Mall Pixies

"Nooo Jessicaaa, like, you said we would go to Claaaire's next. Like, the rest of us wanna get some new gliterrrr, come ooooon"

A somewhat defeated Janelle loafed and shuffle-hopped back behind the colorful coterie being led by Jessica. Somehow still standing out as colorful even against a sea of contrast. An artful task to be sure.

---

"There… they're departing orange Julius now." (an animated young man in an unbuttoned sunset toned Hawaiian shirt revealing a black wife beater and suspenders holding up a pair of fatigues, on which the blotches are seals and beach balls. He hops around a bit like a ballerina the way his knees go up and his heels come in together. Slapping an almost motionless boy of about the same age dressed all in black. They seem out of place, and surreal, despite being some of the most dully dressed folks in the place.)

"Do you see, it's on the corner of the food court? They've started conga-lining their way down the escalator toward that ugly steel blue cube filled with rhinestones and resin as we speak. The rest of them just follow along even though they know very well they aren't going inside." (He runs his hands through his hair as he paces back and forth across the narrow tiled ledge) "See Jessica, smiling primly back up at Janelle who's already getting visibly excited, chhh she's popped a piece of watermelon bubble-icious into that smirky gloss-laden mouth. It's so pink you can tell that's what flavor it is from here, God, I can practically smell it, she chews the stuff constantly, you'd think her teeth would've rotted outta her head by now."

"Ahhh well, the whole mall's a whirl with color." (jumping off the ledge he swings his arms around wide in a circle causing some girls nearby to flinch and laugh) "Those of us with life left to spend are mostly getting it on in the neon am I right ladies?" (he gyrates unattractively causing another round of nervous laughter he mistakes for mild interest) "And think of the children, the little children playing tag covered in sticky substances actually unidentifiable to man. Looking like cartoon characters ripped right from the pages of comic strips." (he gestures broadly towards a group of children, rolling and fighting on the floor near their parents eating in the food court, getting their matching gap kids outfits stained and sticky.)

"Even the 'adults', consumers and sales associates alike, they're confidently striding around in pastel spandex and rainbow polyester. The melange of humanity, rich and poor, all shapes and sizes, creeds and relations scurrying about, coming together at the mall. Just breathe it in buddy, the scent of corn dogs, and creamy orange shakes, mingling with Taco Bell to make an aroma that screams people-watching at the mall food court." (this whole monologue has been ramping up to a manic frenzy of sorts)

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"Ha, there… they finally made it to the ground floor," (finally brought back around to his point, and driven to obviously and violently point at the group directly across his friend's vision and down the courtyard teetering on the planter he was currently poised upon, causing the first move out of his compatriot, a small, almost imperceptible flinch) "It's as if the closer they all get to their destination, a force has them by their collective collars, slowing them up at the same pace. (waving his hands around like a magician he gets another laugh from the girls, now legitimately watching his antics since he is making such a scene. stepping in the dirt a little)

"They've even started to change shape from a line to a ball, tch. As if they all belong to some hive mind the lot of them. Not like us. We're individuals, that's why we walk alone, right?" (patting his friend on the back again, almost hard enough to knock him over into the planter this time, one of the audience members sprays a little water out of her nose caught up in the energy of the moment.) "Watching, noting, analyzing ehhh? (he points along an invisible plane just above the girls heads) but I don't have to explain the obvious to you, we wound up here for a reason, didn't we? We wind up here every Friday for a reason." (he turns back to the girls again, giving them the finger guns, and hopping back down to the floor of the food court. Spreading bits of soil, and a pill bug that goes scurrying off to get crushed under a trainer, the very same dirty trainer that had freed it. This entire scene is too much for them, the onlooking girls all either get up or start to fall off their chairs laughing)

"To witness the joys and sorrows of our brethren, while we go unscathed isn't that right buddy? This high court is more entertaining than even the cineplex at the end of the hall could have been! Hey I'm Ollie by the way, don't forget I'm here every Friday. You know where to find me now!"( he calls after the girls as they stumble off laughing into each other's shoulders.)

