"So.... Did you spend that money I gave you?" My mom asks, as she stands in the doorway of my room.
I look up from my math homework, and my moms green eyes meet mine before I even have time to answer." No?" She smiles really big and I get the flash of the popular cheerleader she used to be. She still has the aspects of one. The long blonde hair that is always styled to perfection, big green eyes that can hold your eyes from however long she wants to, the slight tanned skin that seems to have a glow at all times, but she also had the cheerleading body. Small hips, thin stomach, and curves in the right places.
"Well let's go shopping before your father shows up for your lessons." Mom thinks that dad just spends hours teaching me how to defend myself if I'm at the wrong place at the wrong time and that he mostly does it for Father and Daughter time. She doesn't know that we're bonding by him teaching me how to fight and be ready for street fights.
I bite multiple to suppress a groan. Why now? I look around and let out a small death before deciding to agree. Besides this is a good way to keep my mind off everything." Can we stop at hibbett sports? My training clothes are starting to get to big."
"Only if you promise to change from those clothes and put that outfit I bought you on."
My eyes instantly widen and I look at the bag that holds the outfit that my mom had bought me. Truthfully I haven't even looked at it, so I have no idea what I'm getting into when I say,"Fine." I put my papers inside my folder before getting up and going to the bag. I might not like what's inside but I really need those clothes. I don't need my pants falling off as I try to block my dads punch from hitting me in the face. No that would cause a whole lot of problems that I don't want to have to face.
"Goody, goody." She says before sitting on my bed." Go on, try it on." She waved a hand to me, as she smiles encouragingly." I picked something out that I thought you would like to."
"You want me to try it on here?" She nods and I look at her, my eyes wide as she looks at me expectedly.
"Oh come on. I changed you diapers until you were two, and bathed you until you were five. It's not like I haven't seen you naked before."
"Yeah but that was before puberty."
She rolls her eyes and says," So? Us cheerleaders used to change I front of each other in the locker rooms all the time."
I grumble under my breath and take out the clothes from the bag. I don't even glance at them before I peel my shirt and jeans off. My mom gasps and my head whips to her.
"When the hell did you get abs? And second, where did that gigantic bruise come from?"
I shrug, not really even knowing I had abs. I mean I saw them progress and become more toned over the months but I don't know or haven't paid attention to how long I've had them. And as for the bruise, it's from when I punched the punching bag to hard and it come back and hit me right in the stomach, forming the nasty green bruise my mom seeds right now." Umm.... When I was at Hana's, last weekend I had fallen and my side hit the corner of the table."
She nods even though I never left the house last weekend." You really shouldn't hide your body Asher. I would've killed to have a body like yours when I was your age."
I quickly slide into the shorts and shirt my mother had given me, uncomfortable with this conversation." I'd rather not. Why would I show my body to get unwanted attention, when I could stay covered up and keep my real friends?"
I feel her staring at me and I turn back to her to see her staring right through me, her eyes glassy for some unknown reason." You look beautiful. You are beautiful inside and out." With that she gets up and pulls me into a bear hug, making everything inside me to give off signals of danger and to do something. I shake them all off and hug her back before stepping out of her hug." I wish I was like you when I was your age. Didn't care what people would think. I was always worried if I looked good enough, or was popular enough. I remember not going to school because I couldn't get my eyeliner just right, or I didn't think that my uniform fit my body right. I also remember partially starving myself if I even barely passed the average weight for my height. I know I keep pushing you to be like me when I was younger, but I'm not trying to turn you into that girl. I want you to show the world how great you are. How amazingly beautiful you are." She sniffles and with that begins to walk away." I'll be in the car, oh! And there's also a little shaw in the bag. I know how you don't like showing that much skin."
I stare at her in shock as the door closes behind her, and her footsteps begin to slowly fade away.
What the actual freaking hell was that?

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"So... Do you like the outfit?"
I give her a small nod as she pulls out of our driveway to the mall. It's not what I'm used to wearing but I must admit, it is pretty.
"It's not what you usually wear but would you be up to buying stuff like that today? You don't have to wear them to school if you don't want."
"Yeah... Let's be adventurous today." I smile at her and she smiles back, her's being much bigger as a spark goes through her eyes. I don't remember how long it's been since I've seen my mom look at me like that, and to see it over a shopping trip is kind of confusing. Maybe she isn't happy to be shopping, but to be spending time with you....
She reaches down and turns up the radio and a small gasp comes from her before she turns it up, and a gigantic smile forms on my face. At the same time, we both begin to sing together." Apple bottom jeans jeans, boots with the fur." Mom points at me and sings," With the fur." We go on singing and pointing at everything passing cars included until we make it to the mall, somewhat out of breath." Haha! That was so fun! Now for the best part." My mom shouts before jumping out of the car and running to the mall's entrance. I smile before jumping out as well and running after her. The sound of our car doors locking echoes through the parking lot as we make it inside. Mom grabs my arm and says," First your hibbett sports then we'll get to the actual clothes for you to wear besides for training."
