How Green Becomes Wood

Sitting in her own seat and crossing her ankles, Claire wondered how to respond to such a serious story, especially when told so lightly. "You must be really familiar with the layout, then," She ultimately said, "Is it weird seeing it with how much it's changed?"
 
Alec shrugged, chewing on a boba pearl. "It is a little weird, yes. There are some stores I can see from here that are still the same, and others are completely different. There are more clothing stores than I remember. Do you come here often? What do you like?"
 
"Really?" Claire asked, "I feel like I remember the mall basically only having clothing stores, except for the food, the random anime and games store, and the FYE. But I guess I don't come here that often either, not since I was in middle school."
 
"There was a little, tiny pet store here when I was... eight, I think? Or seven," Alec said thoughtfully as he tried to remember. "Oh! And a toy store! We got banned from that when Xander tried to eat the hydrophobic sand," he cackled.
 
"Mall pet stores kind of make me sad," Claire admitted, "I love to see the animals, but so many just aren't being cared for properly..." Then, she looked quizzically at Xander, "How old was he when he tried to eat the sand..?"
 
"I'm sure you're right, but I only really have happy memories of watching an entire wall of fish tanks and seeing kittens that were actually cute and cuddly and not feral and terrifying," Alec admitted. "It closed down I think a year-ish later." He had to think about her other question. "Nine," he finally said. "We were nine at the time that he tried eating the sand. He reported it did not taste very good at all."
 
"Absolutely I can," Claire replied. Normally, that wasn't even true, Sloan knew everything she did, but when your crush asks if you can keep a secret, you learn how to. Especially because it meant she got to lean in close to him.
 
"Yep. He saw one of the employees looking over right as I was about to pocket a toy, picked up one of those little tubs the sand came in - kind of like a Play-doh container - and tried to down it like water," Alec said matter-of-factly. "The employee was pretty freaked out by that, and she didn't even look at me, standing there all innocent and nice and not eating sand and with two pockets full of those weird little tiny toys. Not even good toys, those cheap ones that squish or were like those tiny plastic ducks."
 
That laugh was the cutest thing he'd ever heard! Alec's smile went a bit sappy as he watched her. "Yes, we were absolute terrors! Still are sometimes, I must admit. Two brothers forever! Usually in trouble, but much less trouble than we used to be in."
 
"I hope you get into less trouble now!" Claire laughed, "You'd be a terrible influence on your sister otherwise! I never really got into trouble as a kid, nothing like that anyway."
 
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