Minnesota Mallrats

The top level of the Promenade is where all the large chain department stores seem to duke it out. It's home to Sears, JCPenney, Bloomingdale's, and Macy's, among others. Also on the top floor of the mall can be found many of the nicer restaurants.
Killer_Moth*
Posts: 259
Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2018 8:22 am

Minnesota Mallrats

#1

Post by Killer_Moth* »

((Jennifer Romita cont'd from Tranquillity))

Jen was very demure as she walked through the mall. The ride over had been fun, she'd stayed close to Geoff, without letting him get anything too much. There was no sense in doing anything beyond teasing at the moment. Besides, she didn't want Eva to get uncomfortable. And she definitely didn't want Jake to get the idea that this was some sort of double date.

The foursome was somewhat aimless, even Jen not knowing quite what she was looking for. Maybe an outfit for prom, but nobody had asked her. She did have some hope that Edward would get back in touch to make up for the disastrous date, or that Geoff would at least ask. As it was, she was stuck going stag at the moment. Oh well, if it came to it, she could always go with Eva and Morgan, and then find some cute guy to take her home at the end of the night.

"So, does anybody have anywhere in particular that they want to check out, or do we just hang?" There, let the boys think that they're in charge. That's normally the best way to keep them happy. And she was always happy to let Eva do what she needed or wanted to. She tried to think back to why they started being friends in the first place. All that she could come up with was that they just were. To many people looking at them, it made little sense, but Jen was always more comfortable when Eva was there. It was like with Morgan, she didn't have to act.
Pickle Jello*
Posts: 23
Joined: Mon Sep 10, 2018 9:11 am

#2

Post by Pickle Jello* »

((Jake Mason continued from Tranquility))
Jake entered the mall. The ride in the car was better than it usually is. Of course, that might have been because he usually rides alone. Jen asked them about where to go.
"Nah, nowhere in particular," Jake said. He just started looking around. He decided to start a normal conversation.
"So, anything interesting going on?"

((I'm sorry for how long it took to post. Posts from me will be less frequent since there are tough times going on in my house because my dad was in an accident recently.))
KingKamor*
Posts: 212
Joined: Sun Sep 02, 2018 5:43 am

#3

Post by KingKamor* »

((Eva Lancaster continued from Tranquility))

Eva was only following behind the group, and she was only really keeping an eye out for any art exhibits that might have been going on at the moment. She wasn't able to spend any money because, without fail, her dad would find out about it and punish her in one fashion or another.

She heard Jen ask where to go, followed by Jake asking if anything interesting was going on, and decided to speak up for once. "I heard that there was an exhibit going on on one floor or another, and I was kinda thinking of looking into it. You guys don't have to, though." She thought about it for a second and continued, "But then again, I need a new shirt or two, so we can go to a clothing store or something, Jen."

Prom was the last thing on her mind at the moment. She knew that Jen was going, and that alone was enough to convince Eva to go, but she otherwise didn't care very much about it. Even if someone asked her, he couldn't be asking her only because of her looks or for knowing her name. It had to be just the right guy; in other words, one she hadn't seen for the past few years at school.
DAv*
Posts: 30
Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2018 10:02 pm

#4

Post by DAv* »

((Geoffrey Angevin continued from Tranquility))

The trip over to the mall had been pleasant enough for Geoffrey. He had realised that Jen was by and large teasing him but since they were both enjoying it, why try and stop it. He gave a look round the mall and heard Jen's question "Well you mentioned going to get some new clothes, how about we go check that out?" He leans over and whispers in Jen's ear "My treat to you let's say."

As he waits for Jen to choose which clothing shop to go into he looks over at Jake's question "Interesting? My dear chap, we're going shopping!"

((Sorry about being so late, hadn't realised this was hear.))
Killer_Moth*
Posts: 259
Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2018 8:22 am

#5

Post by Killer_Moth* »

"Okay, so clothes first, then we check out the art scene. Eva, remind me again why I do these things for you?" Jen smiled at Eva. She wasn't opposed to culture, but most art left her cold. There was no life to it. Let her have something on stage, something that could come alive. But first, let her have clothes!

Not sure where the best place to go was, she decided that whichever shop was nearest the door worked for her. "Bloomingdales it is." Not her usual haunt, but maybe somewhere that Eva would be comfortable. Plus, there was a good chance that she'd see something nice in a dress that she could use for Prom. Prom, it was on everybody's mind right now, so it seemed.

Still, right now, she was in mostly good company. When Geoffrey leaned over and whispered in her ear, she got a tingly feeling down her spine. Not only was he cute and fun, but he was clearly willing to throw some money around. Good, but she couldn't help but be a little suspicious. This was something more than just harmless flirting. Maybe he just meant that taking her shopping was the treat, and she'd have to get anything herself.

