3

"Sierra!"

Someone shouted from a distance, or at least it sounded like they were far away, I couldn't really tell. I was too busy killing zombies in my dream. I groaned and turned over in bed, ignoring whoever it was that was calling me.

A big horde of zombies just ran into the store. I took off towards the back exit in a hurry, not wasting any time. It was every man for himself. I didn't understand why my stupid co-workers just stood there trying to fight them off while throwing utensils at the bloodthirsty beasts.

"Just run, idiots!" I shouted as I had just reached the back exit.

I threw open the door and a blast of light hit me right in the face, temporarily blinding me.

"Come with me!" A man screamed from nearby.

After my eyes adjusted to the sun, I looked around for the man but saw no one. I could hear growling and screaming closing in behind me, knowing the infected were near. I quickly turned around and shut the door. I was still looking around for the man but I saw no one. I was tempted to run down the street, but for some reason, I just stood there... almost like I was suddenly frozen in place.

My mind had wandered, so I hadn't seen the zombie that leaped out from behind the big dumpster beside me. I screamed as it charged at me full force.

"I said come with me!" went the man's voice again, and then I felt a painful tug on my arm as my body jerked to the side.

"Sierra! Wake your ass up!"

I swung my arm out as a reflex to the tug and accidentally smacked someone square in the face.

"Ow!" Angela cried. "What the hell, dude?"

I wiped my eyes as I tried to focus on her face. She was standing next to my bed rubbing her cheek. I laughed. "I'm sorry. I thought you were a zombie."

She playfully hit me on the arm. "We're all going out for breakfast. My treat. You have ten minutes to get ready or we're leaving your ass here."

She then spun around and left the room.

I quickly shook off the creepy dream and got up to shower. I'm not much of a girlie girl, so it didn't take me long to get dressed. I rarely wore makeup and didn't give two shits about styling my hair, so I was ready to go in about twenty minutes.

"Seriously..." Angela sighed heavily once I walked into the living room. She eyed my lazy attire then shook her head in disapproval. "You desperately need a new wardrobe. I know you have other clothes in your closet besides sweatpants!"

"Yeah, but..." I started.

"Ugh, you know what, that's it!" Angela cut me off. "We're going shopping today, for you and Chrissy, and I'm not taking no for an answer."

"Yes! New clothes!" Christina beamed.

"Yay! Shopping!" Carlos joked, mimicking a girl's voice, making all of us laugh.

Christina never complained about how badly we had it financially. I knew she was only quiet about it because she probably didn't want to hurt my feelings. However, I also knew deep down that she hated being broke all the time just as much as I did. I always try to get her new stuff like clothes and such whenever I could afford it, but being that she's in high school, the trends are constantly changing. It's hard to keep up.

I can't lie and say that it didn't hurt a little to hear how excited she sounded about our shopping trip, being that it'd all be thanks to Angela.

"Fine," I agreed. I didn't even have the energy to argue. I never do. Arguing with Angela Walters is something no one can win at. "Can we go now?"

I refused the idea that we all go in my little piece of shit car, so we ended up taking Angela's sleek Cadillac Escalade. She's had it ever since she was sixteen, the lucky bitch.

"So, where are we going? Obviously not Starbucks," Angela smirked at me as we left my apartment.

"Chinese restaurant?" Carlos suggested and we all groaned.

"It's too early to put that on our stomachs," Angela said while we all piled into her spacious car. "Wouldn't mind it for lunch, though."

"McDonald's serves a semi-decent breakfast," I proposed.

"Nah," Christina cut in. "How about IHOP?"

We all agreed with that and with Angela's need for damn speed, we got there in no time.

"Honestly, how do you not have like a gazillion speeding tickets by now?" I laughed as we parked and exited the car.

"It's all in who you know my friend." She winked as we headed towards the entrance.

Before I grabbed the door to open it for everyone, a tall man came rushing out, rudely, not even caring who was in his way. He whipped past me so quickly that he was almost a blur. My head automatically turned in his direction as I was about to give him some words for being so disrespectful.

He was in a suit and had a slender build, reddish-brown hair, and chiseled facial features. He looked like someone that belonged on the cover of a magazine. Too bad his people skills suck.

I only managed to catch a glimpse of him because he shot out of the door with a quickness. His voice was deep and he was angrily cursing at someone on his cell phone that was clutched to his ear. He has way too much energy for a Saturday morning. I would've stopped staring if it wasn't for the intoxicating cologne that he was drenched in. It lingered in the air for a little while after he sped past me. I don't know if a smell can be identified as sexy or not, but whatever he was wearing reeked of nothing but lust.

