At the Mall
"Mom, this is a mall. It's a place like Quest Buy, but without all that awesome stuff. You can buy clothes, jewelry, and other little fun stuff," Star explained as she gestured to areas of the brightly lit building. Moon looked around at all the strangely dressed teens that walked in small groups from each little section.
"So, you just…shop? That doesn't really sound fun, but I guess things have changed since I was a teen. Well, lead the way Star." Moon felt incongruous to all the others that clearly knew what to do in a mall. Star led her mother into a small store that sold clothes and accessories for teens.
"Janna and I like to shop here. I just like the hats and glasses more than the actual clothing." Star turned around with a pair of shades that practically covered half her face. "How do I look?" When Moon didn't respond, Star thought that she was being too immature. To her delight, Moon began to giggle and grabbed a pair of neon green shades. She studied them for a second and then put them on. Star busted out laughing, causing other shoppers to stare at them. Her mother had put them on upside down.
"What do people use these for? They make you look ridiculous." Moon struggled to stop laughing and put the shades back on the shelf.
"They protect your eyes from the sun, but Marco wears them to look cool and impress Jackie." Star removed the pair she was wearing and replaced them with a pair that had slimmer, darker lenses. "How 'bout these, they seem pretty cool?"
"Sure, sweetie. What else is here?" The queen looked around at the odd clothing and saw someone approaching out of the corner of her eye.
"Hey, Star…and…friend of Star. Cool hair color by the way, is yours natural too?" Star almost dropped the glasses when she heard Jackie say hello. She nervously turned around and tried not to be too awkward.
"Hello, I'm Star's mother and yes, this is my natural hair color." Moon noticed that this strange girl had a blue streak in her blonde hair. Star has some pretty friends, but I don't remember her mentioning someone like this girl. Who is she?
"Hey, Jackie. What are you doing here?" Moon looked between the two girls, trying to understand why Star had become so rigid when this 'Jackie' arrived.
"I just came to get a pair of shades, you?"
"Just bonding with my mom. Well, it was great seeing you but we're leaving," the teen said quickly. Star yanked her mother back out of the store without looking back at Jackie. The entire time, she looked like she had just broken some priceless heirloom.
"Star, slow down. Who was that and why were you so rude? …Star?" The blonde finally stopped and looked at her mother. She had her teeth clenched in a grimace and began to tug on her hair.
"That's Marco's girlfriend! Things are super awkward between me and her because I told Marco I have a crush on him before we left to hide from Toffee." Moon frowned at the information given to her.
"Star, calm down," she coaxed. She carefully unballed Star's fists from her hair. Huh, I guess she got that from me, though I don't remember ever doing that in front of her. Star looked down at her hands before perking back up.
"Are you hungry, 'cause I'm hungry," Star asked. Without waiting for the periwinkle-haired woman to respond, Star took her hand and dragged her towards the food court. As they neared that section of the mall, an array of smells began to reach the pairs noses, their stomachs voicing need nourishment.
"What kind of food do they have?" The queen looked at the lines of people standing at counters and sitting at round tables.
"There's Asian food, Mexican food, American food, pizza, ice cream, and a cookie joint somewhere," the teen listed. "I'm gonna get a burrito, but I think you should get a pizza. Start you off small, you know?"
Moon didn't feel like walking off into the large crowd of strangers and leaving her daughter alone, so she stayed with her while she ordered her food. She looked at the odd, shiny wrapping concealing Star's food and poked it with a finger. Next, they stood in line while Star ordered her mother two cheese pizza slices and a bottle of water.
Once they had their food and drinks, the pair sat at a table as Star began to explain what a burrito was. Moon was fascinated that Marco had shown her daughter all of these things in the first few months that she had been left on Earth. Her daughter then explained what pizza was and how to eat it.
"If you're gonna eat pizza, you have to take off your gloves Mom. They'll get dirty from the grease and sauce," Star informed. Moon frowned.
"Star, I can't take off my gloves, my hands are purple. People will find that odd and draw unwanted attention to us. Isn't there some other way I can't eat this?" Moon protectively held her hands closer to her, afraid Star would try to rip them off, so she would eat the slices of greasy food. Thankfully, Star stood up, grabbed a package of plastic utensils and set them in front of her mother. Inside was a plastic knife, fork, and spoon as well as a napkin.
"You can just cut up the pizza into tiny little pieces and use the fork to pick up said pieces." Moon thanked Star and began to cut up the pizza. She sniffed the odd food before placing a piece in her mouth. She slowly chewed and then smiled at the delicious taste.
"This is quite good. Thank you for getting me this, Star," she said as she continued eating. The two ate in silence as Moon enjoyed her first slice of pizza. When they finished, Star threw their trash in a nearby dispenser and she turned to her mother.
"Why don't we go somewhere where we can do something fun? Hmm, but the Bounce Lounge is closed so we can't go there. Oh, how about an amusement park? I think you'd love it there!" Moon shrugged as she patted her full stomach. Star pulled out the dimensional scissors and opened a portal. Taking her mother's free hand, Star dragged Moon through the portal to their next destination.