Chapter 1
On my eighteenth birthday, my parents booked a restaurant that cost about 1,500 dollars a head and invited my whole class.
My boyfriend Kevin Miller's childhood friend Lily Winters showed up in the same dress as mine and beat me to blowing out the candles on my nine-tier cake.
She made a wish. "I hope Kevin will always be by my side," she said.
I was about to call her out when Kevin grabbed my arm and warned, "I arranged this. Don't make a scene if you don't want us to break up. Lily's never had a birthday party. Tonight, I want her to feel like a princess."
Anger rose in me, but he ignored it and raised his glass. "Everyone, thank you for coming to celebrate Lily's birthday. Order whatever you want. Everything's on me."
I remembered him fretting over a few hundred dollars for his mother's medical bills yesterday. Then I slipped out of the private room.
But after the party, my phone flooded with calls from Kevin.
*****
"Jane, your eighteenth birthday is coming up, but your mom and I can't make it back," my dad said on the phone.
I was prepared for this. My parents were always busy with work. "Okay," I replied.
Hearing the disappointment in my voice, my dad tried to comfort me. "I've put 70 thousand dollars under your name at Oak Restaurant.
"Just tell them your phone number when you go. No password needed. If you need more, let me know, and I'll transfer more."
I hung up the phone,
Kevin's voice was flat. "Your dad put 70 thousand dollars on your account at Oak Restaurant? You can use it as long as you tell them your phone number?"
I nodded calmly.
"So, I guess that means anyone could use it, huh?" he murmured.
He spoke so softly, I barely caught what he said.
He continued, "Since your parents can't make it, how about inviting everyone from our class to celebrate your birthday together?"
While I was still thinking, Kevin was already typing away in the class group chat.
Kevin: [Hey guys, tomorrow night at 8 PM, we're having a birthday party at Oak Restaurant. If there's anything you want to eat or do, just let me know ahead of time, so I can make arrangements.]
As soon as the message went out, the group chat exploded.
[Wait, you mean Oak Restaurant? The place where it's 1,500 dollars a head, and even plain water costs a hundred?]
[For real? We can order anything? Then I'm going for the priciest thing on the menu.]
Kevin replied: [No problem, order whatever you want.]
After sending that, he finally put his phone down and looked at me.
He said, "Jane, you're not mad at me for making plans on my own, right? I just thought you might feel lonely with your parents away for your eighteenth birthday.
"If you don't want to, I can cancel it in the group chat right now."
The annoyed feeling inside me melted away.
I put on a smile to make him feel better.
"Anyway, my dad just wanted me to use the money to treat everyone. Honestly, if it weren't for you, nobody would probably show up. I'll call the manager of the restaurant in a bit and have him get everything ready," I said.
Once the place was set, Kevin handed me his phone. The screen was cracked, but I could still make out the dress in the photo. It looked super cute.
"Wear this tomorrow," he said.
I hesitated, saying, "But that's not really my style."
Thanks to my parents' genes, I was already 5'7" by the time I was sixteen.
Those short, cutesy dresses would look way better on Lily, Kevin's childhood friend.
I was startled by my own thought.
Kevin's expression shifted. "But I really think it suits you. Besides, how would you know it's not your style if you never even try?
"I've already ordered that dress. I need to head to my part-time job to help cover my mom's medical bills for next month, so you'll have to pick it up yourself."
With that, he grabbed a bike and took off.
*****
Using the address Kevin sent me, I made my way to the clothing store.
The owner took out the dress Kevin had reserved for me and hesitated before speaking.
"This is the priciest dress in the shop, but honestly, I don't think it matches your vibe. Maybe you should check out something else," she said.
I smiled, my eyes crinkling.
"I didn't pick it. My boyfriend did," I said.
She looked embarrassed for a second and then quickly packed it up.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have asked. That'll be 1,200 dollars. How would you like to pay?" she asked.
My hand froze as I reached for the dress.
Frowning, I called Kevin.
"You didn't pay for the dress?" I asked.
Kevin was silent for a long moment.
He scoffed, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Jane, is this your way to humiliate me? You know exactly what my family's situation is. I'm literally borrowing money just to cover my tuition next semester."
*****
Kevin grew up so broke that he barely had a bed to sleep on.
There was no furniture at his place. The only thing he had going for him was his grades in high school..
The school paid all his fees and tossed in a living stipend, too.
I started to say something, but Kevin had already hung up.
The owner looked even more uneasy.
"Are you still taking the dress?" she asked.
I nodded, still in a daze.
"Can you wrap it up for me?" I said.
After paying, Kevin sent me messages.
[Sorry, I was just stressed about my mom. I didn't mean to snap at you.]
[Jane, when I make it big, I'll buy you a dress worth 12,000 dollars, not just 1,200 dollars.]