Soon, everyone was done with the snacks, and honestly, Airi enjoyed the food here a lot. Also, she got some ideas about how those rich pampered kids lead their lives. These types of people are huge in number in the school, so she needed to blend in with them to gain more popularity. Only blank words not going to work on anyone, and that much she knew very well. She needs to befriend them at least on the surface, so that when the time comes, she could count them in her team.
While she was thinking about all of this, their bill came. Airi took her bill, but seeing the amount on it, she got a bit worried. "My entire money would go in this, I won't be able to save a penny." She muttered to herself.
Just then, Maria spoke up to Airi, "Don't worry about the bills, I am going to pay it anyway." She fished out some money from her purse and handed that to the waiter who brought the bills. Airi immediately stopped the waiter. "Wait a second!" She turned towards Maria, saying "Why would you do that? We should pay for our own."
Hearing her, everyone laughed out loud. "Oh my God, Airi, why would we? We got someone as wealthy as Maria. She is our friend, and can't friends pay for us? And not that her wealth is going to get any less with that little amount of bill. C'mon!"
Airi was dumbfounded hearing their words. She looked at Maria, who was standing there with a triumphant look on her face. "Well then Airi, just leave it to me," and she signaled the waiter to proceed with the bill.
Everyone cheerfully came out from the cafe, surrounding Maria. "Thanks, Maria, for treating us as usual." Scarlett thanked her by grabbing her arm. And the others were also thanking her. But on the other hand, Airi was feeling dejected. She was shocked to see how shameless those people could be, and angry at herself as well to think that Maria paid for her. A sudden feeling of defeat filled her.
Suddenly, Maria looked back at Airi, and seeing her sullen face, she went towards her. "Airi, you must be feeling like you lost a huge game right?"
Airi returned her a pair of cold eyes, with anger filled in it. But Maria didn't seem to care about it. She continued talking, "You see, those girls are just some leeches who only know how to suck off people. So, as long as you keep them wrapped around your fingers, they are going to worship you. None of your empowerment ideals, or good talks are going to work on them. Only, money talks. My sister has been doing the same. I do it too. So, think about it again if you really want to fight against Rena."
With that saying, Maria left with the other girls, leaving Airi behind.
------
Airi returned home with a sour mood. "I'm home."
Max and Sara were enjoying an evening TV show in the living room. "Welcome home, Airi. Care for some fruits?"
"Nah, not hungry." Airi went upstairs without even giving them a look.
"She looks a bit glum…" Max said observing the look on Airi. "Did something happen?"
"I wonder… she was all happy when she went to school this morning." Sara got a bit tensed. "Let's wait for her to open up."
"Yeah…" Max returned his concentration on the show.
After getting freshened up, Airi came downstairs to join her parents. "Paa, I have something to ask from you."
Max shifted his position to get a bit comfortable. "What is it, dear?"
Airi hesitated for a while if she should say it or not. But keeping quiet will not help her. So she ended up saying, "Could you raise my allowance a bit? I mean, I will search for any part-time jobs, but I want some more money. So, until then..."
Sara suddenly spoke up interrupting her, "We just did shopping that day right? Then what do you need money for again? If there is something else you want to buy, I will take you to the mall again…"
"No, Maa, that's not it. It's just… you see I went to a cafe with some friends today, and the bills there were so high. So I would need more money for it."
"Then why go to the expensive ones in the first place, honey? You could go somewhere equally good with the less price. You shouldn't spend money that uselessly."
"Yeah, your maa is right. Wasting money isn't good…" Max added, agreeing with Sara.
"Then do you think I am wasting your money here? Do you think I am uselessly asking for more? Have I ever done anything useless up until now? Huh?" Airi was already feeling down since the afternoon, and her parents' refusal made her sulky even more. "You have never refused me for anything before, then why now? I need those to keep up with my friends. Would it be good if they are always the one treating me?"
"Then you could treat them back according to your convenience. You don't need to treat them to something expensive in return right? Friendship doesn't build on riches." Max tried to talk calmly, being careful not to make her daughter sad.
"And also, you never did ask for something unnecessary and unreasonable, you know we are not that rich to cope up with everything at once." Sara was also trying to sound as softly as she could to make her daughter understand.
But the only reasoning Airi had in her was that she needed to win over the people and give a greater taste of defeat to those siblings. So no matter how much her parents tried to reason with her, nothing was going into her head. "Just forget it if you don't want to! I am going to my room, and I don't want dinner either!" Airi went back to her room angrily.
"Airi! Listen to me! How can you skip dinner!" Sara got up to stop Airi, but her husband held her hands to stop her. "Let her go, and calm down on her own. Our daughter isn't dumb, she would get it soon enough."
Sara sat back on her seat, being a bit reassured, although the frown on her forehead never ceased.
*BANG*
Airi shut the door behind her loudly. "What are they trying to indicate here? I know that I should use money wisely. Am I a kid? Do they think I don't? They can be so annoying sometimes!" Airi threw herself on her bed and grumbled to herself about how bad her day went.
------
The next day, when she woke up and got down after getting ready for school, Sara called her. "Airi, have your breakfast before heading to school." Airi was indeed feeling hungry, on top of it, skipping dinner last night made her hunger worse. So, without complaining anymore, she sat down to have her breakfast.
Airi was offended a bit at the beginning, but after grumbling about it overnight, her anger curbed down to a great extent, and guilt took the place of it. She was feeling down for behaving with her parents the way she did. But she couldn't muster up the courage to apologize. She should sound sincere while apologizing, but apart from saying 'I am sorry, she didn't know what else she can say to sound more genuine. In the end, she silently ate up her food and got up to start school, without even expressing her apology. Just then, Sara called her back. "Airi, wait up."
"What is it?" Airi responded to her, without even looking back. She couldn't even meet her eyes with that guilt in her mind, so she kept her eyes somewhere else. Although, she couldn't keep up with that very long as Sara grabbed her hands and put some cash on her palm. Airi was surprised to see the money on her hands, and she shifted her gaze to her mother right away, meeting with a soft look on her mother. "Keep this, but spend it carefully okay? I know you are intelligent and smart, so choose your friends wisely. Got it?" Sara instructed all of these with a serious tone, but she didn't seem to be angry. And Airi was relieved to detect that. "Yeah, I got it. Will do." Airi nodded. "Then, I am going to head out."
"Take care on the way."
Airi normally takes a bus to go to her school, and today wasn't any different either. The bus stop where she gets off is just 5 minutes of walking distance. And the cafe she headed to yesterday was near the bus stop. So when she got off the bus, she couldn't help notice the cafe. She was wondering if she would get simple coffee or something sweet for her friends and Maria, just to not be in debt of hers, but in the end, she got into the cafe to get some. But to her surprise, she met someone she least expected to.