I never did find out why Sean Mori wasn't wearing a shirt that day.

The runway show was only six weeks away and there was work to do. So far, I was the only model who had signed up to show for Elliot. She needed at least six more. There was nothing anywhere in the job description that made recruiting other models a requirement, but all the same, I wanted to help Elliot out. You can't have a fashion show without models.

So everyday, I worked the food court and the lobby, approaching people who looked to be my age and handing out flyers. Over time, my fear of running into people from my old school started to shrink. Don't get me wrong, I definitely recognized some kids here and there, but it wasn't as nearly big of a deal as I made it out to be. Everyone had their own friends and was concerned with their own interpersonal drama. They could care less about some blast from the past who happened to have blue-green hair.

To be honest, that part left me kind of sad.

Elliot was a workaholic even during her lunch breaks, so she could never meet up with me for a quick bite to eat. Part of me would have taken another shot at talking to that weird Sean kid, but I never saw him in or around the food court. Elliot told me that Sean worked on the second floor in an arcade called The Final Dungeon.

As much as I was curious about Sean, I would have to be really desperate to show up at his place of business and just strike up a conversation. I mean, what would I even say to him? No, it would be better if we could simply run into each other again. With his shirt on this time.

Hell, maybe I was desperate enough to go see him.

At the moment, I was preoccupied by how insanely hungry I was. I gripped the ten dollar bill that my mom gave me that morning like my life depended on it. As I approached the counter of a burger joint called the Grape Grill, a distantly familiar voice called my attention.

"Aqua?"

I tore my gaze away from the glowing neon menu and looked at the cashier. The uniforms they wore made them all look the same at first glance. But underneath the purple cap was a face that I did in fact recognize.

The worker suddenly broke out into a grin and said, "You don't remember me, do you?" Before I could reply, he said, "Hang on. Don't want to hold up the line. Can I take your order really fast first?"

I told him that I just wanted the burger meal from the kid's menu (because for some reason I never grew out of enjoying those), paid him and stepped off to the side so my order could process and other people behind me could go.

I guess this was the cashier's lunch break because he wrapped up pretty fast at the counter and took off his hat. Just as he was rounding the counter to meet up with me, something in my brain clicked.

Reyes.

Roberto Reyes.

"I do remember you, Bobby," I said once he came close enough.

Bobby's eyes widened. Then he broke out into another boyish smile. "Do you want to catch up? Over at that table maybe?"

I let Bobby lead the way, trying to figure out how he got so mature. Because the Bobby that I knew was a total class clown.

As soon as I took my seat, I opened my kids meal.

"Bobby Reyes," I said, shaking my head with a slight chuckle.

Bobby tipped his chin and mimicked my tone.

"Aqua Marine."

On instinct, I flicked a french fry at him. "You know that's not my name."

Bobby rubbed the spot where the fry hit him as if it actually hurt. Then he scooped it off the table and popped it into his mouth. "You know I couldn't resist. That one always used to get you back in eighth grade too."

I rolled my eyes, but smiled eventually.

Underneath his work cap, Bobby's hair was pretty short. Enough that it didn't give away what I remember to be a tight curl pattern. But even this short, the texture was still thick and glossy.

One of the features that helped to jog my memory of Bobby was the faint clusters of beauty marks scattered about his jaw and trailing past his collar. His hairline was defined and angular with a sharp widow's peak that I never noticed before. He kept his face shaven, but clearly he'd have a whole beard if he ever grew it out.

"Do I look any different?" Bobby asked, helping himself to another one of my fries. Obviously he felt just as relaxed around me now as he had back then.

You're cuter, I thought, but I wasn't saying that.

"Mostly the same. The short hair threw me off. Your eyes seem bigger. You got taller."

Bobby gave me the Yeah-I-wish-that-was-the-case face.

"Barely." He snorted, looking away briefly. Then his tone brightened as he changed the subject. "I thought I was having deja vu when I saw you. Almost thought, nah, she'd never go so literal with her hair like that."

Knowing that he would eventually bring this up, I shrugged and waved around a floppy french fry. "You're looking at the extent of my sense of humor."

Bobby's laugh was the most genuine sound I'd heard in a long time.

From there, the conversation flowed naturally as we reminisced. We talked about the crazy homeroom teacher we shared in middle school and gave each other the breakdown on how increasingly annoying our siblings and parents had gotten over the years.

Then Bobby threw me for a loop when he apologized for begging me to tutor him in pre-algebra.

"Where is all of this coming from?" I asked, not sure how to react to him when he was being serious. "And don't apologize. I didn't mind tutoring you. I just feel bad because I could barely keep up with the subject myself."

Bobby shot me a shy smile. "Well it's not like my mom could afford an actual tutor. Plus you sat right next to me and the problems didn't seem so hard after you explained them to me."

I felt my face heat up after hearing what Bobby had to say. For a moment, I didn't know how to respond other than cross and uncross my legs. A jolt went through me when my ankle bumped into something warm and solid.

Bobby and I blurted our apologies at the same time. Then our legs brushed again as we tried to adjust in our seats. It was a mess.

Several nervous laughs and more fidgeting later, we were onto a different subject.

"So... were you working here when it all happened?"

