17| Zoey And Her Charity Case

Zoey's driver stopped the car in front of the superstore and she texted Travis to come out. Few minutes have passed when the door to the back seat opened and both Travis and Maya slid inside one by one.

Once the driver had started the car again, Zoey angled her neck to subtly smirk at Travis who didn't look pleased for being forced to ask for Zoey's help.

On noticing Zoey's smirk, Travis turned to Maya and said, "Told you, it's a bad idea."

Maya rolled her eyes at his childish behaviour and pushed him back so she can talk to Zoey face to face without Travis sitting in the middle interrupting them. "Ignore my friend's ungrateful ass. We really owe you one."

"Wait, we?" Travis interjected. "You owe her one, not me." Hearing this, Maya elbowed him and that caused him to let out a wince.

"Guys, it's okay. I'm happy I could be of any help." Zoey said before both of them could argue any more.

Last night, Travis asked Zoey to help Maya because she had been invited by Zachary to the Harpers gala and not knowing what to wear at such a fancy party was freaking her out. Zoey, who was already quite eager to prove to him that she is a nice person and not a brat like he thinks, agreed immediately.

"So where do you usually buy clothes for parties?" Zoey asked Maya, completely ignoring the bone in the middle.

"Um..." Maya exchanged a confused look with Travis. "We don't usually... Um... Go to parties."

"Uh, well," Zoey silenced for a moment. "What's your budget then?"

"I have couple hundreds with me but they are my whole savings. I am looking for something cheaper, like under eighty bucks." Maya replied.

Zoey felt a little troubled because she was trying her best to relate to them but they were completely different. The cheapest evening gown she had bought was three hundred dollars and she had threw it out because it felt tacky.

"Okay, I have to buy a dress too so we will go to my favourite store and you can check if you find something in your range there. If not, we can go to any other store." Zoey said and ordered the driver to take her to her favourite boutique.

Once the car stopped, both Travis and Maya followed Zoey inside the store. Maya's jaw momentarily dropped as she looked around and stared at each dress in awe. Everything here looked classy and screamed of money, but she was sure she couldn't afford any of these clothes. Hell, these don't even have price tags on them to give her any idea of the prize range.

"Try whichever dress you like. We can negotiate the price later." Zoey said and made her way to the owner of the boutique.

Adriana recognised Zoey immediately because she and her mother had been a regular customers of her for ages. She moved forward to hug her. "You have grown more beautiful." She said, lightly patting Zoey's brown hair.

"Aren't you a sweetheart?" Zoey chuckled.

"Where is Layla? Is she back from her tour yet?" Adriana asked about Zoey's mother.

"Nope. Last I heard, she was in Japan." Zoey said. After divorcing her father, Zoey's mother made it her mission to tour the world with her young boyfriend. Every year, they both spend months visiting different countries and learn about new cultures. "I need a dress for the gala. Do you have something for me?"

"The Harpers gala?" Adriana asked and Zoey nodded in return. "Of course sweetheart, I think I have the perfect dress for you." The beautiful middle-aged blonde said and went inside a room. Moments later, she returned with a dress in her hands.

It was a dark blue full-sleeved gown sparkling like a diamond because of being covered with small sequins. The dress' beauty lied in its sophistication and simplicity. Zoey was sure it would catch everyone's attention if paired with good makeup and hairstyle.

"I'll try it on. Till then, will you help my friend find a perfect dress for her?" Zoey said and motioned towards Maya. "And please, be easy on her with the cost. I will pay you the rest myself."

Adriana immediately understood what she meant and made her way to Maya while Zoey made her way to the dressing room to try the dress on. Adriana was right, the dress suited Zoey's physique and facial features, as if it was made specifically for her. The colour brought out her light brown eyes and the neckline was perfect to go with a loose, braided updo.

She took off the dress and then made her way to Travis and Maya. Travis was sitting on a desk, looking bored as hell inside a boutique. She then turned towards Maya who was wearing a simple red knee-length dress with a fancy gold neckline. Maya was staring at herself in the mirror with an adoring look in her eyes.

