“Are we there yet?” I whine from the backseat of Sarai’s mom’s white Range Rover Evoque.

“Elena,” Sarai twists her head around to look me dead in the eyes from the front seat. “This is, like, the twentieth time you’ve asked this over the span of five minutes.” She flips both of her shiny black braids over her shoulders, just to have them fall back over her shoulder once more.

I huff, and I’m about to cross my arms over my chest when I realize I don’t have enough room because I am currently squished between Adelia, who is sitting on my left, peering out the window at all the cars rushing by, and Mari, who is sitting on my right, looking curiously between Sarai and I.

We’re currently en route to the Clearview Mall, and I know that it’s not a far drive from where we live, especially from Sarai’s where we all got dropped off, since she lives in The Hills part of Clearview, which is closer to the mall than other parts of this otherwise-small town.

The car is overly-crowded, that’s for sure. I mean, yeah, it is an SUV, but a small SUV; the three of us are all crammed in the back of the low-roofed car, though the roof seems to be nonexistent. When I look up because it’s not covered currently, so that you can see through the glass and into the graying sky, varying shades and hues of white and some splotches of gray dirtying up the once-crisp white of the sky. It looks like it’s going to rain.

As if to confirm my suspicions, the first few teardrops coming from the sky plummet down onto the glass roof, forming little pools atop the car, making some parts of the sky look all blurry, depending on where you look.

I return my gaze back down to the car, and instead, I focus on everyone else around me.

Sarai is currently sitting right next to her mom, in the front seat, scrolling on her phone—probably on TikTok–endlessly swiping this way and that, liking video after video, vaguely paying attention to the videos themselves; in other words, just mindlessly scrolling.

She twirls one of the face-framing pieces of her hair in her fingers, winding and unwinding it every few seconds. She chews her gum a bit noisily, which does bother me a tad, but not so much that I feel the urge to comment upon it.

She’s also wearing this baby tee with a print of BLACKPINK’s latest world tour on it, and atop that, a fuzzy brown jacket–what I like referring to as a teddy bear jacket.

I shift my focus to Mari, who is just staring straight at the head of Sarai’s car seat, bopping their head slightly, most likely on-beat with the music that’s playing through their headphones. In fact, if you listen closely enough, you can hear their music slightly. It sounds like they’re playing The Oh Hellos, or at least some kind of woodsy stuff. Makes sense. They are a very woodsy, nature-centered person, after all.

I turn my head so that I’m facing Adelia. She’s currently got her head rested against the window, looking out of it. Though I can’t really see her face, I admire what I can see–her mini black skirt completed with this black emo-looking belt she got from Hot Topic, most likely. Her Doc Martens, one of which has a star chain linked on it, accessorised. Her Arctic Monkeys AM album t-shirt, cut at the bottom so it’s cropped; she looks so hot right now that I can’t quite understand how I haven’t melted into a puddle of sappiness yet. Get a grip, Elena.

She’s also got her medium-length blue hair in spiky space buns, with some little wisps of hair falling around her face. And her makeup–oh, her makeup. Though it can hardly be seen now due to the direction she’s facing, her makeup, when I first laid my eyes on it, practically had me on my knees: that’s how amazing she looks. Sure, it’s just her regular grunge makeup, maybe a little heavier on the eyeliner and nose contour this time, but still. Adelia is drop-dead gorgeous today. Well, when isn’t she drop-dead gorgeous? The correct answer: never; she always looks like a model ready to walk down the runway, striking some poses for the audience. God, I could just picture Adelia doing that…

“Elena!” Sarai shouts, snapping me out of my trance.

It’s then that I realize that everyone is looking at me expectantly. I shift uncomfortably in my seat, unsure of what I missed. I hate having so much attention put on me.

“What were you thinking about?” Sarai questions. “I literally just repeated myself saying we’re at the mall, but you didn’t answer.”

“N-nothing!” I stammer in reply.

A grin plays along Sarai’s lips. “Ooh, you were thinking about your girlfriend again, weren’t you?”

“Sarai!”

This is the first time Adelia’s said something for the whole car ride. Everyone turns to look at her.

“What?” Sarai questions, trying to play a game of innocence.

“I’m literally right here,” Adelia complains.

“Oh, lighten up,” Sarai laughs. “We’re here to have a good time, and to find some killer prom dresses…” Sarai looks at Mari. “...and suits for each other!”

