Chapter 19

**Jakes Point of view**

~

I pulled up to the mall, honesty speeding to beat Dawn there just to say I did and to make sure Celeste was still clueless of what I was doing, I texted her as I was walking up to the mall entrance.

4:18pm
'Hey Babe. How long are going to be for your dads business opening?' -me

It took her a bit to reply, but I felt most girls did...excluding Dee....she was kind of fast.

But I kind of liked it.

4:23pm
'The rest of the day Hun. I should be out by like 10:30pm. I'll let you know, K?' -Celeste

I don't recall opening a business taking that long, but she still had to drive an hour and half out and back, but knowing Celeste and how dramatic she is, it seemed legit...

4:24pm
'Okay. I love you;)' -me

Saying I love you to Celeste honestly lost its meaning over the last few months, but it just felt like the natural thing to do and even for her.

4:26pm
'I love you too BB:* Kisses.' -Celeste

I nodded as I made it into the mall, secure that Celeste didn't know I was waiting for a different girl, and I decided to wait in the lounge for her, Dawn, and I didn't text her in case she was driving. I didn't like the girl, but I don't want her dead. As I sat there and waited, I thought about her and her chances with Asher.

'Dawn really seems to be into Asher.... It's cute how quiet girls go for popular guys... considering he's a senior. But I can't help but think Asher has something hidden up his sleeve, but so far, there are no gimmicks.... I may not like Dawn, but she's still my friend. I want what's best for her. Also considering the other fact she is helping me past this dumb test two days before Halloween."

After a few minutes of me humming the song I was writing for Celeste, beating my finger on the table for a steady beat, I saw this person coming my way and I brighten to see it was Dee, who looked kind of shocked to see, and not because I beat her here but maybe because of something else....but I stood up ignoring her look.

"Aw Kit-Kat," I put a grin on my face that most girls at school would go crazy for. Dee just changed her looked at me to narrow ignorant eyes...

I liked it.

"If I can recall back to English class approximately two hours ago-" I looked at my watch and back at her, "-what did you want me to do regarding the mall?? Something involving time?" She rolled her eyes crossing her arms, but I couldn't help but mess with her, licking my lips.

"Shut up Jake," she scold playfully, yet being serious. "I had things to do and other places to be and besides, I wouldn't be talking if I was you," she told me all preppy-like, like she knew something I didn't. I chuckled.

"And why's that Kit-Kat?" I asked with a raised eyebrow really not knowing.

"Because I-" but she quickly shut her mouth and widen her eyes as if she almost blurted out something she didn't want me to know and I took a step closer to her suspenseful.

"What is it?" I asked her seriously, but my grin made it seem as if I didn't care, which was part of the way true since girls overreact to everything. She quickly shrugged her right shoulder and looked up at me. I was always approximately taller than her by three inches. When discovered that freshmen year.

"I don't know, but I really got stuck at the light. I'm pretty sure I would've been here a second earlier if it wasn't for that," she said with a sufficient nod. "And I had to get my cheer bag from the locker room because I forgot, so of course you beat me here, jerk." I laughed with my head back as she crossed her arms at me.

"Haha, whatever you say," I let it go. "So, where do you usually shop for clothes?" I asked her with a sexy grin.

"Let's go to Runway 21," she said thoughtfully with her finger on her chin not looking at me. "I like that store."

"Lead the way," I motioned my arms for her to walk ahead of me like an usher. She rolled her eyes. I huffed my breath into a smile.

As we were walking together, I couldn't help but notice Dawn from the corner of my eye looking around us as if she was making sure no one was watching us be together and I already knew exactly what she was thinking.

"It's okay Dee," I said running into her playfully, but not too hard to make her fall. She looked at me almost falling over anyway, but she kept her balance. "No one is here." She squinted her eyes at me.

"I don't care," she told me angrily. "I don't want people to think we're couple. Even if their NOT from school," she empathized. I laughed coolly.

"It's fine, trust me. Besides, Celeste is clueless of what we're doing right now," I assured her. She looked at me quickly as we continued walking.

