Odd One Out

Chapter Eighteen - His Shopping

"How's your leg doing?" Marcus asked as his arm draped lazily over the steering wheel.

I sighed dramatically, "You know, I really thought surgery was in my near future, but it's feeling okay. Don't rule out amputation yet."

Marcus smiled, shaking his head slightly before turning the steering wheel into a Walmart parking lot.

"What are we doing here?"

"You know more than anyone that I need new mugs, Maybie," Marcus responded, shutting off the engine and stepping out of his truck. He walked around the vehicle to open my door, holding out his hand for me.

"I suppose I can risk infection in my leg to help you choose a cheesy cup. I get full say though and no vetos." I grabbed onto his hand and he held most of my weight as I climbed out of the truck, trying not to put all of my weight on my leg.

"I definitely do not agree to that."

"I can't hear you over my pain," I retorted, adding an extra wobble into my step for added measure.

We walked into the store and into the kitchen section and I grabbed a yellow mug the size of my face, holding it out excitedly. "-No," Marcus rolled his eyes grabbing it from my hands and placing it back on the shelf as I pouted. "Actually, I need a new dog food bowl, give it back."

My eyebrows shot up, "You have a dog?! How do I not know this?"

"He lives with my grandpa most of the time because of my overnight shifts at the station. Don't get too attached, my grandpa's having a hard time looking after him so I don't know how I'm going to keep him," he frowned, but grabbed the toilet bowl mug and put it in the cart.

"Okay, you can't say no to this." I held up a pink donut shaped cup with sprinkles. I'd drink coffee from it everyday. Hell, I'd happily drink my parents' disgusting vitamin supplement smoothie that they shoved down my throat everyday in this cup.

"I'm never drinking out of that," Marcus argued, putting a few plain white mugs into the cart.

"Get it for me then so I don't have to drink out of those lame mugs."

"Lame?" He protested, holding the cup close to his chest. "How dare you. These are timeless. Classic."

"Boring."

He squinted his eyes at me before sighing, "Fine. One only."

I grinned tossing the cup into the cart happily. My incredible talent of wearing people down slowly over time was paying off yet again. Some might call it a super power. Others might call it extremely annoying.

"Marcus?" I turned to see a man who looked to be in his late twenties, wearing a button down shirt and slacks.

"E-Ethan," Marcus stuttered, his fingers clasping the cart so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. He cleared his throat, "How are you?"

Ethan's eyes darted to me for a moment, his face set in a sneer and I recoiled back without knowing why, slipping a little behind Marcus's body so I wasn't so visible. "You're playing house while my sister's six feet under?"

"Ethan..." Marcus trailed uncomfortably.

"After everything you did? After you killed her?" Ethan seethed. "I can't do this," He growled, shaking his head before turning around and walking away.

Marcus stood without moving a muscle, just staring at Ethan's retreating figure. Once his eyes almost looked glassy, I decided to intervene. "Everything okay, Marcus?"

He cleared his throat without looking at me, "Yeah. Fine. We should go." He pushed the cart forward without a glance back and I picked up my pace to keep up with him.