Excuse You [Open]

[mareighly jane bones]

Her last class had been at three and she had all but rushed out of there the moment it was done. It was only her second year in school and she’d just begun to get into the harder work of science-heavy major. She was beginning to worry it wasn’t what she wanted, and with the amount of debt she was accumulation intimidating when the thought of changing her major came to mind. She could always call up her parents; she knew they’d pay it all off, but she didn’t want to be that girl. She wanted to make her own way, her own future, and not owe them anything. But it was stressful – especially when one lacked a steady pay-check.

That was what brought her to the mall. She had gone into nearly every store and put in an application. She’d thought about putting some in at the food-court but, she was trying her hardest to live a vegan – or at least vegetarian life – and knew that wouldn’t help her case. It was nearly six o’clock now. Mareighly was exhausted, hungry and her feet killed. She’d slowly worked her way around the circle that was the mall and ended up back at the food court. It was a Friday night and absolutely packed. She stood silent for a few heartbeats, exhaling loudly as she examined the crowd. She was observant by nature and people watching happened to be a hobby of hers. Born and raised in New York she was inheirently used to the scene but, having spent two years in Alaska’s country side solitude, it startled her as well – even if Converse, South Dakota wasn’t exactly hopping in population, either.

She found an empty booth in the back of the food court and hefted her school bag, purse and various shopping bags into an empty seat. She hadn’t came here with the intentions of spending money she, in reality, needed to pay for living expenses (such as rent) but couldn’t help it. She loved clothes, she loved shoes, she loved swim suits, she loved blankets and anything she could decorate her apartment with; she had issues, deep rooted girl issues of spending money on stuff she didn’t need. She ignored it, though.

Finally, she moved back into the crowd with only her purse and found a deli she knew she could order meatless food from. The line was short and she moved through it fairly quickly, ordering herself a veggie wrap on flatbread, a cookie and a berrylicious smoothie when it was her turn. She paid and quickly turned and began pacing back to her table. Her cloudy blue eyes were staring down at the tray she clutched in her fists, eye the cookie. She knew it had butter (dairy) and eggs in it – both animal products she mostly avoided. She really wanted the cookie but felt torn over it at the same time: a moral dilemma.

So intent on her own selfish-cookie related problems she wasn’t looking where she was going. Which, in hindsight, was a horribly stupid idea in a crowded food-court. And, as fate would have it, she crashed into someone. Her grip on her tray loosened and she felt it tip forwards, its’ contents being forced upon the clothes of the poor person who crossed her path. Her eyes peeled up from what was once her dinner to the face of the one now wearing her dinner in a shocked horror. “Oh fuck me-“ She exclaimed none too shly, “-that smoothie is going to stain.” Her eyes were wide, mouth open and normally rosy cheeks scarlet with embarrassment. "So sorry."

Inwardly, she felt her heart break. She'd been starving.

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