---

By the time Claire's was in sight Jessica had already worked her way to the back of the pack; in the strange two-way highway of the mall hallway. A place where illicit deals could happen right next to a wedding proposal, and none would be the wiser and sometimes did. Jessica was suddenly right next to poor Janelle who had been having a great time until this point. Or something vaguely resembling a good time. Everyone knew not to attract attention from HER, but somehow at every outing, and on every school day someone did. Her dangly earrings started catching Janelle's peripheral vision, though Janelle tried not to look over at her and possibly draw her immediate ire, Janelle was starting to get nervous, starting to doubt they were going to another store at all. So they walked in silence. Well, Janelle walked in silence, Jessica was chewing her gum in Janelle's ear.

"click schuck pop click schuck pop click schuck pop click schuck pop click schuck pop ptp pfffffffffffffff pffffffffffffffffffffffffff pfffffffffffffffffffff"

**POW!!!!**

Janelle jumped backward from her as an explosion of bubblegum and glitter was expelled from the front of her face. Jessica was completely covered in what can only rightly be described as a glitter bomb. Gum and glitter in her perfectly curled golden blonde hair. Covering her manicured nails, and flawless powdered and painted skin. Stuck in the crevices of her real jewelry, a shiny nightmare "SWEET 16" once silver cherries sticky and glittery sweet.

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"I thought everyone screamed, but wouldn't you say they seemed more confused than anything? I mean, what sort of stunt is it to put glitter in your own bubblegum? It backfired terribly anyway, she got it all over herself! She's never going to live this down, you can see we're all reveling in her pain no one's even trying to help." (he grabs onto one of the flag pole installations in the food court, shimmying up in an effort to get a better view, as soon as the commotion started people started crowding the railing.)

"Except… that high-pitched squealing, what the heck is that? Jessica's just wailing in a heap on the floor, you know it's actually quite pathetic. That there, what do you think that could be?" (climbing up the pole just far enough to see over the heads, clinging tight with his legs gesticulating so wildly he almost falls into the lunch of the couple eating in front of him trying to ignore what has been going on all around them, something that no longer seems possible) "A few heads keep twitching and hands have been batting around, there has to be something over there, I'm telling you!"

---

There was something flying amongst the crowd, something pink, sparkling, and comparatively loud. It came to a stop hovering above Jessica and Janelle, a tiny bull horn seemingly popped from a pocket of the tiny puffy embroidered harem pants, and it boomingly declared.

"I've come to take your names and chew your bubblegum, so give it to me ladies who's got some?!?!"

They all looked on in shock, eyes wide in disbelief a pink shimmering… Fairy… strangely dressed more like a genie, and speaking like it came out of some horror movie, but where…did it come from? Inside the bubble, did it fly in from off the street? Bystanders started rubbing their eyes and laughing. Thinking they must be going mad, looking around for signs of a hoax. It must surely be a promotion, or some type of production, a few people even tried grabbing at the obviously flying creature. Quite unable, as she was far too fast for their comparatively lumbering gait.

Clearly executing some sort of maneuver the powdery pixie started making her rounds again, spouting her catchphrase. Weaving in and out of the spectators.

"I'm here (clap) to take (clap) the names(clap), and chew(clap) the gum(clap), if you won't(clap) give me(clap) a new(clap) piece(clap) in tribute(clap) I'll take(clap) this piece(clap) right out (clap) of your(clap) golden hair(clap)."

The pink shooting Sparkler let out a maniacal laugh, clapping almost inaudibly against the side of the plastic kazoo she was still shouting through as she B lined over to Jessica's head. Stopped just short, chucking it right at her eye in distraction, latching onto the gum in those thick luscious locks, as soon as she flinched. Devouring it, along with any strands it's melded with, yanking and ripping, jumping back and forth from glob to glob.

---

"Oh, God you can hear Jessica screaming and even her flailing little arms smacking the terrazzo in a panic, she looks dazed." (he's about to slide down laughing when something practically holds him in place)

"What… is… she's grabbing for something, crawling like a soldier, trying to go for her purse! but my god, Janelle just saw her reach for it, and kicked the fu__ing bag away. This is tohoho good. Did you see that, did you see it. Oh my god. she just ran… the F… away, she tried not to look obvious, and probably no one else saw that clumsy ass move, but Jessica saw it, and I saw it. What about you, dude?! Are you seeing any of this, are you even looking?"

