The "they" Joslyn was referring to were her father and stepmother. Apparently, they treated her badly.
Joslyn and Blair entered the Shining International Plaza and were dazzled by a superb collection of beautiful things inside.
Standing outside a clothing store, Joslyn admired a beautiful dress in the shop window. "Wow, that dress is amazing. The price is amazing too—29, 999 dollars. There was a time you could have afforded that."
She was right. When Blair's parents were still alive, her mom was rich, even though her dad was a poor professor. However, after the accident, Blair had to pay her neighbors back for their losses. The huge fire had caused a great damage in the villa zone.
Her uncle and cousin offered to give her pocket money many times, but she turned them down every time. She got a scholarship every semester, enough to cover her living expenses.
"Hey Blair, why not try it on?" Joslyn asked and pinched her arm.
Blair shook her head. "Why bother? I don't have the money. It'll tick off the salespeople."
Her words made sense to Joslyn. "All right. Let's go."
While walking, Joslyn put a comforting hand on Blair's shoulder. "I'll find a good job and work hard after graduation. And I'll give you a dress as expensive as this one as a birthday gift," Joslyn promised.
"Really? Then I'm looking forward to it." Blair kissed Joslyn on her cheek.
Joslyn laughed out loud. "No problem. That's me, studying hard for your future. However, I think maybe you should buy me the dress. You are a straight-A student. You'll be a postgraduate one day. Or even a doctor. You'll probably make a ton more money."
Looking at the clothes in the mall, Blair answered absentmindedly, "I hope so. But I'm really burned out. I feel like all I do is study." Actually, she didn't want to be a strong, self-made woman. She just wanted to marry Wesley and be a housewife, taking care of her husband and children every day. That was hard, because he didn't like her.
Joslyn leaned in and patted her softly. "Bless, don't give up. Not everyone can get a scholarship every semester, but you can. You are the best, Bless."
Blair sighed, "Of course I won't give up. What else is there?"
Wesley had turned her down, so she had to get a job. She would study hard and earn as many certificates as possible. That way she might have a chance at some good money.
Joslyn selected a belt for Hartwell. It was usually a girlfriend's gift. At the thought of it, she grinned ear-to-ear.
Blair's eyes fell upon a cigarette lighter. It had a simple yet classic design. She thought it would suit Wesley, who was a heavy smoker.
But her face fell when she saw the price tag. '6, 800? Why is it so much?'
Joslyn took the cigarette lighter from Blair and gave it back to the saleslady. "Wow, you must really have it bad for that guy. And he doesn't even like you. Why would you get him such an expensive gift?"
Her words were like a knife piercing Blair's heart. "What are you talking about? It's for my cousin," Blair spat.
Joslyn snorted. "He doesn't smoke."
'That's right. I forgot!' Blair sighed inwardly.
She did some mental calculations. She could use the virtual credit card Ant Credit Pay to buy the lighter now, and pay it off next month. After that, she had about 2, 000 or 3, 000 dollars in her account. She found a part-time job tutoring a kid. She believed she could make ends meet.
"I'll take this. Ring it up for me, please," she said to the saleslady.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: True Love Waits