"How so?" She was so curious of my response. I got out my phone as I had no reason to lie.

"Remember I told you yesterday before you left she had that new business opening or something? She said it'll take all night," I showed her the text messages for evidence. She gasped under her breath and stared at the text and mumbled something and I asked, "Huh?" She brighten and nodded quickly at me.

"Oh yeah, sorry. I...I just forgot," she shrugged. "Well than if the coast is clear," she nodded. "Too Runway 21 we keep going." I let Dawn lead the way to the store, and as we did, I looked around trying to find a reason to talk to her...

"Man, it's been forever since I been to the mall," I commented. She looked up at me still walking.

"Oh really?" She looked back in front her. "I would figure you go with Celeste all the time just so that you could spoil her," she told me nonchalantly. I laughed.

"Yeah right. Maybe like for an anniversary or something," I told her. "Celeste and I have only been together for nine months now. The 12th marks the day." Dawn looked at me again.

"Oh really? So, you asked her out on the 12th-" I stopped her right there.

"Wait what?"

"What?" She asked me back.

"I didn't ask Celeste out. She asked ME," I informed her. "I told you this before!" Dawn gave me a funny look.

"I know, but ugh! I distinctively remember Celeste telling the cheer squad last February for the Sweetheart Dance you asked her. And you did! You made a poster and everything," she scold me. "Just like you said you did!" I nodded as that was true.

"Yeah, but only because she told me to, remember?" I replied hysterically. She groan disgustedly.

"But I just don't get it," she said back to me angrily us still walking. "Celeste MADE YOU ask HER! How could you agree to her??" I nodded trying not to feel bad about it and wanting Dawn to calm down.

"Okay, okay, I'll give you the details," I assured her. She sighed rolling her eyes.

"Please." I nodded.

"Okay, okay. See, she came up to me after football practice last year and asked if I was going to the dance. Honestly, dances weren't my thing as let's be real, I already turned down three other girls before her," I boasted as we still walked. Dawn rolled her eyes and shook her head. I smiled.

"Anyway, I told her no, only because at the time Celeste was the hottest girl at the school as a sophomore and I didn't think she'd want to go with me, BUT I told her I'd go with her if she wanted me to, and she told me yeah I want you to go with me, but you have to make a big announcement about it to let everyone know she was taken." Dawn just stared at me with a blunt face and I figured I'd have to hurry up and end this fairy tale.

"Sooo, for the next two night the guys and I made this banner for the Sweetheart Dance and asked her during lunch. Surprise you weren't there. It was all over snapchat and someone posted it on their infamous Instagram of 'Couple Goals'... But anyways, that's that story of how I took Celeste to that dance," I explained to her. As we made it into the Runway 21 store, Dawn asked me,

"So when did you ask her to be your girlfriend?" I shrugged as we headed in.

"I didn't. Neither of us ever did actually. She just stood beside me even after the dance and after she kissed me that night I was in love. So...the 12th marks that day I asked her to the dance, and October 12th marks our ten month anniversary." Dee groaned annoyed.

"Best mistake you've ever made Jake Lander," she told me walking in the store. I stood there thinking about it as it did seem a bit odd now that I tell the story out loud, but I couldn't help smile with open arms and semi-shout back,

"Yeah, but I'm friends with you so-" I know she heard me, but I laughed when I knew she ignored me purposely.

As I went in the store, I was looking awkwardly at the clothes style this shop was. It felt modest with loose fitted jeans, long-sleeved shirts, and fuzzy jackets. What was this?

"What about this Jake?" Dawn asked me from a distance. I walked over to her observing what she was showing me and I shook my head.

"Nah...it's too modest," I told her bluntly. She gasped as if she were offended.

"No it is not, its cute," she protested. I came closer to her laughing.

It was an oversized gray sweater with some black leggings as if she didn't own any already and she quickly grabbed a black scarf to go with it.

"See. Cute," she nodded holding it up to her body. I chuckled.

"Kit-Kat, I know this guy. Clothes like these are...cute, sure...but Asher is a senior. If you want to win this guy COMPLETELY, you have to dress to impress...literally." She slummed down as if she were in a chair.

