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Jesse's mischievous smirk turns out to be due to a certain activity she's dragging you into. That being... shopping. She practically pulls your unwilling self out of your car before pushing you inside the mall. Which is infested with hundreds of teenagers and people with too much time on their hands.
There's a thing called claustrophobia, which you don't have. No. You have Enochlophobia, which is a fear of large crowds. Jesse doesn't seem to understand the panic that overcomes you whenever you see too many people crammed in one place.
Sure, you work with people but nothing can be compared to a mall. Everyone walks around not caring whether they are in the middle of a hallway. And they expect you to move out of the way while they text away their troubles. They should be the ones letting you pass. However, you can't threaten them with a police uniform. Pity...
Also, let's not mention the stares.
When you were younger you couldn't even withstand the looks others gave you because it made you freeze up. Different individuals have different reactions. You had panic attacks, headaches, and stomach aches. Most times you had to sit down and breathe slowly to calm yourself.
Your parents didn't know what was wrong until a doctor told them about enochlophobia. Slowly, and with the help of therapy, you began to overcome your phobia but that does not mean it doesn't bother you anymore when you see crowds. It still makes you uncomfortable, but bearable. You're not even sure of how you will react when you find yourself at the concert, but you still want to go.
That's a lifetime chance that you're not willing to lose.
You exhale when you see where Jess is taking you. It's Forever 21. The store with the most teen-obsessed clients. The place where most people go to buy clothes, creating huge crowds. Well, that store and Marshalls.
Taking a deep breath, you let her pull you along. She starts talking about how you don't have decent clothes to wear. That a concert of this magnitude requires attractive clothing. Which you don't get, at all. Why wear a dress to a concert? Most people go in jeans and a shirt. Concerts are for singing along and dancing to the music, right? However, Jesse insists on a more sexy approach. Yet, she searches for clothes for herself instead of helping you choose.
Rolling your eyes, you decide to try and find something more... appealing to wear by yourself.
A certain black jumper with a skirt catches your attention. You've seen them before in Korean dramas but you've never taken the time to buy one for yourself. Since you're already here, you kick the enochlophobia out the window and walk towards it. Nervously darting your eyes to the sides, you arrive at your destination and find that there are only two remaining. Crossing fingers, you check the sizes. Thank god! One of them fits you just fine.
Grinning, you take the jumper and slump it over your arm. Doing a one hundred and eighty degrees spin, your eyes lock with someone else's.
Bright, emerald green eyes narrow in your general direction as a certain woman with long blonde hair and tan skin walks towards you. Monique hasn't changed one bit. You can tell by her haughty stare. She still carries that air of arrogance she had when you were high schoolers.
