Prove It

Chapter XXXIII

"Are you sure you don't want to come with me and Mindy?" Sofia asks again. Since the time she's called me until now this is all she's asked me. I love her and Mindy, but I don't want to be distracted and end up with nothing at the end of the day.

"Yeah it's all good. Besides, I can't have you seeing what I'm getting for you," I reason with her. She pouts her lips but accepts my argument.

"Alright, just text me if you need anything."

"I will. Love you," I say through the phone.

"Love you too." I take the phone from between my ear and shoulder when I hang up. I pick up my purse when I open my door to go shopping.

"Mom I'm going out!" I shout into the house. Without waiting for a response I close the garage door, making sure the heavy door actually clicks close. The last time my dad didn't close the door all the way Molly ran away for a bit, resulting in the most panicked I've ever seen Emma in my life.

I'm already so behind on everything. I have so many gifts to get for so many different Secret Santas, seperate friend gifts and family. I have no ideas and the first exhange is tomorrow.

Well I do have some ideas, but what I have no idea is what to get Marcus. And the boy is not making my job easy. I asked him yesterday what he would want and he said nothing. Literally nothing. What am I supposed to do with that? Especially when Sofia told he he asked her what he should get me. There's no way I'm not getting him something .

Before I turn on the car I see Emma coming out of the house and jog up to me.

"Can I come with you?" she asks.

"Why? I thought you already went shopping with people," I say. She came home with a ton of bags the other day. Surely she can't need to get anything else.

"I did, but I still need a few more gifts. So can I?"

"Sure," I reply. Unless she's trying to steal my clothes, I don't think I've ever denied Emma anything before. She puts up with Holden so much and never asks for anything that I feel when she does I owe her whatever she wants.

"Have you gotten something for Chris?" I ask, hoping the hint will give me some ideas.

"No, that's one of the things I have to pick up today," she answers. "What about for Marcus?"

"I have no ideas. I want to get him something useful, but not boring, you know?" I hope I don't sound like an absolute idiot.

"Yeah, I remeber when I was going out to buy Chris his first gift from me. I was so confused when he literally told me to get him nothing," she laughs and I do too at the similarity in the situations.

"What did you end up getting him?" She still hasn't given me any ideas so I might as well be blatantly obvious at this point.

"Astronomy and Geography for Dummies because he's a nerd," she snorts. "Obviously that wouldn't help you with Marcus."

"Thanks Em. I just hope something will catch my eye that he'll like. I already know he's getting something for me, I can't show up with a shitty present," I say. I rest my head against the car seat when we pull up to a red light.

"Don't put too much pressure on yourself. If you keep second guessing you'll never get anything. Just think about what he's mentioned before and you'll find something, I promise."

We pull up to the mall and Emma gets out and hurries inside, no doubt to get this trip over with. I'm with her but I have so much more to get than her today and I'm getting overwhelemed.

Oh God what has he mentioned?

It's not like I don't pay attention to what he's saying to me, I actually listen to everything. But right now I just can't recall anything significant enough he's mentioned on more than one occasion.

I rub my temples as I walk through the crowded walkways in the mall. Let's do him last. I need ot give all my attention to what I know first.

***********************

"Aaron help me!" I beg through the phone. After what seems like eternity spent in the mall I finally cave and ask for help from Aaron. If he can't help me, I don't know who will be able to.

"I don't know what he would want? Why should I know that?" he asks with disbelief in his voice.

"You're his best friend? Has he never mentioned wanting something?" I push further for an answer from this incredibly dense boy.

"Besides you, no," he chuckles but I groan through the receiver to let him know he is not making this better.

"Fine, fine, he really likes going to concerts, one of the things he loves most in the world really, so that's an idea, I don't know," he rambles on, but he gave me a great idea so he's not annoying anymore.

"Thanks Aaron." I hang up on him and quickly find Emma in the place I swear she can't stay out of every time we come.

"Emma you ready to go?" I ask. She nods her head, rolling her eyes at me.

"I texted you nearly three hours ago saying I was," she retorts, but I ignore her sass. I need to get home right now.

"Good, we need to leave," I say, practically dragging her with the finger not occupied by my mass amount of bags on both arms.

"What's the rush? You spend four hours here, it's not like another five would kill you." She drops her hand out of mine to go around the car to the passenger seat. I shove all my bags into the back and quickly start the car.

"Aaron gave me an idea what to get Marcus, and I need to get home to see if they're available," I answer.

"And what are they that makes this so time sensitive?" she asks.

"I have to get to my computer?" I whine, still dragging her up the escalater.

"You can't do it on your phone?" I stop right in the middle of the store we're going through.

"Oh shit," I say. "I didn't even think of that." I pull out my phone and direct Emma towards the wall to get out of the way.

"What are you looking at?" She looks over my shoulder at my phone screen.

"I'm getting Marcus tickets to Mumford and Sons," I answer as I hit the accept payment button on the screen, locking in my gift for him.

"He likes them? He doesn't look like the type," she says. "That's the kind of music Ashley listens to."

"He puts them on whenever we're driving." We walk leisurely to my car now that I have everything in order.

"Are you giong to go with him?" she asks and I shake my head.

"Not unless he asks me to. I have him two tickets, but I wasn't planning on going with him. Not that they're bad, but usually not the kind of music I listen to."

Emma and I place a bajillion bags into the trunk and back seat of my car as fast as we can because it's literally freezing outside.

"You know if it's going to be cold, Mother Nature should stop being a bitch and give us a snow day," Emma grumbles and I couldn't agree more.