Mall (2)

The group stood outside the electronics store, bags already weighing them down from the gifts they'd bought for Liam. But Ethan's present was still undecided, and Ryan was dramatically slumping against a pillar.

Ryan groaned. "We've been walking for hours. This is worse than PE class."

Maiya crossed her arms. "Maybe if you actually exercised once in a while, you wouldn't be dying right now."

Ryan scoffed. "Why would I waste my energy on that when I have perfectly good legs to stand on?"

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Standing is literally what you're complaining about."

Kevin ignored their bickering and looked around. "Alright, headphones. We need a good pair within budget."

Ryan perked up. "Can't we just get a cheap one?"

Maiya shook her head. "If we're getting Ethan headphones, they need to be good. He actually cares about sound quality."

Noah, who had been mostly quiet, nodded. "Maybe something wireless? He listens to music a lot, so he'd probably like that."

Kevin smirked. "See? Noah gets it."

Ryan squinted at him. "Alright, quiet kid, what do you think we should get?"

Noah blinked, not expecting to be directly asked. "Uh… well, maybe noise-canceling ones? Since Ethan is always around loud people like… uh…"

He hesitated.

Ryan smirked. "Like who? Say it, man."

Noah cleared his throat. "Like… you."

Kevin burst out laughing. "He got you there."

Ryan clutched his chest. "Et tu, Noah?"

Noah smiled slightly. "It was just… an observation."

Sarah chuckled. "A very accurate one."

Ryan sighed dramatically. "Fine, fine. Noise-canceling it is. Let's go inside."

Inside the electronics store, they were immediately overwhelmed by the number of options. There were walls of headphones, ranging from cheap five-dollar ones to insanely expensive, professional-grade models.

Ryan grabbed the priciest pair and put them on. "Yo, these are sick."

Maiya checked the price tag. "$400? Put it back before I break your fingers."

Ryan pouted. "You have no appreciation for quality."

Sarah dragged him away. "We have a budget, moron."

Kevin turned to Noah. "Alright, expert, pick one."

Noah hesitated, scanning the shelves carefully. After a moment, he pointed at a sleek but reasonably priced pair. "These are good. Wireless, noise-canceling, and not too expensive."

Maiya checked the specs. "Huh, solid choice. How much?"

Kevin checked the price tag. "$120."

Ryan sighed in relief. "Finally, something that won't make my wallet cry."

Sarah nodded. "Alright, let's get them."

As they walked toward the cashier, Ryan suddenly gasped.

"WAIT."

Everyone turned.

Ryan held up a ridiculous pair of cat-ear headphones. "Should we get these instead?"

Sarah groaned. "No."

Ryan wiggled his eyebrows. "Imagine Ethan rocking these."

Maiya smirked. "Actually… that would be funny."

Noah snorted. "I don't think Ethan would ever forgive us."

Kevin shook his head. "Let's not waste money on a joke gift. We're already pushing the budget."

Ryan sighed and put them back. "Fine. But just know, you're killing comedy today."

Sarah ignored him and paid for the actual headphones.

After hours of shopping, the group finally collapsed into chairs at the mall's food court. Bags filled with gifts were piled around them as they all sighed in exhaustion.

Ryan leaned back. "This might've been the hardest thing we've ever done."

Maiya smirked. "Because thinking isn't your strong suit?"

Ryan pointed at her. "I will throw my fries at you."

Kevin checked his phone. "Oscar texted. His brother's club is set up for tomorrow."

Sarah nodded. "Good. That means we're all set."

Noah took a sip of his drink, glancing around. "So… what time are we meeting tomorrow?"

Kevin thought for a moment. "Afternoon, probably? We need time to set everything up before Liam and Ethan get there."

Sarah looked at their bags. "We should also wrap the gifts before the party."

Ryan grinned. "That's easy. We just throw them in a bag and call it a day."

Noah frowned. "Shouldn't we actually wrap them properly?"

Maiya smirked. "You really don't trust Ryan with gift-wrapping, huh?"

Noah hesitated. "Uh… I mean…"

Kevin laughed. "Noah's right, though. We should actually put in some effort."

Ryan groaned. "Fine. But if I get stuck with the wrapping job, I'm just using duct tape."

Sarah sighed. "You're banned from touching the gifts."

Ryan shrugged. "Fair."

As they ate and talked, the mood felt lighter. The stressful shopping trip was finally over, and the group had managed to get everything they needed.

Noah, sitting quietly for a moment, glanced around at the others. They argued, teased each other, and bickered nonstop, but somehow, it never felt bad.

It felt… like a real group.

He smiled a little to himself.

Maybe he really was part of this now.