Chapter 19 I'd been on edge all morning. Not in a bad way exactly, but there was definitely a nervous buzz running through me. Tia had invited me to go shopping today, and after the way we connected during our talk last night, there was no way I could bring myself to turn her down. Even though I didn't exactly have the money to go on a full-on shopping spree, I still wanted to go. More than that, I wanted to spend time with her. A proper girls' day out sounded like something I hadn't had in forever. She'd really made me feel seen last night at Tyler's place. There was something unexpectedly sincere about the way she opened up to me, like she was letting me peek into a part of her world not many people got access to. She even talked about her other friends, told me how high maintenance some of them could be, and how she missed having someone around who was just...easy. On the drive home, I couldn't stop talking about it. I kept smiling and telling Dash how excited I was for today. He was happy for me, genuinely. He knew Tia was a good person. He'd told me that before, and he believed she wouldn't go out of her way to make me feel uncomfortable. That kind of reassurance from him made it easier for me to say yes when she invited me to hang out alone. I trusted his read on people, and if he was confident about her, I wanted to be too. Five minutes ago, Tia texted to let me know she was on her way to pick me up. I took one last look at myself in the mirror, making sure I was okay with how I looked. I'd thrown on a pair of jean shorts and a t-shirt. Nothing fancy, but comfortable enough for walking around all afternoon. My old New Balance sneakers completed the outfit. I figured they'd do the job. I tied my hair back into a ponytail since I didn't want it falling into my face, especially if I ended up trying things on. A knock sounded at the bedroom door, and I turned toward it, smiling when Dash came in. His eyes scanned my outfit as he stepped closer. "You ready?" he asked. "I think so," I said, smiling back at him. I could barely contain how excited I felt. "I honestly can't wait. It's been forever since I've gone shopping. I think the last time was back in the summer before sophomore year, when I needed new jeans because I outgrew my old ones." Dash stepped forward, reaching out his hand. He hooked his fingers through one of the belt loops on my shorts and pulled me gently toward him. His hands settled on my hips as his gaze softened, roaming across my face. "You'll have a good time," he said. "Tyler texted me earlier. Said Tia's excited, too." My eyebrows lifted. "Really?" Dash nodded. "And he told me she had nothing but good things to say about you after we left last night. She really likes you, Lissy. I think this could turn into a really solid friendship." My heart sped up at the thought. I'd felt a lot of emotions before like stress, pressure, even bursts of joy. But this happiness was new. Different. The possibility of having a real friend, one who genuinely wanted to be around me, felt amazing. "I hope so," I said softly, my smile small but sincere. "I could really use a friend." He leaned in and kissed me gently, his lips brushing mine before he met my eyes again. "You're going to have fun. Just remember, if anything starts to feel like too much or if you want to come home, call me. Don't even hesitate." "I will." I wrapped my arms around his waist and let my head rest against his chest for a moment. "Thank you, Dash." "Don't thank me. You know I only ever want what's best for you." He kissed the top of my head, then pulled back just enough to look me in the eyes. "I know." He smiled again and ran his fingers gently along my cheek. "Come on, now. She'll be here any minute." I grabbed my phone and bag and followed him downstairs, only to be met by Dad coming out of the kitchen. His eyes flicked over to me, then landed on Dash with a scrutinizing expression. "You sure she'll be okay?" Dad asked. "I don't know that girl." "Tia's great, Owen," Dash replied without hesitation. "I wouldn't let this happen if I had any doubts." Dad didn't seem entirely convinced. His brows furrowed slightly as he looked from Dash back to me. "You trust her?" "Completely. But if you'd be more comfortable, I can go with them." "No," I cut in quickly, shooting Dash a small look before turning to my dad. "I get why you're worried. I was too, at first. But Tia's honestly been nothing but sweet to me. I really want to get to know her better. And if Dash trusts her, I trust her too." Dad didn't answer right away. He just kept studying us both, probably weighing all the potential outcomes in his head. After a few more seconds, he sighed heavily and gave a short nod. "Alright. Fine. But if you want to come back home at any point, I expect a phone call." "You got it," I said. "I promise." His expression softened a bit, and I stepped forward to give him a quick hug. "I'll be okay, Dad. I'll have fun, and tonight I'll tell you everything." He rubbed my back briefly, then stepped back and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, okay. Here..." I watched as he walked over to the sideboard, grabbed his wallet, and pulled out a