Chapter 10

"Soooo, where exactly are we?" I asked, looking around at the unfamiliar place. Me, Kristine and Adrian are here in front of a huge building. Many people are entering and exiting it.

"I told you, we're gonna do some shopping spree and where can you do that? In the mall duh!" Kristine said.

"Don't duh me! It's my first time to go to a mall so.... I don't know what it looks like."

"Sorry! I didn't mean to be like a sassy bi**h... well sassing you, that, I did it intentionally but being a bi**h? Nahhh."

"It's fine. You always do that so I'm used to it." I know that Riri is just being herself and I'm not offended so it's ok...but Riri misunderstands what I said.

"Gasp! Oh no Cooper! I'm truly sorry! I promise that I'll try to not sass you!" she promised.

"No it's totally fine! Don't apologize. Let's just enter okay? Our time will be wasted if we're just stand here."

"Okay... As an apology—don't stop me" she said when she sees that I'm about to interrupt her.

"As an apology, I will make you experience the best today!" Riri said, determined. Well, I won't stop her. I want to have a best day too, before papa comes home. I want to try new stuffs!

"Oooh okay! I accept your 'apology'." I said, quoting 'apology' in the air.

"Hmmm where should we start? Oh I know! Let's go and try some new clothes first. I will be the one who'll pick what clothes you will wear okay? Okay!" Riri said, pulling me towards the entrance. She's really excited....

Oh! I almost forgot!

"Ari just follow us and don't go missing!" I yelled so that he could hear me. We're far apart because Riri is surprisingly fast and strong. Note that she have a high heels on. If I were to wear that, I cannot do that, even walking will be hard. How can someone bear to wear that?

We stop at a clothing store.

"...Mal de Wear?" I read the name of the store.

"Yup! The most famous brand of clothing in the whole world! Come on, let's try some new clothes!"

Am I hallucinating because I saw an evil glint in Riri's eyes.... I don't feel so good.

"Oooh! Look at this! This will look good on you! You'll look even cuter! Kyaaah!" Riri took a...uhh... an adult-size baby's clothes?

"I am not a baby! I will not wear that." I said.

"What? No! It's not a baby's clothes! It is called a jumper, jumper! A popular type of outfit. Now come on and try this!" She gives me the jumper and pushed me to the dressing room.

Sooo... How do I put this?

After minutes of figuring out how to wear it, I finally put it on.

I stared at the full-body mirror...Well, it's not bad.

"Uhh Riri, I think it's not bad but I don't want to wear it." I said, opening the door of the dressing room.

When she looks towards me, she suddenly stand up... wait, jump.

"Gasp! Oh My Goshhhhh! You're so cute! I can't—OMG!"

I see Ari looking at me from head to toe. "It looks good on you Cooper." Ari said, smiling lightly at me.

"See? Even Adrian said that you're cute!" ....Riri that's not what he said. You're making up things again.

"Well, if you say so. There is also nothing outdoor clothes in my closet so might as well buy it."

"Oh Cooper, your closet will be full of clothes from now on. Now, try this next!" Riri gives me the cloth... from a bunch behind her.

"Riri I don't think that I can wear all of it." I said worriedly.

So many....

"Pfft. You're fine! You're gonna be fine. Now go!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Please tell me that this is the last one." I plead. I'm so tired!

"I promise this is the last one." ....but you said that to me hours ago.

I look at her with distrust.

"I promise like true promise, that this is the last clothes you will try today."

"Sigh. Fiiinnee." I take the clothes and go back to the dressing room.

Minutes later, I walk out and showed it to Riri.... Ari is asleep so I can't really showed it to him.

"You look great Cooper! We're gonna buy this too. Now, let's go to the counter and pay all of these."

"Wait... All of these? These is so many! How can we even hold all of these?" I asked. You can't blame me, there's like a mountain of clothes that I've try and buying all of it means we need at least four people to hold it.

"Don't worry, we have Adrian."

"But adding Ari just total to three."

"He's a man he can take it."

"But I'm a man too." I refuted.

"Awww baby boy thinks he's a manly man~"

"It's because I am!"

"No you're not. You're just a cute wittle boy that I love to tease~"

Riri... You're hurting my feelings QAQ.

"Cut it out Kristine. You're making him cry." Ari reprimanded Kristine...but why do I feel like he's teasing me too?

"Ok! Ok! I'll stop teasing him. Let's just go and pay for these."

We go to the cashier and give them the clothes. I look at my phone and saw that we wasted 2 hours just trying clothes on... That's why I'm so tired.

I sat on a bench. Let Riri do all the work!

So many people...There's someone walking, someone eating, someone—pfft tripped. Hahaha! That is so funny! Oh and there's also Calvin chatting with a girl.

....?! Calvin?!

When I was about to look again to see if what I really saw is Calvin, Riri called me.

