I was spending a quiet afternoon with my friends.

Well, considering that I was with my friends, perhaps "quiet" wasn't the right adjective. Maybe a better one would be "hectically entertaining".

Right.

I was spending a "hectically entertaining" afternoon with my friends. We were traveling through the mall, wandering in and out the same stores we always hit; bypassing the ones that didn't cater to our tastes. Stores like Abercrombie & Fitch, The Gap and American Eagle were ignored with an intensity that matched a priests' dislike for the Devil.

"Where do you think we should go next?" Lindsey asked, looking back at me and my friend, Jake. We were walking a few paces behind her, both lost in our independent thoughts. I shook back to reality when Lindsey's voice broke my concentration.

"Uhm..." I paused for several minutes and thought to myself. Raising my finger to place against my freshly chap-sticked lips, I glanced over at Jake. "What do you think? Lindsey and I've been dragging you around. Your turn to decide."

Jake grimaced at the idea, feeling much like the straight guy boyfriend who was conned into parading his needy girlfriend from clothes shop to clothes shop. We were too nice to him. We had only dragged him into video game and book stores. "I don't wanna be here at all. I never wanted to come." He grumbled.

I smiled sweetly at him as I attempted to stifle the urge to kick him in the ankle. "You were the one who was bitching the entire time we weren't doing anything."

"That's because I was bored." He grumbled, shoving his hands in his khaki pants' pockets.

"And you're bored here," Lindsey stated, turning to face us and walking through the mall backwards.

"We're on our way out." I stated, hoping that would cheer him up.

"Thank God." Jake grumbled.

"You're just gonna be bored somewhere else." Lindsey pointed out as Jake moved around us and began leading.

"As long as I'm not bored here." He called back.

Lindsey and I shared a look before we both shrugged and walked in-step after our friend.

As we made our way to the exit through the food court, Lindsey announced she wanted to make a slight detour. "Let's go through Olympia Sports!"

Jake stopped ahead of us and turned. "Why do we need to go through there? "

"They have escalators!" Lindsey replied enthusiastically.

Jake stared.

"And...," Lindsey continued with an air of more caution. "They have bike gear. I wanna look for something."

Begrudgingly, Jake agreed. We headed towards Olympia Sports and rode the escalator up.

As soon as we reached the top, Lindsey made a bee-line for the bike gear. I walked over to the baseball memorabilia. Jake was left in the middle, not really knowing who to follow. He eventually decided Lindsey was closer to the other exit on the other side of the store, so bikes seemed more appealing than the Boston Red Sox. Noticing he was leaving, I rushed after them in the chance they would leave without me.

Some friends you would expect never to do something like that.

Jake and Lindsey weren't those kind of friends.

"Hey, wait up!" I called out, running after them; my plaid and black purse ricocheting against my leg as I rushed after Jake. When I had almost reached him, he stopped quickly and caught me off guard. I was too close to stop in time and I ran into him with a resound 'oomph'.

Jake glanced over his shoulder, his brown eyes shining as he looked down at me. "Don't run into me. You're such a horrid driver." A smile was dawning his thin lips as he had finally found the amusement he had been looking for.

"You're the one who stopped too fast!" I retorted, unable to keep myself from laughing. This was more entertaining than looking at new bike locks.

"It's your word against mine," Jake said, shrugging it off. "And I doubt the jury will take your word for it." Hands placed back in his pockets, he continued to walk. I rushed up beside him.

"And why's that?" I playfully demanded.

Stopping again, Jake took a moment to flick me on the forehead. "Cuz you're too short." He smiled and walked away. I glared and a growl came from deep within my throat. Smirking, I ran after him and, when I caught up, gave him a light shove. "Take THAT." I said happily before rushing towards Lindsey.

Lindsey was caught looking at the different prices for new bike chains when I reached her. She was frowning in concentration, mentally calculating whether she should get them or wait until her next paycheck to afford replacements. "Any luck?" I asked curiously.

"Nah." Lindsey heaved a heavy sigh before turning away. "You?"

"Nope. I don't really need anything here. Not like I play sports much anyway." I shrugged.

"Can we get out of here now?" Jake had reawakened his impatient and obviously bored attitude.

"We're on it, we're on it." Lindsey and I stated in unison before turning and walking towards the store's second set of escalators. Jake followed us, keeping himself entertained by routinely walking ahead of me and trying to cut me off as he zig-zagged from side to side in the aisles. I laughed and shoved him away each time.

We finally made it to the escalators and Lindsey got on first. I nearly tripped getting on after her (at which both Jake and Lindsey took their cue to laugh at me). I grumbled as Jake slid onto the moving stairs after me.

"So what should we do from here?" Lindsey asked, glancing back at the two of us. I shrugged.

"I dunno. What else is there to do?"

"We could see a movie." Lindsey suggested.

"No money." Jake and I chimed in. Lindsey gave a small smile and nodded her head.

"I know. Just suggesting."

I stood to the right side of the escalator, my hand resting on the moving banister. My left hand was dangling aimlessly beside my shoulder-slung purse. All of a sudden, something brushed against my hand. Shocked at the sudden touch, I glanced down in case something had fell out of my pocket or purse and hit me before finding a home on the stair. To my surprise, I found fingers brushing against mine. Glancing up in shock, it took me a second to realize those fingers were attached to Jake's hand. I couldn't think of what to say or do; I was frozen in time. In the back of my mind, I could hear Lindsey suggesting other things we could do to battle boredom, but all my focus was on Jake.

As quickly as it had come, Jake's hand slipped out of mine, and it was as if the spell had broken. I heard Lindsey's voice say, "So what do you think, guys?"

"Huh?" Being so clever that I was, I knew there was no better way to show one of my best friends she had had my full attention. She rolled her eyes at me and turned her focus on Jake.

"I think it's okay." Jake responded, nodding his head.

"So it's settled." Lindsey smiled. We all dismounted the escalator and headed to the exit; me walking several steps behind two of my best friends. I was watching Jake with a confused and curious stare; all along my heart pounding away in my chest. I could feel the heat rushing through my face and realized (with mild embarrassment) that I was flushed. I took a moment to pause and shake my head fervently before hurrying after them.