Magic Ball: the Billionaire in Ranch

63 Shopping Downtown

Summer vacation has finally come to its end. The sunny days were over. Quite.

Noah’s family, as well as his high school friends, came to a decision that it was time for them to head home. They have just contacted Noah that they have safely arrived in Knox city.

Well, most of them have.

There was always that one friend who would stay.

Noah sat on his living room’s sofa, his feet casually lounging on the entire furniture. On the other hand, Fitch sat on a chair beside him. Both his hands occupied at flipping through pages of a book called Summer’s Draught that he found along the way. He told Noah that there had been a small stall just downtown. They sell used books of all kinds. Name it, and they shall have it for you in second hand.

Fitch seemed to like the smell of the pages. When Noah glanced his way, he’d occasionally caught Fitch bringing down his nose on the crisp pages. He’d take a deep breath, inhaling the scent of history.

Tapping his feet light on the sofa’s cushion, Noah looked straight ahead, “Do you always do that?” his brows furrowed, a deep line appearing above the bridge of his nose.

“Always have,” Fitch answered, his smile widening, “always will.”

“I rarely see you reading books when we were in high school,” Noah countered.

It was the truth, though. The five of them always hangout during lunch breaks, or even after school. But the Fitch they knew before wasn’t entirely the Fitch sitting on a chair right now.

Noah’s hands were tucked behind his head. He whistled, and the wind entered the vast, glass window in the living room. The curtains are pulled to the sides. There was an eloquent braid on the strings that bind the material.

Noah thought it must have been Nancy. She liked to make everything appear extra as it had been before. Noah regarded her as a child that’s good with designing and nurturing the animals in his Stream Ranch.

A plopping sound came when Fitch closed the book. Sparkling specks of dust reflected on the light streak on the coffee table he placed the book at.

“Why did you stay?” he questioned his old friend.

Noah couldn’t think of reasons he could choose from. There was nothing in here for Fitch. He didn’t find a job, and instead, had his visa renewed for residency. Noah assumed he must have liked the life in the west. They have different parents. Unlike his mother, the weather was an idle matter for his highschool friend.

Yawning, tears sprouted from the ends of Noah’s eyes. He removed his arms behind his head and stretched onward.

“I guess it’s fun,” Fitch casually shrugged his shoulders.

“’I guess’ is such a safe answer,” remarked Noah as he let out another yawn.

Turning his face toward the view outside the window, Fitch opened his mouth to speak, “Should we go shopping?”

Noah sat upright. His back ached like he was older than Thomas and his father. “Where would you like to go?” he inquired, his eyes focused on the coffee table. He stared aimlessly. He was feeling lazier and lazier by day.

Fitch hummed as he crossed his arms over his chest, “Would you fancy going to a mall?”

Arching an eyebrow, Noah replied, “What shall we do in a mall?”

“I was thinking,” Fitch began, “perhaps I should buy more clothing since I will be staying here for longer than I expected.”

Noah shook his head, “You mean far longer than I have expected you to do.” He emphasized the pronoun on his sentence.

Fitch’s reaction gave Noah the impression that he hadn’t thought about it that much.

“Shall we go? Or should we just continue chatting here like dumb horses?”

“Hey!” Noah’s side-eye made Fitch mumble his apology.

“Didn’t mean that,” he confirmed, his eyes drifting down on the floor, the guilt crippling him.

Noah stood, his hands on his head, “Never say that to the horses. They might understand.”

He couldn’t admit that they did understand. They were raised inside the Magic Ball. That meant they possess some sort of magic from the resources of the place.

Arching one eyebrow, Fitch plastered a neutral expression, “Whatever you say, Horse Whisperer.” It was followed by a deep chuckle.

The chill went down his spine.

He chose between getting angry and laughing it out like it wasn’t anything insulting. It was the worst compliment he had ever received in his entire life. He considered it a compliment for the thought of it being half-truth. Whereas the other truth was bored by the wonders of the Magic Ball itself.

And no one would ever know of this secret.

Walking toward the foot of the stairs, Noah called Fitch to get ready. Their shopping begins.

Buckling his seat belt, Noah fixed the rearview mirror ahead. He was in his casual white shirt, his pants a loose jean and some running shoes he felt comfortable walking in.

