Mall

Maiya stretched her arms as she looked around the now-clean living room. "That was tough."

Noah let out a small sigh, wiping his forehead. "Yeah… but at least it's done."

Kevin clapped his hands together. "Alright, next up—shopping!"

Oscar, who had been leaning against the wall, pushed himself up. "I'll go talk to my brother first, see if I can get the club ready for tomorrow."

Kevin nodded. "Got it. We'll meet up later."

Oscar gave them a lazy salute before heading out the door.

Sarah dusted off her hands. "Before we go on a shopping spree, can we eat first? I'm starving."

Ryan immediately perked up. "Yes, please. I feel like I just burned a thousand calories cleaning that mess."

Kevin smirked. "You barely did anything."

Ryan scoffed. "I supervised."

Maiya rolled her eyes. "Sure, sure. Let's just go."

---

They made their way to a nearby grocery store, a small but well-stocked shop with bright fluorescent lights. As soon as they stepped inside, the cool air-conditioning hit them, a welcome relief from the outside heat.

Sarah grabbed a cart. "Alright, let's grab some drinks first. I'm dying of thirst."

Ryan immediately ran ahead. "Dibs on the grape soda!"

Maiya narrowed her eyes. "You mean the last grape soda?"

Ryan froze mid-step and spun around. "Wait, wait, let's talk about this—"

Maiya dashed past him, grabbed the last can, and held it up triumphantly. "Too slow, monkey boy."

Ryan dramatically fell to his knees. "Betrayal."

Kevin rolled his eyes and tossed a lemon-flavored soda into the cart. "Just get a different one."

Ryan groaned. "Fine, whatever. But I'm choosing the snacks then."

Sarah pushed the cart forward. "Get something Liam and Ethan would actually eat, not just your weird chili-lime chips."

Ryan scoffed. "Excuse you, my chili-lime chips are elite."

Noah, who had been quietly scanning the shelves, finally spoke up. "Uhm… what do Liam and Ethan actually like?"

Sarah hummed. "Liam likes simple stuff. Probably just a cola or something."

Kevin nodded. "And Ethan's a coffee guy, right?"

Maiya glanced at the coffee section. "Should we get him some fancy brand or just a regular iced coffee?"

Ryan leaned against the cart. "Fancy brands are expensive."

Noah tilted his head. "Maybe just one bottle of the fancy one? Since it's a gift?"

Maiya smiled. "Look at you making smart choices."

Noah scratched his cheek. "I just thought it'd be fair."

Sarah grabbed a bottle of cold brew. "Alright, this should be good."

They moved to the snack aisle next, and as expected, Ryan immediately grabbed a family-sized bag of chips.

"Done," he announced.

Maiya raised an eyebrow. "One bag? You do realize how many people are coming, right?"

Ryan frowned and grabbed two more. "Happy now?"

Sarah shook her head and added a few packs of cookies. "We need variety, dumbass."

Noah hesitated before reaching for a pack of chocolate bars. "Maybe these? Liam seems like he'd like chocolate."

Kevin nodded. "Good idea. Let's just make sure Ryan doesn't eat them before we even get to the party."

Ryan gasped. "How dare you?"

Maiya smirked. "He's got a point."

Noah chuckled a little as they continued picking out more snacks.

---

The mall was massive—nine stories high, filled with bright lights, large glass storefronts, and a sea of people. As soon as they walked in, the atmosphere felt overwhelming.

Ryan whistled. "Man, I forgot how huge this place is."

Sarah crossed her arms. "Alright, so what exactly are we getting for Liam and Ethan?"

Kevin rubbed his chin. "Good question. Something meaningful but not too expensive."

Ryan snorted. "That rules out everything in this mall."

Maiya pulled out her phone. "We could split up and check different stores. One group looks for something for Liam, the other for Ethan."

Sarah frowned. "I don't know. What if we all find something and can't decide?"

Noah, who had been quiet up until now, hesitantly spoke up. "Uhm… maybe we should set a budget first?"

Ryan scoffed. "What budget? We're broke."

Maiya crossed her arms. "Exactly why we need to plan this out."

Kevin sighed. "Alright, let's be realistic. How much does everyone have?"

Sarah pulled out her wallet. "I have about forty bucks."

Maiya checked her balance. "Sixty."

Kevin nodded. "Same."

Ryan looked guilty. "Uh... I kinda spent most of my money last week."

Maiya deadpanned. "On what?"

Ryan grinned. "Limited edition merch."

Sarah groaned. "You absolute idiot."

Ryan shrugged. "It was worth it."

Noah hesitated before reaching into his pocket. "I have… twenty dollars."

Kevin nodded. "Alright, so roughly two hundred total. That's not bad."

Ryan stretched. "Cool, so how about we—"

Maiya grabbed him by the collar. "You're not spending it on yourself."

Ryan sighed dramatically. "Fine."

The group wandered through the mall, stopping at different stores to browse.

Maiya pointed at a sleek, expensive-looking jacket. "This would look great on Liam."

Ryan checked the price tag. "Two hundred bucks? Are you trying to make us homeless?"

Sarah sighed. "We need something cool but affordable."

Noah hesitated before speaking. "Liam likes art, right? Maybe something related to that?"

Kevin nodded. "Good thinking. Let's check the art supply store."

As they made their way there, they got distracted by a sneaker shop.

Ryan gasped. "Yo, these are fire!"

Sarah rolled her eyes. "We're not here for you."

Ryan pouted. "But look at them."

Noah smiled a little. "I mean… they do look nice."

Maiya dragged Ryan away. "No distractions."

When they finally reached the art store, they browsed through different supplies.

Kevin picked up a set of high-quality sketchbooks. "This could work."

Sarah nodded. "And maybe some fancy pens?"

Noah, feeling more confident, added, "Maybe a carrying case too? Something portable."

Maiya smiled. "Look at you, making smart suggestions."

Noah rubbed his neck. "Uhh... thanks."

After finalizing Liam's gift, they moved on to looking for Ethan's present.

Ryan clapped his hands. "Alright, what does Ethan like?"

Maiya thought for a moment. "Music, right? Maybe something related to that."

Sarah snapped her fingers. "Headphones!"

Kevin grinned. "Perfect. Let's find a good pair within our budget."

The group spent another hour browsing different stores, arguing over prices, and debating what looked best.

Ryan groaned. "Who knew shopping could be this stressful?"

Sarah smirked. "Welcome to reality."

Noah, despite the chaos, found himself smiling.