AU - What Did You Think?

"ZOE, GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE!" I yelled, as loudly as I could. It didn't matter to me that we were in an upper-scale shop, buying for dresses. It didn't matter to me that Rosie, Geety and Cam were glaring at me furtively. And it sure as hell didn't matter to me that the store clerk was openly frowning at me.
Because, you know what? I needed to take a piss, damn it. And I decided to tell Zoe just that. She couldn't spend the whole time hiding in the goddamn loo, could she?

I observed the shock and the embarrassment cross over the face of the clerk, and tried my hardest to suppress my laughter. Maybe Arthur was right, and I'd been hanging out with the boys too much, but it really was amusing to see her face like that.
"I think...that means that we should go now, right?" Rosie asked, matter of factly.
"It sure does," I replied, but before I could finish my sentence, Cam chipped in.
"This place has dresses meant for anorexics, anyway."
Turning towards Cam, I smiled.
"Well, why don't we watch a movie instead?" All four of us turned towards Zoe, who was smoothing her hair, as she walked out of the bathroom as calmly as she could.
"Sounds fine by me, but guys, I gotta take a piss...seriously."

~*~   ~*~   ~*~   ~*~   ~*~   

Outside the film theatre, five faces looked on at the massive crowd in awe.
"We're never gonna get tickets, damn!" I heard Geety mutter.
"Yeah, maybe if we came here faster, we'd have a better chance," Rosie concluded.
"Whoa, no one look at me!" Zoe interjected. "I thought we were buying dresses, so I didn't wanna get out!"
The others continued to chatter amongst themselves, but I'd tuned myself out of the conversation once I'd caught a few words from our surroundings.

"25 each, 25 each, last few for 25 each."
"Hey, you!" I turned around, finding myself face to face with a man in serious need for hygiene help. He would've been in his early twenties, if I were a betting sort of person, and the cocky smile on his face made me take an instant dislike to him.
"How much are you selling them for?" It didn't take an Einstein to figure out that all the tickets for the film that we wanted to watch were sold out, and this man here was trying to re-sell some tickets he'd already bought to us. Black market dealings, they were called.
"25 each, miss. You heard it."
"You son of-..." I held back my words, thankfully. I'd heard that black marketers sold tickets for higher prices, but this man was selling them at a 150% profit! But then, a sketchy idea struck my mind, and I decided that winging it would be much easier. "Okay, well, we want five tickets, but I only got sixty on me-"
"No can do, Miss. Business is up front."
"But listen to me, Mister!" I gave him the best smile I could. "Look, you know of the café across the street? Yeah, that's my family's business. Look, I'm being dead honest – just ask anyone about the Kirkland family – they'll tell you it's ours. After the film's finished, I'll go there and give you the rest of the money! If you don't let us get in now, we'll miss the beginning! Please, mister?"
The man seemed to consider the proposition, but after a few minutes, nodded and held out his hand. I placed the 60 dollars there and snatched the tickets from his other hand.
"The café, Miss?"
"Yes, yes."

Once we were inside, Rosie and Cam turned towards me, perplexed and worried.
"Alli, we can't afford to spend that much!"
"Where will you get the money from?"
Waving my hand dismissively, I laughed. "Don't worry about it – just enjoy the flick, and fill me in on what I've missed when I'm back from buying the popcorn, okay?"
It was easier than I expected.

~*~   ~*~   ~*~   ~*~   ~*~   

"Wow, it wasn't as bad as I expected!"
"Dude, it actually had a plot!"
"Pretty good, if I say so."
"I liked the ending."

"Miss, the money." Our group turned towards the black marketer, who was waiting around the corner from the street where the café lay.
"What'd you say?" I turned towards him, voice rising in volume due to anger.
"I said, Miss, you still owe me sixty-fi-"
"Do we look like the sort of people who'd have dealings with people like you?" I shouted, incredulous. "What do you take us for?"
"But, Miss-"
"Don't "Miss" me! Do you even know where you are? Or who I am?"
"You said-"
"I said what? Look, if you don't get yourself out from here as soon as possible, our brothers will make sure that the only way you get out of here is in an ambulance – and don't be fooled, there will be six of them to deal with you, and it won't be pretty."
"I'll make sure-" '
"Oh, stow your threats!" I chuckled. "Just get yourself out of here."
Without a word, the man turned around, and muttering under his breath, headed back towards the film theatre.

"Wow...that was pretty nifty, Alli," I heard Zoe say.
"Well...he did make ten dollars off this."