If I Die Young

8. Gray

Egg Harbor was a smaller town, with locals who knew Ezra very well and gave me smiles as we passed by. Kids pushed past us as they hurled snowballs at each other, their laughter echoing in the streets and putting a smile on Elyse's face. I wasn't sure what I was expecting but the more welcoming crowd certainly helped me to feel less like an alien in a world I once knew.

The supermarket here was locally owned and brimming with people getting stocked up on winter supplies. We wandered the aisles with a cart and stuck to the list, stocking up on bulk items and fresh fruits and vegetables. My fingers twitched to reach for my mom's favorite wine like she'd always asked me to, but I kept my hands at my sides and my eyes ahead of me. Emotions swelled in the back of my mind but that's also where they stayed. Elyse's hand brushed mine and I gripped it quickly before letting go, glad for the support; she must be able to sense my mood shifts, something that probably came in handy.

As we approached the checkout line I helped them unload the cart, swinging bags of potatoes onto the conveyor belt and organizing boxes accordingly. Ezra was chatting with the cashier, a girl who couldn't have been older than eighteen, who seemed to know him. I saw a flirtatious smile cross both of their lips and it made me glad to see that just because you grew up living in some backwoods house in the middle of the forest, didn't mean you couldn't live normally outside the house.

"That'll be $218.63," the girl smiled, "cash or card?"

"Cash." Ezra handed her two $100 bills and a $20. She scribbled something on a receipt and I got a glimpse of a phone number, something that put a mischievous smile on both mine and Elyse's cheeks.

"Someone's got a girl-friend." Elyse teased musically as we left the store.

"She's a friend from school, no one special." He tried to play it cool, but I could see he was pretty happy about the whole thing.

We packed up the groceries into the car and took off across town, a cheap brand-name store serving our purposes for clothing and school supplies. Our first stop was for the latter, leaving us to grab a backpack for Noelle and whatever else we might need. I snagged a purple one for her, plus a couple notebooks and a pencil pouch. I grabbed mechanical pencils for myself and a three-subject spiral bound, my eyes wandering to the rows of journals and sketchbooks. I grabbed a small one, just a simple notepad filled with blank paper you could tear out.

"Aren't you going to get yourself a backpack?" Ezra asked.

"I have one already that's in good shape." I shook my head. "I think we're done here, I can't imagine we'd need much else."

"Clothes section it is?" Elyse raised an eyebrow.

"Yes ma'am." I laughed, following her as she trotted off towards the clothing racks.

I sorted through the kids section, pulling down simple shirts and cute tank tops for the girls. I picked out a couple of dresses as well, ones that were more for springtime than winter, but I thought they'd like the garments all the same. Noelle needed at least one pair of shoes, so we migrated towards the shoe section to pick something out for her. I should say, Ezra and I did, because Elyse had disappeared into the clothing for juniors instead.

"What's she even looking for over there?" I laughed, spotting her head of curls as she bobbed along the aisles.

"She's finding fabrics she likes," he told me, "she can't see the color but she can feel the design. She's been doing this since she was born, so she's good at it."

"Elyse has never been able to see?" I asked.

"Never. She was born with the ability to differentiate people based off of their colors, but that's about it." He chuckled. "She says her own is chartreuse. Apparently she gets along best with people who are yellow and green."