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Apprehension was dampened by glee and Audrey allowed herself to be swept along. The dubious quality of the product didn't concern her overly much. You didn't go to public school without learning that marijuana tea was probably about as low-grade as you went. Maybe she could convince them that iced tea was the way to go. They mixed it from powder, right? Something like that.

"Just be careful, mmkay? I see some kids I know from school come outta this place, and I know it's not that savory." Which was putting it mildly. But they did have neat little glass things like a steeping jar for one big mug of tea and oh god was that a hookah yeah she was totally right about this place. Shaking her curls lightly, she let Jada pull her to the counter and tried to fish out her wallet. "Alright, as promised, snacks on me!" She conservatively ordered a bottle of Vitamin Water and a muffin laden with fruit. Nothing bad there, right?

She hoped. It was then her turn to drag Jada back out of the closed-up store to dump bodies and purchases on one of the various empty benches. "I didn't know shopping could be exhausting. I was totally bored until you showed up, yanno."

Eying the teabags Jada had bought, she simply shrugged and tossed away the information into the depths of her brain. Some people liked to do that sorta stuff, and it wasn't really her place to say anything. Usually, she encouraged it. Slower minds meant slower reflexes, and that upped her seed count. However, she would not be taking Jada's starseed. Not anytime soon, at least. The muffin had disappeared rather rapidly, being that it was surprisingly delicious.

This was suspect.

Stretching lightly from fingertips to toes, Audrey made a face. "Yeah, I'm probably due a session with my buddy Drew myself, but I'm still recovering from the bruises he left all over me last time. It's a good thing I'm into a more modest style of clothing, because I'd have the cops all up at my house after my parents. Or my guypals, of which I have several." Almost in memory, a hand went to the small of her back and she sighed. "I never lose numbers, at least, haven't yet. But they're sorta my thing. Dancers dance, writers write, I do numbers. What's your thing?" The bluenette couldn't but admit curiosity.

So it was a polite way of saying she wasn't actually good at a whole lot other than being a girl. Well, money did have its downsides, but if she could learn a few other skills, party planning was an industry. Audrey didn't have to spend more than half a day on the couch with her mother through endless TLC and WE programs to know that sometimes the best job in the world was as a wedding or party planner.

MTV had the same thing, with their Super Sweet Sixteen. Somehow, she just had a feeling that Jada had potentially been a candidate for the show, but hadn't possibly been wild enough? Thinking of the teabags, though, made her wonder. "Hey, that's girly stuff though. I'm awful at it. I brush my hair, tie the bow in it. Been doing that for about...well, since I had hair I guess. I have a lot of skirts and sorta frillier things because I think they're cute, but nothing too special." Patting her denim skirt and stocking-encased leg she smiled. "Mostly, stuff like this. The colors have been getting a little more vivid though. Guess I'm sick of fading into the backround." Mile a minute, Audrey could never really shut up when she got comfortable and got into a rhythm.

What she did finally catch however, was her regret at not getting the phone number of particular pair of boys. "But as for those guys, maybe you'll meet 'em again? I run into a lot of people around the mall, and if they're Hillworth students you just have to go down there once. Most of the guys know each other by description alone." Audrey knew a whole lot about Hillworth. It was basically her stomping ground, these days.

Looking at her toes, Audrey smiled at the memory the shoes always brought out. They were her Happy Pasha Shoes, having been bought on one of their first mall outings together. He'd seen them in the window, and immediately had gotten eyes bigger than saucers. Like, UFO saucers. So she'd been dragged in and upon closer inspection, decided that she too wanted a pair of white hi-tops with rainbow stars all over them. The laces matched the rest of her outfit, but like ribbons and stockings, she had a pair of shoelaces for every occasion.

It was her weakness! Well, that and a certain Banshee Queen.

"Thanks, I love them. My friend Pasha and I got matching pairs, though I think he's drawn all over his with Sharpie by now." Pondering this information on the mystery boys, Audrey flipped through her mental Pokedex of Hillworth and shook her head. "Greasy hovel food is the best food you will ever taste. Especially if you are depressed." Being a comfort eater, the teen knew this very well. "Did you catch their names? I know of a few sets of brothers, but none personally." Chewing her lip, she thought that Zac might know, and resolved to ask the boy the next time she saved him from a closet.

