Troubled

TWENTY FOUR

KYLE GARCIA

"You don't need all of that." Xander tells Cora with wide eyes.

But it only amused me. The girl was amusing. Everything she did only made me laugh. Or chuckle, or shake my head in amusement.

Since we got to the mall, she has been acting out. I think she wants to annoy me for coming along. Makes me wonder if she wanted to be alone with Xander because she liked him.

She had cleared out an entire aisle of snacks because I said I was going to pay for them. She didn't even need that much, nobody did, because she wanted me to back out. But as usual, I only chuckled.

She was clearing out the juice freezer next. Xander was running around, trying to stop her. He was panicking. I only leaned against one aisle as I watched her with amusement.

Stefan was right, she didn't show her emotions around others, just me. She didn't even show a flicker of emotion towards Xander, so that diminishes my theory of her in love with him. So why exactly does she hide her emotions? And why am I the only one that received the brunt of it all?

"Cora!!" Xander was exasperated.

He was putting back the things from the snack aisle, and she had cleared out the drink freezer.

"Please don't do it anymore." He pleaded.

But she was not done yet, she continued to empty aisle after aisle. Clearing out any aisle she saw.

Xander looked at me with pleading eyes. I don't know what he expected me to do, but I wasn't going to back down, I wanted to see all she could do to the end. So I laugh and shake my head at him. He only huffed and continued his quest to stop her.

A sales attendant looked at me uneasily. I only waved my card at her, telling her I was going to pay for it and she should calm down. She still looked at me uneasily.

"There, done." Cora dusted her palms against each other as she looked at the trolleys heaped with stuff we didn't need. She looked proud of herself. Xander was still running around, trying to fit the things back into the shelves. I wondered when he was going to stop.

I pushed myself off the aisle I was resting on. I walked towards her till there was just two feet of space between us.

"Is that all we need Cora?" I asked.

I see Xander pausing to stare at me wide eyed. Cora tightened her jaw, her brows knitted together in obvious anger, she must have thought she won. I see a vein pop on her forehead, it glared at me angrily. I almost laugh, but I had to look smug, she had to know I won. So I hold it in.

There was no lighting in the world that could ever make the girl ugly. Her beauty was on another level. She looked like she was glowing.

"If that will be all, I'd like to pay so we don't miss the recital." I say as I back away from her.

I had to back away before I got called out for staring at her a little too long.

Xander and I had a field day heaving everything into the car. If I had thought of the stress it was going to bring trying to fit everything into the car, I wouldn't have bought this much. Actually I still would have. I couldn't let her win, else she would have kicked me out and told me to stop following them. Although it would have been nice to see her smile, or the look of victory on her face, It was too soon to assume she would smile at me, even if she succeeded in sending me back.

She was sitting in the front passenger seat by the time we came back in, she was sipping on a juice box, one of the things she got in abundance.

"Wow Cora, thanks for your help back there." Xander says sarcastically as he cranked up the air con. We were both sweaty, I pitied the guy though. I did football, so I was used to weights, but the guy barely played any sports. It was obvious the groceries did a number on him.

"You are welcome." She answered before continuing with her juice box.

I chuckled again.

The girl was so much fun. And it was easy for me to get under her skin.

"Did you have fun shopping?" I ask her.

She didn't answer, but I can almost see her gritting her teeth in anger.

"Now what do we do with all the things we don't need? We can't possibly eat everything today." Xander looked at the things from the review mirror.

Most of the couldn't even fit in the boot of the car, they sat with me instead.

"We can give them out. There are plenty of people who need them. Thank you Cora, you just made me help humanity."

She flung her empty juice box at me, it hit me square in the face, and she wasn't even looking. I start to laugh.

"Bullseye Cora! Where did you learn to throw?"

She ignored me till we got to the house.

I was impressed with the size of the house, with the car Xander drove, I was supposed to know that his parents were loaded but the house echoed it.

The inside was just as impressive, I briefly wondered why this wasn't known at school. If someone from school even knew by accident that this was his house, awkward Xander would be very popular overnight.

"You can bring the perishables here." He directed.

We stuffed the fridge with half of the perishables, he took another half up to his room.

"We can use the TV here, my room is a mess." He blushed as he said it. I totally understood the messy room.

I plopped down beside Cora, she was sitting on the sofa facing the TV.

"Go away." She shifted to the far end of the sofa.

I chuckle, she still thought she could chase me away.

"You haven't said anything about fixing my phone screen." I tell her.

"Well have you given it to me?"

"Have you asked for it? "

"It's about to start, in ten minutes or so. I made popcorn." Xander came in with a bowl.

I stood up and got out a few drinks from the fridge, and snacks.

When we were sitted to finally watch. A broadcast message appeared.

"We interrupt this program to bring you a warning. This a tornado warning. Please remain indoors wherever you are, for your own safety. The recital will be postponed till further notice."

Well s**t.