"It's so pretty." She said, tracing the dress with her fingers. "How much for it?"

Adriana exchanged a subtle look with Zoey and then told less than one-tenth of the real price. "It's on sale. Sixty dollars."

Maya's eyes widened in disbelief as she heard the price. The material of the dress was too nice for it to be just sixty dollars, that too in a fancy boutique like this. "Are you sure?" She asked to check if she had heard correct.

"Yes, sweetie. I am pretty sure." She said.

After they paid for the dresses, they once again made their way to the car. Maya looked so happy with the dress and bringing joy to someone brought a weird sense of satisfaction to Zoey that she had never felt before.

"Once again. Thank you so much. I would have probably ditched the party if you weren't there to help me." Maya said and Travis sighed in boredom at their girly talk.

"The pleasure is all mine. Shopping with you was fun." She said honestly. Whenever she went shopping with Althea, the latter just kept whining non-stop about the quality of most things.

"I still don't know why I had to come. Watching a girl choose a dress literally hurts my brain cells." Travis complained in response and earned a glare from both women sitting at his sides.

"That's because you don't have many brain cells to start with." Zoey commented sarcastically.

The rest of the drive went just like that, until the driver dropped Maya at her house which was just beside the store. After her, Travis and Zoey were now alone in the backseat and without Maya to keep the balance, the atmosphere grew awkward instantly.

Zoey began to say something again and again but stopped every time, afraid of embarassing herself. Somehow, Travis always bring out her violent side and she ends up looking like a rich brat.

Only when the car stopped in front of his house was when he finally decided to break the silence. "I saw how you nodded at that boutique owner. Tell me the truth Zoey, was the dress really sixty dollars?"

Zoey flushed immediately on being caught red-handed. "Wh... What are you talking about? The dress was sixty dollars."

"Don't lie to me, Zoey. I saw your dress cost seven hundred. How come Maya's was only sixty?" He raised his eyebrows suspiciously.

Zoey knew Travis was too smart to be fooled and there was no point in denying anymore. Sighing, she shrugged. "Fine, she lied about the cost. I asked her to."

"But why? It was just a dress. She could have bought a cheaper one. That's not why I asked your help. We just wanted your opinion." Travis argued.

Zoey stared into his hazel eyes that were brimming with irritation and a little shame. Zoey definitely didn't want either of them to feel like they owe her anything.

"Look, the extra bucks didn't matter to me but they did to her. She loved the dress and I had no issue in paying for it. Why is it such a big deal?" Zoey argued.

"You don't understand, Zoey. This may not be a big deal for you but it is for us. For people like Maya and I, our proud and dignity are one of the very few things we have." He said and guilt enveloped Zoey on hearing this. She realised he was right and she shouldn't have lied to her. Knowingly or unknowingly, she had hurt Maya's pride.

"I am sorry for lying but please don't tell her. Do you really want to ruin that dress for your friend?" She asked in a low voice.

Travis contemplated for a small moment and then sighed defeatedly. He knew Maya would feel really bad if he tells her what Zoey did. There was no other option than just ignoring it altogether. "Fine. But next time, you won't treat us like we are your charity cases."

"Charity case? You just love to make me sound like a villain, do you?" Zoey grunted in anger and then took a deep breath to calm her down. "Step out of the car, now."

Travis' face twisted on hearing this but instead of arguing, he immediately stepped out of the car. But his eyebrows furrowed in confusion when he found Zoey following him out of the car.

"Where are you going?" He asked as he watched Zoey made her way to his house.

"We are going to make it even. I bought that dress for her. Now, you will cook dinner for me in return." She replied calmly.

"What?" Travis asked.

"Didn't you hear the first time? You are going to make dinner for me and I am going to eat it." She chewed each word and waited for him to open the door.

After staring at her as if she had grown two heads, Travis finally opened the door and let her in.

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I am sorry my updating routine is messed up these days. :(