His sister Mary advised him before that when it came to going to the mall, one should wear the comfiest set of clothes that they have. When Noah asked her reason, Mary stated that you would, apparently, do a lot of walking, despite the existence of escalators, elevators, and stairs.

Fitch looked outside of the window, Noah’s reflection caught staring at the back of his car.

“Shall we?” Noah reversed his car, and when they finally reached the gate, he rolled down Fitch’s side of the window, “We’re going out for a bit.”

Wynn peaked out from the shed, “Mr. Martin?” he sounded surprised.

Noah wagged his eyebrows, “Something the matter?”

“Oh, nothing at all! Didn’t know you’re going out today.”

Noah had a wide grin, “Anything you want me to buy?”

Wynn’s eyes bulge, “Please don’t bother! I can’t have you do those things.”

Gripping his hand on the steering wheel, Noah chuckled, “Donuts. I’ll bring home some donuts,” he declared as Wynn’s mouth opened and fell to the grassy floor.

It was probably last year, and when the three of them went to the mall, Noah vividly recalled that Wynn was salivating enough in front of a donut bakery shop. He kept describing how the smell made his taste buds go wild with desire.

Nancy and Thomas, of course, teased him about him for an entire week. But Noah took the initiative to buy him one box of those glaze-filled bread rings.

He looked back at Wynn, his mouth moving in protest.

“What’s he saying?” Fitch queered, his eyes fleeting to Wynn’s fading stature.

Noah turned a corner before he answered, “He likes donuts. That’s all,” the smile still on his face.

Fitch drummed his fingers on his thigh, “That boy looked like he didn’t want some of those donuts.”

As they headed toward the freeway, Noah began speaking again, “He likes them. Very much. He’s just too shy to admit it.”

Smiling to himself, Fitch answered, “Just like when we were in junior high school.”

Noah had to stop, the light turning red. He pulled-over the stick, “What? Was I that shy and polite?”

They had a good laugh about the days when they were still in high school. Some would consider college to be the best educational experience there is. But Noah argued otherwise. It’s definitely high school. It’s where you experience all the innocence fading away. All the first are tried without even asking for it. The dumb actions they have done were an irreplaceable shard of mirror. Despite getting broken, all of them eventually fit each other’s puzzle.

Noah didn’t think it through a lot. He kept thinking about the memories. And it’s one of the lessons he brought with life.

Parking at a lot near the entrance, Noah hopped out of his car. Fitch followed, and the two of them walked toward the entrance.

Noah and Fitch walked straight ahead. Occasionally, Fitch would window shop in high-end brand stores that would catch his attention. He stared at every window, Noah inquiring ever so often if he would like to check it out. So, they hopped from shop to shop.

Fitch bought this shirt from a brand that advertises their everyday clothes. Noah seconded the brand’s campaign. The brand was, in fact, well known for making high-quality shirts that you can use in your day to day activities. It can for formal wear layered with a coat, or perhaps when you fancy sweating during a workout. It can also be for casual walks in the beach, or a daily stroll in the autumnal park.

When they went up to the second floor of the mall, Fitch spotted an Italian store that makes gelatos.

He turned to Noah, who was lazily walking behind him, “Should we try that?”

His eyes looked hopeful enough that Noah convinced he’d like to try some of it. “Go ahead. My treat.”

Placing his hands on his pockets, he began pulling out his wallet.

When Fitch saw what he was doing, he immediately refused, "No, no!”

Noah looks dumbfounded, “Huh? Why?” the man had been used to him paying for a thing or two. But Noah wondered why was he stopping now?

“Let me pay this time,” he grinned, “just like the old times, remember?”

The old times were lovely memories, but Noah’s unsure, “Which are you pertaining to?” he asked as the bell above the store jingled.

Fitch murmured a “Wow,” when he saw the gelatos displayed on the window.

“That one time we cut classes and headed straight to Rome to have some gelatos.”

Something sparked inside Noah’s brain, the recognition flashing on his face, “You mean when Mike wanted to escape that one teacher who hated his ass during chemistry class?”

Fitch grinned. Noah mimicked the expression on his face.

It was fun hanging out with an old friend.

A faint tap on Noah's shoulder made him turn around.

“Uhm, please help me.”