. I sighed and turned.
“I’ll meet up with you guys later,” I stated. I walked over to Erika. “Erika, do you want to go to Waldens?”
“Uh, sure!” she cheered. She started walking a little ahead of me. I looked back to see if Hayley was still looking at me, but she was already gone....
????????????????????
Hayley’s POV
Who’s Suzette to talk? She’s never felt the real rush of shoplifting has she? I suppose not, considering she tried to stop me. Attempt failed. I’m getting those earrings if it’s the last thing I do.
I was going to get another pair for her birthday, but decided against it. It was already too hard to steal one thing, but two? And for someone who wouldn’t appreciate it? Don’t think so.
Yes, it did get to me that she said she’d never come back, but really. Suzette’s a sucker and has zero back bone. Would she come back to save my ass if it needed saving? Yes. Would she leave her best friend like that in the cold? No.
I scanned the jewelry area nonchalantly. Since it was right in front of the counter, it was fairly hard, but there were only two people working today, and Davi and Aiden were distracting them both with trying to find the right sized t-shirt on the high wall of the front of the store. It all worked out, didn’t it?
After checking there was no one there, I walked over to the earrings and brought took them from the hook. I began to walk over to the back, where I started to slip the hooks of the lobe decoration quickly, stuffing them in my pocket and getting rid of the package. What made me freeze was a small cough behind me.
I turned slowly, a smile smeared across my adorable face. Sad to say, it wasn’t a gullible worker at the store. It just so happened to be the mall security guard. And not the one on the scooter.
“Can I help you officer?” I asked, playing innocent.
“May I ask what you have in your hand miss?”
“What do you mean?” I asked, getting a bit shaky. The uniformed guard took me by the wrist and pulled open my loosely closed fingers, and there they were. The voodoo doll earrings.
“I’m going to have to ask you to come with me,” he told me. He started pulling me along to the entrance. I looked around, scared and slightly frustrated, for Aiden, Leigh, or Davi. All three were in the back already, looking for me.
I guess the warning came too late.
The uniformed officer led me into a small white room in the back, and threw me down to a chair. I was already on the verge of tears. I didn’t want him to call my parents. I didn’t want them to know what happened. I’d get slapped around a bit, and then sent to my room with no phone for a week, no after school things for a month, and no Mibba for the next two. I’d go to bed hungry and alone, with yelling coming from daddy dearest to “shut the fuck up.”
Of course, the officer asked me for my number, and I knew it was useless to lie, for not one of my friend’s parents would stand up for me. As he walked away to call my parents and I sat in the cold plastic chair all alone, I couldn’t help but want Suzette by my side.
For she was a girl of promises, who kept them. She wasn’t there....