Chapter 18
“But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow; even darkness must pass.”
Brooks
Where I discover the Dollar Tree is full of lies
The expression on Dean’s face was kind of annoying. I was tempted to slap him until he stopped smiling like a mischievous middle schooler.
I leaned forward, peering out of the windshield and wondering if I’d been coerced into driving straight through the gates of hell.
“Why are we here?” I asked.
“You don’t know about the Dollar Tree?”
“I know what it is, dipshit. I’ve never been here.”
“This, my friend-ish person, is where we stop before a movie.”
“That doesn’t help me understand.”
“Okay, let me break it down for you.” He turned in his seat and folded his hands in his lap as if he was about to drop some dope wisdom. “Candy at the movie theater is expensive as fuck. Some of us can’t afford tickets, candy, popcorn, et cetera. So, what us peasants do is stop at the Dollar Tree to buy that shit for cheap.”
“They let you bring it into the theater? That seems like a bad business model.”
He snorted a laugh. “We’re smuggling.”
My eyes widened at the idea. “That sounds illegal.”
“It’s not illegal. Just frowned upon. They won’t even know. Trust me, my mom had this shit down to a science.”
With a groan, I knocked my forehead on the steering wheel. “Fine.”
I got out of the car, then looked around like the police were going to show up and arrest us for our audacity. I knew it wasn’t that big of a deal, but it made me nervous. Shoving my hands in my pockets, I headed toward the building. It needed a makeover.
“You have cash?” he asked.
“No.”
When we got inside, he grabbed my bicep and pulled me over to an ATM that looked like it’d fall apart if I touched it. He held out his hand, so I pulled out my wallet without letting him escape my glare.
“They don’t take cards? I knew this place was going to be my worst nightmare.”
“They do, but we’re on a budget.”
“That’s not true.”
“My way, remember?”
It was taking everything I had to go along with this. The whole thing was pointless, but he was getting a kick out of it.
“You’re trying to know me better,” he pointed out. “This is me helping you understand who I am.”
The ATM let him pull out money in increments of ten, which was exactly what he did. One of them. I stared at the single bill with a furrowed brow.
“Let’s go,” he said.
I followed beside him silently. He led us into the candy aisle and started browsing. After scrutinizing some of the off-brand ones, I shook my head and grabbed a few boxes of sour gummies. Dean swiped various chocolates followed by a bag of cheddar popcorn.
We had nine things, so if the math was mathing, we’d be fine. I’d successfully passed this little test and I felt smug, but I didn’t say anything about it. We loaded the items onto the belt and waited as the woman scanned them. I rocked back on my heels with my hands in my pockets while I tapped them endlessly.
I stared at the total with pursed lips. “It’s over ten. How is that possible? Does that say a dollar twenty-five?”
“That it does,” Dean replied.
“But… It’s the Dollar Tree. Dollar , Dean. Do words have no meaning anymore?”
He shrugged. “Looks like you’ll have to put something back.”
I was appalled by the idea. “I’ll just use my card.”
When he gave me an exasperated look, I swore. I opened my mouth, then closed it again. The cashier looked at me expectantly, waiting for me to pay, so apparently, I had to throw my dignity to the wind.
I took a deep breath and pointed at one of the bags of sour worms. “Can you take that one off?”
She did as I asked, then I handed her the cash, grabbed the bags and hurried out of the store, leaving Dean behind. He could stay there for all I cared. Maybe he’d uncover the secret that gave them the audacity to pull some shit like that.
He laughed loudly behind me. I didn’t pay any attention to him until I was safely locked away inside my Audi.
“I fucking hate you,” I groaned. “That was humiliating.”
“Yeah, it ain’t fun. Better than having your card declined. That shit sucks.”
I swiped my hands down my face. Would I ever recover? Maybe being his friend was a bad idea if he was going to put me through traumatizing situations.
By the time we reached the theater, I felt almost normal again. Until he started unloading the bag of snacks. I stared at them while gnawing on my lip.
