"Fashion show?" I ask, what the hell could that mean?

He spreads his arms in a gesture, "We have the entire store to ourselves. It would be a crime not to enjoy it to the fullest!"

I roll my eyes, "No, the crime is stealing and displacing items."

He gives me a look like I'm raining on his parade, "You really don't know how to live, do you, Squirt?" Understatement of the year. "Yes, we are taking some clothes at night, but you already plan to pay for them, so what's the harm? As long as we clean up after ourselves, who cares?" He lightly grabs my wrist, pulling me towards the changing rooms. "Your problem is you don't know how to make the most of something and have fun."

What could possibly be fun about trying on a bunch of used clothes in a closed store? Sigh. His energy is too much.

He guides me to sit in one of the chairs near the changing rooms. "Sit here and wait."

Reluctantly, I do as I'm instructed. I pull out my phone to see messages from both Mom and Maeve asking if I settled in okay. I still feel a twinge of guilt when I think about my parents, but I do my best to stuff that feeling into the box I keep my other feelings locked away in. While answering them, I hear one of the changing room doors close. Junior must have slipped into one.

"I thought we were getting clothes for me. Don't you have some in your car?" I ask, genuinely curious about whatever plan he has in mind. I really wish I knew what was going on in that brain of his; it would make his actions less surprising.

"I told you we were going to do a fashion show!" His muffled voice carries through the door, and I can hear the rustling of clothes.

Sigh. I might as well indulge him; there's nothing else to do anyway.

With no warning, Junior dramatically flings the changing room door open, and my jaw drops immediately. This idiot comes out posing while showing off his slim figure in a baby blue prom dress that looks like it's from the 90s. He takes a moment to strut forward and does a dramatic spin and bow. I couldn't have stopped myself from laughing if I tried. He looks ridiculous! Never in a million years would I have expected this.

"Holy shit!" He suddenly exclaims, "I got you to laugh for real!"

I choose to ignore his comment, wiping the tear from the corner of my eye, "I'm not really sure this is your color."

"Lies, every color is my color," he dramatically flips nonexistent hair over his shoulder and closes the door behind him. "It's your turn, Squirt! Find something while I change."

"No," I reply.

"Come on, Squirt, live a little!" As if that isn't the exact opposite of what I want. Sigh. What a pain.

I have a feeling his nagging won't stop unless I participate. Reluctantly I decide to browse some of the isles. This store has an extensive variety of clothes. Not only are there different sizes, styles, and types of everyday clothes, but they also have pajamas, undergarments (labeled as non-used and clean, score!), swimsuits, and more. I don't even know where to start. How am I supposed to top his dress? I'm not even sure what qualifies as funny.

About to give up, after a few minutes, I notice a Halloween costume section. Sure, most of it appears to be for children, but that is hardly an issue, thanks to my height deficiency. Sigh. The one time it comes in handy, this is what it's for. I pick through some of the costumes I think are in my size: pirate, Disney princess, witch, cheerleader, etc. Finally, one catches my eye, and I think it might just work. Here goes nothing.

I make my way to the changing area and notice Junior is sitting on the chair I was in earlier, looking through one of the magazines. I sneak into the changing room and try to figure out how to put this costume on. It's a bee costume with what I can only think to describe as a shell with wings. The entire thing works as a one-piece with a zipper on the front, there are distinct arm and leg holes, and the whole thing feels like it is made of shag carpet. Thankfully, I have leggings on under my skirt, so I don't have to worry about showing off bare legs. The costume comes with bouncy antennas, which I put on, and when I look in the mirror, I notice the costume also has a stinger on the butt. I have to admit; this costume is ridiculous! Let's hope it's laugh-worthy.

I don't have the confidence to slam the door open like he did but I do clear my throat to get his attention and turn just enough that the stinger is visible. "Buzz," I say, but it comes off as monotone and flat.

It at least appears to have done the trick because he doubled over with laughter, "Oh my god, Squirt, what the hell was that! Your facials really do give away everything!"

