Check the boxes and "borrow" some clothes (shortest story path)

Author's note: I eventually couldn't ignore the most realistic solution to Jen's problem and had to add this chapter just so I felt like I wasn't overlooking the obvious.

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As Jen was about to work out the timing to enter the corridor to her right, she suddenly realized the simplest solution was right in front of her. In her panic she’d overthought how she was going to manage getting down the hallway without getting seen that she didn’t grasp that the problem wasn’t being seen, it was being seen naked.

Focusing her attention on the inventory boxes ahead of her she started picking at the tape that prevented her from getting to the flaps. Once she worked a corner loose she started peeling it up, working carefully and slowing whenever she could hear the cardboard tearing.

She soon realized that heading down the side corridor would have been her fastest option. Opening a box, possibly multiple boxes, was going to take time. She’d be completely exposed if anyone entered through the service door or the shop stock room door behind her. But she also knew that this was the only “good” solution to her problems.

Once she peeled the tape from the edge of the box in front of her she was able to pull the cardboard apart and peer inside. She saw stacks of shirts in plastic wrappers. Grabbing one she tugged it through the opening she’d made as quietly as she could manage, peeking around the box to make sure she wasn’t drawing attention to herself. The two women continued hauling in their inventory bit by bit, unaware of Jen’s presence.

Once Jen freed the shirt she looked it over. It was a few sides two small. Setting it aside she began pulling additional shirts from the box, one by one, each one too small for her to wear. Wondering of the larger sizes might be further down, she slid her arm deep inside the box and felt around, grabbing several items in one grip and pulling them to the top. Easing one of them out between the flaps she was greeted by a black shirt, one size larger than she usually wore. She would have accepted a light color shirt, but the dark color made her that much happier since it would make it slightly less obvious that she wasn’t wearing a bra.

Oh thank god, she thought.

Jen nearly ripped the plastic sleeve from the shirt but held herself back, working quietly but briskly and occasionally glancing towards the employees. They still showed no sign that they were aware they weren’t alone. As she got the shirt out of its packaging she unfolded it and began pulling it on.

No longer topless, Jen set about working on opening the next box, praying it would contain some pants she could use. After practicing pulling the tape from the previous box she was able to work quicker now, tugging at the tape inch by inch, freeing one side of it from the cardboard. Once she had enough room she pulled the flaps apart and saw more shirts.

Glancing up, she saw the two women were carrying in the last of the inventory for their store. The one who was closer to Jen’s age set a large box between her and the door before turning back and grabbing a smaller box. With each step she pushed the large box ahead of her towards the shop with her leg, the other box taking up both of her arms. Soon she had slid the box into the doorway before stepping through it herself. A second later she leaned into the hall, just long enough to grab the door and pull it closed.

Standing up Jen was able to work faster now. Less concerned with making nosie, she tore at the cardboard of the box she had just opened and slid the shirts around, praying there would be some pants underneath them. Finding none, she turned to the last box she hadn’t opened and began ripping away at it. As the cardboard came free she smiled sight of blue denim.

It took her a moment to look through enough jeans to find some in her size. Glancing around once more, she quickly unfolded them and started putting them on.

The unworn denim was stiff and slightly bristled against her bare skin, but Jen was able to easily ignore that. She looked around at the mess she’d made- one box with unpeeled tape, two with torn cardboard, several shirts and pairs of jeans scattered about the floor. Even if she put the clothing back in the boxes she couldn’t un-tear the cardboard. It was wiser to move quickly and get out of here.

She set into a light jog, the tile cold against her bare feet. She paid attention to any noises that she heard- occasional footsteps or light scuffling sounds- not wanting to run right into view of someone. Despite being dressed, she knew that a barefoot woman running through the halls wearing obviously brand new clothes would raise suspicion. Especially once word got around the mall that some boxes were found torn open. Walking, rather than running, could make her a tiny bit less memorable.

As some of the noises ahead grew louder Jen slowed her pace. She was breathing a little heavily but not so much that she thought anyone would notice. Rounding the curve in the hallway she saw a lady in her early twenties pulling a bag of trash behind her. The lady haphazardly tossed the bag against the wall and grabbed a box of inventory. As she turned she noticed Jen, but barely looked her way before she walked back into the open door of the shop.

She hardly looked at me, Jen thought, so far so good.

Once she passed the store she picked up her pace a little bit. She could still hear movement further down the hall but the light echo in the corridor prevented her from getting a good idea of just how far away it was. The lady she had just passed might be coming back for more inventory and Jen had gotten lucky once with her apparently not noticing anything remotely unusual. If she saw Jen running now that would give away something.