I nod before we head into hibbetts, and go to the back where the girl wear is located. I smile at the bras and leggings before deciding to start off with the sports bras." I'll go get us a shopping basket. What size are you just in case I spot something as I pass?"
"I really don't know. I'll have to try on the smaller sizes first."
She nods before walking off and I begin to look through the racks. I normally have to have a bigger size in the top than my bottoms. Maybe a medium in the tops and a small in the bottoms? I squint at one of the smalls. It could possibly fit around my waist, but my butt is a whole different story. I shrug before walking into one of the dressing rooms and locking the door behind me and replacing moms outfit with the bra and matching leggings. The bra is grey and white, with a hot pink nike symbol in the middle, and the leggings are also grey and white with the small pink symbol and the strings at the top are just as bright and tied into a knot. I untie the adjustment strings before I slip them on and begin the journey of pulling them up. They fit just right at the legs, but I have to jump a couple of times to get it to slide over my butt. I pull the strings to make them snug to the lower half of my stomach and tie them into a knot. I pull on the sports bra, and it fits snug enough to support me while working out. I smile a little and a knock sounds on my door." Asher? Are you in there?"
"Yeah mom. Trying on this stuff."
"Do you have it on yet?" Before I can even answer she goes on." Come out and let me see. There's a mirror out here also for you to see yourself."
I glance around and lay my clothes in a neat stack in the floor, before unlocking the door and stepping out. Mom lets out a small gasp as she takes me in and pulls me to the mirror. I freeze once I see my reflection. My old training clothes used to be just bland grey and usually just had a old baggy t-shirt, nothing flattering or that would let me see the progress in my body. But these... I remember looking in the mirror about a year ago, and seeing love handles and fat rolls on my stomach. Now I see muscles replacing all the fat and toned abs where those rolls used to be.
"Maybe I should start working out with you two. So I could get all fit like that." She starts making punch motions and I smile, making one form on her as well.
I hear laughter from the front of the store and turn to see a group of teenage boys walking in, all slapping each other and laughing at something that I'm guessing was hilarious from how they're acting. I unfreeze when I hear my mom talking and turn back to her." What?"
"I asked what sizes were those and I'll start looking."
"Medium in top. Small in bottoms."
She nods before walking off to the racks and I begin to walk back into the dressing room, finding it oddly quiet now. Just as I'm about close the door behind me I catch one of the boys sneaking a glance at me as he searches through the ball shorts. I practically slam the door, and whip back to my clothes. Other girls would be flattered but I'm not. Because I know if I was in my usual clothes and reading a book, they wouldn't even give me a glance and if they did it would be filled with judgement and jokes to put me down. I quickly throw on my clothes, wishing they were my usual attire and not this. I smirk as I imagine they're reaction if I walked out of here with ripped blue jeans and a graphic tee that has been obviously washed a million times. I put the clothes back on the hangers and walk out of the dressing room to find the boys now talking to my mom."Are you getting those?" She asks me with a glint in her eyes. I squint before nodding and walking off, ignoring the boys." Oh! This is Asher, my daughter." My mom tells them, exaggerating my name and daughter.
Their eyes widen and I laugh a little at them before going back to looking at the stuff. I grab a white and silver set, these coming with spandex instead of leggings.
They all turn to me then and I begin to curse the ground my mom walks on."
"Asher.... I like that name."
"Me too.... It's pretty... For a pretty girl..."
I roll my eyes and pick up a sports bra with many straps and a pair of spandex that are design with black lines going everywhere on a white surface. I grab my sizes in them and put them in the shopping basket as well." Did it hurt?"
"Did what hurt?" I ask, already knowing where this is going.
"When you fell from heaven?"
My mom smiles and I squint at all of them. They're all about a head taller than me. One has blonde hair with blue eyes and is the lankiest out of all of them, the one I front of me has dark brown hair and green eyes- him being the most muscular- and lastly the one who asked me the question. He has light brown hair and grey eyes, him being the most attractive. The other two wait for my reaction, seeming bored. I inspect them further to see them both probably thinking the same thing, that he's got me." No." I answer coolly and finish," But I did scrap my knees, crawling out of the pits." And with that I walk away and grab a pack of different colored socks and go to the checkout counter. Mom soon follows me and sets all the stuff I picked out on the counter as well, her mouth open and closing every now and then. I feel the boys eyes on us as mom pays for the stuff and we walk out. As soon as I'm out in the open, the weight of the states seem to be able to be discarded as we make our way to Hollister.
"Hey wait!" I lock my jaw and turn to see them all coming back, all with a gleam in their eyes that I don't like.
"Here let's start over. Clearly we got off on the wrong foot... My name's Kobe, this is Gage." He gestures to they blonde." And this is Darrel." And then gestures to the dark brown haired one. They all look at me expectedly and I lift an eyebrow.
"What? You all already know my name. Asher remember?"