Bobby seemed to know exactly what I was referring to. An unfamiliar shadow came over his features as he nodded.

"Yeah. I was here."

I lowered my voice. "So it's true then? The entire place got cleared out?"

Bobby's expression darkened as he kept nodding. "No alarms were tripped. Cameras didn't pick up anything."

I shook my head. "How is that even possible?"

Bobby leaned back in his chair and leveled his dark eyes with mine. "When there's no tape, the cameras can't record anything. That's how."

Something told me that Bobby probably wasn't supposed to know this much about the report. But if he had been working here long enough, I could see how he might hear things that leaked from the investigation.

"And get this," Bobby sat forward, the legs of his chair hammering against the tile. "This was one day before the store was supposed to open. Apparently it stocked a bunch of activewear merchandise. Like a sports and beach store combined. The seller was pretty pissed."

Together we speculated whether they might try to sue. And then Bobby dished the dirt on the other main department stores that closed up shop and ran for the hills.

Now the only businesses keeping the mall afloat were all crowded in one wing on the second floor.

"Don't know if a mall this big can survive off of arcade and movie ticket sales," Bobby sighed right before getting up. He asked me when my runway show was going to happen. During our conversation I had mentioned that I was here for modeling, but I honestly hadn't expected him to care enough to support my show.

"Don't look so shocked," Bobby said while accepting my flyer. "Don't you need people to show up?"

My skin was getting warm again. "Yeah, but–"

"Then I'll be there." Bobby leaned over the table and gently tugged on one of my teal curls. He used to do the same kind of stuff in middle school too. Just to irk me.

But for reasons I couldn't explain, I didn't find it annoying this time. Bobby lingered a little, looking me over one last time with something I would describe as fondness. Then he pushed off, said "Later, gator" and sauntered back to the Grape Grill.

I waited for the warm feeling in my body to get over whatever the hell this was before standing up. My mind was still on Bobby as I was piling all of my trash onto my tray. Like an idiot, I walked over to the nearest trash can and turned the tray over, totally forgetting that I wanted to keep my Cherry Grape soda.

"Shit! No, no! I didn't mean to do that."

At least I wasn't thinking about Bobby anymore.

There was no one around to see my little meltdown. I had barely gotten to enjoy my drink and I craved the promise of more caffeine.

If it landed upright and didn't touch anything, maybe–

Was I actually thinking about fishing my fountain drink out of the trash because I wanted it that bad?

Like I said, there wasn't anyone watching.

There was nothing stealthy about the way I tried to play it cool while I freed the hostage (my drink) from the kidnapper (the mall garbage). But what did any of that matter when there was nothing there for me to grab?

When my hand grasped at nothing, I had to go armpit-deep into the receptacle. Still, I felt nothing. I pulled my arm out and looked inside, but there was only darkness. Like some kind of black abyss.

At this point I was sure someone would notice me poking around in the garbage. I wasn't about to turn the damn thing upside down, so I decided to leave.

Knowing that Elliot wouldn't need me back so soon, I wandered the mall, edging closer and closer to the wing where the big department stores had shut down.

Before I knew it, I was standing just a few feet away from Pacifico, the scene of the robbery.

> Every look you need for the beach and beyond! <

The logo above the store slogan was the silhouette of a tie-dye killer whale. Even though all the shelves and manikins were empty, there were posters of models having fun on a sunny boulevard. Pacifico clothes came in crisp whites with tiny splashes of the colorful logo. That or an explosion of color with the inverted full tie-dye looks. It seemed that the reversible quality of the outfits was the store's main bragging point.

I could easily see how a concept like this would be popular with a younger crowd. We were nowhere near the coast, but dressing like you just came from the beach was the next best thing.

I rested my hand on one of the glass panes, still thinking about how the inside of this mall would have looked had this store gotten its grand opening. Not so empty was my guess.

Would the people from my school have hounded their parents to bring them all the way over here? Would I have had something to promise one of my friends if they agreed to pay me a visit?

Would I be alone right now?

I stood there with that question. I felt stupid for asking it, but at the same time I didn't. Because I knew why my friends didn't want to be here with me. I saw the way they dressed. I had been to their houses. Swam in their pools. I knew what kind of jobs their parents had.

Nothing that my friends came from reflected what I had.

I knew exactly why none of them were willing to make the trip. I just didn't want to say all that.

I bit back a groan as I closed my eyes and leaned forward. As soon as my forehead pressed up against the glass, I felt vibrations.

"What the–" I pushed off from the window and looked around. What I felt just then... it took over my whole body. Like a gong that went off somewhere inside my stomach. Even though I wasn't touching the glass anymore, I could still feel those deep vibrations passing over the muscles in my arms and legs like a wave.

"You can hear them too."

I screamed that time.

Sean Mori didn't apologize for scaring the shit out of me. He was wearing what I assumed to be his uniform for the arcade – just a black polo and jeans. His hair was pulled back in low, careless bun.

I swallowed thickly. "Hear what?"

Sean glanced up at the Pacifico logo above my head. "Not sure yet."

He approached the store and rested his fingertips on the glass.

"But they sound like a family."

.

.

.

Any idea what Aqua might be hearing? Let me know your thoughts!