10. Drugstore Proposal

47K 1.7K 401
                                    

"You should've stayed home and let me do this."

Mom paid no attention to me as she eyed a bag of mini chocolate bars before tossing them into the basket. She had only been released from the hospital for a few hours ago and was already she ignoring the doctor's orders. She should've be in bed resting, not wandering around a Walgreens.

"I needed to pick up my prescription," she told me, adding a few more bags of assorted candy to her basket.

"I could've done that for you."

"If you want to help me, reach down there and grab that bag of Tootsie Pops."

I did as she said. "You are so hard headed."

"Just like my daughter," she said, over her shoulder as she continued down the aisle.

I was about to point out that what she said was a lie, but then I remembered it was true.

Four years ago, I was sneaking out of the house at night to hang with whatever boy I was obsessing over at the time. Thirteen-year-old me wasn't exactly winning any awards for discipline.

Thinking back to those times made me cringe. That was a part of my past I absolutely did not want back.

Those days weren't all bad, though. I was on the dance team, I had a purse-making business and for a brief moment I even had a boyfriend. That's the side of things I wanted to get back to.

My thoughts were interrupted by someone grabbing my arm, pulling into a different aisle.

I was in the beverage aisle with someone who thought it was okay to drag people around. I was ready to mace the stranger, until I realized who it was.

"Remember when I asked you to be my jelly?"

Miles stood before me. He still refused to accept the fact that it was now fall as he wore a short sleeved shirt. He was, however, still wearing my beanie.

"You scared me," I said through gritted teeth, punching him in the arm.

"Sorry," he said, hurriedly. "Please, be my jelly."

He looked desperate now. Holding back my laughter I asked, "Why does this matter so much?"

"Because of the bet," he told me. "C'mon, Mermaid, do this one thing for me."

"What's the problem? You don't have the money to pay him if you lose?"

"That's not the bet," he informed me. "The bet is that if I can find someone to wear a costume with me I get fifty dollars, but if I can't..." He let his words trail off. "Just do this for me, please?"

He dropped down onto his knee, clasping his hands together as he begged.

"Wow, you're really desperate," I said and he nodded in agreement.

"If I lose this bet, it will plague my life forever. My grandkids will be affected by this," he told me.

I couldn't hold in my laughter any longer as I looked down at him. Whatever Owen was going to have Miles do if he lost the bet really had him bothered. Seeing that frantic, desperate side of him was sad. Funny, but sad.

He took my hand in his, the contact causing a breath to get caught in my throat. "Please, say yes."

His puppy dog eyes didn't work on me the night before. I believe it was due to a lack of light. Now in the bright, florescent lights of Walgreens they managed to get me to utter, "Yes."

His face lit up into a bright smile as he erected himself. "She said yes!" He shouted, throwing his arms up in the air. A few people eyed us curiously as they passed by.

What You're Not | ✔Where stories live. Discover now