Amy and Sarah turned the aisle corner—and froze. Adrian was there, calmly scanning items at the counter. For a moment, neither of them moved, their mouths hanging open.
“Isn’t that…?” Sarah whispered.
“Golden hair!!!” Amy shouted, almost tripping over a shopping cart as she ran toward him.
Adrian looked up, blinking slowly, clearly caught off guard. “Wait… you’re… here?” His voice was soft, almost incredulous, like he couldn’t believe his eyes.
Amy skidded to a stop in front of him. “What… what are you doing here?!”
Adrian raised one brow, his tone quietly amused. “I was…uh… checking if the cereal boxes are plotting against me.”
Sarah blinked, unsure if she heard right. “Cereal boxes… plotting?”
Adrian nodded solemnly, scanning a box of cornflakes as if it were a suspect in a crime. “Yes. They’ve been eyeing me all week. I had to make sure they weren’t planning a rebellion.”
Amy burst into laughter, clutching her stomach. “Oh my gosh… you’re insane!”
Adrian gave a tiny, almost smug smile. “Insanity is sometimes the only way to survive the snack aisle.”
Sarah shook her head, snickering. “I can’t… this is too much.”
Amy grinned, still giggling. “You’re hilarious! I didn’t know you had… this… soft, ridiculous side.”
Adrian just shrugged, soft smirk still on his face. “It comes out when I’m threatened… by cereal.”
 Adrian, calm as ever, didn’t even glance at them as he scanned his items. “I heard about the party,” he said softly, almost as if he were talking to the cereal boxes rather than Amy and Sarah.
Sarah froze, eyebrows shooting up. “Wait… you eat cereals?!” she whispered loudly, unable to hold back her shock.
Adrian’s head tilted slightly, still not looking up. “Yes. Cereals. Cornflakes. Frosted flakes. Occasionally… something chocolatey. Why?” His voice was calm, almost bored, like he’d just been asked if water is wet.
Amy blinked, then leaned closer, a teasing grin spreading across her face. “I… I thought… someone as cute as you… doesn’t… eat boring cereals! I thought maybe you only lived on… fancy energy bars and… exotic smoothies!”
Adrian raised a single eyebrow, perfectly unimpressed, like a statue judging her audacity. “Really? That’s what you thought?” He shook his head slowly. “You two… continue whatever it is you’re doing here. We’ve never met. Consider this a neutral supermarket encounter. Move along.”
Amy blinked at him, wide-eyed, then in a sudden burst of determination, she darted forward and grabbed his hand. “Wait! Help us! Please! We’re totally desperate, and… and we need… magic! And… maybe money! And… cookies!”
Adrian’s expression softened just slightly, a mix of disbelief and quiet amusement. He let out a sigh, leaning back on the counter. “Cookies? Seriously? You’re holding me hostage for cookies?”
Sarah muttered under her breath, face in her hands. “I can’t believe this is happening…”
Amy grinned, still clutching his hand. “Not cookies only! Chips! Soda! Streamers! Everything! You’re rich, you have to help us!”
Adrian leaned calmly against the counter, eyes scanning them like he was about to offer a royal decree. “Fine,” he said softly, almost bored, “your account details.”
Amy and Sarah exchanged a panicked glance. Their eyebrows practically did a high-five midair.
Adrian continued, still calm, “But… you’ll pay me back.”
Amy’s face fell. “Pay… you back?!” she echoed, her voice pitching like a cartoon alarm.
Sarah groaned, sinking slightly onto the edge of the cart. “How much are we talking here? Thousands? Hundreds?”
Adrian’s lips twitched in the faintest smirk. “Name the price. A million?”
Both girls froze. Their mouths formed perfect ‘O’s, eyes wide like they’d just been told gravity didn’t exist.
Amy clutched her chest dramatically. “A… million?! I’ll grow old and gray and STILL be paying debt! This is… this is… medieval torture!”
Sarah’s jaw dropped. “We’d have to sell… our souls… and possibly adopt a second job as street performers!”
Adrian shrugged, utterly calm, as if the numbers were meaningless. “Pay me back when you can. No rush. Take… your entire lives if necessary.”
Amy dropped her head into her hands, groaning. “Entire lives?! I’ll be a cranky, old lady buying noodles with one hand and paying off this loan with the other!”
  Adrian just stood there, calm as ever, scanning his items like nothing happened. He didn’t even glance at them.
Sarah flopped against the cart, waving a bag of chips for emphasis. “I swear… it feels like we just made a deal with the devil.”
Amy dropped her head into her hands, groaning dramatically. “A deal with the devil?! More like eternal slavery!” She sat up suddenly, throwing her arms wide. “Maybe I should just move to Mars and escape the debt entirely!”
Sarah peeked over her fingers, incredulous. “Mars?! How are you going to get there? You think a hot air balloon can carry you across space?”
Amy tilted her head thoughtfully. “Maybe… if I pack enough bubble wrap and a really big fan!” She waved her hands for emphasis. “I’ll wave goodbye to Earth and my endless debt!”
Sarah groaned again, plopping a bag of chips into the cart. “It’s like we invited a devil into our bank account and said, ‘Please, take everything!’”
Amy pointed a finger at the cereal aisle like she was giving a heroic speech. “Exactly! And the devil didn’t even flinch. Not a single eyebrow raised. Just calm, unbothered… probably plotting his next move while we pay forever!”
Sarah covered her face with a box of soda. “I feel personally attacked by this calmness. It’s terrifying.”
Amy leaned back against the cart, spinning slightly. “I’m naming my first cat ‘Loan’ and my second cat ‘Interest.’ Then I’ll have little loan kittens following me around, judging every financial choice I make!”
Sarah snorted. “Perfect. I’ll name my goldfish ‘Collateral.’ That way, at least something small suffers in our debt saga.”
Amy nodded solemnly. “And we’ll all eat noodles, forever, under the watchful eyes of Loan and Interest. It’s poetic.”
Sarah groaned one last time, tossing a pack of cheap balloons into the cart. “Peak chaos, Amy. Peak. Chaos.”
Amy grinned, slapping her knees. “Doomed, yes… but at least it’s funny! Very, very funny.”