Chapter Thirteen
Ariella
Harper waddled through the mall. A hand rested on her very pregnant belly as she tried to keep up with us. “I need to pee again,” Harper said.
Harper headed into the bathroom.
Hazel, Izzie, and I grabbed a seat on a nearby bench.
“Think we bought one of everything yet?” I asked Hazel, holding up the six bags of maternity and baby clothes for Harper.
Hazel plopped the bags that she’d been holding onto the floor at her feet. “Nah, I think she can still buy another boatload of onesies and receiving blankets. Do you think Lincoln is going to have a fit when he sees the bill?”
I doubted it. Harper had a lucrative movie career before abandoning it for Lincoln and motherhood. “He might freak out when he sees how much stuff a baby requires, but it’s not like this all just happened. I mean they bought a crib last month, and the guys helped put it together,” I said.
That aside, it was still a surprise. Harper hadn’t expected to get pregnant, and while she and Lincoln were excited to welcome a baby in a few weeks, it hadn’t been planned.
“Can I ride the rocket?” Izzie pointed at the machine tucked into the corner of the mall.
I dug into my pocket to see if I had any quarters to feed the machine. “Sure. Can you watch the bags?” I didn’t expect Hazel to abandon them and disappear, but I thought that I should still politely ask.
“Yes, go. Have fun!” She waved us off, and Izzie tore off toward the rocket.
I hurried after Izzie. She had already climbed into the seat and waited for me to feed the device.
I dropped several quarters in and watched as it came to life.
The rocket lit up and made several sounds before bouncing wildly, earning a fit of giggles from Izzie.
She was easy to entertain today.
Harper waddled down the hall from the bathroom and met up with Hazel by the bench. She waved at Izzie and me before she sat beside Hazel.
The two girls chatted animatedly, laughing and gossiping about who knows what.
I turned my attention back to Izzie, only to find her gone.
The rocket ended its jittering, and I poked around to the other side, relieved when I found her climb onto a motorcycle. “Again! More quarters?” Izzie asked.
The girl was going to give me a heart attack!
I dropped a few quarters into the motorcycle. The engine made an obnoxious grumble, and the headlights flashed a multitude of colors.
I glanced around the rocket to see Hazel and Harper still engrossed in their conversation.
“This is the last ride,” I said to Izzie. “I’m all out of quarters.”
She whined in protest and pouted her discontent.
“Psst!”
I glanced behind me.
“Skylar?” I hadn’t spoken with her in a while. She’d gotten engaged in secret, and by the looks of it, she seemed to be in trouble. Her hair looked dirty, her skin covered in filth, along with her clothes.
“I need you to come with me,” Skylar said. She glanced behind herself at the side exit just a few feet away.
“Izzie, it’s time to go.” I couldn’t leave her alone. I needed to get Hazel and Harper and let them know that something was going on with Skylar. However, I didn’t have any idea what the hell it was at the moment.