When we come out of the shop some time later, we are holding bags in our hands. I should have been the only one holding bags in my hands, but Emmie, swept by the desire most girls feel when faced with beautiful and glittering things, also took out some of her savings to make some purchases. And she did spend even more than me.
Fortunately, she has followed me to find a part-time job, making her a small wealthy student who can pay for her own extra expenses without even having to touch her pocket money.
Laughing and chatting, we walk out of the mall, finally, more than an hour after we have finished our shift. And I had to pull the redhead to do that, making me now look at her helplessly.
"Really, Emmie, did you want to go through all the shops in there? Or were you looking for some place to spend everything you have earned these few months?"
Emmie doesn't care about my admonishment. She even proudly raises her bags with a laugh.
"What is the use of working, if not to spend the money earned, buy things, and make oneself happy?"
I laugh at her proud, matter-of-fact reaction, but I don't dispute her words. Everyone has different goals. While I shake my head, she changes the subject.
"Max, are you ready for tomorrow?"
Looking at her, I find her glancing at my leg, and I smile. Emmie is so worried about me that I can feel the emotion oozing from her, though she tries to keep it at bay and not show it in her eyes.
I shake my head, then my leg.
"Didn't you say earlier when I was complaining that I was lying? How come you have already forgotten about that?"
Emmie pauses, then turns away in embarrassment. And she indeed has to be embarrassed, for she didn't hesitate to dismiss my leg earlier when she had been riding high on the wave of her shopaholism, and now that she has come back down, she has forgotten her brain high in the air.
Laughing helplessly, I pull her by the wrist, given that I can't hold her hand.
"Let's go. We can't spend the night on the street just because you are feeling embarrassed."
"It's my bad, okay? I will control my excitement next time."
Emmie pauses, then immediately recovers, never having been the type to let her mind linger on anything unhappy or embarrassing. So, as I pull her to the side of the road, she brings the subject back on track with a laugh.
"So, not considering the wound that has stopped bothering you for a while already, are you ready?"
I reply without taking my eyes off the road.
"Yeah."
Surprise emanates from Emmie, along with her thoughts carrying a mix of incredulity and confusion as she processes my simple answer.
"Actually, you have never played before. Is it really alright to aim straight for joining the team?"
I smile, both because of the question and because I catch sight of an empty taxi coming down the road.
"Hehe, I will surprise you."
"Oh? Then, should I skip my training?"
"Nope. Wait till I need your support for competitions to skip your training."
Emmie gives me a somewhat incredulous but also curious look while I push her into the cab.
"You look so confident that you are already considering competitions. I almost want tomorrow to come faster to see how you will surprise me."
"Don't worry, you will really be surprised."
Saying that, I turn to the driver and give him the address to take us to. It takes a while to move through the traffic and reach Emmie's place. And that is also when she finishes digesting the words we have exchanged in a joking tone a dozen minutes earlier. Holding onto the door of the cab, she turns to me.
"But seriously, Max, won't you consider joining just the club first?"
She looks earnest, but also curious, making me unable to hold back from laughing.
"Just go. You will hear about my results tomorrow."
After she gets out somewhat dazedly, I wave at her.
"Sleep well tonight, and sleep early!"
I receive an absentminded wave in response, and the car leaves, while I smile with amusement.
Emmie's confused face can be kind of cute sometimes.
Holding back a laugh, I hold onto my bags and look outside, at the ocean of artificial light that almost seems to shine on the ocean of invisible thought floating around.
'Haiz, another day of work finally over. My back is killing me…'
That is the thought of a middle-aged man walking down the walkway while looking at the watch on his wrist. Dressed casually in a shirt with pants, the wrinkles on his clothes show how he has spent the day sitting most probably before a computer, but also a heap of paper, because electronics have not taken that much space in all aspects of life yet to have them replace the majority of the need for paper documents.
The man looks to be in his forties, somewhat early, but with the messy vibe of a lone man who has no one for whom to groom himself, a man without a companion waiting for him home. With his bag slung across the shoulder, he is holding a bag of takeout.
All his mind is focused on hurrying home, to the little bit of comfort that is helping fight back his tiredness.
'Will she be open to my advances tonight?'
Looking to the side, the one thinking that looks like an elite, not the top kind of elite, but at least middling. And despite looking composed, his hand on the wheel of his car betrays his nervousness.
'I hope I will get more tips tonight.'
Taking my eyes off the car beside the taxi at the red light, I look at the young woman in simple clothes hurrying across the street.
'Will she wait for me? I didn't expect to be so late.'
'After tonight, I will be one step closer to gathering the money for the surgery. Should I go for breasts enhancements or butt lifting? I just hope I don't meet an ugly pervert.'
'He is such a bastard. Can't he just die?'
'I'm so tired!'
'Haiz, after the whole day toiling away, I will still have to endure that nagging. I almost want to turn around and go back.'
'Honey, I will be home soon to cook your favorite dishes.'
'This place is good. We can get a drink here.'
'Good, we still have some time before our movie starts.'
'Tonight is the night. I will surely bang her today!'
'He must be thinking about my cunt. I wonder how his size is compared to his friends.'
"Pfft!"