Chapter 35
1420words
I was in awe of the authenticity of the store. The stuff that were practically lost and forgotten in time had found their solace in this shop; catching the eyes of the older generation who are longing to go back in time. Looking forward I could see a small old man sitting behind the counter, wearing a copper colored beanie, reading the daily newspaper as his reading glasses were slowly gliding down his high bridge nose. Licking the tip of his index finger to calmly turn over the page.
It felt like I just entered a whole new magical game world. With me as the new player and the old man being the magician guide, the person who will change my faith, the person who has the answer for all my problems. At least that's what I'm hoping for.
Cher nudged my side with her elbow. "So are you going to tell me why we had to enter this dusty old shop? What can you possible find in here?" She said waving the dust away from her face; sniffling and tearing up.
The old man glanced over the newspaper casting his eyes on us furrowing his gray eyebrows, grunting at Cher's remarks over the shop.
I gave a wobbly smile rubbing the palm of my hands together in an apologetic matter. "I'm sorry for my friend, it's not really her day."
He grunted in response focusing back on his newspaper.
"Um.." I called out carefully, his pale grey eyes focused back on me. "Are there any prepaid phones?"
He grunts and pointed with his thumb to the left. "They are where the cassette tape recorders are." He said in a gruff voice.
I nodded and pulled Cher on the arm. "Does that man only knows how to grunt." She grumbled under her breath stealing some annoyed stealth glances at the old man.
I rolled my eyes, smiling. "Oh hush and behave."
Just like the old man said the prepaid phones were easy to spot the moment you found the cassette recorder.
"I think that I have been behaving really well." She said pulling her arm away from my hold. "You have been acting super weird ever since the first murder took place, you've been agitated like your walking on thin ice and now I'm following you in to an unusual shop just to see you buy a prepaid phone when you have a freaking android phone that's working perfectly! And still" She huffed catching her breath. "…still my questions are not going to be answered, will they?" She questioned, crossing her arms in front of her chest one of her eyebrows raised.
I grabbed a box were the prepaid phone was hidden. With a weak smile I stared at my best friend who was really starting to lose her patience with me. She deserves answers, answers that I have no way of giving right now.
I held up the box, shaking it a little bit making the rattling sound of the device known. "I wanted a prepaid phone because you can easily discard them."
This prepaid phone may really come in handy one day.
Cher glowered at me raking her slim fingers through her dark chocolate brown hair. Her beach wavy hair, which was now in utterly chaos from all the scratching, ruffling and raking that she had inflicted on her head today, laid gently on her back until bra strap length.
"So why do you need a phone that's easily discard of?" She groaned.
"In case my other phone breaks down?" I said in a meek voice, feeling myself shrinking away under my friend's deadly glare.
Squinted eyed she stepped in closer analyzing my face. "Why did that sound more like a question?" She asked sounding suspicious of me.
The sweat that my body started the produce threatened to leak through the pores of my skin to the outside world, but I internally commanded it to get itself back inside my body. "Because I don't get why else someone would get a prepaid phone, so I was confused to why you would even ask that." I shrugged pulling out my poker face.
She hummed as she eyed me suspiciously from head to toe, rubbing her smooth chin. She exhaled loudly. "You can be so stubborn sometimes. Just don't overdo it…please."
Nodding as I grinned relieved that my friend finally threw the towel in the ring I pulled her for a hug, patting her on the back. "You know I won't."
She giggled. "I say it because I know you will." She pinched my cheeks earning herself a painful yelp from me.
Soothing the stinging cheeks of mine with the palms of hands we walked back to the counter and paid for the phone. As we gave our goodbyes to the old man he gave us a last glance and only managed to response to us with a grunt. I could only laugh and Cher looked like she wanted to pull out somebody's last remaining hair strands.
....
We were back inside the car almost arriving at Cher's home and I was checking out my new crimson prepaid flip phone. The moment I turned it on I was met with the call and message application next to some few games that brought back some good old memories in me. Snake was such an addicting game when I was young.
A few giggles slipped pass through my lips. I showed Cher and she couldn't help to let out some giggles herself. We chattered away talking about the good old time sounding like some boomers.
"So what are you going to do about that?" Cher asked.
Turning my head around to look at the that that Cher was asking about that was now sitting in the back seat.
Sitting in the back seat was a one meter long black teddy bear that I had bought at the store next to the retail one, the one that was filled with plushies and dolls. I got something from there so that Jack won't suspect anything and I must say it felt like I walked straight in to a torture chamber. The cringe almost killed me when the twinkling power of the shop shined upon me.
But when my eyes laid their sight on this teddy bear something pulled at my heart strings. The beautiful silky fake black fur that felt so soft between my fingers. The cute ribbon that was tight around its neck forming a butterfly shape with a gold emblem in the middle. But it was its eyes, its glass eyes that were filled with the color of the clear ocean.
They sucked me in. They reminded me of his eyes; of Mr. Moore. I felt compelled in buying this beautiful bear and now it's at the backseat going home with me.
"I guess hugging him in my sleep. What else can you do with a teddy bear?" I asked my eyes still focused on my new bought friend.
"Him? You've already decided on its gender." She laughed.
"Well I am not going to hug a woman in my sleep, am I?" I gave her a cheesy smile.
She let out a laughter that filled in the whole car. "Touché, but I can't imagine you of all people hugging a huge plushie toy." She shakes her head with a never fading smile.
I sighed, leaning back in to the passenger seat. "I guess there's a first time for everything."
The corner of her lips started to curve downwards, her smile fading, her eyebrows started to knit together a frown marring her face. "Just like how it is my first time to be cheated on, huh."
The same expression appeared on my face. "Cher…"
Cher held up her hand preventing me to say anything further. "I know, I know. First I'll hear his peace and then I'll kick his cheating nuts."
I smiled sympathetic knowing that there's still an ongoing storm brewing in her heart, torturing her emotionally.
'If Brandon really dared to cheat on her then I'll make sure that he'll never be able to produce again.' I thought, gritting my teeth.
