((Marcus Redder continued from Ultimate Chef: Whittree Edition))
Marcus let an unfamiliar frown pass over his features as he surveyed himself in the changing room mirror, adjusting the shirt’s collar as he struggled to decide whether or not to purchase the garment. He didn’t often go clothes shopping, and even rarer was he alone when he did it; for the most part he was content to wear hand-me downs from relatives and whatever his parents picked up from thrift stores - in addition to his mother’s own handmade items. However, today was an exception to that rule - his mom had wanted he and his siblings to splurge a little. They didn’t have too much formal clothing at home, and a combination of some spare funds and the possibility of more formal events in the future had led to his mom insisting they find themselves something a bit fancier to wear.
He and Isolde had been dropped off at the mall an hour or so ago, Elena having stayed at home to look after Florian, whom had come down with a fever the previous evening. Isolde fled pretty early on to meet up with friends, leaving Marcus being left on his own to piece himself together an outfit. He thought he might’ve found the perfect ensemble; a maroon waistcoat with a matching blazer, perfectly fitting dress pants, and a nice bow tie. Individually, the items would’ve been fine to purchase, if not a little pricey, but together they made for a fairly hefty total - even accounting for the generous allowance his mother had given him. He felt he looked fairly nice in the outfit - although his perpetually chaotic hair left a little to be desired - and was reluctant to return any part of it. What if his parents suddenly required some extra funds?
Marcus bit his lip, trying to put the thought out of his mind. He’d always tried to stay positive, and while he understood that such a mindset would naturally experience some strain - it had in the past, and it undoubtably would in the future - he wished it didn’t have to, and was more than a little reluctant to let himself feel guilty over splurging a little. He’d hoped to buy Florian something to help cheer him up when he got back, but he supposed that a batch of his favourite chocolate chip cookies would suffice.
With a sigh, Marcus shouldered his clothing and excited the changing room, smiling warmly at a fellow customer. He took due care to ensure that he hadn't left anything behind in the cubicle - not wanting to cause any of the clerks any extra hassle - and gently readjusted the trousers over his arm as he merged into the line to the register. It was fairly long - enough so that he’d have to wait awhile before being served, at least. Marcus withdrew his wallet from his jeans and pulled from it a few dollar bills. He sifted through them, making sure he had exactly enough to buy the clothes and praying that he’d miscalculated the price and wouldn’t have to spend as much. At any other time he would’ve pulled out some flashcards or something similar, used them to remind himself that one day he’d pay his family back for supporting him all these years, but he’d left them in his desk that morning - so counting pennies was all he had to distract him.
One little insignificant act of selfishness wouldn’t hurt anybody, would it?
Even so, he still felt a little guilty.
Counting Pennies
Whittree; Open!
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SansaSaver
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((Diana "Dee" Dixon continued from The Breakfast Club))
“Alright, Alright, Alright, Lord Mama, I’ll go.” Dee’s Mama harped on her good. It wasn’t like her Mama was coaxing her to go to the doctor, or to run a couple errands. Her task was far more annoying that that.
“Alright Dee, you’ll go ahead and take Bee to that fancy men’s store on the third floor, right, doll?” Dee hated being called ‘doll.’ Her Mama only called her that when they were in public, usually at church or something equally heinous, or when she was trying to sweet talk Dee into doing something. Something like dragging Dee out of the house for an ungodly number of hours while her brother sifted through the identical series of ties.
Whatsmore, Dee simply hated being called ‘doll,’ on the principle that she was no Barbie. Dolls were pretty, skinny, but ultimately plastic and essentially tits on a pair of toothpick legs. Dee didn’t want to be as vapid as the doll her mother likened her to. Or worse, the uppity girls that hounded around the mall in cliques of bitches.
Dee had to keep her brother on point the second they’d stepped out of their father’s spare pickup truck. When she’d earned her intermediate license, she expected the freedom to drive to and from the farm; to the hiking trail, or to wherever she damned well pleased. What she didn’t expect was to be driving around on her free day, taking Bee to a number of stores so he could look good at his national science convention, or whatever.
“Mama said I needed a new suit to match those trousers Auntie Emily gave me for Christmas.” Bee interjected as the pair trekked up the escalator. Bee was content to wait at the bottom and let machinery do the walking. Dee, on the other hand, was jumping out of her skin, wanting to get the h-e-double-hockey-sticks out of there.
