Pageant Question: What makes you a person of character?

The Summit Park Mall surged and flowed like a circulatory system, dislodging blood vessels into the capillaries of The Limited, The Gap, Merry-Go-Round and McCrory's.  Fresh into their teens and fresh into the big leagues of high school, Ann and Louise stalked the mall to see and be seen and not to buy.  Usually, not even to speak to anyone else, but to gawk and play with their new-found desire to be "cool".  A stop in the arcade was mandatory, followed by a pair of cookies from The Cookie Company, window shopping, and delving into the dark recesses of Spencer's Gifts.

Spencer's was one of the darkest stores at the Summit, and it got even darker in the back, lit only with blacklight.  The fuzzy, fluorescent posters glowed, tiger's eyes gleaming and psychedelic skulls leering.  Ann and Louise would spend a lot of time giggling over the "naughty" items also stocked in the back, like fuzzy handcuffs, boxed lingerie, and books offering sex tips.  The risque greeting cards were also fascinating, including the new line of real photographs of fat or ancient men and women.

Trying to figure out why anyone would want the numbers "420" on a bumper sticker, Louise was interrupted by Ann.  "Come on, Lou.  Let's go."

"Okay," she replied, letting Ann drag her out of the store.

Ann pulled her to a bench a few stores down, and smiled, propping her purse in her la.

"What?" asked Louise.  "Why do you look so smug?"

"These," said Ann, drawing a pair of white sunglasses from her bag, the tags still hanging from the ear piece.

"You shoplifted?  Ann?  What are you, nuts?"

Ann tried to shush her friend.  "Yeah, so keep it down!"

Louise closed her mouth and crossed her arms.  "No."

"No?  No, what?"

"No, Ann, you are not shoplifting.  You are putting those back.  Now."

Ann had the decency to look scared.  "But... I could be caught!"

"You will not shoplift."  Louise stood, pulling Ann up by the sleeve.  "Now put it back."

There was no argument.  Louise marched Ann back to Spencer's and watched while she disappeared into the store, dropping the white sunglasses back into the pile.  She returned without incident.  "There.  Happy?"

"Yes," smiled Louise.  "I am.  You aren't a shoplifter, Ann.  And you don't even need those!  You have a good pair of sunglasses on top of your head!"