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Iris breathed a sigh of relief when she realized they hadn't died. She slung her purse over her shoulder and got out of the car, heartbeat slowly returning to normal. "Oh, just groceries. I'm practically out of food at the dorm so I need anything and everything." She wasn't a huge eater, but it was her boredom release. She headed into the store and took a cart, heading over to the fruit and vegetable section first. |
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"Heck me too, i'm out of everything up in my room." Caden mused, grabbing a basket and heading to go grab what he needed. He grabbed a few quick and cheap meals though, he didn't have a small budget. Rather he'd rather just go eat out or something, not too much junk though. |
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Iris nodded and let him do his thing, heading off to mind her own business. She grabbed some apples and other fruit, and a few carrots and pre-made salads. Then she went to the canned section and dairy, adding soups, milk, and eggs to her cart. Once she had gotten everything on her mental list, she headed to the self checkout area to pay and wait for Caden. |
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Caden was just walking over there, seeing she was over there. He got there before her, scanning his things before paying and letting her scan everything. Right before she could swipe her card he tapped his to the screen, the transaction going through before he casually put the card back in his wallet and returned back to his things. |
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Iris saw him and smiled, pulling up the cart next to him. She waited for him to finish with his things, then began scanning her items through. She saw the price on the little screen and sighed. It really was time she found a job. She only had a couple thousand in her bank account, and then there was all the college debt, plus gas... When Caden reached out and used his card instead, Iris immediately turned on him. She didn't know why he had done it. Maybe he'd seen her face fall when she saw the final price, or he was just nice like that. She couldn't just let him pay for her groceries, though. "Caden, you didn't have to do that. I can pay for myself." she said, looking at him earnestly but softly. |
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"Please, i've got too much money anyways. Might do something useful with it than just letting it sit there," Caden mused with a chuckle, seeing the amount of groceries they all had and figuring they could all fit in the trunk. "And besides, I owe you anyways." He explained, he owed her for getting rid of the accent that always got him stares or laughs after he walked away, owed her for actually being a friend, owed her for volunteering to help him, owed her for a load of things. |
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Iris studied him for a moment, before giving a grateful smile and nodding. "Thank you," she said. "But wait, what do you owe me for?" She couldn't remember doing Caden a favor. In fact, she could only think of the time he'd helped her out with the woman in the courtyard. When had she ever done anything for him? These thoughts made her begin to worry that she was unknowingly being incredibly selfish. Not just recently, but for her whole life. Maybe she had more things to work on then schoolwork... |
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"First you got rid of what made people stare at me, which was the accent. And then you've been honestly a better friend then the three i've known my entire time i've been here, and you helped me get a passing grade in math--which was a lifesaver since my nightmares are taking it again." He explained with a chuckle, the two heading out back towards his car. |
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Iris hurried after him, barely keeping up with his long stride. "People stared at you?" She asked quietly as she helped him load the bags into the back seat of his car. It made sense. Russian accents were pretty prominent. But why would people stare at someone who spoke differently then they did? She sighed at the unfairness of the world, and ducked into the passenger seat. |
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He sighed, shaking his head slightly. "Yep, always did. Got under my skin, after so long. The thing is, they'd try to be sly but then it'd be obvious. You can feel somebody looking at you after a while, which made me almost afraid to speak too much." Caden explained, his hand barely grazing hers as he grabbed another bag and loaded it. "And it just...it never got old. A new day, a new stare. And listen, the kids were the worst. Because they'd point, look at their parents and me like: 'Mom why does he talk funny?' and it's cute at first but then it just hacks you plum off." The man murmured, shutting the trunk a little harder than he meant before slipping behind the wheel and starting the car. |
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Morning Snow followed by Sunshine