“Don’t you have a good enough suit? What about that suit you wore to Becky’s communion? That didn’t look too much like a cow turd.” Dee lied. The shade of brown was horribly unflattering. Especially on Bee’s weighty frame. Dee just didn’t want to go to yet another store and pick out an additional outfit.
Dee didn’t win Bee over with her protests. The damn kid was stubborn as a mule when it came to disobeying Mama. For someone who’s nose was buried in the book so often, when he spoke up, there was no shaking him.
Eventually the pair reached the top floor and Bee went running off to the sales shelf of nearly identical cuts of the same collared button down. Dee plopped herself down on the one spare cushioned seat, resigning herself to wait for her brother.
She was about to whip out her phone and play a game, or something, when she looked past the taudry trouser rack and saw a familiar face.
“Hey, er, Marcus.” Dee sure as heck hoped she’d gotten his name right. They shared a class together; third period was the closest the pair had ever come to a discussion until now. “Find anything keen in here?”
Dee realized that she’d ultimately bombarded her classmate with a question completely out of the blue. He probably didn’t recognize her from his elbow. The two didn’t speak, nor did they share much in common. All they had was English. That was a good enough reason for Dee to avoid sitting around and waiting for her brother to finish up.
“Alright, Alright, Alright, Lord Mama, I’ll go.” Dee’s Mama harped on her good. It wasn’t like her Mama was coaxing her to go to the doctor, or to run a couple errands. Her task was far more annoying that that.
“Alright Dee, you’ll go ahead and take Bee to that fancy men’s store on the third floor, right, doll?” Dee hated being called ‘doll.’ Her Mama only called her that when they were in public, usually at church or something equally heinous, or when she was trying to sweet talk Dee into doing something. Something like dragging Dee out of the house for an ungodly number of hours while her brother sifted through the identical series of ties.
Whatsmore, Dee simply hated being called ‘doll,’ on the principle that she was no Barbie. Dolls were pretty, skinny, but ultimately plastic and essentially tits on a pair of toothpick legs. Dee didn’t want to be as vapid as the doll her mother likened her to. Or worse, the uppity girls that hounded around the mall in cliques of bitches.
Dee had to keep her brother on point the second they’d stepped out of their father’s spare pickup truck. When she’d earned her intermediate license, she expected the freedom to drive to and from the farm; to the hiking trail, or to wherever she damned well pleased. What she didn’t expect was to be driving around on her free day, taking Bee to a number of stores so he could look good at his national science convention, or whatever.
“Mama said I needed a new suit to match those trousers Auntie Emily gave me for Christmas.” Bee interjected as the pair trekked up the escalator. Bee was content to wait at the bottom and let machinery do the walking. Dee, on the other hand, was jumping out of her skin, wanting to get the h-e-double-hockey-sticks out of there.
“Don’t you have a good enough suit? What about that suit you wore to Becky’s communion? That didn’t look too much like a cow turd.” Dee lied. The shade of brown was horribly unflattering. Especially on Bee’s weighty frame. Dee just didn’t want to go to yet another store and pick out an additional outfit.
Dee didn’t win Bee over with her protests. The damn kid was stubborn as a mule when it came to disobeying Mama. For someone who’s nose was buried in the book so often, when he spoke up, there was no shaking him.
Eventually the pair reached the top floor and Bee went running off to the sales shelf of nearly identical cuts of the same collared button down. Dee plopped herself down on the one spare cushioned seat, resigning herself to wait for her brother.
She was about to whip out her phone and play a game, or something, when she looked past the taudry trouser rack and saw a familiar face.
“Hey, er, Marcus.” Dee sure as heck hoped she’d gotten his name right. They shared a class together; third period was the closest the pair had ever come to a discussion until now. “Find anything keen in here?”
Dee realized that she’d ultimately bombarded her classmate with a question completely out of the blue. He probably didn’t recognize her from his elbow. The two didn’t speak, nor did they share much in common. All they had was English. That was a good enough reason for Dee to avoid sitting around and waiting for her brother to finish up.
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(Paisley Hopkins continued from nowhere because this is her debut.)
