I was jolted awake by the blaring sound of my alarm clock, the obnoxious beeping cutting through my dreams. I slapped the snooze button, groaning into my pillow, trying to coax sleep back into my system. But after ten minutes of futile attempts to drift off again, I reluctantly rolled out of bed.
As I padded into the bathroom, the realization hit me: it was Saturday, the start of Spring break. A wave of relief washed over me, and I rolled my eyes at myself. I considered going back to bed but knew there was no chance of that now. Instead, I brushed my teeth, the minty taste waking me up more than I expected, and headed downstairs to see what my mom had cooked for breakfast.
The moment I stepped into the kitchen, the enticing aroma of freshly made waffles wafted through the air. My stomach grumbled at the scent. I could hear my mom humming as she moved around the kitchen, her usual cheerful self. Leaning against the doorframe, I watched her with a fond smile.
She turned and caught my eye, her expression brightening. "Good morning, sweetie! Want some waffles?"
"Yes, please," I replied, my mouth already watering. I remembered how I used to be madly in love with waffles as a kid, even jokingly saying I'd marry one if I could.
My mom placed two golden waffles on a plate, topped them with whipped cream, and sprinkled fresh blueberries over the mountain of goodness. "Just the way you like them," she said, her smile warm as she slid the plate in front of me.
"Thanks, Mom," I said, grabbing a knife and fork to dig in. Each bite tasted like childhood, sweet and nostalgic.
After finishing my breakfast, I stood up to put my plate in the sink. "Thanks for breakfast, Mom," I said, leaning over to give her a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Anytime, darling." She beamed at me, her happiness infectious.
As I turned to head back upstairs, she called my name, making me pause. "Felicity, can you do me a favor?"
I rolled my eyes, instinctively bracing myself for whatever she was about to ask. "What's up?" I asked, attempting to keep my tone polite and casual.
"Luke wants to have dinner tonight, and he'd really like you to come. It would be a good chance for you to meet him."
So his name was Luke. I couldn't help but feel a surge of annoyance. I wasn't ready to meet any of the guys she was dating, especially not some stranger who might try to replace my dad in our lives. "I'd love to, but I have things to do," I said, forcing the words out as if they were true.
"Things to do?" she questioned, her voice skeptical. "It's Spring break! Come on, Felicity. I'm not asking for much."
I sighed. "I just want to spend my vacation alone, okay? You can have your fun with him, but I'm not interested." I turned and walked back to my room, shutting the door behind me.
Once inside, I flopped onto my bed and opened my laptop. I logged onto Pinterest, scrolling aimlessly through a sea of travel destinations and cute outfits, searching for a distraction. A notification popped up from Amelia, my best friend.
Amelia : What's poppin', Jimbo?
I smiled, my fingers dancing over the keyboard as I typed my reply. As soon as I sent it, my phone rang with a Skype call from her. I accepted it without hesitation.
"Wow, you're up early," she said, busying herself in the background, packing for our upcoming vacation.
"Yeah, I woke up thinking it was a school day, but then I remembered it's Saturday. Spring break, finally!" I flopped back onto my bed, letting my pillows cushion my fall.
"Stupid," she teased, chuckling. "So, are you ready?"
I furrowed my brow at her. "Ready for what?"
"For our trip! We leave tomorrow, and I can see you still haven't packed," she replied, an annoyed look crossing her face.
"Of course, I'm ready," I said with a forced smile, trying to mask my lack of enthusiasm about packing.
"Get dressed, loser. We're going shopping," she ordered, her tone playful but firm.
"I'll be there in ten minutes," I promised, but before I could say more, she hung up, leaving me staring at the screen in mock annoyance.
I rolled off my bed and rummaged through my closet, pulling on my favorite skinny jeans and a T-shirt that read "I love Potatoes" with a cute potato graphic. I brushed my hair quickly, deciding to forgo makeup since we were just going shopping. I slipped on my trusty Adidas Superstars and grabbed my phone, scrolling through Twitter for a few minutes while I waited for Amelia to arrive.
"Off to the mall," I tweeted.
"Happy Spring Break!"
"Hope I'll finally finish the shows I've been binging on Netflix."
"I love potatoes."
It felt oddly satisfying, and I chuckled at the absurdity of my life. Just as I was about to tweet again, my phone buzzed, alerting me that Amelia was already downstairs.
I dashed down the stairs, where my mom was tidying up the kitchen. "Where are you off to?" she asked, looking up.
"Just going to the mall with Amelia," I replied, opening the front door to see her gray car parked in the driveway.
"Okay, have fun!" she called as I stepped outside, closing the door behind me. I hopped into the passenger seat, and Amelia didn't waste any time driving off, the silence in the car comfortable.
***
I was wrong.
This shopping trip with Amelia had stretched into an hour, and we had only picked up a couple of things. I was starting to think she might have a shopping obsession. What was it about shopping that drew some girls in like a moth to a flame?
Sure, I enjoyed shopping occasionally, but I was efficient. If I went into a store, I was usually in and out within thirty minutes. For Amelia, it felt like an expedition. She could spend an hour just wandering the aisles, searching for the perfect outfit that would fit whatever mood or season had struck her.
I only shopped during sales or on Black Friday, when half the town seemed to lose their minds. I was hoping to avoid that chaos this year.
"Here, try this on," Amelia said, handing me a floral romper that looked like something out of a bohemian dream. It had a cute tie around the waist, which she assured me was all the rage.
"And this," she added, thrusting a white sundress with a delicate, flowing fabric and a denim jacket into my hands.
I rolled my eyes at the sight of the dress, not really the kind of thing I would usually wear, but Amelia's enthusiasm was infectious. She pointed to the fitting room sign, and I walked over, trying to ignore the growing sense of impatience bubbling inside me.
Once inside the empty fitting room, I hung the clothes on the hook and peeled off my current outfit, tossing it aside. I slipped into the floral romper first, trying to remember why I had agreed to this shopping trip in the first place.
I opened the curtain to show Amelia my first choice.
"What do you think?" I asked, giving a slight twirl.
Amelia's face lit up. She leaned against the wall, her arms crossed, and made a playful pout. "I like that! It's really cute! You can totally wear the denim jacket over it, too. Go try the next one!"
I nodded and retreated back into the fitting room. I quickly changed into the white sundress, slipping on the denim jacket for good measure. I opened the curtain again.
"Okay, how about this one?" I asked, trying to strike a pose, feeling a bit silly.
Amelia's expression shifted from playful to genuine approval. "I love that! You should definitely buy both. Pack them for our trip!"
I rolled my eyes again, but I couldn't help but smile. "Alright, you win."
After changing back into my original outfit, we made our way to the cashier. I fished out a fifty-dollar bill from my wallet and handed it over. The cashier took her time, ringing up our purchases while I tapped my fingers on the counter, the minutes dragging on. Finally, I received my change and waited for Amelia to finish her transaction.
Once we were done, we stepped out into the bright sunlight, the afternoon air warm against my skin.
We turned to head back to Amelia's car, the weight of the shopping bags a reminder of our little adventure. "I'll help you pack if you're too lazy," she offered, her tone teasing yet genuine. I nodded, grateful for her enthusiasm.
As we reached the exit of the mall, my eyes caught a familiar figure in the distance. My heart skipped a beat as I realized it was Ethan. He was laughing, his head thrown back in that way that always made me smile. But my smile faded when I noticed he was with someone. The worst part was he's flirting.