The only issue was Jake. Ever since his title had been shot down, he'd seemed quieter, more reserved. That he was there at all was a bit strange, but Jen wasn't about to turn down the offer of a ride. She hoped that he was okay. Damn it! Was she showing concern for the guy?

As the foursome wandered into the ladies fashion department, she began keeping an eye out for anything suitable. She leaned over to Geoffrey again. "Of course, honey, if you see anything you want to see me in, just holler. I'm sure I can arrange a private viewing"
Ciel*
Posts: 859
Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2018 5:30 am

#6

Post by Ciel* »

((Jessica Pentangeli continued from Fix))

The mall was one of the last places you could find Jessica Pentangeli since she tended to avoid it. But, if on the off chance that you did see her there, there were three places you could ever find her were Hot Topic, Holister and Bloomingdales. Hot Topic because she knew someone from school who worked there, Hollister because while she would deny it casual clothes were her thing and Bloomingdales because – and she would deny this quite openly - she liked to look around there. Almost everything was out of her price range but the clothes there alone made her feel… girly? Jessica was so far away from Barbie dolls that she was more like a female G.I. Joe than anything but something about the store brought out a deep hidden side that she always kept locked up.

The purses did not do it for her. The pants, the dresses and the swimwear were more her thing. Today however she had the urge to go look at the prom dresses. She was not going to prom. Certainly not – she had no reason! However she felt as though she should at least look. Maybe she could start a conversation with her parents and fool them into thinking that her social life was an active one.

The map of the store was posted on the entrance. Jessica walked closer to it, straightening out the Beret that she was wearing. The gowns were located in the back-left of the store, somewhat of a walk but Jessica was never the one to complain. She turned her head slightly to look out but then she had to turn it back quickly.

Jennifer Romita.

Jessica did not like Jennifer one bit, because she was everything that was considered an attention whore. And if there was one thing Jessica couldn't stand it was attention whores. Now Jessica was not Ms. Personality but she would rather be a bland unknown then a complete slutty cliché. Besides, there were rumors going around that Jennifer was supposed to have flunked out last semester and it was disturbing for her to even think of what Jennifer must have done to stay ahead. If that wasn't a good reason to stay as far away from her as possible she didn't know what was.

Of ALL the places Jennifer had to come to, it had to be Bloomingdales. With her short skirt that showed off her legs. Jessica wasn't sure why all the men in the mall weren't trying to – Now that isn't a nice thing to think about. Jessica shivered. You might give yourself nightmares.

What's more she was with three other people. This made Jessica nervous for reasons she couldn't really fathom – maybe she had a phobia and she didn't know it? Or maybe Jennifer was giving off such a vibe that it was like a Pentangeli-repellant. While Jessica did know two of them, she did recognize Geoffrey from the corner of her eye. They weren't friends, though Geoffrey was nice enough to Jessica at times, so there was no reason for her to go up and say hello. Besides even if they were very close she wanted nowhere near Jennifer – she might catch some extremely bizarre STD from just looking in her general direction. So what was Jessica going to do?

Walking away was probably the best decision, not even looking in Jennifer's direction. She turned and slipped deeper into Bloomingdales because after all even though she hated this one girl so much that she didn't even want to be near her why should she ruin her own good time? A good time might be stretching it, maybe, it wasn't like Jessica was having the time of her life looking at boots. In fact there was an aisle nearby with a huge row of them. They weren't exactly her thing, since if she wanted to wear boots Hot Topic was more her thing but these leather ones were nice. She made her way off to the side and picked them up, examining them for a moment. Her eyes darted to the corner of her eye, watching the entrance to see if Jennifer was coming in. Jesssica could make her way to the gowns once Jennifer passed by.
Pickle Jello*
Posts: 23
Joined: Mon Sep 10, 2018 9:11 am

#7

Post by Pickle Jello* »

Jen was talking to Geoffrey about dresses or something. Jake didn't really listen. There was just something that made him feel awkward in that group. He felt as if he didn't belong.
What is it? Eva... we could probably get along well... Geoffrey... maybe... but Jen... yeah, it's probably Jen that gives me this awkward feeling. Dammit, why did I have to choose to be the driver? To redeem myself? Yeah, I just jumped away from a flying piece of shit into an entire swimming pool filled with shit. I can't climb away from it yet, because if I do, it will start raining shit. No matter what I choose, there will be shit.
He sighed. He looked around the store and saw a girl he recognized.
I think her name is Jessica. But what's her last name? Oh well, can't remember.
He looked at her and smiled, probably the least he could do to acknowledge her.
KingKamor*
Posts: 212
Joined: Sun Sep 02, 2018 5:43 am

#8

Post by KingKamor* »

((Sorry for the late reply. Just moved into college dorms, and my grandpa died on thursday))

"Oh, dear..." was Eva's only response to Jen whispering into Geoffrey's ear. Nothing innocent was coming out of her mouth, that was certain. She pretended to remain interested in the clothing by keeping a soft smile on her face and holding the clothes up to her body to see if they fit.