“What do we do?”
“Put a box in each pocket,” he said. “They should fit. I’ll put the popcorn in my hoodie and if I keep my hands in the pocket, they probably won’t notice.”
“Probably?” I whispered. When I realized I was rocking in my seat, I forced myself to stop moving.
“Chill. They won’t strip search us.”
Once we had everything situated, we headed toward the doors.
He nudged my shoulder with his. “Any time one of the employees knows what I’m doing, they don’t give a shit. They don’t get paid enough to simp for this business.”
We got through the ticket check without issue and he looked a little smug about it. I was just glad I could unclench my teeth before I fucked up my jaw irreparably.
“Can I at least get a drink?” I asked with a healthy dose of snark.
“Sure.”
I started toward the counter, but he grabbed my arm and dragged me toward a lonely trash can. As he plucked a cup from it, my mouth dropped open.
“The fuck are you doing?” I hissed.
“We’ll just wash it out and get a new lid and straw. The drinks are self-service, so they won’t know we didn’t buy it.”
“That’s disgusting. You’re joking, right?”
He had to be joking. This was a prank. Nobody in their right mind would drink from a trash cup.
“I’ve gone along with this entire nightmare and I’ve been a good sport.”
“Debatable,” he said.
“I’m drawing the line here.”
“Nah, I believe in you.”
My eyes narrowed. “I’m buying a drink.”
I reached into my back pocket, then turned an accusatory glare on him.
“It’s in the car,” he informed me. “For someone from the city, you’re very easy to steal from.”
“This was supposed to be a fun night.”
“It is. I’ve done this a hundred times, man. Let go a little. I swear you won’t die.”
“The person who drank that could’ve had a disease.”
He laughed. Laughed about a valid concern. “Go find our seats and I’ll meet you there. You’re gonna do great.”
Under my breath, I cursed his name and his firstborn. He just looked extremely entertained by the whole thing.
*****
I was still a little pissy when Dean joined me in the theater. He held the cup out to me and I eyed it suspiciously. Either he’d come to his senses and bought one or he was a psychopath and was actually offering that to me.
He took a long drink from it, probably to demonstrate that it wouldn’t kill me. I didn’t believe that, but I grabbed it and took a tiny sip before I put it in the cup holder, stifling a gag.
“Look at you,” he teased. “Slumming it looks good on you.”
“Yeah, yeah. Next, you’re gonna tell me that I have to beg someone to buy me dinner.”
“That sounds horrible. We’ll do it your way after this.”
“Thank fuck.”
I pulled out my candy, then reclined my seat and perched my feet close to me so that my knees were up. Dean stretched out his legs and casually opened the bag of popcorn, which was very loud in here.
The theater was nearly empty, which was nice. Hopefully, that meant there’d be less people talking. That shit pissed me off.
Pulling out my phone, I brought up Tilian’s name. He’d responded to a text I sent before my mom messaged me. I’d asked if he had any plans and I wasn’t surprised that the answer was no. When I looked at the picture he’d sent of himself with his tongue out, one eye closed, and his middle finger up, I smiled a little. I adored his playful side.
I wanted to hang out with him this weekend, but every time, I let myself take more. It was little touches, then I was holding him in bed and wrapping my arm around him in restaurants. He kept opening me up and I did it like it was nothing, which only left me regretting those pieces I gave away. I was pretty sure they were making him feel closer to me, just like everything he told me made me want to hear more.
As I chewed my lip raw, I started a message.
Hey. We should hang out soon.
Erase.
I know I’ve been up and down. It’s not fair to you and you deserve more than that.
Erase.
I like you.
Erase.
I really fucking like you.
Erase.
I can’t like you.
Erase.
I can’t give you what you want. All I’ll do is hurt you.
Erase.
With a sigh, I put the phone in my pocket without sending anything. I looked forward and focused on the ads, but I kept thinking about those unsent messages.
My head was a goddamn disaster and it felt like my life was headed in the same direction unless I could get a handle on it.