They had been in the mall for nearly two hours. They had been to The Space and Gracie's for Carli, Radio Hut and Circuit Town for Freddie and twice to the food court for Sam who was still sipping a two quart tub of gravy as they stood in front of Abernathy and Snitch. Carli tapped her foot impatiently as she watched her friend nurse the gravy. Freddie stood staring off into the mall sneaking quick glances at the oversized poster featuring a shirtless guy in the window. Finally Sam tipped the cup up and chugged the thick brown sauce without spilling a drop. Carli was unaffected she had seen her best friend commit much more astounding feats of gluttony. Freddie was staring through entryway of Abernathy and Snitch. A well muscled guy wearing tight jeans and no shirt had just ambled through across the open space. Carli turned to say something to him and instead burst out laughing at the expression on her friends face.
"What?" He asked turning to her grimacing as his voice cracked slightly. "Why is that guy walking around without a shirt?"
"They do that here," Carli said shrugging.
"Yeah the free man candy is a big draw." Sam said smirking at the giant posters in the store front.
"I bet." Freddie muttered his eyes fallowing another model as he wondered by the door.
"Have you never been here before?" Carli asked cocking her head to the side.
"No," he said coughing uncomfortably.
"Your mother still buys your clothes doesn't she?" Carli asked smirking.
"If she didn't would I still be wearing polo shirts and nothing else?" He asked smiling despite the bright blush blooming across his cheeks.
"No polo shirts, check." Carli said patting her friend on the back.
"At least she doesn't make you wear antibacterial underwear." Sam said, Freddie blinked at her his eyes going wide with surprise. He was getting used to the new cuddly Sam, but her being supportive in front of Carli was odd. The look on the brunettes face was evidence that she was startled too.
"No khakis either, they make him look like a tool." Sam said walking off into the store. Freddie rolled his eyes and Carli smiled confusedly as they followed the blonde. Carli immediately walked off into the racks perusing each carefully. Sam followed her making small comment on each thing she pulled out to examine. Freddie followed them aimlessly keeping his eyes on the floor. Large photographs of half nude men adorned most of the walls and three or four live specimens. One wondered by the group and Freddie couldn't help but look up and ogle the man's tanned and tight chest. The model noticed his gaze and smiled before winking at him; Freddie blushed and stared at the ground immediately running headfirst into a display stand. He groaned as the gorgeous model walked away chuckling softly.
"I don't know if I like it here." Freddie muttered as he caught up with the girls. "Isn't it all a bit demeaning?" He asked glancing over his shoulder at the departing man.
"What do you call Hiding Vicky?" Carli asked as she turned to press a black t shirt against Freddie's chest. She shook her head and hung the shirt back on the rack.
"What size jeans do you wear, Freddie?" Sam asked.
"I don't remember." The blond girl pushed away from her rack and moved towards him. He immediately tensed to defend himself but Sam was fast. She darted behind him and grabbed the waist of his jeans.
"Sam, Sam what are you doing?" Freddie asked his voice going high with terror as he tried to escape her. She flipped the waist band out and peered at the tag. She turned him loose and patted the cloth back into place before setting off into the store. Freddie stared after her before turning to Carli who automatically burst into a fit of laughter clinging to a nearby rack to stay on her feet.
"Be glad she didn't take them off of you to find out." Carli said turning back to her search. Finally she pulled out a black t-shirt that had striped sleeves sown into the short sleeves to make it look like layers. "What about this?" She asked turning to Freddie.
"Isn't that a little emo?" He asked crinkling his nose at the shirt.
"It's not a dressy shirt and it's got long sleeves to hide your bandages." She said pushing the shirt at him.
"Griffin already saw them." Freddie said taking the hanger from her.
"He did, but no one else knows what happened, do you want them too?" She asked.
"No, not really. I don't want it getting around school that I tried to kill myself, people will act funny."
"Alright then, carry that shirt and we'll look for something better."
"Okay, like a backup."
"Exactly."
"Do you think it's smart to let Sam wonder around the store by herself?" Freddie asked turning to scan the store for a head of curly blond hair.
"What do you mean?" Carli asked without taking her eyes from the rack she was going through.
"We're in a clothing store where there are scantily clad men wondering around unprotected and Sam's impulse control isn't the best." Freddie said still looking across the store.
"Good point, someone could get hurt, or worse." Carli said moving away from the rack she was going through. As they wondered through the store looking for Sam Freddie grabbed a thin hoodie from a rack and added it to the stack of shirts he was carrying. When they finally found the other girl she was standing behind a clothing rack staring at one of the models who was about a yard away examining himself in a mirror. Carli slid in behind her and grabbed her shoulders.
"Don't do it, Sam." She whispered harshly in her friend's ear.
"What?" Sam asked turning and giving the brunette wide, innocent eyes.
"I know you, Sam. You're planning on doing something horrible to that poor man. You'll get us all thrown out of the store, please try and restrain yourself." Carli said gently shaking Sam's shoulder.
"Fine," she sighed walking away. Freddie caught site of a pair of jeans he liked and stopped to look at them. When he turned the model who had been looking in the mirror had turned around and was favoring him with a smile. He turned to disappear into the store but the older man started towards him so he stopped and waited his mouth going dry.
"Hey, can I help you with anything?" He said as he drew closer, a small smile still plastered on his face.
"No…I'm fine." Freddie managed to stammer his eyes racing from the man's face, down his body, and to the floor.
