Although from the looks of things, it seemed inevitable that I was going to be leaving this store with an injury. Just when I realized it, I walked past a woman clutching her bleeding nose and yelling curses at a man walking away with a smug smile and some kind of contraption I didn’t recognize.
What the fuck is wrong with people? It seemed they’d all lost their minds.
Security approached the woman, and I heard them directing her to a medic over the din. It smelled like sweat and desperation, and with all the yelling happening, I could barely hear myself think.
Several people scowled at me when I passed them, like shooting me their best attempts at a death glare would dissuade me from picking a fight with them. Paying so much attention to the people around me made me accidentally overshoot my target and landed me in the clothing section, which was like a fucking bloodbath.
Oh, God. There are wedding dresses here. Abort. Abort.
Women, men, and even children fought like rabid dogs over everything from discounted sweaters, to prom dresses, to suits, to sneakers. For a moment, all I could do was watch the mayhem around me.
I didn’t know whether to laugh, run, or be horrified. The scene playing out in front of me was hilarious, but it was also scary to see how people lost their minds over special prices.
When I eventually reached the toy section, I realized the fights over everything else was child’s play compared to what was going on there. I was nearly swallowed whole by throngs of mothers fighting over toys for their children.
Some of them seemed to have grown their nails for the entire year in preparation for this day. Clearly, I’m an amateur.
I hadn’t worn heels, hadn’t grown my nails, and hadn’t brought a purse filled with rocks to swing at people’s heads. All I had was my charm and wit, but that wouldn’t get me anything there.
“Excuse me,” I murmured as I edged my way through the moms. It’s going to be worth it. It’s going to be worth it. It’s going to be—
My thoughts got cut off by the sharp jab of an elbow to my ribs. “Ow, fuck.”
“You’re not excused,” a particularly scary-looking woman snarled at me. “I was here first. Get in line, buster.”
“I’m not even here for a drone.” I rolled my eyes at her. On the other hand, maybe I should reach out and get a fucking drone now just because.
The woman looked like she’d be ready to take on a linebacker, though. Nah, not worth the holdup having to fight over something I don’t even want.
I hadn’t even moved three paces before a high heel came down on my toe, but I didn’t know who it belonged to. All over, there were women trying to grab stuff over the others’ heads.
Fuck being ready to take on linebackers. These women were ready to take on entire football teams and win.
They scratched and clawed, screamed and cursed. My head snapped back as I took an open palm to my jaw, my ear suddenly ringing and my skin stinging from the strike. I shook it off, searching for the culprit to demand an explanation before I realized I’d simply been caught in the crossfire.
Two ladies—although the Victorian era writers would’ve described them in far more colorful terms—were going at it over a set of building blocks. I knew those sets could get expensive, but it really wasn’t necessary to slap someone over it, was it?
These people are crazy!
Going shopping on Black Friday was more dangerous than playing football in high school. The only thing that propelled me forward through it all was imagining the look on Allie’s face on Christmas morning when she opened that doll.
She would be super surprised, and her joy was worth waiting in line, getting beaten up, and all the bruises I’d have when I got out of there.
In order to get out of there, though, I needed to get to the doll and that obviously wasn’t going to be easy. I had to find that Zen place inside myself to get the determination I needed, so I took a deep breath and tried to remember the last time the world around me had quieted.
The moment that jumped out at me was a surprising one. It was one from last weekend when Laurie and I had gotten caught up in that weird “will they, won’t they” situation in the kitchen.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d wanted to kiss someone that badly. It was like I’d tumbled into her eyes and hadn’t been able to find my way out. None of how I’d reacted had been familiar to me. I wasn’t used to being held immobile by someone’s gaze. I definitely wasn’t used to having thoughts like nothing else matters except for kissing her right now.
I didn’t know if I wanted to get used to it either. There was a kind of powerlessness to the feeling of getting sucked into a woman that way. I’d had no control over it. My body and brain had been completely consumed by her.
All the naughty thoughts I’d had about her since we’d met had come tumbling back in that moment, and with the dream still so fresh in my mind, I’d been so desperate to get her up to my bed that I’d even forgotten there were children in the house.
Who does that?
Me. That was who. Well, only when Laurie was around, it seemed. Nothing like that had ever happened to me before.
Grabbing onto that moment, I made my way down the packed aisle. It was like I had blinders on. All my attention was on one box and one box only. I could only see it every so often when the sea of people would move one way or another, but it was there.
A purple and turquoise box that I recognized from the picture on the website I’d tried ordering it on. Elation filled my heart when I realized that meant that I’d made it on time. They still had stock, and I was about to make all my little girl’s Christmas dreams come true.
A grin broke out across my face. My hair was pulled, my arm was scratched, but I was doing it. I was getting there. I felt like what I imagined an elite athlete felt like when they realized they were about to take Olympic Gold, and it was glorious.
Only a few more steps to go, and I would emerge victorious in the Great Battle of Black Friday. Suck on that, losers.
Chapter 15
Laurie
Nobody sane went shopping on Black Friday. If even websites crashed, it was pure insanity to go to an actual brick-and-mortar store. Yet here I am, out shopping on Black Friday for a damn toy.
Not even the almighty Internet could escape this day unscathed, and I usually wouldn’t even dream about venturing near any shop, but Katie wanted this doll so badly. I knew it would make her smile on Christmas, and I was desperate to make that happen, so I was willing to take the pain and suffering to risk getting it for her today.
Christmas hadn’t been a joyous occasion for her since Katherine passed away. My parents and I pulled out all the stops every year, but it was really damn difficult when Kat had been absolutely in love with the festive season.
She was one of those people who dusted off her Christmas music in October, had the tree up and decorated by mid-November, and believed the only way to do Christmas was to celebrate the whole of December.
Her house had smelled like cookies all month. There was always a jug of eggnog in the kitchen, and no ugly Christmas sweater had gone to waste if she was the one who owned it.
It was really, really difficult to try reaching a bar that had been set that high. I wasn’t even trying to compete with her and I never would. I just wanted to do something that would make Christmas special for Katie again.