"How about this one?" asked Veronica as she raised up a navy-blue leather jacket with slim white vertical stripes. "I think this will look very good on you… don't you agree?"

"It's nice…" responded Araceli as she raised up one of its sleeves. She took a good look at the jacket before eventually turning it down, "But I'm looking for something different."

"Are you serious?" questioned the twenty-four-year-old while turning the piece of apparel around to get a better view of it. It was very elegant and definitely worth the 5,270 peso price tag (~255 dollars) in her opinion. "Well, if you're uninterested then I'll happily take it. I already have an idea of what I could wear along with it."

"Go ahead," voiced Araceli who went back to looking through the many racks of clothing that were available. There were many items that she found appealing but none that really convinced her. She was a very picky woman when it came to shopping and so far, nothing was really standing out. After going through a few racks, she pulled out her phone and checked the current time. 11:20 a.m. Only a few hours left before she was able to return home. Being Monday, today was one of the three days where the younger female was expected to be attending a few of her in-person classes. Due to it, on these days she would always take the hour-long journey to a small nearby city where the college she once attended was located. While her mother was under the belief that she was studying, Araceli would use the time to enjoy the urban life the city had to offer.

Much to her satisfaction, her best friend had accepted an invitation she made this morning to go shopping for some new luxuries. So, for the past few hours, they have been walking around the mall while entering all the high-brand stores and ignoring the lesser-brand ones. She placed the phone back in her purse and continued to look around the store. Unable to find any clothing worth buying, the young woman decided to take a look at the jewelry section. She made her way to the display case and began browsing through the many earrings and necklaces. She was spotted by one of the employees who didn't hesitate to walk up to her and offer any assistance. A few earrings did manage to grab her attention as she pointed to her favorite one. "Let me see that one,"

The employee opened the case and pulled out a set of dangle earrings with tiny stones of sapphire at the lower end.

Araceli received the earrings and took a good look at them. "I like them," she commented as she turned to a nearby mirror and raised the earrings to one of her ears. "Look's great to me," she took one final look before handing them back to the employee. "I'll take them."

"Wouldn't you like to know the price first?" asked the employee noticing that the younger female hadn't checked.

"It doesn't matter," shrugged Araceli. "Money is not an issue. So, could you hold on to them while I continue looking around?"

"Of course," responded the employee with a smile. She placed the earrings in a separate section of the display case before locking it. "Just let me know when you're ready to check out."

After acknowledging the lady, the twenty-two-year-old turned to look for her best friend.

Standing in front of a full-length mirror, Veronica was trying on a couple of sunglasses that she had picked out from a display counter right next to her. With every new pair of sunglasses she put on, the twenty-four-year-old would strike a different pose to see how she looks in them. Through the reflection, she noticed Araceli approaching and quickly turned to face her. "How does this look?"

Araceli took a good look at her before nodding, "They look really good on you. I would take them."

Veronica giggled as she took the sunglasses off and placed them back at the counter. "No, they're way too expensive for a pair of sunglasses." She picked up the jacket and walked away towards where the purses were.

A smug-like grin began to form on Araceli's lips as she followed the older female. She keeps forgetting that, unlike her best friend, she was more likely to afford everything she wanted thanks to the added money she would receive from her many 'adventures.' While Veronica was limited to the money she receives from her parents.

The two females walked to the other side of the store and began to look through the many luxury purses and handbags that were on sale. "So," began Veronica grabbing Araceli's attention. "Are you planning to tell me why your mom called my house last night?"

The younger female rolled her eyes sarcastically as she didn't take her focus off the purses. "I had a feeling that there was a reason why you accepted my invitation."

"Well, imagine my curiosity," countered Veronica.

"I guess that's fair…" A sarcastic chuckle escaped Araceli's lips as she recalled the moment of being confronted and punished by her mother. 'Funny,' she thought. Twenty-two years old and ultimately still having to answer to her mother. "Mom just overreacted like she always does. She caught me coming home late and knew that I wasn't where I said I was… Saying that I was with you was the first thing that came to mind… Thanks for confirming it by the way."

"Like your mother would ever believe me," responded Veronica with a rather amused laugh. "It was mom who told her which by the way, you're very lucky that it was her who answered. Had it been dad then no doubt he would have denied everything."

"I know," groaned the younger female sarcastically. In no way was she oblivious to how close she was to being caught in her lie. Who knows what her mother would have done had she been told the truth? Would she still trust her? Or would she start questioning everything else she was told? Regardless, Araceli was well aware that she couldn't afford a repeat of what happened. She was going to have to be more careful from now on. "It was just terrible luck on my part, I'll make sure it doesn't happen again."

"Shouldn't," began Veronica with a chuckle. "Remember what I taught you. One slip-up? well hey, mistakes happen. But two slip-ups?" she asked while playfully smacking her best friend. "Then you're starting to ask for trouble."

"I remember," responded Araceli. She recalled a time when she was a timid seventeen-year-old who didn't know how to take advantage of what she had. A girl who mostly wore rather old clothes that were oftentimes worn out. Someone who knew she deserved much better. All that changed however when Veronica had taken an interest in her. Because of her, she learned about cosmetics and fashion. How to talk her way into getting what she wants. Tools that have done wonders for her life so far. She eventually figured out that Veronica only helped because she wanted a sidekick that would always suck up to her. Something that she did do for quite a while. But now, things were different. Now, she was better off on her own. Able to get most of what she wanted without difficulty. It wasn't long before she was even attracting the eyes of the men that were once around her best friend. Of course, she was careful not to raise any suspicion in the older female. No doubt Veronica would turn against her if she found out. "Well, I'm ready whenever you are," she voiced while turning towards the older female.