She kept the same pace around the hallways arc and more shop doors were open ahead of her. A young man was hefting a large inventory box and he pivoted to take it into his store. As he did so he looked her way, glancing down at Jen’s bare feet, then looking Jen in the eyes with a quizzical look on his face. Jen smiled lightly and lifted her hand in a casual greeting, hoping her expression was friendly but otherwise non-chalant, like nothing was wrong. The man dipped his head, an acknowledgement of her wave, then turned and entered one of the stock rooms.

Less than ideal, she thought, but shrugged it off and kept moving. He might volunteer a general description of her to security if they were alerted to the mess she’d left behind, but he hadn’t looked at her long enough to give a very good one.

Continuing further down the hall the exit came into view, a gray steel door standing just beyond a side-corridor branching to the right. Jen was practically ready to sprint to it when she saw it, but the sight of another shop door standing open held her back. She walked quickly, ready to drop back to a casual pace if she caught any sign that someone might be nearby. But all of the noises she heard were coming from behind her and as she passed by the open stock room she peeked inside and saw no one.

Reaching the door Jen wished that she could simply walk out and head to Eve’s car, but she knew Eve was expecting her to be naked. She wasn’t sure what Eve might do if she left the mall dressed, but she knew it wouldn’t be good. Jen also didn’t want to steal the clothes she was wearing- if she dropped them here she hoped there was a chance they might get back to the store they belonged to.

Be a hell of a mystery for the security guard to try to work out, she thought as she pushed the door open a crack and peered around. One shirt and pair of pants missing, found on the other side of the mall clearly worn but abandoned.

She’d only opened the door enough to get an idea about whether anyone was outside. Even if Eve was looking straight at her, she wouldn’t be able to tell that Jen had managed to cover herself.

Hearing nothing, and seeing nothing through the tiny vantage point she had, Jen eased the door closed again and turned around. The hall still echoed with various sounds of movement. She didn’t think that anyone was nearby, but it was difficult to be certain. The stock room door gaping open gave her the most pause- she couldn’t be certain that she’d hear anyone walking around in there. But if she hesitated too long then she’d be stuck here for who knows how long and it was only a matter of time before someone saw the torn inventory boxes.

Jen pulled the shirt up and over her head as fast as she could, it barely hitting the ground before she was unfastening the jeans. She shoved them down her legs and stepped out of them, the heel of a foot catching on one of the cuffs and turning the leg inside out in her rush to get undressed.

She pushed the door open further and poked her head out, glancing around quickly to make sure she was alone. The sun had set but it was still twilight, parking lights coming on though there was still enough visibility from natural light that they weren’t completely necessary yet. Feeling certain that no one was around to see her she stepped out of the exit, closed the door gently behind her and moved to the bushes on her left, ducking down as she did so.

After hiding for a few minutes and didn’t see any cars approaching. Her heart rate began to spike, worried that Eve had abandoned her, but as she frantically looked around she was able to spot her car a short was ahead. Jen could make out Eve’s silhouette in the darkness, but couldn’t tell where she was looking, or even if she was awake.

Half-standing, Jen waved her arm back and forth over her head, trying to catch Eve’s attention. The sound of a door opening **** her to quickly squat back down. Looking to her right she saw another service door, on the other side of one of the mall’s main entrances, swinging open and a man walking out. As he stepped into the parking lot, she heard a car engine turning over. Glancing towards Eve, her car’s headlights popped on, but she didn’t start moving.

She saw me, Jen thought, but she’s waiting for that guy to leave.

The minutes dragged on as Jen watched him ambling towards an SUV sitting between two street lights. He was in no hurry to leave, judging by his casual pace. But eventually she saw him climb into the car, fire it up and pull casually out of the parking lot.

Eve’s car crept out of its parking spot and turned towards Jen’s hiding place. Jen waited impatiently as she watched Eve swing the car up next to the curb. With another brief look around to make sure there was no one around to see her, Jen side-stepped around the bushes and dashed to the passenger door.

Eve was giggling as Jen flopped down in the seat and closed the door behind her.

“That didn’t take you long at all!” she said as Jen reached into the back seat for her clothes, “I was checking something on my phone when I saw you waving at me, I didn’t expect you to get through there so fast. How long were you hiding behind that bush before I saw you?”

“Three minutes, maybe,” Jen said without emotion, shrugging into her bra before trying to work the clasps behind her back.

Eve laughed again, asking “well you must have either gotten really lucky and no one was in the hall, or really unlucky and you had to run!”

The car pulled away from the curb and Eve steered towards the exit.

“Just lucky,” Jen lied, pulling her shirt down over her head, “only had to hide a few times.”

As she set about struggling into her jeans, Jen felt a mild sense of relief. Even though she still felt humiliated by what she’d gone through, she couldn’t help but feel a little happy about cheating her way out of that situation.