"Then help me!" She squealed helplessly. I laughed by her seriousness. "What am I suppose to wear to impress Asher?? I mean, this is what I wear already," she got upset. I nodded reassuring her.

"Don't worry, don't worry," I confronted her. "I got you. Put those clothes back and take me a different store. A store you might not usually go to," I told her. She sighed.

"Jake, I'm sorry, but there are no stripper stores in the mall," she rolled her eyes not looking at me putting the clothes back. I snickered knowing it was going to lead this way.

"Don't worry, we don't have to go there just yet anyway." She looked at me quickly.

"Excuse me??" She said getting all defensive. I laughed pulling her along. I just loved messing with her.

"Kidding, now lead the way." She groan.

"I still can't believe I agreed to this," she face palmed herself as we left the store. I smiled at her.

Dawn ended up taking me to this really girly store and I would think she'd like it, but apparently not by how she stopped at the foot of the entrance of it.

"Well," she crossed her arms and sighed. "I don't shop here." I looked at her.

"Why not? I would think most girls would like this store," I asked her stepping in, looking around.

"Um, just because it's pink?" She got offended. "I know you've been out with a lot of girls Jake, but we all don't like the super girly look. I only come here for prom dresses and formal gatherings," she admitted. I shrugged.

"All girls are the same to me," I commented licking my lips, waiting for her to get mad. She glared her eyes at me with a gasp. Dawn was always a secret feminist.

"Oh, so that means all boys are douchebags too?" She placed her hands on her hip.

"Um no-"

"Well you said all girls are the same so that must mean all guys are-"

"I didn't mean it in THAT sense-"

"Well that's how I took it," she emphasized. I laughed as Dawn began walking into the store and I followed her around.

I noticed there were skinny jeans with holes in them, crop tops, short skirts, and I think jumpsuits Celeste called them, and I knew this was the perfect place to impress ANY boy, 'cause it would defiantly impressed me.

"Well...see anything you like?" I asked Dawn as she shook her head looking through a shirt rack. Her folded eyebrows and perked lip honestly answered my question already and she looked kind of attractive while she did it, but I let her speak.

"Um, no. This is not me...I mean...I never tried anything like this, and I usually like trying new things, but what is this?" she took out a shirt that honestly should've just been accounted for as a bra. I had to laugh because she had a point, but she still just looked at me agitated. "Hmmm!" she got mad and placed it back in the rack angrily looking through it again.

"Hahaha! Kit-Kat, calm down. Let's just look in a different section...besides, I feel this particular style isn't you anyway," I told her softly looking around. She looked around too as we were surrounded by, short shorts and holey pants. She nodded up at me as I still held her shoulder and she began biting her bottom lip in her mouth, slapping my hand off of her and starting walking without warning.

"Good idea...." she told me quietly. I laughed by her actions.

We went further into the store and I knew then my idea really was a good idea, as she started taking longer in certain racks, smiling at a few things she saw, but when she saw the price tags she put them back, and repeated the cycle. I wasn't bored watching her, as I caught her kind of dancing to the music in the background and I never really seen Dawn dance for real, but her cheering was great, so I knew she had to be a good dancer too.

As she continued to look through the clothes, I couldn't help but think she really was cute while she did. I mean...the only difference between her and Celeste shopping was that she actually looked at the prices and cared about her future...

And maybe that's what I liked about it...

"Jake!" she called after me as if she had been calling me for awhile. I shook out of it.

"Huh?" she laughed at me.

"I said isn't this cute?" she asked me, holding up a dress type of thing with shorts that was red, with a 'V' cut, and medium length sleeves. I walked over to her, messing with it and I asked her with crooked eyebrows,

"Yeah, it's nice, but...what is it? A dress?" she laughed even more, slapping her leg, forcing it into my chest, making me hold it as she continued to look through the racks not losing at me.

"It's called a romper, Jake. They look like dresses, but they're actually one pieces with shorts connected to them." I was still confused as I held it.

"So....a dress with shorts?" I asked her. She laughed even more.

