Chapter 6

"Can you help me with my homework?" Jason asks, coming into my room. He looks at me and pouts. "Braska, why you eat chocolate without me?" he asks, with a frown.

I give him a guilty smile while my face is stuffed with caramel chocolate. In one hand I have a packet of Sour Patch and in the other I was picking up more chocolate from the box.

I know it's from my stalker but...I'm weak okay.

Although I'm eating the chocolates, the roses are in the trash and the notes are unopened in my desk.

Swallowing, I try not to laugh at Jason's attempt of a scowl. He's so cute. "Well, you see-"

"Since you get to do that, I get to do something too," he declares, crossing his arms and trying to look tough.

"Like what?"

"Tomorrow is no school, so we go shop," he says, with a wide smile.

I give him a sad look. "Buddy, I wish we could but we don't have money," I explain. Jason already knows that we don't have much money to buy him things. It's honestly a miracle that he doesn't beg me for new toys.

That must be why he's so attached to the toy the creep gave him. That's the newest toy he's had in eight months and he's probably happy that he has something to show off to the other kids.

I really wish I could make more money for him.

"Can you check the money box?" he asks, looking desperate. The sound of his voice breaks my heart and I nod before walking over to the box. I place it on the desk before looking back at him.

"Now Jason, how much do I need to pay for important things?" I ask, testing him. The important things were the bills, food, and emergency money. Of course Tony and my mother are paying a bit but for the most part I have to pay for those.

"115," he replies.

I count that much money and tie it with a ribbon before looking at the remaining change. "And now we only have...HOW DO WE HAVE THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS LEFT?" I exclaim, looking over at how much money we have left.

Even with the money from Tony's, there's no way I can get this much. Was there? Maybe I just kept getting paid but because I don't spend a lot the money just started adding up?

No, I still wouldn't get this much.

So why and how do I have this much?

"Is that good?" Jason asks, looking up at me.

I look over at him and back at the money. Jason's happiness means the world to me. He's the only kid I know who doesn't have a full or even half-full toy chest. He's the only kid who has to ask to borrow crayons and supplies because he can't afford his own. He's the only kid who has to wear the same shirt three times a week since he doesn't have enough clothes.

But with this money, Jason can finally be happy.

Jason's happiness is all that matters. "Yeah, tomorrow we're going shopping."

"Yay!" he cheers, giving me a hug. "Thank you Braska!" he shouts, before running out of my room. I blow out some air and look at the money. I can always figure this out later.

***

After putting on my sneakers, I brush my hair into a side ponytail and put on my glasses before staring at myself long and hard in the mirror.

Although my face is mostly clear, there's still some scars from when I had attempted to pop a pimple. Since I don't buy makeup, I don't have a way to cover it up. Even with my hair tied up, some loose hair still manages to escape making it look like I just woke up.

I eye my figure in the mirror and tilt my head. I'm as thin as a stick with no curves at all. Maybe I could use some of the extra money to buy more food and get more meat on me? Weight training builds muscles which also adds up the pounds right?

I shake my head before walking back over to the box and counting the money again. This time there's five hundred dollars extra. I swear I only had three hundred dollars...

How did I manage to get an extra two hundred over night?

I stuff the money in my wallet before noticing the notes in my table. Curiously, I pick one of them up and read it.

I hope you choose to spend the money wisely. I wish you'd remember that you matter too, if you want something, go get it.

Forever yours,

~L

I rip the note in half and toss it away before opening the other one.

You're absolutely stunningly beautiful. Never forget that.

Forever yours,

~L

Biting my lip, I fold the note up neatly before placing it in the trash. That's the first time someone's ever told me that before.

I walk out of my room to where Jason is patiently waiting in the couch. His face brightens up seeing me and he stands up. "Are we going now?" he asks excitedly, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

I nod, before putting on his jacket and beanie. He pouts and tries to take it off but one look from me and he leaves it alone. I zip off my own jacket and walk out before locking the door. It's a fairly long walk to the mall but nothing we can't handle.

***

"We here!" Jason exclaims, before getting off my back.

Turns out I overestimated Jason. I had to carry him the last ten minutes on my back since the child refused to walk any longer on his own feet.

We walk inside and the chatter of the crowd reaches my ears. Kids are running around with their parents chasing them, teenagers hanging around, and adults talking with life long friends.

I really love the mall.

I lead Jason to a toy store. "How many do I get?" he asks, shocking some parents withing hearing distance. I guess it's rare for a kid to have limits when it comes to toys.