Veronica quickly nodded as she took one final look at a handbag that she was interested in. "I'm ready," she eventually responded after putting it back. Both women headed to the checkout area and made their purchases before exiting the store and continuing their shopping.

A couple of hours went by and the two females continued to walk around the mall, making several more purchases along the way. Feeling hungry, they both began to debate whether they should leave early and get something to eat before heading home. Knowing that there were still a few more stores they wanted to go to, they decided to stay a little longer to continue their shopping.

They arrived at one of the most prestigious stores in the building. Upon entering, Araceli wasted little time going to the cosmetic section which this brand was nationally known for. The diverse selection of makeup and brushes elevated her excitement. The multitude of colored lipsticks and powder, bright or dark. There wasn't much that the young female didn't want.

For approximately fifteen minutes, Araceli continued to look through all the cosmetics picking out which ones she preferred the most. She was interrupted when her best friend excitedly walked up to her. "Araceli, you have to see these beautiful stilettos," she whispered.

"Why?" asked the younger female not shifting her focus away from the cosmetics. Although she knew that the small store had a lot more to offer, rarely would she find something beyond the counter.

"Just come take a look," repeated the twenty-four-year-old while grabbing Araceli's arm to pull her away from the cosmetic section.

"I'm going," voiced Araceli who at that point had no choice but to follow. She was being taken to the other side of the store where the footwear department was. Before arriving, the young female was able to see what Veronica wanted to show her. On top of what looked to be a pedestal was a pair of beautiful white heels that was adorned with what she could easily tell to be small diamonds on the borders of its straps. "Wow," voiced the young female as he picked up the heel and studied every single detail in it. She gently rubbed her fingers against the fabric of the straps. 'They're beautiful…' she thought. She flipped it around and saw the crystal-like stiletto it had. Everything about this heel was absolutely stunning to her.

"I knew as soon as I saw them that you would love them," grinned Veronica.

Araceli paid no attention to her best friend; instead, she turned back to the pedestal and picked up the four cards that had been next to the heels. Each card had a shoe size and the price of the heels.

"Are you actually getting them?" asked Veronica with a raised eyebrow. "They're really expensive in my opinion.

Before Araceli could ask 'why?' she saw the answer written on the card. Her entire excitement diminished the moment she laid her eyes on the price. 37,000 pesos (~1,850 dollars.) There was no way she could afford these beautiful stilettos. It would take her a few months to save up the money but by then, there was no chance that the heels would still be here.

"That's the same look I probably made," chuckled her best friend as soon as she noticed the changed demeanor.

"A lot of money," commented the younger female as she went through the cards to see if they had her shoe size. She hoped that none of the four had her size so she could feel better and say that she wouldn't have gotten them anyway; but, to her bitter luck, they did. After returning the cards to the cardholder, she took one final look at the heels. 'I have to have these,' she thought before the solution came to her. 'I will have these.' She placed the heel back in its place and turned to Veronica. "I guess it just wasn't meant to be?" she sighed with a pretend look of disappointment.

"For us both," responded Veronica. "Let's go back to the cosmetics. Was there anything good?" she asked as she began walking towards the other side of the store."

"Yes, the lipsticks look amazing," voiced Araceli as she followed her best friend. Once they reached the cosmetic department, the female wasted no time in pulling out her phone. There was one person that could easily give her enough money to buy those heels. She sent out a message and placed the phone back in her purse. "What do you think of this one? She asked while picking up a bright red lipstick that she had seen earlier.

"Oh, I like that one," responded Veronica. "But I'm looking for a more subtle pink one." She continued to look through the many options while singling out the ones she liked most.

Araceli paid very little attention to what was happening, all she wanted at the moment was to hear that familiar tone from her phone. The moment it came, she reached for it and saw the response.

"What?" simply read the message.

A smile formed on the female's lips as she figured that Javier wasn't too pleased with her after what happened Saturday. Still, she played innocent and responded. "Not in a good mood today?" A couple of seconds passed before a new message popped up on her screen.

"I'm busy right now so just tell me what you want?"

"I was just hoping to see you tonight… will it be possible?"

"What changed?" countered Javier.

Araceli let out a small chuckle as she knew that he had seen through her. "You know me too well," she began. There really wasn't a point in lying. She was still going to get what she wanted. "Perhaps I saw a nice pair of stilettos that I'm sure you wouldn't mind buying them for me." A couple of minutes passed before she received a new message.

"No."

'Wow…' thought Araceli. He usually toyed with the idea before eventually agreeing. This time, he straight up declined. Fortunately, she knew how to change his mind. "How about we talk about it later tonight. You know, after I began to repay you for what happened on Saturday."

"What makes you think I want to see you today?" he questioned.

The young female didn't budge when she read the message. To her, he was already hooked. "So should I text someone else then?" Another couple of minutes passed before the familiar tone of her phone rang.

"Same time as always."

"Too easy," whispered the twenty-two-year-old with a wide grin. She already had the perfect dress in mind that would go perfectly with the stilettos. She alongside Veronica finished going through all the stores and was ready to leave the mall. Araceli hummed in her excitement which garnered some interest from her best friend.

"What are you so happy about?"

"Today has been a good day, don't you think?" asked the younger female with a smile. She couldn't wait for tonight; no way was she going to leave the cabin without a check in hand. 'I'll definitely be back for them tomorrow.'