"Yeah, you can say that," she glanced over me smiling sweetly and back down at the racks showing her teeth. Was she always this cute?

"Ooo! Let's go over here!" Dawn grabbed my arm, speed walking me over to another section of the store. I chuckled by how enthusiastic she was and I couldn't stop looking at her.

As she was picking out more clothes, unable to make a decision, I ended up sitting down by some mannequins and she looked at me.

"Aww, are you tired?" She asked me in a baby voice she use to do all the time when we were actually good friends years ago. I laughed with my head back remembering the good times as she must've remembered them as well.

"Nah, nah. I'm not. I'm just...resting my feet," I replied truthfully with my elbows on my knees, my hands in a fist over my mouth letting out a cool breath. She looked at me.

"Sorry," she said seriously with an icky face. "Do you want to stop?" I shook my head quickly with my eyes closed.

"No, no, I don't mind. Really. Find you something pretty," I told her. "I'm sure Asher will be apprehensive to see what's in store tomorrow," I smiled at her.

"Haha, let's hope so," she glanced at me, her tongue pressing against her teeth. I brighten.

As she was looking in the racks again, I decided to pull out my phone to see if Celeste texted me, but nothing, but I didn't think much about it when I heard Dawn squealing.

"Oooo, this is cute! What about this Jake?" She asked me. He looked up and gave a kind of nasty face.

"Eh, it's cute but-" She groan over me.

"Too much? I thought so too," She cut me off. I laughed. I looked back down at my phone to see if she'd posted at least some of her dad's new business on Snapchat, honestly knowing how she was all about social media and it's status, but in five seconds Dawn found something else, and I looked up to see her holding high waisted booty shorts that reminded me of the beach.

"What about these?" She asked me next. I looked at it with a tilted head and raised eyebrows.

"Perfect," I gave her the three fingers of approval. She rolled her eyes.

"Then that's a no," She put them back. I laughed for real this time and I shook my head glancing back down at my phone, but she didn't post anything. When I accepted the fact she was busy, I decided to watch Dawn search for clothes this time as she looked through them.

'Dawn is honestly really cool to hang out with outside of school," I thought looking at her as she was behind the rack, dancing a little to the different pop song playing overhead. 'If she was one of Celeste's friends, I wouldn't mind hanging out with all of them if she was there...' I thought to myself deep into it.

"Jake," she looked down at something and appeared in front of the rack. "What about this?" I honestly kept looking at HER and NOT paying attention to the black romper she had up against her body, but when I noticed I wasn't, I shook out of it a little and sat up straight.

"Oh...um...yeah...it's alright..." I commented trying to make it seem like I DIDN'T just came out of a trance. She rolled her eyes into a smile.

"Well I LIKE it, so I'm trying it on," she told me being defiant. I chuckled a little as she was about to head in a dressing room, but then she quickly grabbed some more clothes and looked at me pausing. "And these."

I kept chuckling as she also told me to wait and not to leave her and he nodded laying back in the seat I was in implying I wasn't.

"I'm not goin' anywhere Kit-Kat," I replied with a cool smile relaxed. "Trust me." She smiled a little rolling her eyes again, walking to the first dressing room to where if she came out, I could see her without any hassle in trying to find me and the only thing keeping me from not looking at her was a giant curtain that only exposed her feet.

As I waited for Dawn to come out the dressing room, I couldn't help but keep replaying the way she looked while she looked for clothes since we've been in this store...

'She seemed so sweet and admirable,' I thought thinking about how she gave a corky iffy face at a piece clothing, but placed a smile on her face shortly after. 'But she's so dorky. I can't like a girl like that. I mean, we don't get along. She's not like Celeste. Celeste is a mean girl and Dawn is too sweet. Celeste is over powering...and...kind of mean...and rude..." As I noticed I began to start bashing Celeste, it made me wonder why did I like her in the first place, but that just made me find more excuses to not like Dawn either.

