Sweat accumulated in neat beads on the vending machine as I leaned in to retrieve a pack of stale gum. I hated mornings in shopping malls – everyone else's early alerting brightness was amplified in me, making it impossible to gauge the time on my wristwatch. The fluorescent lights hummed above, bathing me in a pale imitation of daylight. A gentle voice from the nearby cafe wafered in, calling out my name; it was my mother's best friend, whose daughter I'd never really connected with over years of after-school get-togethers. I hastily tucked a stray hair behind my ear.
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