The drive to the mall was an interesting one. Mostly it was Zac and Rachel talking. But every once and awhile, Tay or Tanner would ask a question or crack a joke, and the whole car would erupt into fits of laughter. Tanner had to admit that she was glad she came. Her sister's friends were great company, and although Taylor was a complete stranger, he was nothing but polite and courteous. She knew by the time they were halfway to their destination, this day would be one they'd never forget.
As the four drove down the busy highway to the mall, Tanner turned to her passengers. "Anyone wanna listen to the radio?" She offered sweetly. A chorus of answers shot from the backseat and finally a decision on 97 BHT was made. Tanner turned on the radio and set it to the right channel. As she did this, she dropped her wallet on the floor. She reached down quickly to grab it, as Tay, deciding to chivalrous, reached down as well. There was a distinct crack as the two heads collided, leaving two teenagers spitting out apologies and excuses.
Finally, Tanner turned from her passenger and gazed intently on the road. She could feel Taylor's eyes on her as she drove the rest of the way to the mall in silence. She had to literally glue her eyes to the wheel as to not turn over to him. She felt terrible doing this, but she was too shy and embarrassed to do otherwise.
The rest of the ride was almost complete silence, save for Rachel and Zac's whispering in the backseat. The two were just chattering away about school, food, (one of Rachel's favorite subjects) and clothes.
"Well, I love those new Doc Martins that just came out. You know, the sandals?" Rachel spat out to Zac as the poor kid just shrugged passively. "Yeah, Rach. That really narrows it down."
Rachel was ready to throw a playful punch when suddenly, a quick line was shot from Tanner. "We're here." The car pulled slowly to a stop in a parking space just a few feet from the large plate glass windows of the mall food court. Tanner switched off the ignition and unlocked all the doors. She pulled down her skirt self-consciously and played with her golden locks as her passengers filed out of the silver convertible.
Finally, after she began to feel a little more comfortable about her appearance, she slowly stepped out of the car. Suddenly, a pale hand reached out to help her from her seat. She glanced up, and saw that her squire was a grinning Taylor. She blushed and grasped his outstretched hand graciously.
As he pulled her to her feet, she couldn't meet his gaze. She just looked at the ground and thanked him quickly. As she stood up, she couldn't help but notice how good he looked out of the corner of her eye. He wasn't dressed any less than casual, with a plain pair of khakis and a T-shirt covered by a flannel. He seemed to have noticed her corner gaze, because he gave her an uncertain smile. She quickly averted her gaze.
Hmm… Taylor leaned up against the cool car and sighed as Tanner ran off towards her sister. This girl that he just met was unlike any he'd ever met before. She was very sweet, shy, and she definitely knew how to wear her clothes. But no matter how he tried, he just couldn't get her to look him straight in the eye.
He glanced over at his brother, who evidently was having a blast. He and Rachel were deciding on whether or not to head to the food court, or shop first. Tanner was just hugging her waist and smiling and nodding when she agreed. She obviously was not at all intrigued with anything the two were discussing.
"This is boring," Thought a tired Tanner. She was worn out, and a little chilly, and most of all, she was infatuated. She turned over non-chalentley in the direction of her car and gazed right into the eyes of the boy who had been staring at her for a full 15 minutes. His piercing gaze locked onto hers and they the two stood, until Zac, being the interfering youngster that he was, tapped lightly on Tanners slim shoulder. Shaking her head vigorously, she turned to the blond boy.
"Yeah Zac?"
Darn. Thought a disappointed Tay as he watched Zac and Tanner exchange a few lines. Zac had just ruined a perfect chance to get to know this girl. Well, stare at her anyway…woah. Hang on a second… He looked over at the two girls and cocked one eyebrow. Okay, now I talked to Rachel this morning, and she sounded sweet, shy, and a little taken aback. Now, I saw Rachel this morning, and she's wild, outgoing, and outspoken. Hmm…
He stood up when the other three looked ready to head into the mall. Oh well. Now's not the time to be thinking about this. He quickly joined the group and headed over to his friends.
As he walked over, he noticed Tanner straighten her skirt, run her fingers through her hair, and throw her purse over her shoulder. He just stared. It wasn't until Zac tapped his shoulder that he snapped back into reality.
Finally, the three headed side by side into the air-conditioned building. Rachel and Zac decided to put plan B into action.
"Why don't we split up?" The two suggested as a confused looking Tanner just cocked her head. The plan was to get the four to separate so that Tay could get to know Tanner. Alone.
The foursome agreed and split; Rachel, of course, with Zac, and Tanner with Tay. Tanner looked kinda uncomfortable, but after a few minutes, she seemed to be at peace with the idea.
Rachel and Zac decided to go to the Gap, and Tanner and Tay would go to Hot Topic, seeing as though they had similar taste in clothes.
As the groups split up, Rachel started to giggle. Soon, both of the teens were cracking up.
"That was too easy!" Zac announced as he collapsed from under himself. Rachel was soon to follow. "Waaaay too easy."
Rachel was trying to pick herself up off the ground when she saw something strange. She saw Jasmine and Rob walking towards the exit. Rob looked fine, except for the reddish glow in his eyes. But Jasmine seemed completely absent from the entire world around her. Her expression was blank and she walked with slow, deliberate strides. Rob was holding onto a small black box, which was aimed at the back of Jas's chest. It was glowing blue. But as soon as Rachel saw the two, they disappeared out the double glass doors.
She stood up and shook her head, convincing herself that it was just a dream, or a hallucination.
Zac tapped on her shoulder. "You okay?" He asked, concerned. She nodded and gave him a smile. "Yep. Never better." She grabbed his hand and led him away, the memory of her sisters odd expression slowly fading. "Let's go!"