'She's nerdy, she's kind of lame in a way, and really smart. I couldn't care less what Celeste what grades Celeste even myself....' I thought about that last one as I felt it kind of changed since the sessions with Dawn, but I ignored it. 'But I can't like her. I simply can't. Besides, this bet with the football team is just for laughs, for Dawn always being rude to me, because I like Celeste. I like Cel-" but my train of thought totally black out when she came out the dressing room looking nervous. At first she  as looking down at herself and then she looked at me slowly...

"Well... What about this?" She asked me seriously. She turned around facing the mirror tugging at the sleeves and I couldn't help but trace my eyes down her back all the way to her bare feet.

Which never looked so...perfect...?

"I like the style, but it's totally out my comfort zone," she commented with that iffy face that seemed a bit cute. She turned back around fairly quickly, and I suddenly I had to change my line of sight to her prominent chocolate brown eyes.... "What do you think?" she asked again.

I looked down at her and back at her eyes and back down as any guy would do, as she had on a short black dress thingy that was king of tight, defying her curves, with sleeves that were cut open down the arm and an open slit on the chest. It looked like something you'd wear to a formal party....

Or maybe even a night club.

"Uh...it's...it's cute. It's nice..." I told her honestly with a bunch of head nods looking down at her again. "Yeah..."

"Nah," she said quickly shaking her head looking back in the mirror messing with her chest. She didn't even seem to mind I was still watching her. "You stuttered, so it's not good. Imma go back," she turned to look at me with a single nod. I chuckled kind of amused by her in innocents as she closed the curtain behind her.

'Dawn is beautiful...' I had to think, looking down at the ground. 'Wait...no...no she's not. She's just...pretty. Every girl is pretty in their own way-" But sooner than I thought, Dawn came back out, with some white skinny jeans on with a few small holes in them and a red and navy blue flannel that wasn't button all the way, revealing some of her chest that honestly wasn't as big as Celeste's, but I didn't care... I never seen her in pure white jeans, rather that jeans with holes in them.

She really was beautiful.

"See," she said opening the flannel and turning around looking at her butt in the mirror, messing with her hair. "I never owned a white pair of jeans and I definatly don't wear jeans with holes in them...but I feel these are cute on me..." I kept looking at the back of her, my eyes kind of too big. She turned around.

"What about this?" she slapped her hands down by her side, living her hair messy. I secretly always liked how she wasn't fully aware of herself or didn't care of something about her wasn't perfect. Unlike Celeste, she had to look good all the time. I always wished I could see the day her blonde hair was in a messy bun, and not just in the morning.

"Oh yeah, that's really nice," I told her nodding down at jeans, leaning myself on my right leg, my right hand on my chin. "I like it." She turned around shaping her lips awkwardly. Her facial expressions was just as cute....

"You think so? Well, if you like it, Asher probably will too, but I really do, so I'm getting them regardless. This is the only exception," she turned back around smiling at me with her eyes closed. I chuckled as she honestly reminded of Celeste just then...but not in the bad way..

She disappeared behind the curtain again and I shook my head at the ground thinking about her. 'Dawn...is honestly something else...but do I really like her? For real...?' After me dwelling my mind on that, she came back out, and I straighten up, a smile making it's way across my face.

"What about this Jake?" she looked in the mirror before looking at me. I know what Dawn had on was out her comfort zone, but I felt it matched her sweet but kind of edgy personality.

She had on some black knee high socks with a black skater skirt I think it's called. She tucked in a black and white stripped shirt and had an army green oversized jacket over it. She looked really cute with a part of her thigh showing, but I know she probably didn't like it because it was different from her modest personality.

"That's really nice. I can honestly see you walking the halls in that," I told her truthfully. She groan turning back to face the mirror again.

"Ugggh, but...I don't know, are you sure? Do you think Asher will like it?" she asked me desperately. I sighed.

"Dawn, don't think about what Asher likes right now. Do you like it?" I asked her forming a smile. By the way she turned around to face me quickly and looked at me as if I just hit and run a dog, I thought about what I said as I noticed I said Dawn instead of Kit-Kat...but I had to play like I didn't notice.

"Um..yeah..yeah I do," she nodded at me slowly. I sat back stretching my hand out to her and back on my knee.