“Yeah, I guess,” Adelia murmurs, stifling a sigh.

I don’t know what it is or why, but Adelia has been in a bit of a mood today. No, that’s the wrong way to put it…that makes it sound like she’s being all pissy, when she really isn’t. She just seems to be feeling a little down today, a little less upbeat than usual, a little less pep in her step, that’s all.

I put my hand on Adelia’s shoulder and stall as Mari and Sarai take off their seatbelts and exit the car. “You okay?”

Adelia nods. “Yeah. I am, I promise.”

“Okay,” I withdraw my hand from Adelia’s shoulder and instead unbuckle my seatbelt. “I’m always here for you if you need to talk. Don’t think of yourself as a burden or anything, because you truly aren’t.”

“Thank you,” Adelia breathes, and before I know it, as soon as I look up, Adelia’s face is right in front of mine, and she closes the distance between us, kissing me softly on the lips, as if a promise that she’s doing okay.

I return the favor, cupping her cheek in my hand, and I lean into her, and–

“Elena and Adelia! Stop making out and come along. We came here to go outfit shopping, not for makeout sessions!” Sarai shouts. I can hear Mari laugh somewhere nearby.

I pull away from Adelia as soon as Sarai says that, and I glare at her, though it’s not really an actual glare; just mock anger.

Adelia must’ve given Sarai a similar look, because Sarai says, “Adelia! Turn that frown upside down!”

Before I turn to look at Adelia, I can hear her open the car door and slide out, holding it open for me, waiting for me to step out.

Sliding down the seat, I stop out of the car, and Adelia slams the door shut.

Mari and Sarai go around the front of the car to where we’re standing, which is on the sidewalk. Sarai’s Mom rolls down the car window. “Have fun, girls! Let me know what time you want me to pick you up.”

“Okay, thanks Mom,” Sarai replies, fiddling with one of her braids.

Rolling up the car window, Sarai’s Mom rolls away descending down to the second level of the car garage.

“Sorry about that, Mari,” Sarai mumbles, patting her jean pockets. “My mom still isn’t accustomed to the whole nonbinary thing.”

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it,” Mari replies, pushing their clear plastic framed glasses up their nose.

“So,” I begin, linking my arm with Adelia’s, and then with Sarai’s and Mari follows suit by linking arms with Adelia. “Are y’all ready to have some fun?”

“Elena,” Adelia whines. “You sound like a mom.”

“Did you really just say ‘y’all?’” Mari questions in disbelief.

“Jeez, sorry for embarrassing you guys.” I unlink my arms from Adelia and Sarai so I can walk ahead, pretending to be annoyed, but alas, Adelia sabotages my plan by grabbing me by the wrist and dragging me back, linking her silk-smooth arm through mine once more, Sarai following suit. “No you don’t,” Adelia says in a low, commanding voice, playing with me.

“I’ve been caught,” I sigh, kicking at the ground as all of us, arms linked, head towards the entrance.

“Yup! We reeled you in,” Mari adds.

“Mari, enough with the dad jokes already, please,” Sarai pleads, begging for mercy from Mari’s cringey jokes.

“What? Just tryna–”

“No. No you don’t. Shush, now,” Adelia orders Mari, and, obediently, Mari clamps their mouth shut, not muttering another word.

“Um,” Adelia shifts as we make it to the entrance. “How the hell are we supposed to enter the mall like this?”

“Guess we’re going to have to unlink arms,” I reply, sighing, but I don’t make any move to unlink my arm from Adelia’s; instead, I just unlink my arm from Sarai’s.

“Biased,” Sarai scoffs, just as Adelia unlinks her arm from Mari’s. “C’mon, Mari. Let’s go in together. Let’s leave the couple to their own devices.”

“Hey!” I protest, walking behind Mari and Sarai as they enter the mall, trying to flat-tire Sarai’s Air Force 1s, which I actually manage to do.

“Now that was uncalled for,” Sarai turns around and protests, slipping her shoe back on.

“Nuh uh,” I reply, wagging my finger at her face. “If you don’t want that to happen, then don’t pick on Addie and I.”

“Fine,” Sarai huffs.

Before I know it, we’re already in the middle of the third level of the mall, surrounded by people passing by, talking amongst themselves.