"No, I meant twelve. I know how old I was."
"I'm telling you we all shift at thirteen, right?" Robb asks Jay.
"Yes, we all did and our parents did." Robb insisted.
"Maybe I'm an early bloomer?" I joked but Robb seems lost in thought.
"Your friend owes me," Jay says.
"What?"
"He bet with me that I couldn't beat him, I did." Jay tells me. He had a cocky grin on his face.
"I would have loved to see that," I shake my head as we laugh.
"Get in loser," I tell Mark after stopping by him. He gets in the back as he glares at Jay.
"He cheated, I know he did," Mark says.
"Don't be a sore loser," I tell him as Jay laughs.
"How about another wager, double or nothing," Mark scoots to be in the middle of the front seats as he looks at Jay.
"Nah, I don't test my luck twice," he tells him.
"Hmm, well I'm a man of my word. Anything you get in the store is on me. Take advantage I don't do this often," Mark moves back as he pouts.
"Anything?" Jay asks suspiciously.
Mark gives him a stern nod. "Don't hold back, he's loaded so he won't miss it." I tell Jay.
He looks like he's about to decline, "you won a bet and a bet is a bet." Robb adds.
"Okay, you'll regret it," Jay says with a huge smile.
Mark snorts as he looks out the window.
Robb and I stick together as Mark and Jay wander off to the electronics as Mark wanted to see something and Jay offered to go with him.
"He seems to like you, you know? You're the only one he seems to really listen to. He's always stubborn with us." Robb tells me.
"Who? Mark or Jay?" I ask.
Robb shakes his head, "don't tell me he's the same."
"Mark? Yes, most definitely."
"Jay, I was referring to Jay."
"Maybe because I'm more likable," I joke as we head down the isles. I was getting things for the house and some snacks.
"I'm serious. Diana said that on the first day of meeting you he accepted food from someone else. Food that he didn't make himself."
"I traded with him it's not the same," I say getting some chips.
"Don't you think we've tried that? We tried everything. Guilt tripping didn't work and Diana made us stop making him feel bad. We even threw parties for any reason to get him to eat even then he was reserved."
"Why? What's so worrying about him?"
"His dad left them last year. His mom is not the same." Robb says. I stop to look at him.
"Was he her mate?" I ask.
"No, but they were high school sweethearts. He found his mate on a work trip and never looked back. Jay was angry for so long that he just became recluse."
I look down as this wasn't something I would have imagined. "Why are you telling me this? It seems too private to just tell anyone."
"Like I said you're our future Luna and because Jay seems to be more open to you than to any of us."
"Don't, don't smother him. It'll only make him more recluse. As far as I know we didn't have this conversation." I tell him. Robb looks at me worried but agrees.
We pass the movie section as I get stuck in my mind. When I realize that I make Robb return with me.
I scroll through the titles hoping to find a movie I can watch with Diana that wasn't a rom-com but I came across gold.
I gasp as I get to show Robb, "look!"
Robb looks like he's seen a ghost. He looks at me in horror. "You can't be serious."
I deflate. "Why? I think he'll love it. He said he did."
"He told you about that?" Robb looks astound. "He never talks about that. He denies it. Even though he had always forced me to see it with him."
"So he has it?" I ask as I hold a special edition of My Neighbor Totoro.
"No, I broke it in half and buried it. What? Can you blame me? I wanted to watch anything but that. We were kids." He defends when I give him a horrid look.
"Then it settles it. This will be my gift." I squeal as Robb shakes his head.
"Mark my words, you will regret this," Robb tells me.
I ignore him as we head to the toys section I wanted to get Mason something. That's when I found my next gift for Ander, "oh my gosh Robb. It's fated." I tell him.
I found a Totoro plushie. "I swear it's like it haunts me." Robb says.
"You shouldn't have broken it and buried it."
"I regret nothing," he firmly says.
I laugh as I find something for little Mason. I get him a little mustang, not the same as Mark's but close enough.
I also got Enchanted for Diana, it was one of my favorites.
"Look what we got," Jay says as he finds us in the beauty section. I needed some moisturizer and shampoo.
