Mellisa looked at her reflection on the mirror. She frowned, this one clip's still not in the right place... She fussed with her hair again. She picked up all the small butterfly-shaped clips she had put on her hair and combed it.


She smiled seeing her shiny shoulder-length black hair flowed in the right manner. And it's soft too... Mellisa grinned happily. She was damn proud of her hair, and she took good care of it. Now, let's start decorating...


She hummed and put a dozen butterfly clips on her hair. Now this seemed right! Mellisa thought gratefully. She examined her natural face. She was not wearing any make-ups, and she hoped in the near future she would not have to. She only liked to fuss about her hair, period. She eyed her knitted army-green tube top and khakis, and gave her hair a final touch.


"Watch out, boys, here I come!" she said to herself, satisfied. "Mellisa!!! What the heck are ya doin' there?!" Rachel, her blonde friend who shared the apartment with her banged the bathroom door.


"I'm, uh,... I got an upset stomach!" Mellisa cried back. "Oh yeah? I think she's fussing with her hair again," Kylie, another friend of hers, laughed. As she did so her short but stylish brown hair bobbed around. "You bet. She's always doing that," Deanna added. She smiled, showing her perfect white teeth that really contradicted her slick jet-black hair.


"C'mon, Mel I thought we're only going to the grocery!" Rachel cried, exasperated. "Okay, okay! I'll be there in a jiffy!" Mellisa compromised. "The question now is, how long is a jiffy," she heard Rachel mumbled to Kylie, and the latter gave a little laugh.


"Alright alright I'm coming!!!" Mellisa examined herself on the mirror again, hesitated for a second, then got out of the bathroom. "Ta-daa!!! How do I look?" Mellisa turned around so that her friends could see her from every angle.


"Very stylish, ma'am, you look like you're going to some party instead of a mere minimart." Deanna laughed. "Yeah, I have to agree. Now can we please get goin'? There's nothing left in the refrigerator except some outta date milk," Rachel grimaced.


"Our lives depend on you, Mellisa," Kylie said dramatically, and she pretended to faint for an effect. "At least our dinner does," Deanna chuckled. "You two can order pizzas," Mellisa tilted her head. "Oh, we prefer your home-made lasagna," Kylie smiled slyly. "Yeah right. Let's go before my head go even bigger," Mellisa laughed.


"I'm waiting for you to say that!" Rachel sighed with relief. "See ya guys!" Mellisa reached for her handbag and got out of her apartment followed by Rachel.

***

"Now what?" Mellisa looked at the shopping list which had been carefully written by Deanna and Kylie. It's really, uh... detailed, Mellisa grimaced. It seemed to her that the list just went on forever, never ending.


"Number 52 on the list: low-fat milk. Make sure you buy the ... Magnolia one that has the cute... picture of... cow on...?" Mellisa squinted, not believing what she just read.


"Got any problem?" Rachel walked towards her carrying a bunch of miscellaneous items. Her hands were full, so she craned her head to see the list.


"Rach, do you think I need to wear glasses?" Melissa asked her friend skeptically. "What made you say that one!" Rachel laughed amusedly. Then Mellisa pointed at the list and Rachel go, "oh."


"Do you think I need new contacts?" Rachel asked teasingly, winking her blue eyes. "No, really. Sometimes I just can't believe Kylie is seventeen years old!" Mellisa laughed.


"Actually she's going to be eighteen the end of this month," Rachel reminded her. "My gosh! I haven't got her a present yet!" Mellisa gasped. "Think of it later. We still have some... 1001 more items to buy." Rachel lifted one of her eyebrows. "Are you sure?" Mellisa laughed, "But just in case, you do bring that cash card along, right?"

***

We need some milk, man!" Bryan punched his friend, Shane, playfully. The two cute guys were -unusual enough- inside a grocery store. "Yeah, yeah, you go get it I still wanna look around here," Shane's eyes darted to the rack of football magazines in one corner. He then pushed his trolley, which was full with snacks and chips and stuff, towards the rack.


"Hey, you comin'?" Bryan asked him impatiently. "Yeah, yeah, I'll catch up with you later," Shane mumbled, already engrossed in one particular magazine.

***

"Hey Mel! There's only one more milk carton left! Quick, we gotta have it!" Rachel pulled her miserable friend to the dairy section. Mellisa just rolled her eyes, she knew how competitive Rachel could sometimes be.


Rachel half-ran half-walked to get the one and only milk left, and she was about to reach it and take it when suddenly out of nowhere hands came tumbling down towards her carton of milk. Those same hands grabbed it off the shelf, a split second faster than her.


"Hey! That was my milk carton!" Rachel protested, hands on hips. She frowned as she saw the owner of the grabby hands, a tall lean blond guy whose facial expression showed that he was not entirely pleased either.


"Excuse me? I got it first!" He argued. "Oh yeah? But I had my eyes on it first!" Rachel retorted. "Rach? What's goin' on?" Mellisa asked out of breath, as she had to hold on to the items she was holding while trying to get quickly to Rachel.


"Hey, tell your short-tempered friend that this milk is mine!" the big guy boomed at Mellisa. She blinked, he might not be a gentleman but he sure is cute! She gave him a weak smile.


"Rach, let's just get on..." Mellisa whispered to her fuming friend. "No way I'm gonna give up to some stupid, arrogant jerk like you!" Rachel pointed at the blonde.


"What did I do now!" he held his hands up, one of them holding the milk tightly. "Give that to me!" Rachel cried savagely. "My gosh, your friend's wild!" he cried to Mellisa.


"Rach, please, you're embarrassing both of us..." Mellisa tapped Rachel's shoulders, trying to calm her down. She could feel her friend's loud, heavy breathing. Rachel always did that when she was furious.


"Just give-" Rachel tried to snatch the carton away, but he cleverly dodged her. "-give that shit to me!" Rachel cursed angrily. "Rachel, it's only a box of milk," Mellisa continued to whisper, not wanting to make a scene. Well, it was already a scene as it is.


"So your name's Rachel?" he eyed Rachel up and down, "Well Rachel, you can go and eat shit as many times as you want but you won't get this from me, never!" he taunted. Mellisa eyed her friend anxiously, knowing that she would never live it down.


"Take that back!" she roared. "Xcuse me? Can't hear you," he said mockingly. "Take - that - back!!!" Rachel gritted her teeth. She could not help it, this big guy was getting on her nerve.


"What's going on here?" someone suddenly appeared from behind the blonde guy. He was pushing a trolley, a rolled magazine in one hand, and he looked as confused as anyone could be.


"Yo, Shane," the blonde guy said, "this girl's trying to steal our milk." he explained shortly. "Steal?" Shane tried to stifle his laughter. "What's so funny?" Bryan looked at him weirdly.


"Bryan, it's only one carton of milk. We could go somewhere else and buy tons of it!" Shane rolled his gorgeous dark eyes. Then those same eyes caught the sight of Mellisa's hair. She looks cute with those clips on, he thought.


"His friend's right, Rach. Let's go somewhere else!" Mellisa cried, anxious to get away from there. Rachel gave out a sigh. A really loud and long sigh. She then looked at Bryan menacingly, then said shortly, "Okay."


This time Mellisa sighed, with relief of course. "Well, see ya guys around, then?" she gave the two guys a weak smile and a wave as she and Rachel stirred away from them. "Yeah," Shane grinned back. I hope so, he added silently.


Then Rachel turned around one more time and glared at Bryan. "What's the problem with her?" Bryan asked, annoyed. Shane just shook his head amusedly.