What Lies Beneath Page #9

The undiscovered truth of Nicholas Anderson

• Fiction

								

I'm at one, and I've been silent for too long

The only distinction between myself and the song is that they have already demonstrated to me repeatedly that there is no benefit in attempting. I could never be the recipient of their love, and I am at a loss for options. 'They have already shown me there is no point in trying'

I've been quiet for too long
I've been quiet for too long
I found peace in your violence
Can't show me, there's no point in trying
I'm at one, and I've been quiet for too long

After I finished, the classroom was quiet before the applause started. "That was incredible, Nicholas. I appreciate the passion you put into your work. I hope others can learn from your example," Mr. Everton said.

"Thank you," I replied, feeling slightly embarrassed.

As he gathered his belongings, the teacher expressed his appreciation to everyone for their performance and wished them a pleasant weekend.

Following his lead, everyone began to gather their things as well. As I was doing so, someone called out to me and held out my flash drive.

"Nicholas, right? Don't forget this," they said.

"Oh, thank you," I replied, taking my flash.

"No problem. By the way, great performance," they said before leaving the classroom.

A few other people also congratulated me on my performance as I was leaving. 'I guess I was good.'

As I exit the building, I notice Emmett and Rick patiently waiting for me.

"Hey, was that you singing?" Emmett inquires.

"Yeah," I respond, slightly surprised that they had heard me.

"We decided to leave basketball practice early," Rick explains. "You sounded great."

"He wasn't just great, he was fantastic. I didn't know you were this good at singing," he said as we started heading out.

"Anyway, are we heading to the shopping mall to find a gift?" I ask, changing the subject. 

"Yes. Ray is keeping Evan occupied, so this is our only opportunity," Emmett says, hopping with excitement like a child.

"Can you stop jumping?" Rick snapped.

Ignoring him, Emmett runs to my car, shouting, "Off to the mall!" I just shake my head, walking with a tired-looking Rick.

Chapter 8

POV Nicholas

As I drive down the highway toward the mall, Rick and Emmett argue over which song to play.

"It's my phone, so I should play what I want," Rick argues.

"You said I could choose the song if I sat in the back," Emmett shoots back. "Plus, the songs you choose are so boring."

"That's because you don't know good music even if it hits you," Rick says, smacking his head.

"Oww, Nick, he just hit me!" Emmett cries.

I glance at them both in the rearview mirror before letting out a laugh. "Children, no fighting in the car," I say, giving them the only smile I can manage. I need to appear normal.

"Fine, pick whatever you want," Rick hisses.

"That's more like it!" Emmett cheered as he grabbed the phone.

With that, we have a peaceful drive with the bubble pop songs Emmett chooses to play. Although Rick had a look of annoyance on his face.

It did not take long for me to reach the parking lot of the Phoenix Premium Outlets shopping mall. As soon as I turned off the car, Emmett was already running out. Rick and I looked at each other before following along.

"Do you know where you're going?" I ask, making Emmett stop.

"I guess that's a no," Rick says. "Why don't you think about what you want to get for him first?"

"That's a good idea," Emmett says. "What are you guys getting for him?"

"No idea," I say.

"Don't know," Rick says at the same time as me.

Emmett looked at us both. "And yet you judge me." 

We simply shrug at him. As we enter the mall, we are greeted by the sight of numerous stores.

"You guys have known him longer, so there must be something he likes or wants, right?" I ask them, but they just look at me.

"If there's something he needs, he just gets it," Rick says.

"That's the problem with rich kids," Emmett adds, looking around. "I say we should look around first or something."

"Then I'm off," Rick says, walking off. "We'll meet at the food court in two hours."

As they appear to be of no help, I begin walking around while trying to recall Evan's preferences. However, given my limited knowledge, the only responses that come to mind are food and clothing. This is because of his ability to consume a mountain of food in seconds and his outfits that look like he's about to walk down the runway.

As I strolled around the shopping area, I noticed a store called Mike Sports (a fictitious name). What particularly drew my attention was the section showcasing their latest limited arrivals of clothing, bags, and shoes. Interestingly, some of these items featured unique and eye-catching tiny food prints.

Without giving it much thought, I entered the store and headed toward the section. I am grateful to Ray for providing me with Evan's measurements for shoes and clothing, as this information will be invaluable if I decide to purchase something here for him. Otherwise, I would be at a loss as to what to do.

"Excuse me, is there anything I can assist you with? I'd be more than happy to help," one of the store's employees politely inquired.

Before looking at the item with the tiny food print of fries, burgers, and chicken, I glanced at him. The items appear to come in black or white options with the print on top. Considering Evan's preference for vibrant colors, white seems to be the most suitable choice. "I am simply searching for items for a birthday gift and am hoping to get the white-themed items with the food print in these sizes," I stated, displaying the measurements I had written on my phone.

"Since there are limited additions, there are very few sizes available. However, I can check and bring what is available."

"That sounds wonderful." I say as I walk towards the counter to wait for him.

It didn't take long for him to return and bring some items with him. "These are the things we have," he says, placing everything on the counter for me to examine.

Upon inspecting the items, I observed a belt, leather jacket, shoes, jeans, T-shirt, shirt, phone case, backpack, hats, key chain, and a beanie. "Could I have the phone case, shoes, beanie, leather jacket, backpack, and key chain, please?" 

"We could package it in a gift box for you if you would like," he said.

"That would be nice," I respond, not giving it much thought.

It took me about 10 minutes to finish everything. As expected, I ended up spending around $1,600.

Look at my watch; it reads 5:15 p.m., which means I still have 30 minutes until I need to meet up with the guys. With that in mind, I head to the car first to put away the things because it will be too much of a bother to carry them around with me.

After I had finished loading everything into the back of my car, I noticed Emmett and Rick standing at one of the entrances, each of them carrying something. I walked towards them.

								Rate this book:0.0 / 0 votes