---

The entire mall broke into pandemonium rippling outward from Jessica's blasted bubble. A tiny fairy, the origin of the whole screaming scene. Yet few seem to even see the assailant, most only see Jessica, in a heap rolling in her own sticky grief. Watching in a mixture of horror and rapt fascination as she swats at her gum-streaked face, screaming, and slowly crawling on scraped-up knees. She slinks off behind a kiosk out of their line of sight.

"I like don't wanna be a Beeeotch about this buuuut like, she is craaaazeeee. Am I right, Or like, am I right? ahahahhahahaha"

Janelle flounces over to the chair, laughing icily, and gets ready for what she really came for.

In between slurping bites, the two-inch barber keeps hissing "Give me your name, I will leave, I will leave"

Every time Jessica opens her pink-stained mouth to supply the flying menace with what it came for, in the hopes it will abandon its assault, she hesitates, a nagging fear gripping the pit of her stomach. But as her frantic clutching grasps fail to find purchase, and she feels snippets of hair fall onto her bare knees, still tacky where she hobbled over bits of the busted bubble, she finally hears it

"JEEEE SIII CAAAAA"

cross her lips. Instantly the humming stops and the palpable feeling of dread ceases. She looks around, seeing her hair scattered in stray strands and locks, on the ground, and stuck in the gum all over her favorite outfit. She was holding a pair of scissors and a broken hand mirror in her shaking hands huddled behind a kiosk with a teenage burnout hawking lanyards and stickers a few feet around the corner. He had been trying to avoid gawking at her but is weakly yelling his pitch while watching her over his shoulder. There was gum on her face and clothes, and some was still stuck in her once beautiful blonde hair. Though most of it was now trapped in sticky patches of chewed gum on the cold speckled floor. Janelle and the rest of the girl crew watch in disturbed glee and horror from the entrance of Claire's while Janelle prepares to get her ears pierced. Red Cherries "Sweet 16"

---

Am I the only one who just saw Janelle steal someone's purse? They all ditched that one girl when she went crazy, and just ran off to Claire's. I mean did she give it to the security guard or anything? No! She just walked right into the store and sat down to get her ears pierced! Like a criminal duche! In fact, I know whose bag it obviously is, I have just been so distracted by…

---

Janelle sits bathing in the feeling of triumph she is almost perplexed by,

I didn't do anything to cause… that girl to make a fool of herself. She just walked over, was REALLY ANNOYING, and then FREAKED OUT. It was the craziest thing that has ever happened to me, and it didn't even happen to ME. It happened to what's her name. Gawd why can't I remember her name? I swear she is in some of my classes. Oh well, I will find out come Monday, when we all go back and…

"ok miss it is go time, this might pinch a little…"

"Ahhh… ha ha ha… ok that wasn't so bad. The other one won't Ahhhhh Oh My GAWD you didn't EVEN WARN me that time, WHYYYYY."

"sorry…"

"you should beee…"

As she slid off the director's chair, grabbed some neon glitter pots, and went to pay at the counter Janelle finally felt like she might have a chance at fitting in. It would just require making some more drastic changes, like piercing her ears; changes that hurt, that she didn't really like deep down inside. People had always said her name was frumpy and boring, but her middle name just rolled right off the tongue. This was the beginning of a new school year, if ol', oh whoever that used to be, can go down in flames just like that, as she snaps her fingers and mindlessly adjusts Jessica's purse on her shoulder next to her own.

When I come back to school on Mondaay, I will be 'Jessicaaaa!' instead of borrring old Jaanelle ugh. That will make me really popular!!! People love a fun Jessicaaa!!!

after posing, and applying some sparkly pink lip gloss in the mirror while giving herself a pep talk about the school year to come she felt much better. Jessica skipped out of the mall doors with two purses, a piece of bubblegum in her mouth, and one in her pocket for safety, though she couldn't put her finger on why it just felt right.

K.B. Silver