"Cooper! Help us in carrying this bags!" she said, holding one bag on her hand while Ari carries the rest.

"Oh okay! Ari, let me carry some." I said. Poor Ari, being abused by Riri.

Oops! I almost forgot. I glanced towards the cashier, "How much is all of these?"

"No! I will be the one who's paying for it!" Riri said.

"It's ok Riri, I have money." I took out a black card. "See?"

Riri's mouth drop...figuratively. "Wow Cooper, you are really rich. I can't even have that kind of card, even my parents don't have that kind of card."

Really? I thought it's just an ordinary card.... Papa told me to choose what color I want and the black one is pretty so i chose it.

I payed the clothes and Riri dragged me into our next stop: The food court.

There are stalls place on the side while the tables are on the center.

"So Cooper, what do you want to eat?" Riri asked.

Hmmm. There are so many to choose from...

"Uhm... I want.. pizza and fries and oh! Hamburger too and—"

"Cooper, you can't eat oily stuff today. You know that we only allowed you to have what you want one times a week, right? Please choose another food."

"But! Sigh, Finnnee." I thought I can eat that today because we're out and Norvyn isn't here to stop me but unfortunately, Ari's here.

He looks at me for a second. Then he said, "Fine. I will let you eat anything you want but it's only one food, you understand? And don't let father know that I did this okay?"

"Okay!" I nodded. "Thanks Ari!" he just smiles at me and didn't say a thing.

Hmmm, what to eat? I can only eat one thing I want... What to choose between pizza, french fries and hamburger? So haaardd.

If I choose pizza, maybe I can only eat just one slice. If I choose french fries, though I love potatoes, it can't fill my tummy. Maybe I should choose hamburger... Hmmm

"You're really thinking hard huh. Choose one thing then I will buy you the rest that you like." Riri whispers. Even though she's loud, she's a good friend!

"Don't you dare Kristine. I heard what you say to Cooper." Ari said. Oh men, why did it have to be heard by Ari?! My chance to eat many things...

"I will just eat hamburger..."

"Okay, you and Kristine find a table for us while i buy some food." I nodded, taking the bags that Ari's holding.

We find a table for us and of course, sit while waiting for Ari. My feet is hurting from standing.

"Soooo, how's your experience shopping with me? Did you enjoy it?" asked Kristine. Her right hand is under her chin, supporting it.

"Uhmm, do you want me to be honest or just fake it?"

"Fake it. Of course the honest one! I don't want to be flattered by you. I want to know if you really enjoyed it."

"Oh, honestly, I did enjoyed it but my feet, legs and thighs are tired."

"Well, don't worry you'll get use to it." u-use to it? I don't want to be used to it!

"O-oh... about that—"

"Shh!" Kristine lifted her pointer finger and place it on her mouth. She's looking behind me. I looked behind to see what she's fussing about. Oh, it's Calvin. So I am really not imagining things.

"Did you see that? It's Calvin right? And oooh! with a girl?" Riri got a creepy glint in her eyes...

"Uhm, yeah it's Calvin... Why?"

"We should invite him in the party and the girl." Riri said, standing up to go to Calvin.

"Wait! Riri!" I stop her by holding her wrist.

"What?"

"Why invite him? We're not close to him?" and I don't like him so please don't.

"Why not? Also I'm inviting anyone to my party even if I don't know them. And he's our classmate, I want a gossip—I mean, I want to know his story so inviting him is good."

....fine, I'm not the one who's throwing a party anyway.

"Sigh. Ok, your choice Riri."

She smiled and go where Calvin is. I don't know what she said because we're far from Calvin's table but from the looks of it, Calvin agreed to go to Riri's party.

"Here's your hamburger. Where's Kristine?" Oh, Adrian is here. Yes! My hamburger!

"She's there, she wants to invite Calvin to her party so she's talking to him." I said while eating my delicious hamburger. Mmmm, I might cry.

He smiled at me and he also eat his food... I don't know what it is called though.

"What's that?" I asked.

"Oh, this? It's Shawarma."

"Is it good?"

"Yes....Cooper what did I—"

"Just one bite, please?" I said, making my eyes bigger and pouting my lips. He always give me what I want when I do this.

"Sigh. Fine, only one bite okay?"

"Okay!" See? He will never disagreed to me when I do that. I should have done it too earlier. Ayyy.

I took a one BIG bite to his Shawarma. Mmmm! Sooo good!

"What a cheeky little man." Ari just chuckled at me. Hehe! He said that I can only bite one, but he didn't said that it have to be small or a big one.

"Hey! Why are you two eating without me?" Kristine said, walking towards us.

"Well, we're hungry so we're eating. It's not like we have to wait for you, what are you? Our mouth?"

"This sassy—whooh! Deep breaths Kristine! You don't want to punch his cute little face right? Inhale... Exhale... Whooh!"

...did I went to far?.... nahhhh.