How I Met Your Mother

40 - It's so far away from Los Angeles

a/n - whoops

mackenzie

It's been a whole month since Natalie won state. Which is impressive. She and Cassie set a record in the school. They won the state finals every year of their high school career. They played 64 games and only lost 9.

I sent my essay out to Berkeley the first week they were accepting letters.

I know I'm going to get in.

But I sent an application to Marquette University in Wisconsin just in case I didn't.

I am at the mall with Maddie right now. We drove all the way to Greensboro because the Roger's City mall is basically abandoned.

"This is cute." Maddie held up a cropped blue shirt with small sunflowers all over it.

It reminds me of Magdalene. She loved sunflowers. They were her favorite flower and everyone knew that.

"I like it. But it's not my color." I felt the fabric of the shirt. It was soft. But that's the only point it gets.

"You're so picky when it comes to clothes." She started walking to the register.

I shook my head, looking at a pair of socks that I know Natalie would get a kick out of. "I just have a selection of clothing that I know looks hot on me." I picked up the socks.

They're black Vans socks but the material is the one she likes the best.

We paid for our items and walked into Tilly's.

The only thing I really really missed while in Canada was this store. The mall where I lived didn't have a Tilly's or Journey's.

I went back to the pants immediately, always searching for a nice pair of pants.

"What about these?" Maddie held up black cargo pants.

They were honestly nice. Not cheap looking.

"I like those actually."

She smirked, "I'm getting closer and closer to discovering your style."

I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to the piles of jeans.

I ended up walking out of the mall with four new pairs of pants, a carhartt zip up, and two shirts. One said, "I only eat ass on the weekends." The other said, "Canadians are evil."

Which I don't agree or disagree with.

"Wanna stop for some dinner on the way?" Maddie looked at me from the driver's seat. Usually I'm the one that drives. I love it so much. But Maddie insisted on driving today.

"I don't think I can. Nat texted me that she needed to talk to me as soon as possible." I glanced at my phone. No other texts from her in the past hour.

"Ooo, did she say your full name or not?" She glanced at my phone and smiled.

"Nickname. We're safe."

We joked around until she pulled into the Matthews driveway.

"Thank you for the shopping day Mads." I kissed her cheek, grabbed my bags out of the car, and went inside the house.

It was quiet. It has been ever since Richard went back to work.

And it's been a lot of doordashing because none of us feel like making dinner.

"Hi Mac!" Natalie jumped on my back as soon as I got downstairs, startling me a bit. She kissed the side of my face, "Fun day?"

"So fun." I set the bags on the floor.