"Are you looking for anything particular?" The model asked crouching down to catch Freddie's eyes.
"My friend wanted to help me pick out cloths for my first date." Freddie said locking eyes with the man.
"Oh cool, personally I think you would look great in this." The model leaned past him to grab a shirt from the rack behind Freddie. Freddie gasped as the man's muscled chest brushed against him and his expensive cologne flooded his senses. When the model pulled back to show him the shirt Freddie was blushing fiercely and holding the shirts in front of his fly.
"Thanks." He said taking the shirt from the man.
"Anytime." He said smiling warmly.
"I better go find my friends." Freddie said turning and nearly running off into the store. He found Carli and Sam standing beside the dressing rooms. He darted inside one before the girls could say a word and locked the door behind him. When the model had brushed against him he had grown instantly and visibly hard, he didn't plan on leaving the dressing room until it went away.
"Freddie, come out and get the jeans Sam found so you can try them on." Carli called from outside the door.
"Not right now, I'm going to try on the shirts first." He replied shakily forcing thoughts of grandmothers, car accidents, and dead fish through his mind but the model kept busting through the tangle.
"Well at least come out so we can see how you look." Carli cajoled.
"Freddie, get your butt out here before I come in and get you." Sam threatened tapping on the door.
"I can't, please leave me alone." Freddie pleaded fighting to keep the feel of the models chest out of his mind.
"What's wrong?" Carli asked.
"This is not a store to bring teenage boys who like boys." Freddie moaned shifting as he stood and began to pace. Carli looked at Sam confusedly who simply held up her index finger. Carli looked at the finger then looked at the dressing room door before gasping and laughing. "It's not funny." Freddie whimpered as he made another circuit of the closet like dressing room.
"I'm sorry, Freddie, I didn't think the floor walkers would have that affect on you." Carli said still trying not to laugh.
"I was fine then one of them touched me."
"What do you mean 'touched you?'" Sam asked her voice barely more than a growl. She turned and started looking over the sea of cloths for the model.
"He brushed up against me when he went to reach me a shirt. I think he was flirting with me." Freddie sighed.
"Oh, well, that's not quite worth a beat down." Sam shrugged and leaned against the door.
"You were going to beat someone up for me?" Freddie asked smiling.
"It's not okay to fondle teenagers in clothing stores." Sam said darkly"....unless they start it."
"Are you alright yet?" Carli asked tapping her foot impatiently.
"No, not really."
"Can't you just take care of it?" Sam asked sighing.
"I'm trying…what? NO!" Freddie hissed turning to glare at the door.
"Why? Guys do it all the time." Sam asked rolling her eyes.
"Because I'm in a changing room in the mall and there are people around." Freddie grumbled resting his forehead against the wall.
"We can take a walk." Sam offered.
"I'm not doing THAT in here." Freddie grumbled. The same model walked up to the girls.
"Can I assist you with anything?" He asked favoring them with what he thought was a charming smile.
"You've helped enough today, bub, take a hike." Sam said grimacing at the man.
"We're fine here, just waiting for our friend to get changed." Carli said returning his smile even though she felt like kicking him in the shin. He probably thought what he'd done was funny. And admittedly if it weren't Freddie trapped in the changing room it might be funny, but he'd been through enough without random people messing with him.
"Well just let me know if you need anything." The man said before walking away.
"Hey, Freddie, my mom said she thought you were turning into a hunk." Sam said with a deadpan look on her face.
"It's gone!" Freddie shouted from behind the door. "Maybe forever."
"Alright then, get out here and get these jeans, the mall closes in an hour."
"And I'm hungry again." Sam said tapping on the door. Freddie opened it and reached for the jeans. A few minutes later he came out wearing a pair of tight jeans and the hoodie he had grabbed. The hoodie was unzipped halfway down his shirt and showed that he wasn't wearing anything underneath it. Sam and Carli stared at him quietly for a moment. Carli's eyes were wide and unblinking and Sam's mouth hung open slightly.
"Does this look okay?" He asked
"That's fine," Sam said dully.
"You have no idea." Carli said her voice sounding distant.
"Do you think I should try on the other things?" Freddie ask still not noticing his friends state.
"I don't think so; we should probably get Sam something to eat before she starts harassing people." Carli said finally.
"Alright you go ahead; I'll go pay for these." Freddie said going back into dressing room. Carli and Sam walked away.
"I'm not hungry anymore." Sam said as they headed towards the food court. Carli stopped dead in her tracks and stared at her friend.
"Do we need to get you to the hospital?"
"No, I just lost my appetite." Sam said sitting on a bench just outside the food court.
"Why?" Carli asked as she sat down beside her.
"Because Mamma likes," she said gesturing to Freddie as he came out of Abernathy and Snitch. "And that's wrong on so many levels."
"I know what you mean." Carli said as they watched Freddie walked towards them. "Gay Freddie is hot."
"What were you two talking about?" Freddie asked as he walked up.
"Nothing." Carli said a little too quickly.
"Nothing at all." Sam said before getting up and walking towards the exit.
A/N: I've never really been in an Abernathy and Snitch store…or anything that closely resembles it (my impulse control is about as bad as Sam's), so everything in this fic was just my close approximation of what I think happens in there. So yeah the models probably don't act like sales clerks or flirt with teenage boys….but they do at Abernathy and Snitch, because this is my world I just share it with the rest of you.