"Then there you go. Get it. If Asher doesn't like that," I cocked an eyebrow at her. "Then he must not be the one Kit-Kat...and that's facts," I told her. She still stared at me, and blinked obsessively and back at the mirror for a little bit, then she turned back around at me as I was still nonchalantly smiling at her.

"I'm getting it..." she told me licking her lips going back into the dressing room. I chuckled and leaned forward, both my elbows on my knees, rubbing my hands.

'Maybe I do like Dawn....' I looked over to her to see her feet, the skirt on the floor. I looked down at the ground thinking about it. 'But she likes Asher....I simply can't have her...and that's also facts...'

After a few more minutes she came back out, like she was model and did a little spin, and leaned on the wall beside her. "What about this?" she asked me with a smile on her face in an exotic way, with one hand on her hip. I just busted out laughing and so did she.

"Hahaha, despite the little cat walk Kit-Kat, its a great outfit. Honestly," I smiled up at her eyes. She kept giggling, looking at me and she quickly turned around to observe herself in the mirror.

"Hahaha! I like it too," she commented messing with the black crop top she was wearing. She matched it with some nice fitting dark skinny jeans, that was also cut at the knees, and she paired it with that army green jacket from earlier. "See, I won't pair it with this jacket, but I'm just seeing how it'll look. I have a real black leather jacket my mom got me a few years back and I only wore it like three times since...I was thinking of wearing this outfit with it..." she turned back around at me.

At this point, I came to the conclusion Kit-Kat looked good in anything.

I admit....I'd date her and not just for this bet with the football team...but I'd actually want do it out of the sake of my heart....

"Well...I guess I'm done. When I come back out, you're going to help me sort everything out, 'cause I know you're tired of looking at me," she rolled her looking at me sweetly.

'To be honest...I could do this all day,' I wanted to tell her.

"Hahaa, okay Kit-Kat. I'll be waitin'," I told her leaning back in the chair, hiding my lips in my mouth, squinting my eyes at her. She did the same, her lip perked up to the left, and she didn't say anything walking back in the dressing room, closing the curtain.

I thought of Celeste as I waited for her to come out and I checked my messages and her social media for something again, but I got nothing. I'm not one to stalk Celeste of what she's doing, but sometimes she did have me overthinking. She could have any guy she wants, everyone knows that, and sometimes I think she's just with that guy...and it's not me.

'But that's dumb,' I thought to myself. 'Celeste wouldn't be cheating on me a few weeks before the homecoming dance. If anything she'd do it after!' I know it was the horrible thought to think, but Celeste was smart, and she was still my 'best girlfriend in the world.' I had to deny the truth. 'Besides, she is at her dads business opening a few cites over. It's not like I don't know what she's doing...'

Finally, Dawn came out the dressing room, holding all the clothes she tried on and then some, and she came over to me looking down at them, and up at me when I met her over, and she looked back down at them again.

"Now we just have to sort out the ones I want to keep and the ones I want to put back," she told me biting her bottom lip, holding more clothes than she can hold. I laughed at her with chilled eyes. 'Why is she so beautiful?' I had to think. "Here," she forced some jeans into me I know was too big for her into my chest. "I don't want this anymore."

I held them and I was just admiring her... The way her eyebrows folded together indecisively, shaking her head, her thin two toned hair flowing with it....

"I'm keeping this oversized jacket, my three pair of jeans, this skirt, four shirts, these knee high socks..." she said to herself holding mountain of clothes in her hands. I was holding all the clothes she didn't want, but I handed her the red romper she got at first and she nodded once up at my eyes and she took it from me. "And this too..." she said quietly. I stared at her smiling coolly....a smile the girls at school die over....but she didn't...as she just smiled sweetly back at me...a smile she use to give me all the time when we were really close.

When we were actually friends.

"Well..." she suddenly looked down at the clothes as I noticed I was still looking at her. I looked at them as well, taking a step closer to her. "Now I have to calculate all this....I didn't even think of my budget," she said kind of discouraged. "Go put those clothes back for me please, while I do this," she set the clothes down on the chair I was sitting on.

