There She Goes
951 Words
Katie“I’m leaving,” I say to Eleanor who’s on the couch with a bunch of people.
“It’s only 9 pm,” Eleanor says.
“I have to go,” I say.
Eleanor nods. “I’ll find another way home.”
“Call me if you need a ride,” I say. “I have no problem with that.”
Eleanor smiles. “I’ll be fine, now go!”
I leave the house and go to my car parked in the street. I just want to go home and watch a movie in my blanket and forget about everything. On the road, I see a convenience store and pull into the parking lot. Sweet and salty snacks are required for a movie night in, even if it’s just me.
I don’t usually come into this store as it’s on the other side of town. I walk through the aisles and find the chips. Skinny Pop. Sour Cream & Onion. Honey Dijon. Okay, I think that’s enough considering my hands are full. Now for the sweet.
“Katie?”
I turn to the voice and see no one until I look down and see a small girl. It’s Colin’s little sister.
“Hannah?” I hear Colin’s voice coming around the corner, so I throw the chips back on the shelf. I put a finger to my lips to keep Hannah quiet about this to her brother and she just laughs at me.
“There you are,” Colin says and then looks up and sees me. “Katie? What are you doing here?”
“Just picking up some snacks,” I say.
“Don’t you live on the other side of town?” Colin asks.
“I was visiting a friend,” I say.
Colin takes a look at how I’m dress and smirks. “I’m sure,” he says.
"We're going to watch The Emperor's New Groove!" Hannah says and I look down on her.
“What?!” I say excitedly. “That’s my favourite movie!”
“Really?” Hannah says and I nod. Hannah hits her brother lightly. “See, she likes it.”
“Maybe because Katie hasn’t watched it over 100 times,” Colin says to his sister.
“You’re right,” I say and then crouch down to Hannah’s level to whisper to her. “I’ve watched it like 200 times.” And she laughs. I stand back up and look at Colin.
“Can she come over?” Hannah asks her brother.
Colin smiles embarrassingly at his sister. “I’m sure Katie has to get home,” Colin says.
“I actually don’t,” I say before I think clearly about the situation I’m putting myself in.
“Then you can come over!” Hannah says.
“If that’s okay with your brother,” I say and we both look at Colin.
He smiles. “Of course,” Colin says.
“Now, what snacks have you chosen so far?” I ask Hannah, crouching back to her level.
“Fuzzy Peaches and Cookies & Cream,” Hannah shows me the treats in her hand.
"Good start," I say. "But I think we need a bit more variety. It's movie night!"
“Katie,” Colin says in a warning voice to me. “Please don’t…”
“Please don’t what?” I ask, looking into Colin’s eyes.
Colin takes a breath. “Please don’t break the bank.”
I smile at him. “Don’t worry, Colin. This is my forte.”
We grab a bunch of snacks, way more than what you would eat in a single night, but that’s the point of movie night. You need a wide selection of snacks for the evening and I can tell Hannah is super excited.
When we are checking out with enough snacks for a week, Colin pulls out his card from his wallet.
“Don’t worry. I’ve got this,” I say as I grab my card.
“No, it’s fine,” Colin says.
“I’m the one that made you get a ridiculous amount of food,” I say.
“Debit,” Colin says to the cashier.
“Credit,” I say, and the cashier just looks between us, not knowing what to do.
“Just put it on debit,” Colin says.
"Fine," I say, and grab my debit card.
“Do it now!” Colin says to the cashier and we both race to tap our cards on the machine. And Colin just narrowly beats me. “Better luck next time,” Colin says as the transaction goes through and he smiles.
"Fine," I say and grab the two bags from the counter, and start heading out the door. Colin follows behind, holding onto his sister's hand. "Where do you live?" I ask.
“Just follow me,” Colin says, and I see the lights flash of his car that’s next to mine. “Like five minutes away.”
“Can I go with Katie?” Hannah asks and I smile.
“No,” Colin says, “but she’ll be right behind us.”
“Fine,” Hannah says.
“I’ll see you soon,” I say to her as I go to my vehicle.
- Writer
