I lied," I say still looking at his lips, he opens his eyes and gazes over at me.
"Uh oh," he whispers, not breaking eye contact. I am suddenly aware of his lingering stare. He looks at me everywhere, every inch, there was no hiding from it. His ga...
"DANIELLE, PLEASE TELL ME WHY, DOES HE THINK IM INCAPABLE OR POOR OR SOME CHARITY CASE?" I hear Dani thinking, she ruffles around on her bed getting comfortable, I know i'm about to get genuine advice by how long her pause is.
"I think he cares about you, I think you're overreacting."
I look down at my phone at the unanswered good morning and goodnight text. Dani did not tell me what I wanted to hear.
"What's the problem, he's rich?" she begins. "500 is like twenty bucks to them."
"Danielle, i'm hanging up."
"Hm." she says. "Bye, love you, hope you figure everything out, and I hope you keep the money."
"Bye, love you." I hang up, trying to hold back my tears, but they escape me. I'm not sad, just frustrated.
I don't know why I feel so guilty, but it feels wrong to spend it. I should just get a job, that would solve everything.
I wipe my eyes and text Dani.
4:23 pm Me: is your job hiring?
4:25 pm Dani: yuh, when did you want to start?
4:25 pm Me: tmr after therapy?
4:26 pm Dani: be there or be square 😁😩
Ezra will be mad, but i'm returning the money and making my own.
I text him back and he texts back immediately.
Ezra: are you mad about the money?
me: no, but i can't keep it. i want to talk before therapy tomorrow if that's okay.
Ezra: we can talk :) but i'm not taking the money back
me: we'll talk about it tomorrow
Ezra: why? i can just call you now or walk to you.
me: 😐 you're so difficult
Ezra: i want to see you, i miss you
He's being so stubborn, he has no right to force this money on me when it isn't even his own. I didn't like Ezra's dad and the last thing I wanted was help from him.
me: i miss u too
I text back, but I say nothing further. I wanted to talk in person and give him the money and finally have some peace of mind.
My phone buzzes again, I throw it on my bed, pulling my hair into a ponytail. This felt right to me. Yes, a job finally.
I make my way over to my desk, where my laptop sits open, I press it on, and it shows my spreadsheet to all the colleges I want to apply to and the price for the application fee.
I needed cash, there was no doubting that. My mom only gave me a low allowance and since i'd turned eighteen it was even more sparse and few.
My dad was the spoiler, always slipping me twenties or tens for good grades or getting older or having a bad day or losing a tooth.
I don't know why, but I cry again. Growing old sucks, why did accepting help have to be so hard?
All these applications were at least fifty bucks a pop, just for me to maybe not even get in.
I weep harder. I'm sorry papa, i'm so pathetic. I'm not good enough for Columbia, it's a waste of time even applying.
I needed to calm down. My laptop screen wasn't the only thing blaring at me, nauseatingly. There also sat the 500 dollars that could solve all my temporary problems.
I ought to throw it out my bedroom window, but i'm not that dumb. Instead I put it in my book-bag, for tomorrow to give back to Ez and reach for my homework. ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ── Ezra Montgomery
I don't know how, but every time I see her, she's prettier. Even with that concerned look on her face, with her furrowed brows and her lip gnawing.
She looked really nervous. She didn't look me in the eye, only down hair falling into her gorgeous face.
"Baby?" I say, tilting her chin up to look at me.
She gives a half smile and grabs my hand, leading me to our spot, by the window. We hid behind the fake potted plant.
""What's wrong?"I waste no time, I don't like the tension the passed few days. I was just trying to help, I didn't want to make her feel this way.
"Nothing, I want you to have your money back." She reaches in her bag, holding it out.
"Why?" I don't mean to be a prick, but I want to know why she won't let me help her.
"Should I have purchased the things you needed instead?" I ask, quietly. "I'm sorry, I wasn't thoughtful." I'm rambling about.
Nora laughs sweetly, like honey. "My sweet, silly boy." She ruffles my hair, it was growing in already.
"I'm getting a job."
"Why— I mean where?" I say. I try to sound enthusiastic, but her having a job meant less time with her, but that was selfish.
She's still holding the money. "The pizza place."
"Absolutely fucking not." I say plainly without thinking, that place is sketchy as fuck. "The place your friend works at?"
"Yes, the place that Dani, works at." She says. "What the hell do you mean absolutely fucking not?" She places a sassy hand on her hip, looking up at me with genuine confusion. Her curls loosely escaping again.
"Why aren't you happy for me?" She asks.
"I think that place is very unsafe, in a very unsafe area, with very unsafe customers, why can't I be worried about my girlfriend?"
"I'm a big girl, Ezra nobody is gonna hurt me."
"Nora, you're a pretty, sweet, cute girl and you're not very big, if someone wanted to grab you up they could and men do horrible, terrible, disgusting things all the time."
"Don't be naive." I add.
"They won't." She's gnawing her lip hard, getting angrier, hair falling all in her face.
"You sound so naive."
"Don't fucking call me that." she points her hand in my face roaring, her eyes were flecked with the tiniest of tears, mostly from rage. Still brown and pretty through the fury.
"Here's your daddy's money and my first shift is today after my session." She all but throws it at me.
"What did you just say?"
She's not backing down, but now i'm pissed, I clutch the money tight. So tight my knuckles ache.
"Daddy's money." she repeats it.
"Wow." is all I can say. Because unlike her I don't wish to have the last word or hurt her, I just wanted to help.
Before I walk away I say one last thing. "And for the record, I help with my dad's business, and that five hundred is my personal funds." I give it back to her still, leaving her.
She calls my name, but I feel like dying right now, I needed to be anywhere, but here.
a/n
nora lowkey a demon or what chat? like comment subscribe more frequent updates maybe if we blow this up 🤔🤨 also srry for the shrimpy short chapter but hey man an update is and update is and update also it's black history month so not too much on ms nora now remember she literally lost her dad bruh not edited
