Love in our time

Chapter 8 - You Won't Believe This False Hope

"Forget safety. Live where you fear to live. Destroy your reputation. Be notorious." 

Althea Nova

"Today's lunch looks like absolute shit," Haylee kicked the rubbish bin, thankfully, none of the trash spilt out. 

It was reheated salad. Reheated. Salad.

"Who's up for a grocery run?" Year 11 and up were allowed to leave school during lunch if they wanted. Honestly, it was just an opportunity for kids leave school grounds and smoke a cigarette or 30 behind the school. My hand shot up, I was really craving some Oreos, in complete honesty. I could probably live on a mainly Oreos based diet. 

"Majority overrules, everybody gets in Vincent's car!"

"When did I give consent-"

"Vincent, shut up." He sighed heavily, leading us to his car in the parking lot.

"Damien gets the front seat."

"Damn it, you and your couple privileges, this is a betrayal! This is favouritism!" Haylee and I piled into the backseat, Haylee giving a bitter kick to the back of Vincent's seat.

"I swear to God I will kick you out this car." Damien already pulling out the AUX cord. 

"Vincent's my boyfriend! Of course, I get car privileges."

"Guess that includes sex"

"Althea that's crude we are sitting in their car right now I don't want to think about them doing the do."

"That's enough." 

I sighed loudly while pushing the trolley down the aisle, leaning heavily against the bar as my feet were dragging against the floor. Once again, Carter filled my mind. Her and her perfect little attitude to everything and her pretty freckles. I've been trying to ignore the fluttering feeling in my stomach, hoping it would go away, but waking up next to her. Amber actually caring for me made my heart think we could actually have that. That I was actually capable of handling a relationship. That, someone, was capable of liking me.

I huffed, sick and tired of contemplating this all the time. I was basically being a stupid teenager- which, I was- but that was beside the point. I was playing with the sunglasses, settling with perching them up. I hadn't been paying attention until a packet of Oreos smacked me in the face.

"FUCK," I groaned. "Vincent, I will castrate your dick if you don't give me a good reason for why you just did that..."

Oh.

Vincent pointed at the mother and child duo I had almost smashed into. The mother looked horrified, scowling at me while hurrying away. Vincent shot me an exasperated look.

"The packet isn't even that hard. It's just foil."

"Excuse you," I dragged out. "You literally hit me on the lip, these packets hurt!" He sighed, tossing the packet into the trolley. I glanced down at the trolley of goods. Where was the milk?

"Vincent you know we can't have Oreos without milk."

"No, that's just you." I sunk even closer onto the bar, sulking. "Fine, fine." Yessssssssssss. "You look awfully pleased. That's not okay." He flicked my forehead, dragging the trolley to the dairy aisle.

"Can't you go by yourself? The dairy aisle is so far awaaaaaaay!" I complained. Walking still sucked, which was why I was placed on 'driving trolley' duty. "Vincent. Vinceeennnntttt. Vinceyy~"

He sighed dramatically. "Get in the cart." I let out a huge grin. "I can just picture it, Althea, we're going to get yelled at."

"But you'll still do it, right?" I pleaded. Vincent waved me off, moving to grip on the handlebars. I climbed into the trolley, ignoring the sharp pains in my side. With a strong push, Vincent began to wheel us through the biscuit aisle.

"You're so light these days."

"You're one to say, you're like a stick!" He broke out into a run, a sly grin slipping onto his face. I let out an unprepared scream, laughing loudly right after. Vincent dodged the other shoppers, casually passing the judgemental mother we saw earlier. She had the most scandalised look I had ever seen. I was practically waiting to get yelled at by an employee, but I ignored it. Instead, telling Vincent, "Gotta go fast!"

Vincent wheezed with laughed and prepared himself mentally. I let out petrified shrieks as he sprinted to the dairy aisle and abruptly stopping, causing me to crash into the metal walls of the trolley.

"Ow, ow ow!"

"How have we not been yelled at yet?" He ignored me!

"I mean...we didn't hit anybody. I deem that a safe success!" I yelled, my heart still pumping from the adrenalin.

"Did you see the looks we got, though?"

"That scandalised mother and child looked pissed." I giggled.

"Completely flabbergasted."

"Um, Althea, Vincent?" The voice made the laughter in the voice choke up. Now my heart was pumping for an entirely different reason.

I turned around, Amber was holding a tub of ice cream. Wisps of her hair slipping out from her bun.

I could practically feel my soul leave there that instant. I didn't say anything, my mouth went dry.

I flicked my sunglasses down, "What is up, my fellow homo sapiens?"

Vincent walked away.

"Fucking rude." I gasped.

"Do I want to know what you two were doing?" I was still sat in the trolley.

"Causing mayhem, disrupting the general public." I laid back into the trolley, play it cool, Alton.

"Trying to get kicked out?"

"Oh, this isn't even scratching the surface in ways I can get banned from Coles."

She stepped up to the bars of the trolley, carting me around. Get it? Carter? Amber Carter-

"So, apart from wilding around in Coles, how are your bruises holding up?"

"Well let me clear things up, thrashing around in a trolley at high speeds sure isn't the way to heal my injuries. But it sure is the best way to fix up my mental injuries"

"Oh?" This was not going to be good what have I done. "Guess I'll have to run you around again." She shrugged and broke into a run, pushing us through the store. I was shrieking so loud, I was sure Amber's eardrums were completely unappreciative. But we continued to laugh hysterically the entire ride. Until an employee kicked us out. 

Author's Note:

Just your residential gays, carting around Coles in only the most dangerous way ever.