I am Chloe

Chapter Thirteen

Hello! Ramadan is here! For those who don't know what Ramadan is, it's a month where we fast from sunrise to sunset. So I tend to sleep pretty late, which means MORE POSTING! 

Ramadan Kareem,

*****

Hunter had a secret, a secret he didn't want the world to know; what was it? Maybe he was a drug dealer or something, that would explain his 'free games' and his cranky mood. Well, the truth will come out, it always does.

*

I unlocked the apartment door, Dad was supposed to be at the hospital but he was here instead, sleeping on the living room couch. His black Rolex watch sat on the kitchen counter along with...his necklace.

 Here's your chance, Chloe.

I tiptoed to the counter which was a couple of steps away from the door  and grabbed the necklace, examining it. 

It had the face of the moon on the front of it, I flipped it around to see an engraving on the back, it was tiny but legible; WH, Thank you for everything, HF.

HF...I didn't know anyone with those initials, I hoped it wasn't Hunter. That would be...weird. Dad's cellphone buzzed on the coffee table in front of the couch, he got up crankily and looked around. I quickly ducked behind the kitchen counter which ten steps away from the back of the couch.

"Hello?...oh, Dad, hi," he said, clearing his voice.

"When?...tonight?...I wish you told me sooner, I'm not ready yet...Chloe? Why?...Oh, alright, we'll be there...alright, I'll see you tonight." I heard him sigh and plop down on the couch, he headed to his bedroom, passing the kitchen counter. I quickly crawled to the other side of the kitchen counter so he wouldn't see me.

That was odd, his father calling him. I think my father was on bad terms with his parents which made me wonder if it had anything to do with me, I wonder if they treated Dad the way he treated me, making it a family legacy. I never met them though, but I think they were rich, filthy rich. They owned a business firm that was pretty successful, forget pretty, it was really successful.

I got up and hurriedly opened the apartment door, slamming it right behind me, pretending I hadn't been in the apartment the whole time. I walked to my room -which was across Dad's room- casually, Dad was practically in the closet, and he looked a bit stressed. He grabbed out a blazer and black pants and piled them on the bed. He looked at them and swor; he looked around again and headed to the door which I was right in front of. He actually looked surprised to see me.

"Chloe, umm... do you have a dress?" Dad asked.

Well good morning to you too...

"What kind of dress?" I asked, acting as if I hadn't overheard his conversation with his father. 

"I don't know, a dress?" Dad asked me. Poor guy he looked clueless and nervous.

"For a special occasion or something?" I replied helpfully.

Dad nodded and glanced at his BlackBerry, "Yeah, for a special occasion."

I shook my head, "no."

Dad sighed and headed back to his room, coming back with some cash. He handed me forty dollars, "Thanks Dad, but why do I need a dress?" I asked 'cluelessly'.

Dad sighed for the third time today, "We're invited to dinner tonight, your great aunt Jane wants to see you." 

I nodded and stuffed the forty dollars in my wallet, passing by the refrigerator as I went, I grabbed a cold bottle of water and left the apartment for a long, long day of shopping. I didn't like shopping, I rarely went actually, well I did like looking around for clothes but the process of trying on the outfits inside the teeny tiny changing room bore me.  

I pulled up my tights for the umpteenth time and got out of the flat, unlike earlier today I closed it silently behind me. Saks Fifth Avenue, here I come

*

The department was filled with women, not teenage girls but rather grown women. I looked lost between them, I looked around for dresses but I barely found one. They were all long and old fashioned, or as I liked to call them 'grandma-esque', I spotted a woman who seemed to be in her late twenties, I think she was the second youngest in the department, me being the youngest, of course.

She was trying on some mink shawls, they complemented her perfectly, the white one especially looked really beautiful on her. Her dark blonde hair fell perfectly on her shoulders, adding some life to the shawl, I wish I could try them on.

Before I could stop myself I commented "they're gorgeous!" she smiled at me, her piercing dark blue eyes caught mine; they were a bit lighter than my father's but they were still pretty.  

"I know, I'm having trouble picking one out, what do you think?" she asked me.

"Umm...I really like the white one," I told her.

She wrapped it tightly around her shoulders, "I like it too, I think I'm taking this one," she told me.

The employee grabbed the mink shawl carefully from her. She turned to look at me, "Thank you, really, I spent nearly half an hour choosing between those three, it was hectic." I chuckled.

"So you're here alone?" she asked me.

"Yep, I think I'm gonna spend more than half an hour this time," I replied.

"Why?" she replied heading to the counter to pay. "I have this dinner tonight and I still haven't chosen a dress yet," I confessed.

"Oh I'll help you, I mean you did help me out," she said, handing the employee her credit card. "Thanks." I replied.

"No problem," she said while smiling, a man in a suit and a hat took the bag from her, "Thank you, Paul, place it in the front seat of the car."

The man nodded, "yes, Miss." . She must be one rich lady.

She placed her credit card in her purse, "so what's your name?"  

"Chloe," I replied, she paused momentarily before she spoke.

"Chloe, I've always loved that name, I'm Holly," she replied. 

Holly...my first shopping companion, maybe shopping wasn't so bad after all.