Independent Woman

Sang, Shopping, & Small Victories

Sang's POV

Fuzzy. That's how my brain had felt all day as I coasted through class after class just looking for a way to avoid having to interact with anyone. Mr. McCoy had shocked me and I was frustrated that he was so determined to catch me out in something. Anything, at this point.

Kota and Victor had been trying to engage me in conversation all day but it wasn't until lunch when I really started to come out of the funk that I'd been stuck in all morning.

Everyone else seemed happy, Gabriel was arguing with Nate about some horror movie that was set to come out in a week or so, Silas and North were observing the table more quietly as they exchanged quiet words in Greek, Kota was talking with Luke and Victor... Victor was just watching me, his eyes blazing in my direction for ten minutes before I finally forced myself to talk to him so he wouldn't try to psychoanalyze me into oblivion.

"So if I was to go about getting a passport, what would be the first step?" I asked him as I twirled a pencil through my fingers in a nervous motion.

"For spring break with Karen, right?" He asked for confirmation. I just nodded and he started tapping his fingers on the table in a familiar rhythm. "You need stuff like your birth certificate and social security number and other municipal records, I think. To be honest, I'm not all that familiar with this because my parents did all of this for me when I was young and I've just had to renew the passport since then..."

I nodded gently, "I've got that stuff filed away at home... Do I send it off or make copies and take them to the post office or what?"

Victor shook his head, "I'll look it up later and ask Mr. B for details, I'm sure he knows."

My phone buzzed as it sat in my lap and I could feel myself startle a little bit with the leftover anxiety still fluttering around me after the confrontation from this morning.

Gabe: Remember how you went shopping without me?

Sang: Before we met? Yes.

Gabe: That doesn't matter now...

Gabe: Will you come shopping with me after school today?

My eyes flitted up to meet Gabriel's across the table as we texted a mere five feet from one another, but I nodded my agreement to the shopping. It turns out that I had no idea what I was in for.

---

I didn't even register any of my other classes for the rest of the day. I'd focused mostly on not having a panic attack as I sat in each class, my hand twirling my pencil and fingers drumming restlessly on the table in a desperation to distract myself from the tightness in my chest and churning in my stomach. I could hardly even make eye contact with Mr. Blackbourne when it came time for his class.

At the end of the day, Gabe was waiting for me with his back up against my truck, leaning casually against the rusting metal as if it wasn't nearly a hundred degrees out. I smiled at him as I approached and I could see his eyes light up in excitement. I tossed him my keys and swung around to the passenger side, easing myself up onto the hot leather seats to keep myself from burning my thighs on the material. As I hissed in pain, Gabriel met my eyes, "What's wrong?"

"The seat is just really hot on the legs," I laughed a little, "But let's go shopping - I need a new pair of jeans."

His eyes were drawn to my legs and the skirt that had pulled up as I sat and I flushed as I gripped the side of the seat, trying with all I could to keep myself from pulling it down to a more modest length.