As Christmas approached the windy city with only two days left, the streets were filled with joyful decorations and holiday shoppers.
Among them were Quincey and Esme, weaving through the crowded mall in search of last-minute gifts.
"Hey, look who it is!" Quincey nudged Esme, gesturing towards a familiar duo across the mall. "It's the twins!" Esme's eyes widened in surprise as she spotted Tess walking alongside them, lost in her phone. The sight of her friend made her smile. "Should we say hey?" Quincey asked, noticing Esme's hesitation. "Yeah, why not?" Esme replied.
They both made their way across the mall to join the trio. "Hey, guys!" Esme greeted them. Tess's attention is instantly grabbed by the sound of her voice. "Mae, Quince, what are you two doing here?" Tess asked, her eyes lighting up in surprise. "We got stuck in some last-minute shopping" Quincey explained, smiling towards Booker and Nia.
"Then we saw you guys" Esme added, trying to sound casual. "Cool" The trio said together. The rest of their conversations flowed easily as they walked in and out of shops together. The twins had found something that they could agree on in a different store and were probably off finding other things after paying.
Eventually, Cece, Mae, and Tess reached a music store, and Esme's eyes lit up at the sight of a beautiful brown guitar in the window display.
"You look like you want to kiss it" Quincey joked, pulling Esme out of her gaze. Tess turned her head to see what caught Esme's attention and raised a brow. "She's been purposely taking shortcuts just to come and stare at this thing" Quincey says to Tess. "Really?" Tess questions, grinning. "I have not!" Esme protested.
The two girls looked over at her at the same time and gave her a look.
"Okay, maybe a few times" She admitted.
"But can you blame me? It's gorgeous" Esme added with a smile.
"Sadly, by the time I try to get it, the price is going to be way higher" Esme sighed, disappointment filling her voice.
"So why don't you get it now?" Tess suggested, raising an eyebrow. "I may have gone overboard with gifts this year" Esme confessed with a grin, holding up her bags. "And she doesn't want her mom to buy it for her" Quincey butted in. "Why?" Tess asked, her curiosity sparked. "She does so much already, and the move was already hard enough as it was" Esme explained.
"I just asked for new pencils for art and a graphic hoodie" She says.
"Dylan's controller and headset gift is getting shipped out to him" Mae continued, listing off her family's Christmas gifts. "Tori wanted beauty products, and I got Mom a new kitchen scale for baking, so I'm broke, living off of 30 bucks right now" She added with a chuckle. "And you still haven't gotten Fallon's?" Tess questioned, raising an eyebrow.
Quincey gave her a questioning look afterward and scoffed, going unnoticed by Mae.
"Yeah, I already got hers" Esme replied with a nod. "What type of girlfriend do you take her for?" Quincey taunted. Tess rolled her eyes and looked back at the guitar. "Besides, I want to get it myself. It's not a big deal if I don't" Esme shrugged. "It was a cool thought to have it, though. There's always next year" She says.
Afterward, they walked away from the store and began to search for more things.
Esme looked over to talk to Tess but she was nowhere to be found by her side. "Tess? You coming?" Mae interrupted, noticing Tess's distraction from behind her, and stopped her walking. "Yeah— I mean, no!" Tess stated. Quincey looks over that Mae and they both give each other a look. "I should catch up with the twins" She explained, using her thumb to point behind her.
"You sure?" Mae asked, studying Tess's expression carefully.
"Yeah, I'm sure" Tess replied with a smile.
"Cool. Text me when you guys leave and make it back" Mae said, motioning to her phone. "I got you" Tess reassured her, giving her a small nod before turning to leave. Watching as Tess turned to leave, Quincey and Esme continued to shop. Mae couldn't help but remember a conversation they had months ago about their hobbies. Back before things happened.
She remembered how Tess had once mentioned wanting to learn how to skateboard, and an idea began to form in her mind.
She wasn't going to say anything about it while Tess was around but now Mae had the opportunity to go and get it.
It was going to be the perfect gift for Tess. After exploring the shops for the rest of the afternoon, Esme finally found the perfect skateboard for Tess. Satisfied with the one she found, she made her purchase and headed home with Quincey. Mae wasn't big on Christmas, but now she felt like a little kid and was beyond excited for Christmas morning to share her gifts.
"You do realize that she's not getting you anything, right?" Quincey remarked as they walked into their apartment building. "You don't know that" Esme replied. "Anyways, it doesn't matter. I wanted to do this" Esme added with a shrug. "Just don't get your hopes up, 'kay?" Quincey warned her friend.
"Mmhm" Esme replied, her mind clouded with thoughts of Christmas morning.