"Just pick whatever you can carry in a bag," I say, giving him a smile. He walks around while I follow after him. Whenever he looks at a toy, he glances at the price before frowning and putting it back.

Even though Jason doesn't know the value of money yet, he does know that six is bigger than three and ten is bigger than nine. Every time we shop for food, I always compare the numbers to him and I'm so proud that I taught him to shop smart.

However, we actually have money. If Jason wants something, he can get it. "Jason, buddy," I call. He walks over and I kneel down. "Don't pay attention to the numbers. If you like it, get it," I tell him.

He smiles and grabs the toy that he was looking at earlier. Jason picks up five and hands them to me and I frown. I saw him look at more so why'd he only get five? I look at the price and sigh when I realize they're all under ten dollars each. Does this kid not get that he can get whatever he wants?

"You can buy more," I encourage.

He shakes his head. "I want you to have toys too. So I buy some and you buy some." I swear I heard some parents say 'aww' when he said that. Looking around, I grab the toys I saw Jason looking at without looking at the price before walking over to pay for them.

Surprisingly, we only spent thirty seven dollars there.

We walk out and into a clothing store next. Knowing Jason will only listen if I give him limits, I tell him, "get five pants, five shirts, three shoes, and two jackets."

Maybe a little too much, but I want him to be spoiled. We might not get this much money again and I want to make the most of it.

Jason walks around and with my help, we get him the clothes he wants and even an extra pair of pants since he couldn't choose between two different colors.

After that, we walk over to the food court where I get Jason a chicken nuggets and water while I have a pretzel. "Now it your turn," Jason says, giving me a nugget.

I give him a piece of my pretzel and look at him confused. "What do you mean?"

"You buy for yourself," he says.

My closet is big enough to hold more clothes, and I do have the money. Plus, maybe this is my chance to live up to the teenage standards. Better late than never right?

"You sure you don't want anything else?" I ask. He shakes his head and hands me the empty box of nuggets. I finish his water and my pretzel before throwing it away and walking over to a clothing store.

Music fills my ears the second I step inside. Girls my age are with their friends while looking through the different clothes. Well whatever, my brother is my best friend and I live with him.

Walking around, I think about buying a few shirts but don't pick anything out. After a while, I realize that I looked at nearly piece of clothing without buying anything. I'm doing exactly what Jason was doing, worrying about money. I guess old habits die hard.

Taking a deep breath, I walk back and grab the shirt, jeans, jackets, and tank tops that I like. I also grab lots of pajama shorts and fifteen different camisoles to sleep in. I walk over to pay for it and the lady glances at me like she can't believe I can actually afford any of this. "That'll be 154.98," she says smugly.

Holy hell clothes cost that much?!

I take two hundred dollars from my pocket and hand it to her with a smile. Her mouth drops in shock and she hands me my clothes and my change. "Thank you," I say, smiling sweetly before walking away.

Next up, time to bling it up.

As I walk out of the store, I see Lucas texting on his phone. Next to him is his nine year old brother, playing with his Nintendo. Looking at Jason, I lead him over to where they are. Lucas looks up and smiles at me. "Hey Braska, what's up?" he says.

"Mind watching Jason for a while?" I ask. Lucas nods and before I could repeat it to Jason, he's already with Adam and playing with his newly bought toys. I smile and wave at them before walking away.

I walk over to the nearest place selling jewelry and start looking around. The lighting here is really dim, making the gems and crystals stand out even more.

"Can I help you?" An alluring voice asks. I turn around and my eyes nearly pop out from its socket.

I thought Levi was a looker but this guy completely shatters every image I have of every guy I ever thought was hot.

His eyes are a beautiful striking dark blue, and his black hair frames his perfect face that has a light stubble to it. I can see his muscles bulging out of his tight shirt, making me gulp. I'm suddenly embarrassed at the thought of how obvious I'm checking him out, but when I look up I notice that he's looking me up and down with a small smile on his face.

I look down at what I'm wearing and frown. Baggy jeans and a red shirt with sparkles around the shoulders. Nothing that would exactly grab his attention.

I clear my throat and try to hide my blush. That seems to get his attention and he looks back up at my face. "I'm sorry, you're just really beautiful and I got distracted there for a second," he says, smiling at me.

Feeling the heat rush to my cheeks, I look down to hide my face. "I'm just looking around," I tell him.

"Maybe I can help you," he says, stepping closer and making my heart flutter.

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I decided to stop here since I'm way over my word count goal per chapter. I'm also working on another story that I'll post after I've got a few chapters done.

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