We'll End Up In Hell Boys

“Oh boy... guys, grab into something because shit’s about to go down!” I said and their eyes widened. We’ll end up in hell for sure. “Ismarelda, I don’t want to die!” Lace cried with fear in his eyes. I was sitting in the middle so his screaming went through my poor ears. I looked at him and groaned.

I placed my hand on his shoulder to grab his attention. “I know you are afraid, but since you are a cop, can’t you do anything to stop her?” I asked with crossed arms and waited. He gulped the panic and shook his head but before he could give a reply, Isa laughed. “He can’t do anything for two reasons. First, this is Brazil! Second, I’d just leave him here and drive off without him.” She countered with a grin. Lance didn’t say a word and just closed his eyes and started counting.

I chuckled and glanced at Dorian who was playing a game on his phone. He didn’t seem bothered by Isa’s unreasonable driving methods and I assumed that he was used to it. I turned my gaze to Roy and saw him stealing glances at Isa. I wanted to coo but I didn’t want him to stop his fantasies so I pretended not to see.

“Hey, Dorian,” I called in a quiet tone and he lifted his head to meet my gaze. “Yeah?” he said. “If you don’t mind me asking, how were you injured? Like where? Was it that bad that you can’t serve anymore?” I asked. He turned off his phone and placed it in his pocket then looked at me. “Why are you asking?” He questioned with arched eyebrows and I grinned.

“Curiosity killed the cat,” I replied, simply and smiled. He sighed and ruffled his hair. He looked like he was debating whether to tell me or not. “If you don’t want to talk about it, it’s okay. I understand,” I reassured him.

“Um, can we talk about it later?” he requested and I saw sorrow and sadness in his eyes. I couldn’t imagine what he had been through and I didn’t want to add up to his pain. I nodded and turned my gaze back to the road. The ride was silence until we arrived at the mall.

“Finally! It took longer than I expected, which is odd considering you were driving like crazy!” Lance yelled and hopped out of the car. He dropped to the floor. “It was supposed to be a half an hour drive but it only took 15 minutes, so stop complaining and get up,” Isa said and we all stepped out of the car. She locked it and walked towards me with a smile. “Ready to shop?” she asked and I nodded with a wicked smile.

There was one thing Isa didn’t know. I was paying for everything since I had the money. I didn’t want to take my money to the grave so I might as well spend a lot to please others. “Let’s buy the mattresses and blankets first and let the workers deliver them to the rented house so when we finish shopping for clothes and other stuff, we’d find them ready to sleep on. Can you ask your aunt to be there when the workers arrive?” Roy explained the plan and we all agreed. Isa pulled out her phone and texted her aunt. Five minutes later she replied with an okay and we walked to the store.

“Bem vinda, Como posso ajudá-lo?” A female employee stood in front of us and talked in Portuguese. We all looked at Isa and she laughed. “She said Welcome, how can I help you? Now, don’t expect me to translate every single word because that’s a pain in the butt.” She declared and I huffed.

“Fine!” I said and looked at the employee with a smile. “Can you speak English?” I asked and she nodded. “Yes, sorry. How may I help you?” she replied with a wider smile. She seemed nice and willing to help, plus her tan skin was beautiful and shiny. “We want five mattress and five blankets with five pillows, and a big, comfy couch,” I listed our needs and the employee nodded and pointed to a different section of the store. “Come this way.” And we followed.

It took us half an hour to choose the couch and five minutes for the rest. If picky-Isa wasn’t here to point out every ugly detail about every couch, we would have been in a different store by now. “Is that all?” The cashier asked and we all nodded before Isa could talk and criticize anything else. “That will be 9534.5,” she stated and I gaped at her.

“Dollars?” Dorian, Lance, Roy and I asked in disbelief. Don’t get me wrong, I would pay... but that was more expensive than I anticipated. Were they robbing us? “No, no, no. Brazilan Real!” The cashier clarified with a laugh and Dorian, Lance and Roy let out a sigh of relieve. “It will be 2300 dollars,” she added and I nodded but then realized that I only had euros at the moment and the dollars were in my bank account and my credit card was in my bag at the rented house. Smart!

“How much in euros?” I asked and they looked at me with confusion reflecting in their eyes. “Diva, I said I’m paying, didn’t I? Isa grabbed my purse and glared. “I didn’t agree and won’t. I have money and I will pay. You are studying and need every penny, so shut up.” I told her with a sheepish smile and turned my gaze back to the cashier. “How much?”

She typed on the keyboard and handed me the recipe. “It will be 2,088.95 euros, cash or credit card?” She asked and I handed her 2,100 euros cash. “Keep the change,” I said. In spite of what I just told her, she handed me the change. “Sorry but we don’t accept tips here, but thanks for your kind gesture. Now, if you may, give me your home address so we can deliver it to you now.” I was surprised by her reply but I decided to keep the change because it might cause trouble with her boss.

Ten minutes later, we stepped out of the furniture store and walked around. “Let’s eat before we continue,” Roy suggested and I instantly nodded. “Yes, I’m hungry and I’m running out of energy,” I said and Dorian looked at me with a funny expression. “What?” I asked.

“It hasn’t been two hours since we last ate!” he pointed out and I shrugged. “So?” I said and dragged all of them to a cafe. “If you are not hungry, you can drink coffee or something because I’m not stepping into another store before my stomach is full. End of discussion.”

He rolled his eyes and scoffed. “Okay, just don’t drag me like this!” Dorian said and removed his hand from my grip. I was dragging him like a mother who lost control over her hyper child and I enjoyed embarrassing him. “Same here!” Lance stopped walking and made me let go of him.

“You guys are no fun!” I pouted and hugged Isa. “Don’t worry Diva, I will eat with you. They can starve to death for all I care,” she said and I agreed. We walked ahead of the boys and not a minute later, I heard Lance whisper in a faint voice. I had bat ears. “Why girls always turn evil when they’re hungry?” That my friend was a question that hasn’t been answered yet.