"Don't go into debt now, Kit-Kat," I played with her, walking away.

"Shut up," she said disgustedly getting out her phone for a calculator. I laughed.

As I was honestly randomly placing the clothes back, I was watching Dawn calculate the clothes. Celeste never does that....she simply doesn't need to, but I thought it was attractive that Dawn had to do it.

She tilted her head, biting her bottom lip, as she finally calculated all her clothes and she was just staring at them, and she picked them all up and examine them again and placed them in two separate piles. After I put all the clothes away, I went back over to her, to see what she was doing.

"Whatcha doin' Kit-Kat?" I asked her intrigued. She sighed.

"I don't have enough for all this...I mean I do, but that's like my entire life savings," she groan stuffing the clothes into her face. I couldn't help but laugh a little, and she quickly glared at me playfully and I closed my lips into my mouth, awkwardly smiling. She laughed and I chuckled at her, and she kept smiling, but I knew she was still a little upset. "My only option is to put some of this back..." she said sorting the clothes once again.

I kept looking at her as I know, no girl loves it when she has to put something back on a rack that they really want, and her...being my friend...I had to help. "Hang on Kit-Kat," I said being the top dog that I was. "Did you see if there were any sales going on?" I asked her. She perked up.

"I didn't think about that..." she looked around quickly, looking for some signs.

"I know you didn't," I grinned at her. She pushed me as hard as she could, but it didn't hurt me so I laughed it off.

"Leave me alone Jake," she squinted her eyes at me.

"Just tryna help," I replied to her with my hands up in a surrender. Dawn was still looking around, and she quickly speed walked over to a sale associate and asked, "Excuse me, do you guys have any sales going on today?" The young lady smiled as she looked as if she was 20 or even 19, with short black hair to her jawline, and shiny black eyes.

"Yes we do actually! The jeans are buy one get one half off, and those shirts over there are buy two get one free. We're trying to make some room from the winter clothes coming in," she nodded at me sincerely.

"Oh cool! Thank you so much," Dawn began to walk back over to me.

"Let me know if you need some more help," she informed her. I leaned toward Dawn and I smiled her, rubbing my elbow into her rib.

"Well..." I wanted her to tell me even though I heard every word.

"Well...the jeans and shirts are on sale....so...." very slowly, Dawn started giving me one pair of jeans back, one of the shirts, the socks, the skirt, romper, and jacket. Without saying anything, she pressed her lips together not looking at me, and I looked at what I had in my hands.

"What are you going to do with these?" I really wanted to know. She looked up me, blinking slowly.

"Put them back," she told me simply wii a shrug. I just kept looking at her as she avoided looking at me as I knew she wanted these clothes....bad....and I didn't want to her to be upset like this.

I simply couldn't see her like this.

"I'll pay for it," I heard myself say before I analyzed it. She looked at me so quickly I thought her head was going to snap.

"What??" she asked with wide eyes. I just smiled at her coolly, not turning back on my word.

"I'll pay for it," I told her again. "The clothes that aren't on sale." As I began to walk over to the register, she grabbed my arm, and I turned around hiding my lips into a smile.

"Jake?"

"Yes?"

"Are you seriously about to do this?? You have like, plus $150 dollars in your hand right now-"

"And what Kit-Kat?" I just talked over her coolly.

"That's....that's insane! Put those clothes back," she begged me. "I don't them!"

"Nope," I kept walking to the register.

"Jake. Please. This is weird. You don't have to-"

"But I want to," I cut her already in line. She just stared at me...speechless. "You can go first," I let her in front of me in line. Dawn paused a minute still staring at me and she eventually got in front me and paid for her clothes that was on sale and she turned around abruptly looking right into my now secretive brown eyes, she use to refer to as chocolate milk.

"Thanks Jake...." she told me with a straight face. "And I mean it." I shrugged, setting the clothes down on the counter after she finished her set and I looked down at her, her eyes so innocent, her lips stretching into a sincere smile...something I wish I could just kiss and it not be awkward, but instead, all I could say was,

"It's not problem Kit-Kat.... I promise."

~