Constance was the one pushing the shopping cart despite her better judgment. She kept her eyes out for anything they needed since Anne was pulling the cart and haphazardly putting things in. They needed way too much for her not to be watching since Anne hadn't even had a toothbrush, a fact that still made her shiver.
Anne grabbed a pack on paper plate and utensils and turned to Constance who nodded back. Grocery shopping made Constance really happy because she had her old old Anne back. Not the person who was trying to see the stars, or the wreck that she had woke up to this morning, but she called her best friend back in high school. Sure, she was a bit thinner than the girl that she knew, but Anne had never been known for actually eating her food. Still, the idea that Constance could make sure she ate at least two meals a day made her happy.
"You said your parents are going to get our groceries for the First Month, right?" Anne asked.
Constance nodded. Anne got a plastic bag and put the apple in. She then picked up 5 more apples and stuffed them in the bag.
"Can we get peaches?"
"I'm all for whatever fruit you want to eat as long as you eat some okay?" Constance replied.
Anne smiled and got another bag. She slowly picked out a peach and looked at it. "I haven't had anything good with peaches in forever. Like when I was grocery shopping New York with Roxxy Darling we'd go to the fruit aisle and one of the peach options would say from Georgia. Like Georgia peaches."
Constance moved next to Anne and looked at the peaches with her. She picked out a couple and put them into the bag. Anne picked out some of her own and did the same before they both moved on.
"The sad thing is I can't remember what peaches taste like anymore. I swear that the last time I ate a peach was at my parents' house."
Anne stopped walking and looked at the floor. She moved her left arm across her body then took a deep breath. Constance had never seen her do anything like that before, but maybe it was a good thing. Maybe it was how she calmed herself.
"We have like 12 peaches Anne." Anne perked up and started to walk again.
"No, we have ten Georgia Peaches Connie. I'm going to draw a couple of them. Maybe it'll be like home you know?"
"You forgot that we're Georgia peaches? Thick accents, beautiful faces, and we're warm and fuzzy on the inside." Constance said.
Anne laughed and pulled the cart down to where the alcohol was. Constance didn't try to fight it. Instead, she watched her as she looked on both sides of the aisle. She finally stopped making sure that Constance stopped too.
"You know what sounds good though? Peach schnapps. Peach schnapps sounds amazing."
Constance tried to hold back a frown. The idea of drinking another night sickened her partly because she was still a bit hungover, but she also wasn't 100 percent sure that Anne wasn't still a little drunk herself. Seeing her 100 percent sober would be the only thing that could make her feel better.
"Can we cool it tonight?"
"No, we can't. The last of us aka Otto Von Houser is supposed to come in today with your luggage. Speaking of him you haven't told me anything about this mystery boyfriend of yours Connie and I don't do mystery well."
Anne looked toward Constance trying to find an answer in her face, but Constance knew better. She looked away which prompted Anne to get in front of her face. Once she did Constance turned away again. She didn't mind telling Anne about Eliot but playing with her when she was going to meet him later was starting to be fun.
"He's my boyfriend. What else can I say about him?"
"How long have y'all been together?"
"9 months? I think." Constance replied.
Anne finally got to see her face which was a little too much. Constance looked away again knowing that she needed to change the subject.
"He's pretty great...he helped Otto lose some weight and-"
"Are you telling me our very pudgy friend from high school isn't fat anymore?" Anne asked.
Constance smiled because even she had a hard time believing that Otto wasn't fat anymore. The last time Anne would've seen him he would have been around 350 which was endangering his health. Mostly everyone laid off of him about it with the exception of Anne's little sister Dixie who only wanted to turn him into a vegetarian.
Thinking about all of that also made Constance remember that Otto Von Houser had the biggest crush on Anne who never thought twice about it.
"I hope he doesn't still have that crush on me." Anne put a bottle of peach schnapps into the shopping cart then lead the cart down the rest of the aisle. "That would be so embarrassing for him."
