Blast: The Teenage Hero

7. Will Work For Jewels

Alex walks through the mall with his mom, who plans on buying him some new clothes. "But I'm alright with the clothes I already have." Alex tells her, but his mom shakes her head.

"Alex, you're always wearing the same blue jacket." she tells him, taking him into a clothing store. "Now come on, let's see what we can get you here." she adds, while Alex just follows her.

They spend a couple of hours in the store as Alex's mom makes him try out a variety of different outfits, putting on a different expression as she watches him in each outfit. Alex just changes from one outfit to the next, hoping they're done soon. Finally, after trying out over a dozen different outfits, Alex's mom walks over to him. "Well, which one did you like the most?" she asks him.

"I mean... I guess there were a lot of good ones. Which one did you like?" Alex asks back.

"I think you looked really nice with that red shirt, but it's up to you really." she tells him.

Alex looks at the red shirt, and the first thing that pops up in his mind is that it reminds him of the red blouse Alice wears all the time. "Eh... maybe not..." he says, chuckling slightly as he imagines how Alice would react to him wearing a shirt so similar in color and fabric to what she wears. He then chooses the ones he liked the most. His mom nods and smiles, and then walks with him over to the cashier to pay for the clothes, and then the two of them walk out of the store.

"I've been wanting to do this for a while, so I'm glad I finally got the chance to bring you here to buy new clothes." she tells him, smiling as Alex carries the bag with his new clothes.

Alex smiles as well. "Thank you mom." he replies, walking along with her, when suddenly, he sees his mom stop for a moment to watch something in display at a jewelry store in the mall. At the other side of the window there's a variety of accessories like bracelets, necklaces and rings. One in particular catches her attention, a shiny diamond necklace.

"What a pretty necklace." she says, glancing at it for a bit, before turning her eyes a bit and seeing the price tag... $700. She then just continues walking, prompting Alex to follow her.

Her glance at the necklace didn't go unnoticed by Alex. "Didn't you want the necklace?" Alex asks her.

She just shakes her head, smiling just a bit. "It's pretty, but it's way too expensive." she admits. "The clothing I bought for you was... more expensive than I anticipated. But it's alright. We still have enough money to buy groceries for the week." she tells him, trying to lead the conversation away from the necklace.

Alex realizes this, and just thinks about it. She's always going out of her way to get him what he needs, sometimes even what he just wants but doesn't need, if she can afford it, but he can't really remember the last time his mom bought something for herself. A dress, some jewelry, anything.

After buying the groceries and arriving back home, Alex's mom went to the kitchen to start cooking dinner, while Alex went up to his room, just thinking about what happened earlier in the mall. His mom works hard to provide for the two of them, but she always put his needs and wants before hers. "If only I could do something to thank her for how hard she works..." he thinks to himself. He then just lies down in his bed for a bit, noticing the calendar on the wall. He then notices something: His mom's birthday is coming up soon!

"Mom's birthday... I wonder what I can get her?" he asks himself. Every year he's given his mom pretty much the same gift: A card made by himself, which his mom always appreciates a lot, but this time, he wants to do something bigger. "That diamond necklace... I wonder if there's a way I could gather enough money to buy her that necklace." he wonders. He has no idea how to get money, but one thing is certain: His mom is always trying to buy things for him, so for once, he wants to do the same for her. "I'll have to investigate how I can earn money." he tells himself, and smiles as he thinks of the idea. Even if he doesn't know how he's going to do it, he's determined to try it. "It'll be the perfect birthday gift."