Diabla

IV

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I'll be on your side, even if it's just one sided.

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"Jacob, no! It's fine, really! I don't need new clothes." He wasn't listening to me. He kept pulling on me.

"We already got the bears and the rings. You even got me a necklace! Let's just go home." I begged. He already got me too much stuff. I just wanted to go back.

"Heidi." He finally stopped.

"You have to stop wearing my clothes. We need to get you new ones. As an early birthday gift. Still, a month before you turn eighteen. Come on, let's go. Don't complain anymore." My birthday was in a month. He was right. This was probably going to be the first birthday I ever spent away from dad and the others.

"First, we need clothes for tonight. Then we could buy whatever else you like." Nobody ever told me what an exchange was in this mafia world. I didn't know what we were actually doing tonight.

"Find a dress you like. Shoes. Sephora is somewhere in there. Do you want me to go with you?" He grabbed the bear out of my hand. I shook my head.

"No, it's fine. I could go alone. Where are you going to be at?" Going alone, I'll just end up buying the cheapest thing I could find. He doesn't need to know.

"I'll be at that store over there. I need to get new shoes. Call me if anything happens. The only contact on the phone." He handed me a phone. "A phone?" Of course, they would give me a phone with no contacts. Problem was I didn't know dad's number. I wouldn't be able to call him.

"Yes, Heidi. A phone. I'll be over at that store. Remember call me if anything."

I looked at the store he was talking about. It was an all men's store, with suits and everything else.

"I will. Don't worry about me. I'll try not to get lost." I took the phone and stuffed it in my pocket. The credit card was in my other pocket.

He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before I left.

The trust he must have in me to not walk out of this mall right now and head home. For some reason, I wanted to stay with him. I didn't want him to leave, nor did I wanted to leave.

Being separated from him and being alone didn't sit right with me. I wasn't used to this.

I walked into Sephora to get some makeup first.

I never realized how expensive all of this was. I always spent my dad's money. Now that I was spending someone else's money, I realized how expensive all of this was. I never realized how much money dad actually had.

I grabbed some foundation and everything else in my makeup that I had at home. Everything here was expensive for no reason.

"Good morning. How was everything?" I looked up at the cashier. "Everything was okay. Thank you." She nodded as she looked at all the things I was buying.

She kept glancing at me after everything she scanned.

"Sorry, is there something wrong?" I had to ask. She stopped glancing at me and continued to scan.

"Your total is $631.23 cash or card?" Is this how much my dad spent on my stuff!? I never see how much he actually pays. This was scaring me.

"Card." She pointed at the little card machine. I inserted his card.

"Sorry if I'm asking, but what do you do? This is a lot of makeup. And these are expensive name brands. I just wanted to know what you did." Another one asked. Is that why she kept staring at me?