The manager came back out with the salesgirl, and Jason was overjoyed at the sight of someone else beside the three people in the store. All three of them seemed to have some vendetta against him. She was a lovely looking woman, with short brown hair, and she looked friendly enough.“It's him! That's the thief!”The manager didn't say a word and simply went to the table, picking up the hairpin. “Is this what he stole?”“Yes!”Stole? He had not stolen anything! Why was this happening to him? She set the hairpin down and noticed the other things on the table. She turned sharply to him with a sweat running down her face. “This ring. Is it yours? Oh dear God. I shouldn't have come in to work today.” Jason stood in place, wondering what was going on. He picked up his ring and slipped it on his index finger.“Look, I have already seen enough. I paid for that purse, so if I could just have the box and leave? That would be great. Thank you.He watched the manager blanche white at that sugg
When he got home, his mum seemed to be in a good mood, so he kissed her hello and asked how her day had gone.“Oh, it was okay. I got a call from your father and he seemed Inna dapper mood. I'm assuming he has told you? We're not poor?”“Yeah, he has,” he responded, smiling.“Well that's good, now we don't have to worry and you can quit that god awful job that you have.”“Yeah, that's a plus.”Suddenly remembering something, he tells his mother that he has a party to attend that night with his friends. “It's Ashley's birthday tomorrow, but the party is today. That's what the gift bag is for ”He gestured vaguely at the bag and told her more. “I am going to have to go there because it is the first time I've ever been invited to an event like this.”“Go ahead Jason,” she smiled. “Will you be fine for dinner or should I make you some?”“I'm alright. I have a few hours to kill before the party, should I tell you what happened at the shops?”“I would love that!” she exclaimed, and he told
He went over to the table and set down the gift, noting that it had been an hour and more and more people had shown up to the party. The room was almost full, and he admired the lighting.Someone had gone all out for this party, and he admired their effort. He wondered if it was Ashley herself, then decided against it. They had probably not stressed the birthday girl on her day.Soon she came down the stairs and things went into full swing. The party had poured from the front of the house to the other sides and out on the porch, and kids ran around with punch that he suspected was spiked.Ashley walked up to him and tried to introduce him to her cousin, a girl named Cate. Cate was a pretty girl, and he could admit that himself. She had long blonde hair that she was wearing in a thick braid, and she had angelic blue eyes to match. She looked classy, rich, and he was afraid to say a word to her.Ashley gave him a hard elbow to the side and the words spluttered out of his mouth. “Ow- Hi
“Stop!” yelled Russ. “You can't all possibly be this stupid. This boy cannot afford any of this. He must have stolen it!" A murmur ran out over the crowd, and Jason turned around, stunned. “Those two items look as expensive as all of the other gifts combined. Maybe even ten times more expensive than all of it! Why would you even think this is real?” “What the-” Jason turned around to look at Russ. He had no idea why Russ was telling a lie as grand as that, but he had had it up to his neck. “I didn't steal anything, what's your problem?” “Well, if you didn't steal it, then it's fake.” Ashley was on the stairs with her friends, taking some of her gifts up, so she couldn't defend him, and he knew he couldn't fight all of them off, so he looked over at Macy. She had seen him buying the gifts, she had been in the shop along with her mysterious footballer boyfriend while he made the purchase, surely she would come to his rescue? Apparently not. She looked away and then invited her fo
That week, Jason anticipated every mail delivery that he got, searching for the keys his father had promised to send to him. He had left Ashley's party after wishing her goodbye that first night, and their friendship was flourishing. School was still in session, and although Russ was rude to him, he remained kind and made a few new friends, although he suspected that they were befriending him simply because of his finances. On a Friday, almost a week after the call, he got the keys, tightly wrapped.His mom was downstairs when his package came, and he walked inside the house and handed the package to her after struggling to open it for a while. “Why would dad wrap it so tight?!” he exclaimed, running his hands through his hair.“Well,” responded his mum, using a blade to cut open the pack, “maybe he just wanted it to be safe. Or he shipped it with something else that he didn't want to break. Who knows?”“Nobody but him, I guess. Still it's silly,” laughed Jason, running up the stairs
Chapter 13Together, he and the arrogant man sat there, until he got bored and wanted to walk around. This was a home he had not yet toured, and if he was going to live in it, he was going to walk around. “Look man, I'll be right back. I'm touring the place.”“You? Where is your appointment? I let you stay here as a joke, but without an appointment, I will not permit you to walk around,” said the man, frowning. Supporting their boss, his guards reminded Jason that he was pretty small and could easily be lifted up and out of the home, or beaten into compliance. “Look dude, I don't like to touch little kids but if I have to beat you, I can, and I will,” laughed the first one. “You look malnourished, and I'm sure I can lift you up and toss you out, easy.”“Yeah,” joined in the second guy, laughing with his nose. “you have no appointment, and we really should kick you out. The rule is no appointment, no entry into the house. Do you need any parts of that explained?”“No! I do not need
While Lance continued to yell, the lady asked him to take a seat. “Sit down, Jason. How are you?”“I'm okay I guess. But- did I just hear you say that you are my sister?”“Yes, I am. Is there a problem?” asked the lady, smiling at him.“No, not at all,” he smiled, “The thing is just that you know my name and I don't seem to know anything about you.”“Okay, well hi Jason. My name is Maya, your elder sister. I assure you, there are no more surprises after me. I'm sure Mum and dad told you that you were an only child?”Jason nodded with a faraway look in his eyes. They had told him that he was their only child, but he had early childhood memories of playing with someone. Perhaps it was her. “Did you- did you ever play with me when we were younger? I seem to remember playing with you, but those could be false memories I've created.”“Oh no, we definitely used to hangout, I just left home when I turned 18. I think you were 6 years old then. Now I'm 30 years old, and you're 18. It's tradit
Instead, he nodded and smiled as his sister continued to show him around, taking him to the biggest room in the mansion. He had noticed it and had thought it was the most beautiful room, but was shocked that his sister was taking him back there.“Why are we going back?” he asked, looking around again. The room that she was taking him to was most likely the biggest room he had ever seen, even bigger than Ashley's and the department store he had been to the other day. She did not say anything, simply pushed open the door and ushered him in, leaving him to his thoughts. When he was alone, he had time to think, and he wondered about Maya for the hundredth time.“Could she really be my sister?” he soliloquized, wondering about his parents. He had seen proof in her mannerisms and actions that they were related, but as siblings? How?She had left him with more questions than answers, even though he had asked her very persistently for them. All she had said so far implied that he would learn