Why Are You Helping Me?

Cherry couldn't help but wonder what Scott got out of this. And helping that boy who had been lost. And helping her beat Ms. Pac-Man. Nobody did anything without a reason. She had learned that early on.

"Why are you helping me?" she asked when they were still a few blocks away, unable to resist.

Her curiosity had been eating at her for a while but this pushed it over the edge. She needed to know what made this guy tick even if it didn't have anything directly to do with being worried he would catch her.

Scott answered her question with a question. "You ever heard of the Golden Rule?"

Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. He was helping her with her groceries because he wanted someone to help him with his if he needed it?

Cherry really doubted he would need it though. He seemed pretty strong, like he could lift her over his head.

That was a weird thought. Where was that coming from?!

"Yeah, I've heard of it. But it's not like I can help you with your groceries," she pointed out.

Scott shrugged. "It's really not a big deal, Sherry. Adults are supposed to help kids with things like this. Why are you shopping by yourself, anyway? Shouldn't your parents be doing that sort of thing?"

He had asked her something to this effect before. He wasn't the only one either. She got questions now and then from nosy but well-meaning people she had to correct.

It would be embarrassing to correct him at this point though. She hadn't thought she would run into him this often so she had let him make his assumptions thinking she would never see him again. That had been a mistake.

Cherry had come this far in her lie. She had to see it through to the end.

Besides, she had handled the shopping since she her granny got sick. She had only been a teenager then.

"I do the shopping for my granny," she said half-truthfully.

She didn't anymore but she used to. It was easier to say than the fact that she was a grown woman who looked like a middle schooler. Especially in front of someone who was already suspicious of her other identities. It was better to keep pretending to be a kid.

Scott seemed surprised by this answer. "Oh. You live with her then?"

"Yep."

He let the subject drop after that, for which she was grateful. Her whole life may be built on lies but it was different when she had to do it unprepared. She wasn't a huge fan of improvising.

"This is it," Cherry told him several minutes of silence later. "Thanks again for helping me."

"Any time," Scott said as he handed all of the grocery bags back.

She made sure he was out of sight before heading to her apartment building, just to be safe. It was really nice of him to help though. What he said before about how adults were supposed to help kids…was that what he meant by the Golden Rule? He helped kids out because he wished someone would have done the same for him when he was younger?

It would make sense. She briefly wondered what he had been through to make him think that way before dismissing it.

Cherry needed to stop getting involved with him, even if he was nice. He could ruin everything for her if he caught on to what she was doing.

He wasn't likely to connect little girl Sherry to the supposedly multiple women stealing credit cards and cash at his nightclub but it was better to be safe than sorry. She couldn't risk it.

It was unfortunate though because she was curious about him. But curiosity about other people never ended well in her experience. This sort of thing was exactly why she didn't get involved with others.

===

Scott did end up going to that show and reporting back on it to Richie. The older man was so pleased that he bought him another ticket for something else, saying he would force him to get out and experience culture if he had to.

There was no arguing with him. Whatever made him happy.

Things were quiet on the vigilante women front and he wondered what had made them stop. Was it because they realized he was on to them or had something else happened? Did they quit completely or just switch to different clubs? He had no way of finding out since he didn't know any other club owners.

Scott thought about all of this while walking home from the grocery store one day but was immediately distracted when he saw movement in an alley in the corner of his eye. A man had grabbed a girl and pulled her in.

He was about to intervene when he saw the girl not only pepper spray him but kick him in the nuts, telling him to screw himself before stealing his wallet and walking away like nothing happened. That girl had nerves of steel! He attacked her so she felt that attacking him back was fair game. It reminded him of those vigilantes.

Even more surprising was when he saw the girl's head turn and realized it was Sherry. What was SHE doing stealing a pedophile's wallet?

Scott had already wondered what was going on with her family situation since he had only ever seen her out and about on her own. Clearly, she knew how to handle herself and wasn't in any real danger based on what he had just seen but that was concerning in its own way.

Who in their right mind would give a kid pepper spray? You had to be at least eighteen to buy it.

Her reaction time had been spot on too. She didn't panic at all and went straight to defending herself. Defending herself and messing with her attacker beyond that.