It was 7 p.m. a few hours later. Pamela, Leslie, Lauren, Christy, Max and I were sitting at a square table in the mall food court. Other people were sitting at the tables around us.
"Karen," Pamela said.
"Yeah?" I asked.
"First, before we let you into our group, you'll need to go through initiation."
"Ohk…" I said.
"And that is today," Leslie informed me.
"Oh, um, when?"
"Right now. Actually it'll be in a few minutes," Lauren said.
"Alrite now what do I have to do?" I asked.
"What you have to do is…you have to go into that store," Pamela said, pointing to a nearby store; "and get some make up for us."
"Ok sounds easy enough. Let me get out my wallet…."
Max laughed; "oh god wow."
Christy reached over and put her hand on the table.
She looked at me; "no dear believe us you won't be needing that."
"But how am I supposed to pay for it?" I asked.
"That's the entire point. You're not," Max said.
"Oh wow."
I was surprised.
"You don't pay for things when you shoplift them," Pamela said.
"Oh god."
"That is exactly the reason they call it shoplifting," Leslie said.
"And whatever you do, don't get caught," Lauren told me.
"Also, don't look suspicious," Christy said.
"But, won't that be hard? I mean, not to?" I asked.
Max smiled; "not if you're not a fantastic actress it won't."
They'd obviously had experience.
"Now go. Do it. Now," Pamela said.
I stood up.
"Leave your wallet here hun," Leslie said.
I put my wallet on the table and took my purse with me.
I went into the store and walked casually around for a few minutes. I then found several bins near the back loaded with various makeup items. I picked up and dropped several tubes of mascara, lip gloss, lipstick, liquid eyeliner and eye shadow into my opened, unzipped purse and zipped it closed. I walked around the store casually, before walking out and joining the group at the table. I opened my purse and dumped the itesm onto the table.
"Now what?" I asked.
"That was just a test run to see if you could shoplift," Lauren told me.
"Now we want you to go, and you see that woman sitting over there?" Christy asked.
She pointed to a dark haired woman sitting by herself with a small brown purse on the table in front of her.
"Go and take the money out of her wallet."
"Idinno I mean taking someone's money…." I said, unsure.
"Do you or don't you want to be a part of us?" Max asked, threatening.
"I do."
"Then you'll take the money," Pamela decided.
"But wait until she gets up and goes to the bathroom," Leslie said.
"We've been watching her for awhile and we know that she doesn't usually take her purse with her," Lauren told me.
After a few minutes, the woman stood up and went into the bathroom, leaving her purse, as they'd predicted, on the table.
"Now go go go go go quick before she comes back," Christy said quickly.
I stood up, went over to the woman's purse, opened it, unzipped her wallet, took the money out of it, zipped it closed and came back to the group, putting the money in my purse.
Max and the others were standing when I arrived.
"Um, what are you doing?" I asked.
"We need to leave before she finds out who did it," Max answered.
"Oh yeah. Right."
We walked around the mall until we spotted Claire's which we went into, scattering off in different directions inside the small, crowded store. The manager was watching one of her employees pierce the ears of a little girl, 2 of the employees were at the cash register which had a long line and the rest were helping customers.
Pamela walked over to me, a chunky black bracelet on her arm.
"What do you think?" she asked, showing it to me.
"I like it you should get it."
"Oh, should I?"
"Uh huh."
"It was, rhetorical," she told me.
"Oh."
She slipped it into her pocket and walked away.
I took several gold bangle bracelets off the rack and slipped them into my pocket.
Leslie came over.
"Hi Karen," she said.
"Hi," I said.
"I'm ready to go," she told me.
"Yeah me too," I said.
"Ok let's go," she agreed.
Lauren joined us.
"Move on out," she said.
We were very soon joined by Christy and Max. We left the store heading down the mall.
"I saw a lady coming over to you so I told Leslie to go and tell you we were leaving," Christy said.
"Thanks," I said.
"Uh huh."
We soon entered a large, white clothing store also scattering off in different directions. I picked up a black leather mini skirt and 3 tank tops; black, purple and Kelly green. I went into the dressing room and stuffed them into my purse, making sure there weren't any security tags on them, which there weren't. Outside the dressing room I heard the others talking to the salespeople, distracting them. We left the store and once again headed down the mall.
"Let's go get some food I'm hungry," Max suggested.
"Yeah me too, actually," Pamela said.
"Uh huh," Leslie said.
"As am I," Lauren said.
"You guys go ahead I'll be there in a few," Pamela told us.
"Me too," Christy said.
"Ok we will," Leslie told them.
We walked to the food court and to Sbarro's where ordered pasta, cake, breadsticks and beverages which Max paid for. We went and sat down at a red leather booth.
We were eating, when, a few minutes later, Pamela and Christy came back. Pamela was wearing a new, long, black leather coat which she took off and gave to me.
"Um, this is yours," I said.
"No, it isn't. It's for you since you passed your initiation," she answered.
"Aww thanks," I said.
"Mmhmm."
"I'll drink to that," Leslie said.
I looked at her, surprised.
"Er I would but we're in public. At the mall."
"Eight," Lauren said.
"I'm hungry where's the food?" Pamela asked.
"Behind you," Christy said.
"Oh. Right. Knew that."
We laughed.
Max reached into her small black leather purse and pulled out 2 20s.
"Here," she said handing it to Pamela; "it's on me. Well, Cassandra, actually."
"Thanks," Pamela said.
"Uh uh."
"You want me to pay you back or….?"
"No, no keep the change. Cassandra makes, like, $200 a night, doing what she does."
"Oh right so she does. Ok I'll be back in a bit."
Pamela walked away to get her dinner.
"She's so cute," Leslie said.
"I know she really is," Lauren agreed.
A few minutes later Pamela came and slid into our booth, on her tray the same thing we'd ordered.
"Welcome back," Christy told her.
Pamela smiled; "thank you. And once again, Max, thank you."
"Oh it's not a problem dear not at all."
"You drink?" I asked Leslie.
"Oh yeah we all do."
"Oh."
"So what'd you get?" Lauren asked.
"Besides the makeup, that is," Christy said.
"I got gold bangle bracelets, a black mini skirt and 3 ribbed tank tops; black, purple and Kelly green."
"Oooh awsumness," Max said.
I smiled.
"Oh, and the coat," Pamela said.
"Yes, from you," Leslie said.
"You see Karen, excluding Leslie and Pamela, we all had to shoplift for initiation….me, Christy, Max…." Lauren told me.
"Oh," I said.
"And now you," Christy added.
"But for me it wasn't all that hard cuz back in New York I did it a lot," Max said.
Lila and Anna walked over and stood in front of our booth.
"Hi mind if we squeeze in?" Lila asked.
"Which we could prolly do anyway considering our size," Anna added.
"No course not," Pamela said.
Lila and Anna sat down on either side of us.