Some of the clothes in the more artsy area were more her style. She spotted one navy blue shirt with a wide, tattered collar and a print of a painting of Claude Moret's "Impression, Sunrise" on the front. With a slightly sly look on her face, she smiled a little more widely and did her best to slink over to the rack with the shirt on it.

On the edge of her vision, she could see Jake standing off to the side. From what she saw of his general posture, she could tell that he wasn't having fun. She kind of wanted to cheer him up, but the fear of the embarrassment of being a nice person crept upon her. Stupid modern day teenage morals, She thought to herself as she took the shirt off of the rack.
DAv*
Posts: 30
Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2018 10:02 pm

#9

Post by DAv* »

Geoffrey blushed slightly at the offer of a private viewing, something that certainly appealed to him. Looking round, he went over to the shirts, noticing a rather nice red top which would look good on Jennifer which he took from the rack. He turned to see Jake standing off to the side and alone. Geoffrey decided to take action and went up to him, leaning in to mutter "Now come on Jake, no need to mope about. How about you go over to Eva and offer to help her out. I've got a fair balance on my credit card so don't worry about price range. Go on and enjoy yourself."

Giving Jake an amiable pat on the shoulder, he turned to face Jen once more when he saw something in the corner of his eye. He focused towards the boots and saw Jessica Pentangeli hidden away in the boots. He looked at her for a moment, wondering if he should say hello or go back to Jen.
Killer_Moth*
Posts: 259
Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2018 8:22 am

#10

Post by Killer_Moth* »

As Geoff blushed and rushed off to find something for her to wear, Jen saw Eva picking a shirt off the rack. Wandering over she approached her friend from behind. "I'm not sure that that's you at all. You want people to look at you, not the art you wear. Maybe something in block colours. Something pale, maybe a blue to go with your eyes." It wasn't that the top was hideous, but she could see Eva doing so much better.

"So, what do you think? I reckon he's got potential, but not more than a quick fling. Still, I doubt he'll go all stalker on me. He doesn't seem to want anything more than that." She did value Eva's opinions. More than once she'd been the first one to spot a guy who was going too fast or too far for what Jen had planned. And Jen was very much about keeping control of the situation as much as she could.

She looked around to see what Jake was up to, only to see him smiling like a moron at some girl. Wait. Here was Jen, the very personification of smokin' hotness, and Jake was smiling at somebody else? "Eva, do you know who that girl is over there, and why she's trying to look like she hasn't seen us?"
Ciel*
Posts: 859
Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2018 5:30 am

#11

Post by Ciel* »

If you were to look very hard, one probably could tell that Jessica really wasn't that interested in the boots. There were many things that she could do well enough but if there was one thing she could NOT do was act. Her whole posture seemed very nervous, turning her head once in awhile in the direction of Jennifer. She didn't SEEM to notice Jessica though it would be very hard to tell that. She would quickly look back over at the boots, walking around a little bit along the aisles, waiting until the perfect time for her to slip past.

She was going through so much trouble just to avoid one person. Which was fine in a way. Just so long as Jennifer didn't notice her. The last time Jessica checked Jennifer had almost passed her by - perfect. The less chance there was of Jennifer starting shit like Jessica was dreading would happen, the LESS time she would have to worry about it.

However, at that moment she had the nagging feeling that someone was looking at her. She knew it was crazy, sure, but she looked up to see Jake smiling in her direction. Jessica didn't KNOW who he was but there was really no reason to be mean to the guy even though he hung around with Jennifer of all people. She just smiled and waved to him, not a small shy smile but big enough to be defined on her face and small enough to be considered timid. Clearly smiling naturally made her... uncomfortable. She didn't do it much unless she saw something funny or she was with one of her friends, neither of which were the case right now.

It was at this moment where she noticed that Geoff was looking at her and her head turned to look at him as well. Now with two people looking at her Jessica really wasn't sure what to do. She wasn't going to go up and talk to them - certainly not! She didn't mind them but, personally, she just wanted to get the hell out of dodge. Jessica did however give them a wave of her hand but then, from the corner of her eyes, she could see Jennifer look at her. The smile dissolved. Her first thought was to just walk away.

