Strangers

Mistake

Memories of Joe Alwyn
15 years ago before the events described
Part 2

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Joe stared at Mary, wearing the best clothes in her closet. But he was silent, and didn't speak until they were on their way to school:

"So, why are you dressed like that?"

"It's none of your business" Mary replied.

"Please tell me it's for some cool high school boy you have a crush on and not what I think it's about"

"That's very interesting. What are you thinking about? " Mary asked him with a challenge.

"You want to be in Taylor's entourage" Joe blurted out.

Mary stopped and looked at him carefully.

"Will you try to stop me?" she asked.

"Yes! You see how Taylor is. Stay away from her!"

"That's how she listened to you"

"I'm gonna tell parents!" Joe didn't know how else to explain it to her.

"I don't think I'm getting busted for wanting to make friends" Mary shrugged it off.

"Oh, no, that's not what you want. You want a rich life. All those sleepovers, all those private parties, that's what you want"

"I'm sorry, Joe, for wanting a better life than I have! For wanting to be somebody!" Mary turned around and walked away from her brother.

Joe stood there confused. He was well aware that he could hardly stop his fifteen-year-old sister, for if she wanted something she got it.

When there was a big break he saw Mary approaching Taylor and her group of girls. She smiled dutifully at Taylor and threw out first the banana peel and why the yogurt jar that Taylor gave her. Taylor looked at her approvingly.

And Joe blushed every time, how could Mary be a maid to these narcissistic girls? For that, Mary was allowed to sit next to "the Taylor's squad" albeit at a distance.

Joe couldn't stand it so he left. This went on for two weeks. Mary grew closer and closer to Taylor. She spent a lot of time with the girls and running errands for Taylor like picking up her dress from the dry cleaners. And then Joe saw a scene like this:

"Mary, what will you have?"

"Oh, I'll have lemonade" his sister quickly replied.

"But we all take a full meal, and you're always something minor"

"I just have a big breakfast and I'm not hungry, don't worry, it's okay"

The girls went to a super expensive cafe near the school together. They spent about an hour like that and then went out.

Joe waited and went into the cafe and asked for a menu. Immediately he figured it out. The average lunch at a place like this cost about a hundred dollars, and Mary certainly didn't have that kind of money, which wasn't surprising.

So she drank lemonade which cost as much as twelve dollars! One small glass! Joe left the café and came home.

When Mary got home he went into her room and asked her:

"so, given such an existence where do you get your money?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, but he could see she was nervous.

"just your "friends" lunch costs more than you can afford in a few months. No matter how much you save. Where do you get the money?"

She sighed and looked at him helplessly.