As my friends all went inside not paying the stranger any mind, I couldn't help myself as I continued to stand there staring at the man in the fancy blue suit. I wasn't quite sure what brand it was, I just knew that it looked expensive and also completely stunning on him. So did the shiny gold watch on his wrist. He's a man with money, that much I can tell.

I kept my eyes on him as he had his back to me. He was facing the street, his voice growing louder, and whoever it was on the receiving end of the phone he was really letting them have it. It was rude of me to eavesdrop, but I did it anyway. Payback for him not having any manners.

I couldn't believe that he was seriously having such a loud, personal conversation like this in public. I wanted to tell him to shut up because he was starting to draw a crowd, but I kept my mouth closed. Then it looked like he was about to turn around to find me staring at him, but someone grabbed my arm and reclaimed my attention.

"Sierra, what are you still doing out here? We're about to order." Christina said, releasing me from my trance with the mysterious man.

"Sorry," I whispered just before looking back to see the man climb into a shiny black SUV that had pulled up apparently just for him.

Well, that was interesting.

///

LATER

We were at IHOP for about an hour. Christina and I nearly ordered everything off the menu.

Angela insisted the tab was on her and to eat as much as we wanted, so we did. I was finishing up my last piece of bacon as I slouched down in my seat, placing a hand on my food baby, feeling extremely satisfied. I looked over at Christina and she was still going to town on her third plate.

"Angela, I don't know how to thank you for this." I smiled at my best friend.

"You can thank me by allowing me to buy you and your sister some new clothes today, with no backtalk." She smiled back at me.

"I can't accept that. It's too much. Breakfast was enough, seriously."

"If she wants to spend her money on us then let her spend it, Sierra." Christina nudged me, whispering. And knowing just how badly she really needed new clothes, I didn't care much about myself at that point; rather, I decided not to put up a fight anymore.

"Alright, alright," I sighed. "We can go shopping."

///

HOURS LATER

"If we don't go out tonight and have some real fun, I'm going to go insane," Carlos muttered while he carried the last of the shopping bags into my apartment.

We finally got back to my place just as it started to get dark outside. I can't believe it took us damn near the entire afternoon shopping! We went from store to store and I refused to look at the register each time we checked out. Christina and Angela couldn't have had a better time while Carlos and I sat back and chilled until Angela forced me to try something on.

"I don't know about you guys, but all I want to do right now is go to sleep," I yawned, collapsing onto the couch. "I have the stamina of an old woman."

"I'm gonna go try on my clothes again! Thanks so much, Angela!" Christina shrieked and then ran back to her room with her bags in hand. I didn't even bother with all of mine, I just left them in the middle of the living room floor.

"Oh, hell no, we're going out tonight," Angela replied. "Even if I have to drag you out by the hair, you will be coming."

"I'm down. And I'd really hate to have wasted this outfit, Sierra, so please say yes," Carlos added, coming to sit next to me on the couch. "Some lucky girl will be ripping my clothes off tonight... Unless one of you wanna be the one to do it."

"No thanks," I laughed and punched his shoulder.

"Hey, you owe me, remember?" Angela pointed out.

"How so?" I asked her, but then it clicked... "Wait a minute, did you do all this on purpose, all this buying me and Chrissy stuff just to guilt me into going out tonight?"

"What? No way! I did it out of the kindness of my heart!" She scoffed, playfully rolling her eyes. "And so what if I did anyway? You can't lie and say you don't want to go out. I know you do."

"The peer pressure is ridiculous with you two," I replied. "Fine, we can go, but I'm not staying out past one in the morning." They both smiled, knowing they finally broke me. "Will you call Sharon and see if she'll come over to sit with Chrissy?"

There was a party tonight at one of the frat houses on campus and I didn't want her sneaking out and going to it. The last thing that I needed to worry about was some disgusting jock pushing up on my high schooler little sister.

"Yes!" Angela shrieked, quickly whipping out her cell phone. "Ok, you're gonna wear that hot purple dress that we bought today. It looked so good on you with those black pumps. Oh my God, the men are gonna eat you up tonight!"

Her enthusiasm was entertaining but not contagious as I got up to search for the bag that had the dress.

This was going to be a long night.

Hopefully, like Carlos, I'll get lucky and find someone worth my time. Guess I'll find out shortly.

...