Why did she avoided social situations like this? It wasn't LIKE Jennifer was going to rip her hair out even though she hated the dirt out of Jessica. It wasn't like Geoff and the other boy - or that other girl for that matter - were going to be anything like Jennifer. Even though she wasn't ready to admit this herself, Jessica was more nervous about actually coming in contact with someone she knew from school than socializing with a girl she hated. School life and private life were seperate to Jessica.

Jessica stopped. What the hell was she thinking? Since when did Jennifer tell her what to do? She didn't WANT to even look at Jennifer but why couldn't she just say hello? Seems so stupid to be avoiding it now. Jessica turned back to Geoff and waved again.

"Oh h-hello," she greeted the two boys, actually sounding a bit on the nervous side.
Pickle Jello*
Posts: 23
Joined: Mon Sep 10, 2018 9:11 am

#12

Post by Pickle Jello* »

Jake simply nodded at Geoffrey's advice. That was probably the best thing to do now. Although he wanted to go talk to Eva, he just felt something dragging him away from it. He saw that Eva was looking through clothes and that Jen was whispering something in her ear. Just then, Jessica walked over and greeted him.
"Oh, hi," he said, kind of surprised that she actually came over.
KingKamor*
Posts: 212
Joined: Sun Sep 02, 2018 5:43 am

#13

Post by KingKamor* »

Eva honestly appreciated Jen's fashion advice, but she really wanted that shirt. "I think that I'll keep looking around, but I'll hang onto this too, 'kay?" Her voice dissolved into a whisper when Geoffrey was brought up. "As for Geoffrey, I think that he's nice enough of a guy. Just be careful as usual, okay?"

Before she was even able to go back to her shopping around, Jen whispered once again to her. "Who, her? I think that she's in one of my classes. I don't know her too well, though. Anyway, does it matter?" Eva wasn't ever concerned with people who may or may not have been watching her unless it was someone genuinely dangerous. She hadn't yet seen anyone who she really had to deal with, so it didn't bother her at all.

Once the girl walked up to Jake, Eva said, "See? She seems nice enough."
DAv*
Posts: 30
Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2018 10:02 pm

#14

Post by DAv* »

Geoffrey snapped his fingers as he realised who it was "Ah! Jessica isn't it? Don't hide away, come on over here! Join th group!" He motioned over to the part of the store where Eva and Jen were standing with a sweep of his arm "Why don't you join the girls, I'll join you soon enough, Jen's got me picking a little something for her." He gave a playful wink as he strode off to look through the rest of the store humming pleasantly.

Geoffrey suddenly stopped before looking back over to Jessica "Oh, feel free to pick out anything you'd like. My credit card's opening up my genorosity at the current moment so feel free to go a little bit wild." He said before casting his eye over the swimwear section.
Killer_Moth*
Posts: 259
Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2018 8:22 am

#15

Post by Killer_Moth* »

Damn it. Whoever new girl was, she was clearly getting friendly with Jake and Geoffrey. The last thing that Jen wanted was to be ignored in favour of some nothing who just happened to be at their school. Still, she wasn't going to make a scene. Geoff seemed to know her, and if she wanted cheap and easy sex as well as clothes being bought for her, she'd put up with any of his friends for a while.

"Don't worry, Eva. I'll play nice. I doubt that little miss mousy over there is hiding a rifle in that outfit. She's just setting off a little alarm." That was true enough. Sure, the girl looked normal, but she was clearly nervous about something. Maybe the girl was interested in Geoff, or Jake. Maybe she was interested in Jen (She wouldn't be the first, Jen mused). Maybe it was something completely different.

Jen scanned the area to see if Geoff had found something for her yet. She'd hoped he would be looking at prom type dresses, something to give a hint that he might ask her. As it was, she saw him heading over to swimwear. Gotta love the little perv. Yeah, Geoff was going to be fun if he ever made an actual move. There had to be a way to give him the opportunity. The boys always liked it better when they thought everything was their idea. Made them feel all macho, that they had Jen Romita eating out of their hands.

"Come on Eva. Let's go find out what the story is." Jen was beginning to feel that she was losing control of the situation. Jake was withdrawn, Geoff was wandering away, the new girl was still an unknown quantity. Even Eva was still holding onto that top, when Jen clearly didn't approve of it. It'll be so much better when it's just me and Morgan tomorrow. I don't need to worry about what he'll do.

Jen walked over to the tall brunette, hoping Eva was behind her, and smiled up at her. "So, you a friend of Geoff's then?"
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