Page 12 of Riley's Storm

The shuttle rolled to a stop in front of the largest building I had ever seen. I gulped but didn’t have any time to process what I was seeing before Storm grabbed my hand and tugged me down the aisle and into the mall. My eyes felt like they were going to fall from my head.

Storm seemed unaffected as she hauled me toward a large store at the end. Once we stepped inside, she dropped my arm and told me she would be right back, then she took off like a hurricane on a mission. I stood frozen as I watched her run around the store, grabbing clothes haphazardly. There didn’t seem to be a pattern to her collection. Everything she glanced at got thrown into her arms.

I never once saw her checking price tags. What must that be like? To not worry about what you were choosing? I nibbled my lip and took a step forward into the racks of clothes. My hand reached out and brushed against a black hoodie.

I turned to look at it better, and a small smile tugged at my lips. I picked it up and slipped my hand inside. It was fleece lined and so incredibly soft. The front had a quirky design that made me giggle internally. Printed across the chest were the wordsKnotty and Nicewith devil horns and a halo on the ends. I loved it.

I saw the tag dangling from the end of one sleeve and braced myself before I grabbed it. Lifting it, I swallowed and looked at the price. A gasp ripped from my throat as I stepped back as if on fire. How was it possible that a hoodie cost almost $500?!

Behind me, I heard Storm. She had apparently wrangled a store employee into following her as her pile of clothing grew. Breezing past me, she stopped, backtracked, and rifled through the rack of hoodies.

“This one too,” she said and tossed it carelessly over her shoulder, confident the attendant would catch it.

I rolled my lips in as a mean thought crossed my mind.Of course, she would pick out the one thing I liked for herself.Immediately, I chastised myself. I had no right to think like that about her. She had been nothing but nice to me the whole time she’d known me. Who was I to judge her?

Suddenly, I jumped as Storm’s hand wrapped around my elbow out of nowhere. Without a word, she pulled me toward the changing rooms and shoved me into one ahead of her. The room was practically overflowing with all her choices. I felt my face heat once again, and I spun in confusion to face her.

“Try them on.”

“Wh-what?”

“What, what? Try them on.”

“Me? But . . . I can’t aff— I mean . . .”

“I told you I was taking you shopping, Riles. This is on me. So, try them on, please.”

Storm had a grin on her face like a cat that had stolen the cream. She slammed the dressing room door shut and I could hear her happy cackle on the other side. I stood stuck still for several moments, trying to comprehend what had just happened. Then I turned and faced the multitude of clothing in front of me.

There was so much. More than I had ever owned combined! Knowing that it was useless to argue with Storm once she got an idea in her head, I peeled off my dingy clothing. I placed it in a neat pile on the one open chair in the dressing room. I locked the door before I tried on the first item. Picking up a shirt at random, I pulled it over my head. The store had doused it in neutro-scent, making it completely devoid of any smell.

Perfect.

Almost as if on autopilot, I worked my way through the clothing. Each one fit me perfectly. Storm had gotten my exact size correct. More than that, she had somehow figured out what would be the most flattering on me and picked styles I normally would never have tried. I was staring at myself in the mirror for the hundredth time when I heard Storm’s voice behind the door.

“Well? Come on, let me see!”

I bit my lip but popped the lock on the door and peeked out. Someone wrenched the door from my hold and swung it open. Storm stood there, looking me up and down.

“Perfect,” she declared. “What about the others?”

“Oh, well, um, I tried all those on.” I pointed to the smaller pile. “But those I haven’t yet.”

“What are you waiting for? Try 'em on!”

“Alright.” I moved to shut the door, but Storm stopped me.

“I’ll come in and help. We can go faster that way.” She marched inside and locked the door. “Okay, shirt off, hand it here.”

My eyes widened again, but Storm wasn’t paying attention. She was already rifling through the pile, picking out things. I pulled the shirt over my head. My bra was holding on by a hope and a few threads. Embarrassed, I covered myself with my hands.

I should have known that wouldn’t stop Storm from seeing. She turned to me, and her eyes narrowed in concentration as she took in the state of my undergarments.

“What size are you?”

“Huh?”

“Your bra, what size?”

---