Mina stared at Jared. "You're kidding me."
He gave her a pleading stare, fully utilizing his puppy eyes.
She shook her head. "No fair. Completely unfair. That's worse than using magic."
He upped the puppy smolder two notches. He could tell that she was nearing hers breaking point.
She groaned and put her forehead against her locker. "Whyyyy meeee?!"
Jared held back his victory smirk. She hadn't agreed yet.
Mina pushed away from the lockers. "Jared, I don't even know Ever! Why don't you ask someone else? Or better yet, her?!"
He sighed with frustration. "Because it's a surprise. I can't talk to her about it, and you're the only other girl I know!"
"Nan?"
He gave her a look. "I need to give it to Ever by tomorrow, not next month. Besides, she'd buy the store!"
Mina snickered. "Fine. I'll help you."
He beamed at her, and then he tried to cover his elation up with an arrogant grin. "I knew you would." He preened slightly.
She rolled her eyes. "Sure you did." The bell was about to ring. Lunch would be over soon. She was about to grab her books and head for her next class, but before she knew it, Jared had yanked her out of school and to his new bike. He liked bikes better than cars it seemed.
"What about school?"
"Ditch it."
She sighed. Mounting the bike behind him, she slipped her hands around his waist. "Don't go so fast this- AHHHHHH!"
Jared laughed through his helmet. Mina growled and started squeezing him to the point of it being painful. Jared hissed and slowed down. It didn't really hurt him, but it was annoying.
Mina instantly lessened her grip. He could hear her chuckling. They arrived at the mall, Jared led the way inside, but slowed down as he realized just how much stuff was inside.
Mina sighed and looked at the Shopping Mall Directory. "Jewelry?"
"Huh?"
She turned to find that Jared wasn't his usual self-confident princeliness. He looked like a regular teenage boy, completely out of place in a world mostly made for women. The world of Shopping.
Mina gave a groan. "Does she like jewelry?"
He shook his head. "Not really. She's really picky about it."
Mina hissed in frustration. She could tell that this was going to be a long day. "What kind of makeup does she use?"
He boggled at her. "There are different kinds?"
Mina had a sudden, powerful desire to introduce her forehead to the closest wall. She took it back. The Grimm Curse was soo much easier than shopping with Jared. She muttered to herself. "Clothes are too personal. I've never smelled any perfume on her. What about accessories?" Louder, she asked Jared. "Does she wear scarves?"
Jared shook his head mutely. Mina groaned again. "Come on."
She grabbed the Prince's hands and dragged him along. Muttering, all the way to their destination, about stupid princes and stupid pixies having stupid birthdays.
They walked to the shoe department. Mina was hoping to find some sort of boot that Ever didn't have yet. Maybe metal tipped? She would like that.
There was only one little flaw in Mina's plan. They had to walk through the undergarment section. Mina, being used to seeing this was oblivious to this little issue, continued dragging the Fae Prince along by his hand.
Jared's eyes widened. He flushed deeply when he saw a teen girl pick out a bra with lace and hold it up to herself. Jared squeezed his eyes shut and promptly tripped over a rack. He was pulled from Mina's grasp and went down with a thud and crash. Mina turned around to find Jared covered in bras and panties.
At first she was tempted to blush at the thought of him seeing this stuff, but then she realized that he must have seen in on ads in the internet and billboards. That moral issue settled, she decided to giggle. He glared at her with an odd mixture of rage and mortification. Her giggles turned into peals of laughter. Obviously, this caught other people's attention. Jared jumped up and ripped the garments off him.
He grabbed Mina's hand and practically pulled her out of that department. They made it to shoe department with Jared grumbling and growling the whole way there. Mina smirked. He sounded like a dog who lost a juicy bone.
Since Jared was too busy throwing a temper tantrum, Mina smiled sweetly at the sales lady. "Ma'am, do you have any combat boots?"
The lady shook her head, but she directed them to an army goods store. Jared proceeded to impatiently buy all sorts of goodies for Ever. Mina then dragged Jared to makeup stores. When he saw all the pinks, purples, and semi-nude women he paled. This was a direct attack on his manliness. Mina rolled her eyes at his melodrama.
"Sometimes you are worse than Charlie!" Jared muttered something in the Fae tongue. Mina shot him a suspicious glare. He smiled at her challengingly. She shook her head with exasperation. "Keep you're silly secrets." Turning her back on him, she started looking at the makeup. Seeing what different shades of black they had.
She was looking over the selection from Maybelline when Jared muttered something under his breath.
She raised an eyebrow. "What was that?"
He glared at her, but his glare looked suspiciously like a pout. "I said, you didn't have to laugh."
Knowing instantly what he was referring to, she giggled. "No, you're right, I didn't have to." She sent him a smile that was so full of mischief, she almost looked like a Fae. He blinked at her. She was beautiful when she looked like that. He almost didn't catch her words.
"But it was so good to see the ever graceful Jared bumbling for once. How do you like feeling like a fish out of water, hmm?" She smiled at him and changed the subject before he could give a snappy retort. "She like's pale tones right?"
He blinked, stared at what she had in her hands, and nodded.
Mina nodded briskly. "Good. You're buying her this as well." She then proceeded to thrust eyeliner, blush, mascara, powder base, cream base, cover, and a couple bottle of nail polish into his hands.
He couldn't help but whine a little. "Why am I buying all this? I only wanted to give her a small gift!"
Mina snickered. "One, you're a Prince, you can afford it. Two, you've got magic and can will money to appear. Three, I can't wait to see you squirm as she gets all over you with hugs." Her eyes were alight with mirth.
Jared glared at her. Mina, completely unaffected by his glared by now, yawned. "Come on. I have homework." They bought the stuff and juggled it on the bike.
The ride back to the house was filled with comfortable silence for once. They weren't arguing about secrets or lies. Mina was, however, desperately trying to hold back her laughter as the image of Jared covered in female undergarment kept coming back to her. She definitely had to tell Nan about it.
Jared pulled up to Mina's home. Mina got off the bike and handed him the packages.
Jared gave her a hesitant smile. "Thanks for helping me with Ever's gift." He made a face. "Or gifts, actually."
Mina smiled and laughed at him. "Glad I could help." She took two steps backwards, then stopped, and just looked at him closely. "You know, Jared, I just wanted to tell you…"
He looked at her impatiently. "Yes?"
Her eyes glinted again with the most attractive Fae-like mischief. "Lace suits you." She bolted down the driveway toward her house with Jared hot on her heels.
