My Bad Boy's Diary

~Thirteen~ Money

"HE GAVE YOU TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS?!"

I grinned at my friends' enthusiasm. "Well, technically it's nine thousand. Whatever we have leftover, I figured we can spend on shoes and accessories?"

They were both screaming over me and leaping up and down, however.

"How did you get him to do it?!" Kensi wanted to know.

I shrugged, playing it cool. "I told him that would've been his minimum bail."

I hadn't, but now that I thought of it, I wished I had, it would've been clever.

"What're you girls so happy about?" My mother asked, walking into the room with a load of laundry.

"We're going shopping for the dance!" Kensi could never keep anything in when she was excited. "Brooklyn's date gave us money for dresses!"

I inwardly groaned and I saw Samoane knowingly wince. We set plans to go shopping tomorrow and they wisely left.

I knew I was in for a lecture on boys as soon as they were gone and sure enough;

"It was nice of Dalton to pay for you girls to get dresses, I didn't know he had a steady job."

I kept my eye-roll to myself here. "Yeah, I think he's a mechanic or something."

HA!

Dalton, work an honest day in his life?

Never gonna happen.

He was a criminal, plain and simple, that was his career.

Thrilling, I know.

I was doing my best not to let what he'd said at the coffee shop haunt me.

And Matheson wasn't in love with me, dammit! That was absurd. Dalton was just trying to cause trouble, as always.

"Well, honey..." here we went, "that's nice of him, but when boys give girls extravagant presents sometimes they expect certain things in return."

"Mom, this is Dalton we're talking about. I wouldn't touch him with a ten-foot pole."

It was my mom's turn to roll her brown eyes at me, however. "Oh, baby, you can't fool your mamma. I see how you look at that boy. You've been in love with him since you were three. You remember how you used to chase him around, trying to get him to kiss you? You were planning your wedding when you were four, and as I recall, he went along with it pretty easily."

I frowned at my mom. "What're you saying?"

"Just that..." my mom gestured at me. "I see your new look and-"

"And? You get your hair relaxed, you get your nails done!"

"Yes, dear, but I'm a working woman. You're still so young, and I love your natural curls, baby."

I sighed heavily to let her know what I thought of that.

"I just don't want you to try to change yourself for a guy, when there is someone special out there who will love you for exactly who you really are, not for who you've trained yourself to be for some jerkoff."

"Mom!" I laughed.

"I mean it, honey. I know you like Dalton still and goodness knows that when you've been wanting something for so long, it can be hard to let go. Even if you know it's not good for you, giving up on it feels like a loss, when actually it's a win."

"Mom, please-"

"I know, just let me say one more thing and I won't say anything else and you can go with Dalton on Saturday, I'll talk to Mitch about it."

"Really?" I perked up.

My beautiful mother smiled at me. "Yes, if you promise to be careful, be home no later than eleven, and you make sure that boy keeps his hands to himself!"

I was beaming with my success. "You got it, Mom."

"But listen, child, hush now." She got all serious on me and I schooled my expression. "Dalton might be easy going about things-"

I snorted. Easy going!

"And he likes you, honey, you don't need to strive for validation from him so much. Don't think I don't notice how you seek his approval, you always have. I'm sure he notices, too."

"Mom." I groaned, miserable. My mom really knew how to get me right in the sore spot sometimes.

"I'm just sayin', sweetie, just because a boy likes you, doesn't mean he's going to treat you well. Just...don't read his charm and his advances to mean that he actually cares about you or wants any sort of a real relationship with you. He's just going to try to use you as much as he can. Do yourself a favor, hon, don't let him make a fool out of you."

She didn't say it, and I certainly never would, but I could see the pain in her eyes and I knew what she was thinking.

Like Dad had done to her.

*~*~*~*

Oh, Mom always knows best. But will Brooklyn listen? is the question.LOL

Read more to find out what happens next!

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