I woke up by noon. I didn't know why, probably because of the super-soft water bed, but I enjoyed my sleep for once in a long time.
I stood up and my body immediately went numb. I wanted to go back to sleep so badly, but I remembered what mom said about buying new clothes so I headed to brush my teeth and get ready.
When I entered the bathroom, I realized I hadn't seen it yet. Now that was the size of all my old rooms. I didn't expect to see a pack of new brushes but I didn't waste time tossing my old one away. And honestly, I could brush my teeth for hours with how soft it was.
After that, I took a "NORMAL" shower for the first time in a long time. When I was done getting ready, I headed downstairs to the living room where I met Lexi and Bianca.
----------CONVERSATION----------
Ash: Morning, girls.
Lexi: Morning, Ash.
Ash: Hey Lex. Uhh, aren't you supposed to be at work or something?
Lexi: I work from home. And you do realize I'm still in college, right?
Ash: Oh, just thought you dropped out to work or something.
Bianca: Plus it's a Saturday.
Ash: Morning B.
Bianca: Morning baby (hugging me tight).
Ash: Ouukay. And what about the redhead?
Bianca: You mean Evie? She had a tennis tournament to go to.
Ash: Wow, IT plays lawn tennis.
Lexi: Jeez, harsh. I thought YOU said no mean comments.
Ash: Well, she started it (folding arms)
Bianca: This childish side of you's kinda hot (biting my left ear)
Ash: Urgk, c'mon.
Lexi: Ignore her, she's just teasing you.
After a while, I remembered why I got dressed and decided to ask.
Ash: Oh yeah, I'm supposed to head out with Chlo... I mean mom.
Lexi: Yeah she's probably getting ready.
Ash: Wait, how does she know I'm ready? Or even awake?
Bianca: The security system.
Lexi: Oh yeah, you don't know this yet, but when you open a door in the house, it shows up on a screen in the master bedroom.
Ash: Damn. Cool, but kinda spooky.
Bianca: You'll get used to it.
After our conversation, I waited for a while before mom finally came downstairs and we headed off to the mall. The specific mall we headed to was called the Mall of America, which is basically the best mall around. It also had a good amusement park beside it so that was something.
As we got out of the limo, we entered the building alongside a few bodyguards which, to be honest, was understandable. She then took me to a teenage boy's store that was a bit close to the entrance.
When I got in, I saw a lot of pretty cool clothes that slightly made me understand why she'd called the clothes I wore rags.
But the problem was they were too expensive. You could find a designer hoodie for around a thousand dollars.
Crazy, right?
I decided to keep looking for cheaper ones and I found a section with a pretty decent budget pricing. I also found some pretty okay and cheap clothes there so I picked them.
But as I approached mom with the selection of clothes I picked up, she responded "C'mon Ash, you can do better than these. Find some better more expensive clothes".
Wow.
And I decided to do so. Remember that hoodie earlier, well I got four of them with different designs, along with some Tees and some really good pants.
To be honest, I had almost spent around ten thousand on just clothes all at once. I couldn't even remember the last time I'd heard that amount of money mentioned.
When I approached her, she asked if that was all I wanted, like it wasn't enough. I wanted to pick more clothes just because of that but c'mon, I have decency.
And after all the shopping, it was time to go home.
But on our way out of the mall, we saw an unexpected guest arrive.
The Darienettes.
Well, definitely you all know who the Darienettes are, but in case you are a rock dweller or the only person in the world who doesn't, they are basically the richest family lineage in the world.
To clarify, they are two brothers, Jerry and Stephen Darianette, who basically dominated the technological industry, making them two of the top three richest men alive. I mean, just by owning shares with Scythe co (the best gaming equipment company) and the X productions (new-gen tablets and phones), you can only guess how rich they truly are combined. They pretty much own thirty percent shares with each of the top ten companies.
Enough about stating the obvious, this time, we were met with Jerry and Tyrand Darienette. Mom did that kissy-greety thing with Tyrand on both sides and shook Jerry's hand before saying hello to the girl that was with them.
Thinking about it, I recalled that they had three children, two sons, and a daughter. But this time it was only the girl.
And after a while, my mom finally introduced me to them.
----------CONVERSATION----------
Mom: Everyone, I would like to introduce you to my new son, Ash West.
Tyrand: Oh I heard about that. Hi there, I'm your mom's best friend, Tyrand Darienette. It's nice to meet you.
Ash: It's nice to meet you Mrs. Tyrand.
Jerry: And I'm Jerry, basically your new godfather.
Ash: Nice to meet you too Mr. J.
Jerry: Mr. J?
Mom: Yeah, he likes to shorten names.
Jerry: Oh, he is my kinda guy.
And as I looked at the beauty that stood beside them, she smiled at me.
Mom: And this is...
Ash: Vanessa Darienette. Let's skip the formality a bit, it's nice to meet you.
As I said that, I then walked toward her and kissed her right hand, making her blush slightly.
Tyrand: Come on, Chloe. Let's catch up. It's been a while. We can leave the kids to have some fun by themselves.
Chloe: I dunno. Is that okay with you, Ash?
Ash: It's fine by me.
