𝔹𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝔹𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕣𝕤

𝕤𝕚𝕩𝕥𝕖𝕖𝕟

(Emetophobia warning at the end)

Once breakfast is finished, Medda puts the dishes in the dishwasher before turning to me.

"So, Toni, I noticed that you don't really have that much clothing..." I mean, she's not wrong, but I don't really like where this is going. "So I was thinking that we could go to the mall today! How does that sound?" I've never been inside a mall before. At least, not for an extremely long time. 

"You don't need to spend your money on me..."

"Nonsense! You're my son!" I guess there really isn't a way of getting out of this.

"Thanks, Medda..."

"Of course! Now, go get ready." I nod and read back to my room. This time I cover up the mirror with a blanket to avoid another breakdown. When I'm finished, I head back downstairs.

"You ready?" I nod. "Perfect! Follow me." She leads me to the garage, which holds two cars. Medda's and Jack's, I assume. She pulls out her keys and presses a button, causing one of the cars to start. We head towards that one. She climbs into the driver's seat as I climb into the passenger seat. I'm kind of shocked that Charlie and Jack aren't coming with us, but I assume they don't need new clothes or anything like that.

Another click of a button and the garage door opens. Soon, we're on the road. I turn to look out of the window, watching the scenery go by. Subconsciously, my thumb is brought up to my mouth and I start to chew on the nail. I've had this habit for as long as I can remember. I know it's not good, but I can't help it. Besides, there are worse habits that I have yet to get into.

After about 20 minutes in the car, Medda pulls into a parking lot. When I look at the building, the first thing that comes to mind is, "Holy shit, this thing is huge." It's definitely a lot bigger than I thought. How many stores are in here? The two of us climb out of the car and Medda leads me to the entrance.

We enter the building, and it's a lot quieter than I was expecting, which is nice. As we travel through the mall, I study every store we pass. There are restaurants, toy stores, clothing stores, and more!

"This way," Medda gestures to me and we head into one of the clothing stores. "Now, go over there," she gestures to the men's section, "and pick out whatever you want!" She pats me on the shoulder before turning to the women's section, looking at a few of the dresses. I reluctantly head over to the men's section, dreading being separated. This store is so huge, what if I get lost? I push down the thought and turn to some of the shirts. After a few moments, there's one that catches my eye. I pull it off of the rack, studying it. It's a black, grey, and white flannel. I turn over the price tag to look at the price. It's not as cheap as I was hoping. Dammit. before I return it to the rack, I hear Medda's voice from behind me.

"You like that one?" She points at the garment in my hands.

"Yeah, but it's not that cheap so I can just-"  I get cut off by Medda grabbing the shirt. "Oh, I-"

"Perfect. Go pick another!" She must have sensed my confusion. "What, did you think I would only let you get one shirt?" I bite my lip. "Go pick out a few more items that you like. And don't worry about the price!" 

I reluctantly turn around to look at the other clothes. I notice a pair of black jeans folded up on a stand. Picking them up, I measure them against my body to see if they would fit. They're a little big around the waist, but length-wise they're fine. Considering how oddly-shaped I am, it'll be hard to find things that fit me perfectly. But I'm used to that, so I really don't care. With the jeans in hand, I turn to Medda with a questioning look on my face. She nods and walks over to me, taking the jeans and adding them to a basket. We both stand there for a moment. Does she want me to pick out another garment? I think so. She really doesn't need to be spending this much on me...

A few minutes later, we leave the store with five garments for me and four for her. I feel awful about having her buy that much for me, but she wanted me to get those. I'm expecting for us to leave the mall now, but she turns in the opposite direction of the door.

"Medda, the door is-"

"I know where the door is, honey. We're not done though." I'm shocked, to say the least. She already spent so much on me, and we're not done shopping? "Toni, your current clothes don't even take up half of your closet. You deserve more than that. Also, school's starting soon, remember that." Shit. I forgot. A new school full of assholes that just want to push me around. At least Charlie's in my grade, so I can trust one person.

Medda leads me to a different clothing store. And tells me the exact same thing she told me in the other one. This one has a lot more clothes that I like, so it's hard to only choose a few. But I know I have to keep it small, so I pick out a few shirts and a belt. The prices are way cheaper than the other store, so I feel less guilty. Somehow, we're still not done. How much is this woman gonna spend on my sorry ass? The next store we go to mostly sells shoes. She tells me to pick two pairs and bring them back to her. Jesus fuck this store is expensive! Medda tells me, once again, to not worry about the price, but I can't help it. I leave the store with a pit in my stomach.

Medda checks her watch, which reads 11:48. She turns to me.

"There's a food court downstairs. Wanna grab a quick bite?" She doesn't wait for an answer before leading me down an escalator and to the food court. It smells amazing, but I know I won't eat much. I look around at the different restaurants. Medda leads me to one while telling me how good the food is. She gives me a moment to study the menu. When I tell her that I'm not hungry, she says that we can save it for later. I know exactly what she's doing. My file probably said something about my shitty eating habits, so she's trying to make sure I eat. I order the cheapest thing on the menu.

Before long, our food is ready, and Medda claims a table for the two of us. It looks like she ordered something for Jack and Charlie as well. I force myself to eat a few bites before closing the container and shoving it aside. I look at Medda, who seems concerned.

"Are you sure you don't want more?" 

"I'm sure."

"Okay..." She finishes her plate, grabs our bags, and we leave the food court. We hit two more stores before finally leaving the mall. Once we get to the car, she puts the bags in the backseat before climbing into the driver's seat.

I sigh. "I'm sorry-"

"For what?"

"You spent so much money..."

"I know. And that's okay."

"It's not-"

"Why not?" 

I swallow. "I don't deserve this much."

"Yes, you do. Antonio, why don't you think you deserve clothes? This is really the bare minimum. If I wasn't going to take care of you, why would I be fostering you?" There are a few moments of silence. "Exactly." She reaches over and ruffles my hair before starting the car and pulling out of the parking lot.

The pit in my stomach doesn't leave. I've never been cared for like this before. It's weird, but maybe I'll get used to it. Someday. 

(Emetophobia warning here)

But that someday definitely isn't today. When we're halfway home, Medda has to pull over so I can puke.