Rainy Days

Chapter Eighteen: Red-Eyed Woman

[sun creek walmart–sunday afternoon]

JORDAN GAPED, the astonishment making Five smile.

"That...that was fucking amazing!" Jordan exclaimed, his stomach still doing somersaults. He couldn't be sure if that was from jumping through space or that Five was still holding his wrist delicately.

"I know." Five said. "Now, lets go get some damn coffee."

Five stared towards the entrance (they'd appeared in the parking lot) but Jordan froze and wrapped his own fingers around Fives wrist.

Five looked back, eyebrow arched; Jordan's stomach was now trying to pull itself out of his throat. Damn him for being so damn attractive!

"Should you be going in there?" Jordan said, ignoring the fact that his hand was probably really sweaty and Five could probably-most-likely-definitely tell his pulse was beating faster than normal.

"Why shouldn't I?"

"Because you're famous, and I know for a fact that there are more fans of the Umbrella Academy than just Ron, Tate and I in Sun Creek."

"So you admit you are a fan?" Five said, smirking. Jordan opened and closed his mouth before glaring.

"I never said I wasn't, first of all. Secondly, shut up. Stay out here."

He let go of Fives wrist and stalked into the Walmart, an angry breeze lifting his curls. Five was standing the parking lot, looking a little abandoned, his own gelled hair moving in the wind.

Jordan locked down his emotions, and the wind went back to before; light and airy. Happy.

Five watched him disappear, his mind whirling with observations.

~{}~

Jordan stared in confusion at the shelves. There where so many of them—heavy flow, light flow, tampons, pads, pantyliners—what was he supposed to chose? The tampons? Pads? Heavy flow?

Fuck, he should've asked what Allison what she wanted. Now what was he supposed to do? He didn't have a bunch of money, but he wanted Allison to have what she needed. Fuck.

"Shopping for your girlfriend?"

"Fuck!" Jordan shrieked, jumping in the air.

The boy laughed, brushing back bangs. He wore a plain pink tee-shirt and black skinny jeans, his hair a shade of faded green.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I just saw you looking like a lost, scared puppy and figured you where sent on a mission by a girlfriend."

"Uh...no," Jordan said, flushed. "My, er, step-sister sent me here, but she didn't give me specific enough instructions."

The boy laughed again. "Ah, okay. Well, recommendation? Grab some pads, heavy or light or both. She can probably make it through with pads, even if she uses tampons."

Chewing his bottom lip, he grabbed a pack of light-flow and heavy-flow, and shoved it into the cart.

"Uh, thanks..."

"Theo." Theo extended a hand. Jordan shook it.

"Jordan."

"Well, Jordan, it was nice to meet you. Hope your sister likes what she gets." Theo grabbed a box of tampons himself and dropped it in his basket. "Word of advice? Pick her up some chocolate too. Everyone likes chocolate."