Zoe was at Walmart shopping for school supplies. Her first year of high school would start in a month, and she needed to be prepared for it.
She was so focused on the things she needed that she didn't notice anything else until she accidentally knocked something off a shelf. She bent down to pick it up, but she met a girl's hand in the process. She looked up at the girl the hand was attached to as the girl quickly grabbed the item, standing up and putting it back on the shelf. Zoe held the girl's gaze as she did this. She almost couldn't look away. They stared at each other for a moment. Not awkwardly, but in a way that made her want to look away.
The girl blinked. Suddenly she became aware of the situation.
"Sorry, I um..." the girl said.
"It's okay," Zoe replied calmly. "Thank you for getting that for me." She tried to look natural, like she was unfazed by the situation.
"No problem." The girl gave Zoe a small wave and walked away. Zoe waved back, smiling, as she walked in the other direction, even if the girl couldn't see it.