Not Just Yet

Stepping into the mall, Jake found that it was surprisingly more busy than usual. Granted, the mall was starting to grow a bit empty recently, what with everyone shopping online, so even being a quarter full felt like a crowd of people. Jake attempted to locate a map of the mall, as he had a specific destination in mind, but was finding it a tad annoying to weave through the bustling center of the complex.

He finally saw a large map and began walking towards it, still holding the costume, wrapped well and tucked under his arm. While he took step after step towards the sign, he began to notice a pair of voices growing louder. The voices were distinct. One was a slightly shrill, obnoxious and feminine voice. A kind of voice that reminded Jake of his neighbor’s old crabby cat.

“Oh my gosh, are you fucking KIDDING me?! There is NO WAY that you actually believe that Mark is into you! I mean, a dumpy blob like you? Get real, Penny!” The voice was snide, an infuriating mix of insulting and smug. Jake tried to ignore it as he made his way towards the map, but again, with every step, their conversation only grew louder.

This time, he began to hear the other voice slightly more clearly. It was a softer one, clearly belonging to a more reserved girl. She sounded sweet, if a bit deeper in tone, and her shy sounding tone intrigued Jake.

“H-hehe… Yeah, yo-you’re probably right, Dana… There’s, th-there’s no way…” Jake cleared past a small group of people as he finally arrived at the map, seeing two girls standing before it.

The one who he assumed to be Dana with the annoying voice was a lean and lithe girl wearing tan khaki shorts and a white crop top. She had long, expensive looking nails and was tapping away at her phone. She leaned back against the map, blocking at least a third of it.

Meanwhile, the other girl who he guessed had to be Penny was a good five inches shorter and sporting a much more round body. She wasn’t exactly fat, but she certainly had a bit of chub sagging around her mid-section. She wore a modest white shirt that covered her body and had a light blue cardigan on top of it. Her jeans were a bit tight looking, and showed off her rather pudgy legs. She tapped her non-manicured fingers together as she nervously agreed with everything Dana said. She also stood in front of the map, blocking another third or so. Together, they both appeared to be college girls, roughly 19-21 years old.

Jake approached the two girls, though Dana didn’t even turn up from her phone as he stood right in front of them. Penny piped up nervously. “H-hey Dana, I think this guy wants to see the map. L-let’s move…” Dana continued to stare down at her phone, clacking her long nails against it as she spoke. “Nah, I’m comfortable here. He can find another map if he wants…” She was so cold, dismissive, and bitchy, it almost sent Jake into a state of anger, but he maintained his cool and put on that same confident smile.

“Excuse me, ladies? Mind moving aside? I’m trying to find a specif-“ Before Jake could even finish that last sentence, Dana barked up with that same awful tone of voice. “Fuck off, dude! There’s like a billion other maps in this store!” She said, raising up a hand to flip Jake off as she finally looked up with an enraged expression. “Can’t you see we’re not moving? God, some people can be so dense…”

Jake thought to himself for a moment, deciding how he could deal with these girls. Finally a thought came to mind. He opened his mouth the speak, but instead of addressing Dana, he turned towards Penny, who seemed to be dying of discomfort. “Are you really gonna let her talk to me like that…?”

The pause lasted a good two seconds. Enough time for both the girls to soak in his ridiculous statement. After all, anyone could tell who wore the pants in this friendship. And Dana certainly wasn’t the type to let that comment slide. “The fuck did you just say…?” She slipped her phone into her pocket, now prepared for the confrontation. Penny meanwhile seemed to retreat back against the map like a turtle hiding in its shell. “I-I… uh… u-uh…”

Again, without addressing Dana, Jake spoke in a calm, authoritative voice. Slipping one hand onto the wishbone in his pocket, he said, “I mean, she is YOUR sex ****, right…?”