The look on Audrey's face now was perhaps akin to sheer horror at one, the idea of being beaten for doing nothing other than drawing on shoes. However, peering down under the bench, it was somewhat easy to see why this mentality might have been prevalent. Black and lacy with little peep toes, they practically screamed expensive and probably more than her family spent on groceries in a month.

Shaking her head, the teen swilled water and sighed. "I guess that's the difference money makes, huh? My parents didn't care what it looked like, as long as it was durable and I could wear it for awhile and...wait. Wait. ELZO?!" Audrey was obviously a bit slow on the uptake, and could only goggle at the girl on the bench next to her before fumbling around for her phone. "Man, you are seriously lucky today, Jadagirl." Snatching Jada's phone from where it was resting, she quickly programmed a number and handed it back. "I just got this not long ago, for one Elzo Xanis. Dunno about his brother, but I'm sure if you can get a hold of the one, you can get a message to the other." Bubbling with excitement at the idea of being helpful again she grinned.

"As for Hillworth, it's a bit of a misconception. It USED to be that way, and you know how some families are. Teen boys need a lot of handling, and some parents just haven't got it in them. So they ship 'em off so they don't have to deal with all that testosterone. It's bad parenting, but whatcha gonna do right?" What were the odds? Maaaaan. "Some of them are there because they have to be, but most are nice kids. Most. Khaldun, my...well, whatever Khal is now, he belongs there. Piddling troublemaker if I ever met one." Fun though.

Hearing the giggle she turned to look at the guy walking away and simply rolled her eyes. Some guys were absolutely ridiculous when it came to girls hugging, and he was probably some weird *****. She ran into them so often, especially with the way she dressed. And her best friend, who was like every ***** wet dream looking all of ten years old and a sweet tooth larger than New York City.

Returning the hug, she hopped up and performed what she well knew to be a victory sign from Blood Elves before flopping back onto the bench and slouching comfortably. It didn't take much to put Audrey Collins at ease, and knowing that they had a mutual friend eased things along considerably. Now she might actually see the girl again, though her interest in Elzo caused a momentary flare before it was stomped on. Viciously. Friend zone, Collins!

"No worries, I'm the same way when I forget to grab numbers. In fact, I have a lot of 'em in my phone that I never use, or have never used, or might never use. But you never know who you'll have to call, and it's good to be prepared yanno?" Looking at her phone, you'd get the idea that she was a bit of a flirt - most of the numbers belonged to boys. But that just wasn't the case! Though naturally charming, Audrey simply got on better with the opposite sex, and preferred it that way.

Hopping up as well, Audrey tried to match the reason for this problem and realized that it didn't matter, Jada was obviously late. And didn't exactly have the leisure of a quick teleport across town to remedy this situation! Scooping up bags, the bluenette simply grabbed her new friend's arm and lightly hauled on it. "Won't find a cab out here, gotta go to the front of the mall. Man, wish my parents'd invest in a car or something. You should convince your dad it's worth the expense, cabs are a pain in the a**." She didn't mention the bus. Girls like Jada weren't really meant for public transpo, and not just because she was loaded.

Audrey was a veteran runner. So of course, she made it to the front of the mall and had a cab waiting a good minute or so before Jada picked her way out in heels and found the girl leaning proudly against an open door, bags shoved inside already. "Figured it was, yet again, the least I could do. Last one too, aren't we lucky today?" She sure was.

Shaking her head, Audrey tried to shoo Jada into the cab. "Hey, you've gotta be somewhere right? I have a bus pass and failing that I can walk. I appreciate the offer but I'm not going to run while holding her, and then you'll really be late." In actuality, she was going to use every bit of power she had left in her flagging little body to get them home with a teleport. No chances with her beloved Banshee Queen!

Nudging lightly, she was already backing away into the mall and waved. "And don't forget to call those numbers ok? Who knows, you might make a loooooooove connection!" Batting eyelashes dramatically the teen laughed and fled back into the mall. With any luck, the guys'd be willing to unwrap and rewrap her.

There was some well-deserved gloating about to happen, that was for damn sure!