Unsure of what to do while he gets his laughter under control, I stand there awkwardly but not altogether unsatisfied. I at least managed to make him laugh. For some reason, that makes me feel just a bit warmer inside. Is this what fun feels like?

"I'm surprised; I wasn't sure what you would come up with," He steps closer, looking at the costume, "Is this thing made of shag?" He asks with a laugh, lightly touching the part on my shoulder. This guy really doesn't think about personal space, does he? Whatever, he's just touching the fabric.

"Are we done with this show now?" I ask. I still want clean clothes, and this has exhausted me enough as it is.

"Yeah, we can be done," He says with a smile, "Thanks for indulging me, Squirt." His voice is sincere, giving me a sense of unease for a moment. I avert my eyes and quickly return to the dressing room.

More and more, I'm realizing that jumping the gun on this whole thing has me way over my head. While I want to help him, I can also sense the impending turmoil that can come with this mission. There are so many unforeseeable variables that threaten to destroy the barriers and safeguards I've cultivated and maintained for many years. Will I really be okay if even one of those barriers breaks? Is this worth it?

My head starts to spin with all of my opposing thoughts. I bring my hands to my temples, trying to steady myself before the panic sets in. I'm okay. There is nothing wrong. Nothing has happened. I can still check out if I need to. Yeah, I can always forgo my morals and just simply stop if I find I can't handle this. Maybe this is preparation for what's to come with graduation. Maybe this is where I test whether I can keep going on whims or if it's already too late for me. Either way, the future is coming; I have nothing to lose by going through with this. Whether I break or not is inevitable. So breathe. And just put one foot in front of the other. One second at a time.

Steeling my resolve, I quickly remove the bee costume and change back into my clothes. Junior helps me hunt for clothes that are my size after I put back our fashion show outfits. We manage to find some simple everyday outfits and two pairs of pajamas. I snag some clean bras and underwear and leave the fifty we got from the store on the counter. I know the total probably wasn't even close to fifty, but we did break in.

We decide to leave the duct tape on the cameras so they don't have a precise time of when we left the store. Considering that we did break and enter means we can't stay at this location for long. We opt to get a couple more hours of sleep before sneaking out hotel key passes to the front desk and hitting the open road again.

Our game plan, for now, is to try to go near or in major tourist areas and every day try to get a little bit of money while also spending some money to make it seem like we are truly going about this trip. Of course, there are bound to be setbacks along the way, but those will have to be dealt with as they come.

We decide our next stop will be to a strip mall a few towns over known for having some fun activities and a large game room that attracts many tourists. At least it will be easy to act like we are spending a lot of money in a game room; it's almost like a young adult version of gambling before you are legal. Junior seems very excited by the idea. I get the sense he's just a grown child. That explains the difference in our energy levels.

I will admit it isn't all that difficult to be near him. He doesn't push for conversation to fill silences. He even lets me lose myself, watching the views fly by the window as we listen to different CDs he has or whatever is playing on the radio. In a way, he reminds me of Maeve in the way that silence doesn't have to be awkward. Sometimes, you can just exist side by side without any added pressure.

Rather than immediately jump into spending money at the strip, we opt to settle into a hotel room for the night and get some groceries. Thankfully, this means I can replace the fifty I left at the thrift store. Having slept weird hours the last two nights has both of us exhausted. In slient agreement we take it easy, watch tv, eat snacks, and simply relax before our adventure into gaming tomorrow. Let's hope we win more than we lose.

I was able to finish the next chapter, yay! Thank you for being so patient! Let me know what you think of this chapter and if you like the idea of the characters actually participating in some of these touristy things. That wasn't my initial plan, but I'm starting to think it could be fun!

I also want to give a shout-out to two new readers I've been lucky to start doing read-for-reads with! I'm excited to keep reading more of your work!
Sunnyspirit2  -Story: Eternal Summer - A college romance!
Dolly-The-Sheep  -Story: Veronica - A Heather's Fanfiction!

And of course my continued love and appreciation goes to everyone who have been keeping up with this story! It really does mean the world to me!