Jerry: How about you, Vanessa?
Vanessa: Yeah, we'll be fine.
Jerry: Good. Then you guys can meet us here in about three hours.
And before they left, Jerry then turned to me.
Jerry: And kid, make sure you get some lips while you're at it.
Vanessa: Dad! (blushing)
Tyrand: He's just teasing you.
Jerry: I'm not (smiling).
Mom: Well, we'll see you later kids. Be safe, Ash.
Ash: I will.
And as they left, leaving a few of the bodyguards with us, I immediately turned to the hottie right beside me. In all honestly, I hadn't been left alone with a girl my age outside the orphanage for the longest time and I was a bit nervous. But I just took a deep breath and imagined an Evie, and that performed miracles on the situation.
Ash: Parents, am I right?
Vanessa: (smiling) Yeah, they're the worst.
Ash: So irresponsible leaving two dastardly teens alone.
Vanessa: Haha yeah. So Ash, right?
Ash: Yup, from now on I guess.
Vanessa: Must be a bit difficult adapting to this kind of lifestyle.
Ash: Yeah, but I won't really say it's not worth the stress honestly.
Vanessa: I guess that's fair.
Ash: So what about your brothers, Luke and Leonel?
Vanessa: Well, Luke is in some skating tournament and Leo is at a party with the male twins.
Ash: It is a Saturday after all. But how come you're not there with him? I mean, you guys are twins as well, right?
Vanessa: Yeah, but I'm not really that close with Aiden or Adrian.
Ash: Fair enough.
Vanessa: Soo, where do you wanna go?
Ash: You know I didn't think that through. I was so caught up in being left alone with a hot girl that I even forgot to ask for some money.
Vanessa: (giggling) Well, not to worry. Everything's on me.
Ash: I never thought I'd ever have the girl pay on my behalf... in a good way, of course.
Vanessa: Don't worry, I understand. So how about we ditch this place and go to the Amusement Park across the street?
Ash: We'd be crazy not to.
Vanessa: (laughing) I like you... in a friendly way.
Ash: Well, a good first impression is seen as a talent in some countries.
So after that, we headed to the park. I honestly didn't feel happy letting her pay for everything, but she was glad to do so, so it bugged me less.
We went on all the rides and it was so much fun. I also managed to win her a pretty cool necklace from a "Guess how many jellybeans" game and to be honest, it seemed pretty useless for someone of her status, but she seemed happy about it for some reason so it made me happy as well.
Then we had a long chat on the Ferris wheel that she insisted we ride last from the beginning and we really talked. We told each other a lot about ourselves, likes and dislikes, good and bad habits, a few minor secrets, and the topic of relationships also came up to which we pointed out that we were both single. And after the enticing chat, we agreed to finish our day together with a movie back at the mall.
We watched a movie about a guy and his dog that had been going through a lot together. Honestly, didn't like the seat cuz the guy at the back was snoring, and the couple right beside me was making out throughout the movie, which Vanessa mocked by whispering to me "Why pay for a movie if you're not gonna watch it at all?" I also loved her impression of the guy snoring behind us. It was fun to be with her, but I just had to screw it up.
So eventually, the dog in the movie was shot and she gasped and held my shoulder in shock. Then we looked at each other and her eyes were slightly red due to the scene where the man saw what had happened to his dog. I kinda felt sorry (although it was a movie) and decided to comfort her and eventually, she held my hand and put her head on my shoulder.
It was a bit shocking for me, especially the fact that I wasn't good with these things, but I still looked into her eyes as she looked into mine. We looked at each other and started going closer and closer. I could feel her breath on my lip and I could smell her lipstick.
But I couldn't do it.
As our lips were about to touch, I retreated and immediately claimed how awkward the moment was which, while embarrassed, she agreed.
The worst part was that the movie wasn't finished until about an hour and we had to bear the embarrassment as we watched the remaining parts.
Immediately after the movie was done, she ran out of the cinema with haste. I tried to call her back, but she didn't look back and the crowd was making it even harder to catch up. I decided to look for her but remembered that we were supposed to meet back at our initial meeting place so I just hoped that was where she was headed.
As I managed to navigate my way to the spot, my mom and the others were already there with her and were looking worried.
----------CONVERSATION----------
Mom: Where were you?
Ash: I'm only two minutes late.
Mom: It doesn't matter. Vanessa said you guys were split up and she thought you would be here.
Jerry: Yeah and she was also crying. Any reason for that?
Vanessa: Dad!
Ash: I didn't do anything, promise.
Vanessa: And I told you it was from the movie we saw.
Jerry: Well I don't know what happened, but Vanny doesn't usually cry unless it's boy problems.
Ash: I'm sorry it seems this way sir, but I honestly didn't do anything.
Tyrand: It's fine Jerry. They said it's okay so let's not make a scene about it.
And after some time, they left the mall.
Mom: honestly, I don't know what happened, but you're okay, and that's all I care about for now.
Then she hugged me before we finally headed to the car.
I honestly felt sorry for Vanessa, but a part of me hoped that I would never see her again out of embarrassment, which I knew was not possible. But I couldn't stop thinking about her and the fun we had together.
I screwed up, big time.