one-hundred dollar bill. My eyes widened instantly. "Dad...wait, you don't have to-" "I want you to take it and get yourself something nice," he said, holding the money out toward me. "It's been a while since I've gotten you any new clothes." "That's way too much," I protested, hesitating. "Bliss, take the damn money before I change my mind about letting you go," he said gruffly, his tone firm enough that I knew better than to keep arguing. I took the money with a sigh, offering a tight smile. "Thanks, Dad." Of course, I wasn't going to spend it all. I knew he wanted me to treat myself, but I also knew we had groceries to buy, and with six mouths to feed in this house, every dollar mattered. Still, I appreciated the gesture more than I could say. Before he could change his mind again, Dad walked off down the hallway, and Dash led me outside just as Tia's red sports car pulled up into the driveway. "Whoa." Dash let out a low whistle. "That's Tyler's Porsche." I glanced at him. "Isn't that a little...over the top for a shopping trip?" He chuckled and shrugged. "Not if you're rich. Come on." We made our way to the car, and Tia got out as soon as she saw us. She smiled brightly and walked over to give me a quick hug. "I'm so excited for today," she said. "We're going to have so much fun." And I believed her. "I can't wait." "You girls have fun, alright?" Dash said, smiling at us both. Then he glanced at the car. "Drive safe." "I will," Tia replied sincerely. We climbed into the car, buckled our seatbelts, and just like that, we were off. I needed a moment when we first stepped into the mall. It was bigger than I remembered, and way more crowded than I had pictured. At first, that made me tense up a bit. I'm not great with crowds. Not because people are generally mean or anything, just because I've always felt a little out of place in big social settings. But the good thing was, everyone here seemed too focused on whatever they were doing to even notice me. That helped. Being in a space like this made me think about how socially anxious I've always been. School used to be the worst. The hallways between classes, the chaos of the cafeteria, the feeling that everyone was watching when they weren't...it was a lot. But I always managed to push through. I made it through those days because I had to. This was a little different. These people weren't classmates or familiar faces. They were strangers, all heading in and out of stores. The unfamiliarity made me uneasy, and each store felt like a question mark. What kind of people would be in there, would someone notice me, would I be judged for looking like I didn't belong? I had to keep repeating the same line to myself over and over: You belong here too. No one's paying attention to you. You're just another shopper like everyone else. It sounded silly in my head, but sometimes those little mantras are all I have to keep myself steady. Anxiety doesn't care about logic. It makes me feel like an outsider no matter where I go, unless I'm with family. Then I feel grounded. Supported. That's probably why I've always handled parties a bit better. Not that they're easy, but usually I have at least one of my brothers or cousins nearby to keep me anchored. "What store do you want to check out first?" Tia asked, scanning the mall's first floor like she already had a mental list mapped out. "Whichever one you like," I said, trying to sound casual. "I haven't been here in a while, so you're the expert." She pressed her lips together in thought, narrowed her eyes like she was making a serious decision, and then pointed. "Let's start with Delaya's. They always have cute stuff." I nodded and followed her lead. I hadn't planned on actually buying anything today. Even with the money Dad gave me, I couldn't bring myself to treat it like it was mine. I kept thinking about our grocery budget, how far that money could stretch feeding everyone at home. But I did tell myself that if I found one small thing, something that felt right and didn't cost too much, I'd let myself have it. As long as it wasn't more than twenty bucks. Shopping was surprisingly fun with Tia. She shopped like a pro, barely glancing at price tags. She had that rich-girl ease to her, casually swiping her boyfriend's credit card at every stop. Clothes, shoes, accessories...she didn't hesitate. We stopped in store after store, and she came out with bags every time. Eventually, we had to make a trip back to her car just to unload everything. Her arms were full and her energy hadn't even dipped. It was kind of entertaining to watch. The more she bought, the less I felt the need to pick anything up for myself. Watching her excitement, her joy over every purchase, sort of rubbed off on me. It was contagious in a good way. And honestly, I didn't even know where I'd put that many clothes. My closet at home was already tight. Then, in the fifteenth store we walked in, I saw them. Red cowboy boots. I hadn't been looking for anything in particular, but when I saw them on display, I froze. Something about them just hit me. My old pair had just about given out. I wore boots like these to work all the time, and not just because they were