They visited a few more outlets but they could not find anything suitable for Sabine. The prices were just too high. There was hardly anything that Sabine could afford on her meager budget. Well, she could afford one piece and that was it.
On the other hand, by noontime, Connie had two shopping bags full of clothing and accessories. Annie had noted that Connie had one of those junior credit cards like the one Second Sis had.
During that time shopping with her friends, Annie only bought herself a shrug. It was a pink knitted shrug. It was small. It was cute. It matched her pink handbag. It had red linings along its edges. It clung to her a little loose, giving her a little extra room to grow.
Okay, so Annie wanted it and she did not need anyone's approval to buy it!
"Sabine, you bought nothing!" Connie pointed out as they were walking along the mall corridor.
"Everything's just too expensive," Annie said in her friend's defense.
"It's all right," Sabine said quietly, "It's nice to try all the clothes anyway."
"It's not all right," Connie complained, "Annie you should let her buy something."
Annie pursed her lips in thought. "We should find a thrift store after lunch."
"Thrift store?" Connie nearly spat. "There's nothing but junk there!"
"Not true," Annie disagreed, "Sometimes you can find quality clothes there too. And at bargain prices. You just have to take the time to look."
"But don't those stores sell unwanted stuff," Connie argued.
"True," Annie said, "But not all unwanted stuff is junk. It may be extra stocks that can't be sold or donated items. Good things sometimes get thrown out too."
"Ah, whatever," Connie sighed. She eyed a nearby drugstore. "I need a new lipstick," she declared and marched into the store without waiting for a reply.
"Is she always like that?" Annie asked as she followed after Connie with her other friend.
"No, not really," Sabine replied, "You're acting different too."
Annie rounded towards Sabine. "Excuse me?"
Sabine shrank back. "Sorry, but, um, you... you usually spend more. A lot more."
Sigh. Annie knew that about her past already. Second Sis had gotten used to her thriftiness by now so the blond never complained anymore. It was still irritating for Annie to have that pointed out, though.
Annie entered the store. She needed to restock on foundation cream anyway. And it appeared that they had foundation cream, the exact same brand and color that she used too. They also had nonstick lipstick. Maybe just she should get one.
Using a mirror next to the shelves, Annie held up various lipsticks close to her mouth, comparing her lips with the printed color on the boxes. She chose one that was just a shade darker than her lips.
Annie had noted that there was a guard at the entrance. She was a fat dark-skinned lady wearing a blue uniform. Why would a drugstore need a guard?
The guard was questioning an older teenage girl, while the girl's friend stood close by. "You sure you don't got anything?" the guard was saying.
"No, ma'am," the girl replied, "Can I go now?"
"What 'bout that thing you got in there?" The guard pointed at the girl's ample chest. "Now you can hand it over, or we can go to this little room, where I search you properly, then hand you to the cops."
The girl looked up to the ceiling and sighed as she pulled a compact out of her bodice.
The guard snatched the stolen merchandise, then proceeded to deliver a scathing lecture on shoplifting. Annie found the scolding quite intense, even from where she was standing a few paces away from the entrance. So she retreated deeper into the shop, an escape that was denied to that unfortunate would-be shoplifter.
No comments:
Post a Comment