Tucker was somewhere in the store, Lord knows where. God forbid if Paisley knew where he was she'd have stuck to him like glue. Paisley was never a particularly clingy person but she hated malls. Never liked crowded spots in general, they always made her nervous. Unfortunately Tucker was... somewhere, and he had his cellphone turned off.
So she was in an odd situation, in a mall by herself. She wasn't scared, more nervous than anything. A position that she rarely found herself in. How would she find Tucker when they had to go? She certainly wasn't about to stoop to calling him on the speaker. The whole situation made Paisley feel like a lost little child, something she figured Tucker would tease her about once they got home.
That was half of the reason why why she hesitated before walking up to Marcus Redder. The line was long and the people seemed to be bunched in like eggs in a carton. She almost didn't recognize Marcus at first, having blended in with all the other nobodies. When she did, she knew she had to go talk to him
Paisley walked up, only a few feet away from his place in line. She flashed a smile, trying to think of what to say. She rarely saw Marcus from outside of school, which made their meeting up all the more unusual. Eventually she decided to just let him notice her...
Oh. He was busy counting his money. Oh. Perhaps she should say something - but wait, wouldn't that make her look strange? Marcus might think she was standing there for several minutes just smiling at him... which was technically true. She shook her head, finding it all very silly.
Paisley was getting ready to speak when her eyes finally landed on Diana Dixon who, well, with the line the way it was and the poor girl's size, had been completely camouflaged. Diana was in the middle of saying something, and that alone made Paisley's hesitation stretch out. How long had Diana been standing there??
"... Hey Marcus."
Paisley lapsed into silence. Part of it was the surprise of seeing Diana, though a lot of it was mere anxiety. Talking to Marcus was nerve-wracking enough as it was; throw Diana into the mix, a girl who she never really talked to, and a crowded store, and it exacerbated things. Dee always had a very sunny, southern vibe to her, though that might have been more her stature than anything. Mississippi? Seemed pleasant enough. She wasn't aware that Dee and Marcus knew each other, though.
Paisley stood there for a long drag, fingers tented together, eyes darting between her two classmates. Her cheeks were turning a deeper shade of red, unbeknownst to her.
"Are you two together?"
Tucker was somewhere in the store, Lord knows where. God forbid if Paisley knew where he was she'd have stuck to him like glue. Paisley was never a particularly clingy person but she hated malls. Never liked crowded spots in general, they always made her nervous. Unfortunately Tucker was... somewhere, and he had his cellphone turned off.
So she was in an odd situation, in a mall by herself. She wasn't scared, more nervous than anything. A position that she rarely found herself in. How would she find Tucker when they had to go? She certainly wasn't about to stoop to calling him on the speaker. The whole situation made Paisley feel like a lost little child, something she figured Tucker would tease her about once they got home.
That was half of the reason why why she hesitated before walking up to Marcus Redder. The line was long and the people seemed to be bunched in like eggs in a carton. She almost didn't recognize Marcus at first, having blended in with all the other nobodies. When she did, she knew she had to go talk to him
Paisley walked up, only a few feet away from his place in line. She flashed a smile, trying to think of what to say. She rarely saw Marcus from outside of school, which made their meeting up all the more unusual. Eventually she decided to just let him notice her...
Oh. He was busy counting his money. Oh. Perhaps she should say something - but wait, wouldn't that make her look strange? Marcus might think she was standing there for several minutes just smiling at him... which was technically true. She shook her head, finding it all very silly.
Paisley was getting ready to speak when her eyes finally landed on Diana Dixon who, well, with the line the way it was and the poor girl's size, had been completely camouflaged. Diana was in the middle of saying something, and that alone made Paisley's hesitation stretch out. How long had Diana been standing there??
"... Hey Marcus."
Paisley lapsed into silence. Part of it was the surprise of seeing Diana, though a lot of it was mere anxiety. Talking to Marcus was nerve-wracking enough as it was; throw Diana into the mix, a girl who she never really talked to, and a crowded store, and it exacerbated things. Dee always had a very sunny, southern vibe to her, though that might have been more her stature than anything. Mississippi? Seemed pleasant enough. She wasn't aware that Dee and Marcus knew each other, though.
Paisley stood there for a long drag, fingers tented together, eyes darting between her two classmates. Her cheeks were turning a deeper shade of red, unbeknownst to her.
"Are you two together?"