practical. They gave me a kind of quiet confidence that nothing else in my wardrobe did. Tia came up beside me, her gaze dropping to the boots in my hands. "Ooh, those are cute," she said. "Totally something you could wear for a night out at the bar." I smiled, but for a different reason. I wasn't thinking of wearing them out on the town. I was picturing myself behind the counter at The Old. Then I flipped the price tag over, and my smile vanished. "Never mind," I muttered with an awkward little laugh. "How much are they?" Tia asked. "Two-fifty," I said, shaking my head as I placed them back. "I'm one hundred and fifty short even if I wanted to spend that much. But honestly, it's too much for boots." Without missing a beat, she said, "I'll buy them for you." I turned toward her. "No." "Just try them on first," she insisted. "What size are you?" "I can't let you-" I sighed again, trying to explain, even though I could already see she wasn't listening. "They're expensive, and it'd be a waste. They're not for going out, they're just for work. It's not worth it." She shrugged, unfazed. "What size? Seven?" I looked down at my feet and gave in reluctantly. "Yeah." "Perfect." She pulled out a box from under the display and set it on the nearby bench. "Try them on." I figured I'd humor her. Slip them on, pretend they didn't look good, and move on to the next store. Easy. But the moment I slid my feet into those boots, it was like something clicked. They fit like they were made for me. Like they belonged on me. It felt ridiculous to think about shoes this way, but the moment I looked in the mirror, I knew I had to have them. "God..." I murmured. "You look so hot," Tia said. "We're getting you those." "I can't," I said quickly. "Tia, that's a lot of money. I won't be able to pay you back the money I don't have right now. Not anytime soon." She raised her eyebrows at me. For a second, I thought she was going to make fun of me. Instead, she said, "I'm not asking for it back. I'm buying them for you. Fully. No strings." I blinked. "That's even worse. Besides, that's Tyler's card." "Bliss," she said seriously. "What?" "He won't even notice. I've bought so much today, he's not going to comb through the receipt. If you don't let me get them for you now, I will buy them anyway and wrap them up for your birthday. Speaking of, when is that?" "August thirteenth," I mumbled. "Perfect! It's coming up. So, your call. Now or then." I took a breath and looked back at the mirror. "Okay. Thank you, Tia. You really didn't have to." "But I wanted to. And let's be honest, this is the first thing today that actually made your face light up." She was right. There were other things I liked, sure, but nothing had hit me like the boots. So, I let her buy them. And just like that, for the first time all day, I was carrying a shopping bag too. And inside was the most beautiful pair of red cowboy boots I'd ever seen. And now they were mine. Later, after a few more stores and a couple more full bags for Tia, we finally admitted we were starving. We grabbed two big slices of pizza and a soda each, and I insisted on paying. It was the least I could do. I would've felt weird if I didn't contribute something, and thankfully she didn't argue. We found a spot around the fountain in the center of the food court and sat down. The sun was shining through the big skylight above us, and for the first time since we arrived, I was content to just sit still. It had been a long day. My phone buzzed, and I pulled it out to check the screen. Dash had texted me, asking how things were going. I typed back quickly, letting him know I was having a great time, but also that I was starting to get tired. I figured we'd be heading home soon anyway. "We should do this again sometime," she said. "Or maybe hang out by the pool at Tyler's." "Sure," I said, smiling. "We could also hang out at our lake sometime. The one on our property." I suggested it without thinking too much. I just didn't want her to feel like I was using her for access to her world. As much as I liked Tyler's house, I didn't want Tia to think I was trying to step into a more luxurious life by clinging to her. I wanted our friendship to feel real. "That sounds fun," she said with a genuine smile. "I've always thought your place was so pretty. All that nature. It's just real, you know? Tyler's home is gorgeous, but it's almost too perfect. I grew up on a farm, actually. Back in Montana." That caught me off guard. "Really?" "Oh yeah," she said. "My grandparents had a ranch. We had horses, bulls, the whole deal. But when they passed away, my dad sold everything and we moved here. I miss it sometimes." I looked at her more closely as she talked. There was something really open about her in that moment. And the more she shared, the more I liked the idea of her coming over sometime. She wasn't the snobby rich girl I used to think she was. She was just...Tia. And I was glad she was becoming my friend. We sat there for another half hour or so, just talking. Then we both agreed it was time to head home. As much fun as I had with my new friend, I really missed the guys. Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!