8

What am i doing? I can't believe that I just agreed to be his pretend girlfriend.

I stared at my reflection on the bathroom mirror. My hair was a mess and flakes of dandruff were showing on my hair. Oh gosh, this is embarrassing. Mr. Russo must have seen all of these!

My shoulders slumped. I was having second thoughts. Am I making the right decision? I'm vulnerable at the moment and making rush decisions is not good.

But Mr. Russo's offer of one million dollars was too good.

My dad needed total knee replacement surgery for both knees. The operation cost would be roughly around a hundred thousand dollars, plus medicines and recovery cost. I would be needing almost two hundred thousand dollars for dad to cover all medical expenses. Mom could expand her bakery business and dad could help her again. I could also afford my brother's tuition fees to medical school. Liam was very smart and he always wanted to be a doctor.

But, could I trust Mr. Russo... ?

I suddenly got bothered. I should take a bath first so I can think well. My scalp is so itchy already. Probably, my brain is clouded with dandruff too.

I took my clothes off and stepped into the shower, mixing all the three dandruff shampoos I had. It was frustrating that none of these shampoos worked. Maybe combining these would finally take effect on my scalp.

I shampooed my hair, not feeling happy with the unpleasant smell it brought after combining the shampoos. It smelled of rust. Then I heard my phone ring. Darn, whoever it is should wait. I have to wash my hair well. It's been three days since I had my last bath.

I ignored the phone and continued to massage my scalp. Thank God, it stopped. I took my favorite papaya bar soap and rubbed it on my armpit. Shocks! My nose wrinkled. My armpit smelled of rotten onion already. I rolled my eyes. Heartbreak did this to me. Tears welled in my eyes as I thought of Jason.

How could you do this to me?!

I remembered the five thousand dollars I paid in the restaurant. For the past few days, I tried not to think about it so it wouldn't hurt too much. I was focusing on my pain of losing Jason. But now, I just realized how stupid I was. I should have made him pay the bill! That jerk! With five thousand dollars, I could have fed my family for a whole year.

My phone rang again, but I still ignored it. Whoever you are, you have to wait. I'm taking my time in the shower.

I scrubbed my body with my new loofah, bearing the scratches on my skin, when my phone rang again. Darn it. Three times in a row, this phone call must be very important.

I wrapped the towel on my body and ran to the living room. I was alarmed when I saw the caller.

My goodness, it's mom!

My heart beat faster. Thinking of all negative things that would happen.

"Hello, mom?"

"Lisa!" Her voice shrieked. "Where were you? Are you okay? You made me so nervous taking too long to answer!"

I rolled my eyes and sighed heavily. Mom was a nervous freak. She always imagined something bad happened. "I was in the shower. Is everything okay?" I looked down and saw my shampoo dripping on the white carpet, the wet marks were in color blue. Darn. Another thing to do later.

I went back to the bathroom again to rinse my hair. The wet marks on my towel turned blue also.

"Yeah, we're fine."

"And dad?"

"He fell down the stairs last night, but he's okay now."

"What?" I was suddenly alarmed. But mom said it casually like an ordinary thing. She was too used to dad's many near-death adventures when he was younger. Riding all sorts of bikes, mountain climbing, skydiving, racing, and so on.

"It's just a few steps, Lisa. He'll survive."

I exhaled heavily. "Why are you calling?"

"I just want to check if you're okay. We're so worried of you."

Sadness immediately overwhelmed me. I shouldn't have told them about my breakup with Jason. I made them so worried.

"You'll find another guy who deserves you better, Lisa. You're very pretty and smart. There are plenty of fish in the ocean."

The same line she quoted in the last two days. "I know, Mom. I just want to cry this out and feel better afterwards."

"You should move on. You're a tough woman. Show that asshole that you're better off without him. He's stupid and I hate him for hurting you. Remember when he ordered two dozens of fruit cake at the last minute last Christmas as his giveaways to his officemates? I got sick for two days working my ass overnight to finish that order. And what did he do? Until now, he haven't paid me. He owes me eight hundred dollars!"

My mom was ranting about Jason. I was really blinded by love. I knew that he had his way of using people, taking advantage of their kindness but I refused to acknowledge it. I just ignored his flaws. I could not believe that I'm seeing it clearly now.

Jason's promises of love were all empty. He made me so high with the love I have for him. Wooing me, only to stop when our relationship started. Our situation reversed. I became the one wooing him.

I was stupidly in love with him. I spent too much money on him. My heart sank when I remembered the five thousand dollar restaurant bill. I cursed him under my breath.

"Lisa, don't you ever fall into depression. I have heard too many news about people who committed suicide. If you're feeling low, talk to us or any of your friends. We all love you."

"Thank you, mom," I said before I hung up the phone.

I continued taking a bath, rinsing my hair and body. I felt refreshed and alive after that cold shower. I turned to the mirror and blow-dried my hair.

I was taken aback at what I saw. My brown hair turned blue!