Jay had a tablet which he was smiling proudly about.
"It's not even for him," Mark says.
"What? Why?" Robb asks.
"For Ander," Jay tells us as he continues to smile. He could have gotten himself one as well but clearly he was only going to let Mark get him one thing and that thing wasn't even for him.
"I told him to get himself one but he said no. That one thing only or nothing at all," Mark says. He looks at Jay in concern.
"Well it's his choice, I'm sure Ander will love it. I got wrapping paper and gift bags that you are more than welcome to use as I will not be using all of them."
Jay was hesitant but he was happy to have gotten something that he agreed.
Obviously I had no need for the wrapping paper but I'm glad Jay is accepting it.
"Okay, I think we're done." I inform them.
Mark drags us all back to the food section because he was hungry. We end up with triple the snacks I had. Mark wanted to pay but I didn't let him. I had money saved from my job back at the city.
"You can't be possibly eating that," Robb tells Mark in the backseat. Jay had beaten them to the passenger side. I got to see what Mark meant when he said he was fast.
"What? It's good, here try it," Mark offers Robb a pickle with peanut butter and hot Cheeto crumbs.
Robb shakes his head as he looks out the window. Mark offers me some but I decline. I was up to try anything except that. Mark can be real creative with his foods. Jay looked at it curiously before taking it.
"Weird but not that bad," he says. Mark smiles proudly.
"You know what I want?" I ask Mark.
"Hot Cheetos with melted nacho cheese," he replies.
"Yes, I've missed those and the corn. The cup one," I tell him.
"Corn in a cup?" Jay asks me as I drive.
"Yes, you get a cup put a spoonful of mayo on the bottom, cut the already boiled corn off the cob and put in the cup with the mayo, spread some mayo at the top, squirt some bottled butter, add some cojita cheese, and some chili powder. You can do it in the cob too but it gets messy." I tell them.
Mark sighs wistfully. "I remember adding hot Cheetos and lime to mine. It was the best."
"Yes it was. We should make some." Just as I said that they were all in. I look at them as if they lost their mind. "I'm not cooking for you," I tell them. They pout which makes me laugh. "Maybe in the future."
"I'll remember this," Mark tells me.
I roll my eyes at him, "who do I drop off first?" I ask.
"No one. We're going with you." Robb says.
"You're sleeping over? All of you?" I ask in shock.
"No, our ride is there." Robb says but doesn't elaborate.
"What?" I ask but no one answers. I look at Mark but he's still thinking about the corn.
I just drove home as they all continue to eat their snacks. I had to snap Mark out of it so he can hand me a lollipop.
Ander, that was their ride he was just by the driveway on the side of the road. I pull over to let them out.
"Hey, miss me?" Ander tells me. I just smile as I hug him. Robb and Jay were getting their things. Jay had shoved his gift in his bag. It barely fit but he hide it with other things on top.
"Are you coming?" Robb calls out. Jay seemed to have giving him the front seat as he's standing there yelling at us.
"No," I say when he tries to pull away. Ander laughs as he hugs me.
"Okay, time to go," Mark says as he pulls me away. I let go as Mark tickles me. I laugh as he carried me to the car. I wave at them as Ander shakes his head as he walks away. He takes his shades off when he gets in the car.
"So rude," I tell Mark.
Angie and John were falling asleep with the television on. Angie snaps out of it when she sees me and Mark. He had helped me bring the things in.
"Oh you shouldn't have," she says as she looks at the bags.
"It's the least we can do," I tell her as I take things out.
I have been taking more food to share with the others so I felt guilty about that.
Mark pretends to leave as I head upstairs when we finish. Angie looks at me with worry. I know she doesn't believe I'm fine after coming home with a bruise on my face. That was the least of my problems.
I still had a dying wolf and I still felt as if I was dying with it.
Mark was in my bed eating candy as I head to the closet to change. He offers me his shirt but I don't take it. Angie did my laundry for me.
Before I can make it out the closet my head spins violently. The feeling was so unexpected and out of nowhere that I found myself falling. Mark catches me as I darkness takes me.