Cinnamon // Sally Face

T w e n t y - N i n e

"What kind of snacks do you have in mind?" Larry inquired as the pair approached the only gas station in Nockfell. It also served as a mini-mart. 

"Hmm..." Violet started, side-stepping to avoid a rusty nail on the ground. "I dunno. Maybe some chips?"

"You really shoulda wore shoes, little dude. Hope you had your tetanus shots."

"Ha ha, very hilarous," she grumbled.

2 sliding glass doors opened for the two as they approached the entrance, allowing them to step inside. Violet let out a sigh of relief as a wave of heat washed over her cold body. Larry walked over to where all of the shopping carts had been shoved. Some of them were lined up neatly while others were askew and even knocked over. 

He grabbed the nearest one and pushed it toward her. "Get in."

"I can walk my—"

"On rat turds and dead bugs and more rusty nails? Get in the cart."

Violet obliged with only a small bit of struggle. There wasn't much space, even for her. She had to pull her knees to her chest just to fit inside. Metal pushed against her sides and bottom, which was borderline painful. After looking around for a few seconds, she had to agree with Larry on this decision. This was much better than an impaled foot.

Larry pushed the cart toward the nearest aisle, which consisted of pantry snacks like granola bars and packaged desserts. He immediately grabbed a box of Astroid Brownies and tossed them beside Violet's feet. "Can't go wrong with those bad boys."

She giggled. "My parents used to put these in my lunchbox when I was little. I loved them."

"Heh, yeah."

As they continued down the aisle, scanning the shelves for anything that caught their eye, they heard the cashier's cell phone ring. He immediately picked up and began shouting at the caller for bothering him during work. Apparently, this shabby little gas station was his "only time away from you, woman!". They exchanged amused glances and proceeded to the next aisle.

"Ooh, Sour Worms!" Violet squealed, grabbing a pack of them off the shelf. 

"I thought you wanted chips," Larry teased.

"Well, maybe I wanted both."

"Here," he tossed her another pack, "buy one get one free."

"Ooh!"

After a bit more browsing, Larry grabbed peanut butter cups, licorice sticks, and several different candy bars. Violet, who was satisfied with the candy she picked out, happily held them in her lap and pointed out things that grabbed her attention.

The man at the front counter continued screaming into his phone, presumably at his wife or girlfriend. His booming voice was enough to drown out the crappy pop music playing over the intercom, as well as the buzzing coolers in the back of the store. Violet lost count of how many times he told her that he was hanging up before instigating the argument and starting over again.

"Nacho cheese or ranch chips?" Larry asked, holding a red bag in one hand and a blue bag in the other.

"Hmmm...nacho cheese."

He dropped the red bag into her lap and tossed the blue one back on the shelf. "You want any drinks while we're here? Like a pop or something?"

"Yes, please."

They made their way toward the coolers, where a vast array of brightly-colored beverages were lined up. The fluorescent lights inside them were flickering and making a rather annoying buzzing sound. Good thing the cashier wasn't done fighting with his wife yet.

Larry pulled one of the doors open and grabbed himself an energy drink called Beast. "What do you want, little dude?"

The girl's eyes flitted over the drinks before landing on a particular lemon-lime soda. She pointed to it with a sickeningly sweet grin on her face. Larry smirked and shook his head as he reached into the cooler and retrieved it for her. 

Satisfied with their snack and beverage choices, the two teens made their way to the front counter. Low and behold, the man was still in the heat of his argument, stomping back and forth at his station. He was so consumed in his debacle, he didn't even notice them waiting there. Larry cleared his throat several times while drumming his fingers on the counter. Violet even shifted in the cart to make the wheels squeak. Nothing.

"What do we do?" She mouthed to her long-haired friend.

"I don't know," he mouthed back. He dug into his back pocket and fished out his wallet, which he pulled a $20 bill out of. "Is this enough?"

Violet scanned the items in the cart with her and gave him a shrug. "Sure."

Not wanting to wait any longer, Larry laid the bill on the counter and pushed the cart out of the store, going completely unnoticed by the employee. Violet began preparing herself to climb out as they headed toward the cart, but she noticed that they began heading past it. 

"Uh, Larry," she said with confusion, "you missed the car."

"I know," he replied. He stopped the cart in the middle of the parking lot and placed a foot on the bottom level of it. A wide grin spread across his face.

"What are you doing?" 

"Are you ready?"

"For what?"

"One, two..."

"Larry!"

"THREE!"

With the foot he had planted on the ground, he pushed off as hard as he could, causing the cart to propel forward. Violet let out a shriek of both fear and excitement. She laughed as he continued pushing off the ground until the wheels were moving as fast as they could go. They raced to the end of the lot before making a sharp turn and taking off toward the other end. After a few moments, Larry was laughing too. The wind whipped through his hair, creating an endless mess of knots and tangles, but he didn't care. He needed this, and judging by the sounds Violet was making, so did she.

"It's so fun, Larry!" She shouted over the wind. She clutched their snacks and drinks in her arms to avoid them flying out of the cart. The smile on her face nearly reached her ears. She was so caught up in the moment that she didn't notice the bitter cold air nipping at her skin. 

"One more lap!" He yelled between pants. 

They enjoyed every moment of it. Even though Larry's legs were getting sore and Violet's bones ached from the lack of space in the cart, they were having the time of their lives. Neither of them knew just how badly they needed something so silly such as this to happen in their lives. The unbroken stress of the haunted apartments and all that came with being a high-schooler was becoming unbearable. They were finally free from crowds, alcohol, crushes, smoking, and ruthless teenagers. It was just two wonderful friends making the most out of life with a shopping cart and an empty parking lot.

It was perfect.