Skipping Stones - Karlnap

•4|Friend|4•

Today, Sapnap gets paid. After working tirelessly day and night, shift after shift after shift, sometimes working double shifts when one of his coworkers couldn't make it, his boss finally hands over the check he has, for the past two weeks, been longing for. And after spending it on everything his family would need to get by, he manages to save himself some spare change.

So after his shift, Sapnap takes a trip through the square. He's never been one to splurge his money. He always grew up in an environment where you constantly had to have your money in a chokehold. Not a penny can be wasted. Though sometimes his family is doing particularly well, and Sapnap's allowed to spend his spare change on himself.

He passes by a candy shop, gazing through the window at the many assorts of taffy and chocolate. It's tempting, but it'd only last a few days and wouldn't benefit him much at all. He then finds a thrift store. He's always bought his clothes from there and has even gotten his friends into thrift shopping. He hasn't seen them shop anywhere else for clothes since. But the clothes he has now are still in wearable condition, and he only really buys clothes when he absolutely needs to. He keeps walking.

As he window-shops, he passes by ice cream shops and toy stores as well as barber shops and jewelry stores. In the end, Sapnap decides on a small art store just at the edge of one of the corners. He glances down at his leftover money. Eight dollars. A bell rings as he opens the door, and a young lady at the counter turns around and smiles sweetly at him.

"Hello! Welcome to Niki's! I'm Niki. If you need anything, just let me know," She greets.

"Thanks," Sapnap mumbles. The place isn't the grandest store he's ever been in, but that doesn't make it any less stocked. It's cramped with easels and empty canvases of all sizes as well as beginner kits and many assorted paints. In the back, there's a wall of stacked with paintbrushes and marker sets, and the only way back there is a thin pathway through the many shelves of art supplies.

He takes a quick glance at the woman at the counter and reluctantly steps up to her. "Actually, I do have a question."

Her smile widens, "Yes?"

"Do you have any markers I can buy for eight dollars?"

Her smile falters.

"We do! We have Crayola markers for three." She crouches under the counter and pulls out a small box of elementary school markers. Sapnap hides away a frown.

"This is all?" He asks, taking a look at the ten classic colors.

"Uhh no," Niki corrects. "I must've made a mistake. Hold on." She takes the box back from his hands and enters into a room with a sign that says "Employees Only" on it. Right before the door can close all the way, another person with a heavy box comes out. He appears taller than the last time Sapnap has seen him. His hair has grown out and he has round, golden glasses now.

"Wilbur?"

The man darts his eyes right at him and grins. His apron is smeared with paint. "Sapnap! Wow, I never see you alone. Usually, you're with those other freshmen."

"We're not freshmen anymore," Sapnap replies.

"Trust me, Sap, you will always be freshmen. At least to me. Anyway, where are they?"

"They moved away. They're in New York."

Wilbur's chocolate eyes light up. "No way. Clay and Gogy? You mean the two freshmen who made 'your mom' jokes to fit in?"

"I was there too."

"I'm so proud of them." He shakes his head and lets out a soft chuckle, "Can't believe a couple of freshmen beat me out of this town. And to think I had a two-year head start as well. I knew they were destined for great things."