Growing up Socially Awkward

Part 30

Ann threw the dress onto the counter, and Keeley winced at the action. "Just this, please!" she said, enthused. The girl behind the counter rolled her eyes as she glanced at Ann from her phone. She stood up slowly and grabbed the barcode scanner from its stand. She grazed the scanner over the tag, causing it to beep. "14.99..." the girl groaned. Keeley handed the girl a twenty-dollar bill. "Would you like to subscribe for store credit? With it, you will be able to earn..." the girl was droning on, and Ann stood silently and listened, knowing she would not sign up. Ann glanced at Keeley as the girl continued her speech, then back at the girl. "No, thank you," Ann said, cutting her off. "Alright..." the girl huffed. She opened the register and pulled a five-dollar bill out before placing the twenty in the drawer; she handed Keeley her change. "Would you like to buy a reusable bag?" the girl asked. Keeley looked at the big tote bags that hung behind the counter, the store's name printed on the front. Keeley shook her head in response, and the girl handed her the dress.

Keeley was sitting in the passenger side of Ann's car while Ann drove to her house. Ann had just gotten her full license; now, she was Keeley's official chauffeur when Owen was busy. "How do you do it?" Keeley questioned. Ann kept her eyes on the road. "Do what?" she said, puzzled. "Drive... like, comfortably" Keeley shrunk slightly into her seat, the dress folded in her lap. Ann shrugged. "Well, I did have to practice and meet the driving hour requirements," she responded. Keeley sat quietly afterward; she was legally old enough to drive alone but had never felt excited about learning how to. In her mind, she was more stressed about crashing than enthusiastic about the freedom of driving. Her parents hadn't pushed her to learn, so she never did. "It too quiet," Ann proclaimed, then tossed her phone, plugged into an aux cord, into Keeley's lap without looking. "Pick something," she instructed, and so Keeley did. "Password?" Keeley asked as she slid up on the screen to unlock it. "You know it," Ann said in response. Keeley thought momentarily, then began clicking the circular button; seven, four, two, five, five, three, seven. The numbers spelled out the word Pickles, the name of her first pet, a small turtle that she had from the age of three to thirteen, about ten years less than its usual life expectancy based on how old the seller told her mom how old it was when they bought it. Keeley opened Spotify, then Ann's 'liked songs' playlist. She pressed the shuffle button and then the play button; the first song was Stupid big teeth by EMMY. All of Ann's favorite songs were feel-good; Keeley liked the change of pace when Ann played her songs.