"I don't think he does, but you know I could be wrong. Would you like...you would be for it these days?" Constance asked.
Anne burst out in laughter which meant that she still had the same thoughts about relationships that she had in high school.
She was never someone known for being in a relationship. In fact, she usually said-
"God No. I've decided to focus on my art Connie. I only have one life and I don't want it being held down by some boy or girl coming in telling me how I have to do things or worse distracting me from what's really important. At least not at this age."
"So sex and-"
"I do that. That different, but that's a different talk we'll have in a more private place, I think. All you need to know is that my life is too busy for people that aren't you or Roxxy Darling."
The name rang like a gong. Constance didn't want to hear any more about this and could afford to finish the rest of the trip in silence as long as she didn't hear that name again. There was just something off about her that Constance couldn't put her finger on. Something in how she just put Anne away that didn't sit right. It could've had something to do with Anne, but Constance didn't think so. Then there was the whole name thing.
"Why do you call her that?"
"When I met her, she told me," Anne cleared her throat. "Anne Dear my name is Roxxy Wendy Angela Moira Darling Smith, but honestly it's a mouthful and I do love my parents for giving it to me. Just call me Roxxy Darling, Dear."
She smiled at Constance who was trying to forget the whole thing. She told herself that she would try to give her another chance, but honestly, it probably wouldn't do much good. Her mind was already made up and unless Roxxy could give her a good reason. Anne picked up some lucky charms and gave the box a once over before putting it in the cart.
"I thought you hated processes cereal."
"I do, but Roxxy Darling loves them and she likes to eat with me in the morning," Anne said.
Anne turned to Constance again. Constance realized that she was scowling and tried to smile, but it was too late.
"I can pay you back though. I can like get a real job or sell something. I don't want to be a burden on you if I can avoid it."
"You're not planning on making art all the time?" Constance asked.
Anne shrugged and tried to move the cart, but Constance held it in place so that she couldn't move. She had a lot more questions now, and maybe this was the perfect place to do them. Anne couldn't lie very well in a public placed, or so Constance hoped.
"I might be able to paint fast but like I want quality stuff if I can sell. I still need money for paint and stuff, and I don't want to get kicked out or worse both of us kicked out...I want to room with you for the long-haul Connie. If that means working at night while painting during the day, I'll do it."
Constance stopped the shopping cart making Anne stumble back hitting her hip on it. She let go and rubbed it glairing over to Constance.
"We're a team Anne, so I'll find a job and you do what you got to do okay?" Constance said. Anne smiled at her and pulled the cart again.
"Well you know I sleep weird hours and like I always have the radio on. You think that'll be okay?" Anne asked.
Constance snorted and shook her head.
Anne was always the one who tried to make sure that everyone felt looked at during a party, and that didn't change at all.
"How about this, if you play the radio too loud, I'll cut you?"
"Wow Connie, Boston sure have changed you up good."
"You should see me fight someone these days? I put Otto in his place." Constance joked.
They both laughed and then Anne stopped again. She looked over to the side spaced out for a second. The expression on her face was terrifying. She looked so so lost.
"Annie are you okay?"
"Huh?"
"You spaced out there."
"I just got an idea for a painting. I was thinking of a cut on a hand or something and like paint comes out, not blood."
Anne started to walk again, but Constance let go of the shopping cart and watched her friend walk away. Sure, Constance didn't understand the artist process as much as she'd like but hearing those words scared her. Especially after seeing that look on her face.
Constance took a deep breath and remembered what Eliot like to tell you, that there's no use to making mountains out of molehills, and he wasn't wrong. The best thing that she could do was let it go and continue to keep an eye on her.
She ran to the shopping cart pretending that she was there the entire time. Anne turned around and looked at Constance seriously.
"Do you think that I should make a cake?" She asked.
They both smiled and kept going. The trip overall was a giant success, but for some reason, Constance couldn't get the words that Anne had said out of her head.