With that I turn and walk into the Hollister store, my mom soon to follow. She gives me a small questioning smiling. One that says 'do you like them? If so I'll let them stay.' Then her expression turns darker as if to say' if you don't I'll open a can of mom whoop ass'. I give her a small smile and say," I got this." With that I go to the jeans and grab a few pair that are my size,and do my usual inspection. I grab the waist and circle it around my neck, then raise my leg up and put the jeans out making sure they reach my ankles. Being tall may look like a blessing but it's not when it aimed to finding jeans. If they're long enough they're usually to big, so it's a rarity that I actually find the perfect pair.
"What are you doing?" One asks with a chuckle as I wrap a pair of jeans waist around my neck again.
"Well if you look over there, someone's in that dressing room and they clearly have a lot considering the floors covered. And this is a hack. If they can do this then I'll most likely be able to fit them. And the leg measurement thing." I say as I gan that pair out and hold them against my legs as if I was wearing them. I squint when I see they just barely make it on my ankle." As you all have probably already saw, I'm pretty tall when it comes to girls. And finding jeans that are long enough is a great challenge for me when I'm shopping." I glance around before putting my legs into the jeans and sliding them up, jumping to get them over my butt, and ignore the weirdness my shorts are giving underneath them. I glance down at my ankle and see that they reach further when I have them on. I smile in victory as I take the jeans back off and look up to a group of shocked boys.
Gage looks me in the eye and gives me a smirk before saying,"Maybe you should try them in without the shorts.... "My eyes widen and he smiles," I'm joking. Gosh you girls take jokes like that to seriously."
"I doubt that was a joke. And you'd be taking that joke serious to if you were a girl just trying to find some clothes but keeps getting followed by a bunch of hormonal boys."
He shrugs and picks the jeans out of my hands before looking at the size and begins to search through the jeans." Wait what size is she?" The dark haired one- Darrel asks. I smirk a little when I put him and the walking dead together but frown when I realize he didn't get took out during the apocalypse. So there's probably no possible way for him to disappear are there?
"Six. Is probably a size seven in some styles." Answer Gage and my eyes widen just a fraction. Not because he's looking for pants for me but because what he said is actually correct. He glances my way, my shock probably clear on my face and says," I have three sisters all of which want a boys opinion while shopping, and me being the only boy leaves me in that position. And I only thought of the size seven because you have a..... Hmmm.. How do I put this..... Butt that is packed and doesn't seem to be moving any time soon."
Kobe scowls at Gage and begins to search through the pants to, and I stay there for awhile. Why are they helping me? Probably just to get into your pants, a part of me answers and I nod to myself before searching as well. That's definitely it. The waist of jeans are being wrapped around my neck from left to right, and the length of the jeans are being measured to my legs. I grab my final pair from Darrel and make my way to the shirts. I have seven pairs of jeans now, and have measured them in the time it would normally take me one. I guess they're not a pain in the butt when they don't want to be. Mom comes up to me with two pairs of jeans for her, and smiles at the boys before coming to me and asking," So what kinds of shirts do you want?"
"Any kind remember? We're being adventurous today."
She smirks and look at the boys behind me before whispering," I can tell." And with that she leaves to look at the shirts. I scowl a little when I realize this supposed to be a mommy/ daughter day and not some mommy and daughter/boys day.
A shirt is thrown my way, which knocks my glasses off slightly to where they're just barely hanging on by my nose." Oh,I'm so sorry." I hear Kobe say before taking the shirt off my shoulder and fixing my glasses, but somehow in the process touching the glass causing them to smear.
I blink a couple times and take off the glasses and wipe them down with my shirt. A hand picks up my chin and I'm meet with Kobe's face." You shouldn't wear them. I think you look prettier without them." The others boy nod along with him.
I raise an eyebrow and put the glasses back in before stepping away from him. "To bad for you all, I don't care what people think." I scrunch up my nose and slide the glasses on better, with just my index finger then walk away to a different rack.
"I totally dig that." Gage says as they follow me once again." So what size shirt do you wear?"
"Medium. But I like wearing extra larges for pajamas."
"What? I thought you would have worn a small." Then Darrel adds in," Yeah, a small you'd probably fit you."
I roll my eyes and reply," If you haven't noticed this place's sizes seem to be a size or two smaller than normal stores. And plus there's also fat on my chest- that boys like you seem to be obsessed with- that takes up room in a shirt too."
"Your a mean girl you know that?" Gage says and excitement bounces inside me, just waiting for them to leave." But I like 'em feisty.... Means they're a little bit more rough, if you know what I mean."
I squint at him but freeze once I get what he was saying. Rough in bed. I grab the shirts they got and also a couple of my sizes that I randomly see and also my mom before going to the cashier and setting everything down. The cashier smiles at me before scanning everything, and I hear the boys chuckle, as my mom hands her the money. I take in her blonde hair, and big blue eyes and wonder why aren't they just moving onto her? She's way prettier than me, she's prettier than what I'll ever be. Oh, because they've already made their target that's why. I grab the bags from her and strut out of the store, everyone soon following