Cal Jackson's new life as a rockstar fails to account for one thing: the existence of the girl he loves.
*****
"What are you thinking about?" she asks.
"A song," I say. "A new song."
I stare at the ocean as I sing the song that I wrote, something th...
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I've never seen so much joy coming from a little girl. Cal pampers Jasmine the whole time we spend at the mall. He was wrong when he said that he wasn't an ideal shopping companion for Jasmine, because from what I'm witnessing right now, he lets her visit every shop she likes, where she can buy school stuff and daily necessities.
After Cal buys her a new backpack and shoes, she requests to go shopping for clothes.
"How do I look?" Jasmine asks in excitement as she steps out of the changing room, wearing a yellow sundress.
I can't help but squeal in delight, because she looks so pretty in that. Cal raises one of his eyebrows, staring at his sister in amusement. He looks just as happy as she is.
"Turn around," he says.
Jasmine does as he told. A burst of giggles escapes from her lips.
"Perfect," Cal says. "Take that."
Jasmine grins widely and steps back into the changing room. I watch Cal with a smile on my face, realizing how good he is as a brother. I still remember clearly that his band invited him to spend all the money they earned for drinking and having fun, while Cal here saves it for his sister.
With Cal, there's really so much more than meets the eye.
Cal walks off to explore other items in the shop. His eyes drop to sweaters hung in the rack. He's probably thinking about buying Jasmine one for her to use when she feels cold.
Jasmine comes back with the sundress in her hand and a satisfied smile on her face.
Cal tosses a pink-colored sweater to her. "I think this should fit. Take this too. Your current sweater is already too small."
Jasmine scrunches her nose, and without waiting for her answer, Cal walks out of the shop, picking up a call from someone. It might be from his band, because I hear him mentioning Zavier.
I sigh, following Jasmine, who walks toward the cashier to pay, already having the money Cal gave her earlier. To my surprise, when the lady behind the cashier asks her for the items she would like to purchase, Jasmine leaves the sundress aside so that she only pays for the sweater.
I stare at her with wonder. "Why? I thought you liked it."
Jasmine shakes her head sadly. "Nah, I don't really need the sundress. But Cal is right. I do need a new sweater. I don't want to make him spend too much money for me, so I should choose the items wisely. I'll only buy what I really need."
I stare at her in amazement. Even though Cal wouldn't mind spending his money for her once in a while, Jasmine cares so much about him that she wouldn't allow him to make such a sacrifice for her just to see her happy.
"Besides, he already sacrificed a lot to afford me the education I deserve. I don't want him to use all his money for me. He doesn't have to sacrifice everything for me," Jasmine pouts and thanks the cashier when she hands her the shopping bag.
