"Wait." Your girlfriend looks at you. "I have a suggestion. What if you just do something to take your mind off of things for a while? You know, try to keep yourself busy while we think of a way to fix this."
You groan in petulant frustration. "What do you expect me to doooo in this body, play soccer?! Forget it… I think we've had enough fun and games for today."
"Well… you know there are always chores that need getting done around here. You've got dishes piled up in the kitchen and laundry that needs to be folded and you really ought to clean out the garage one of these days."
All you wanted to do was tell her off about how stupid she was being. How could she even suggest wasting time distracting yourselves with dishes when you needed to be focused on getting your body back? So it came as quite a shock when you heard yourself say "Can I mow the lawn?"
"Sure, that's perfect! I'll come along and weed the flower beds to keep you company."
"OH I Can do that!" You almost shout. "I mean… I'm good at doing flower beds too… It's only $8 a bed, and $15 for the mow, as long as it's just the front; $20 front and back."
Your train of thought was reeling with fevered calculations. If she went all in for both yards and all three flower beds, that's 20+8+8+8 which is over $40! If you got done quick enough you could probably even hit up another house before it got too late. You'd be making bank!
"You expect me to pay you to mow your own lawn?" She said flatly. "Are you feeling alright? Maybe you should -"
"Oh no, I meant I'll mow YOUR lawn, Ms. Anderson… It's actually a pretty good deal. Bryce charges over $20 just for front yards and he doesn't even pull weeds good; you gotta get the roots like I do."
Your girlfriend gave you a critical stare for a few moments. All she could see was the beaming, over-excited countenance of a 13 year old boy who was desperate to make and spend a tiny fortune.
What had caused you to snap so suddenly?..
"Actually, I guess I can do $15 front and back." You offer, perhaps a little too eagerly. Something about the way she was looking at you made you feel a little self-conscious about your prices.
Your girlfriend was getting really weirded out by your behavior. You were acting just like she did when she got caught up in her 13-year-old body, only maybe a bit more childish… Boys do always mature more slowly after all…
She had wanted you to chill out a little, not fry your brain. Were you really better off being a kid for a while while she tried to find some answers on her own? She wasn't sure… You really were in a lot of distress just a moment ago, and it didn't seem right to subject you to that kind of burden if it wasn't necessary. "Uh…" She hesitated, while your beaming face slowly began to sour.
Why wasn't she answering? You're way cheaper than Bryce and you do a way better job! You look around, confusion starting to grow in your mind. Should you drop the price by another $5? Who cares about $5? Do you? That's nuts! Aren't you a man? Didn't you have sex today?! What's $5 to you?
"Wait… Hold on…" You said. The previously frazzled edge was returning to your voice and you were beginning to fidget unmistakably. "This isn't right.. what am I -"
"I'll pay you $100!" Your girlfriend interjects suddenly.
All at once your eyes bulged out and your jaw fell to the floor.
"Seriously?!"
"Absolutely." She said, throwing caution to the wind.
"Hey, Wow. Thanks!" You shout. All your reservations vanished immediately. With that kind of money you'd be able to buy a copy of Beastmon Scarlet for yourself, plus a Violet copy for Chesney. You couldn't wait to play it online with her late into the night. If she thought the clothes you'd bought her at the mall were something, she was really going to flip when you gave her THE hottest new game for the Playtendo Relay console! "I'll start right away and do an awesome job for you Ms. Anderson, you'll see!"
It wasn't but a few moments before you had dashed out into the garage and pulled the mower out from under a pile of rubbish. You noticed your bike laying there among the clutter and took a moment to lay it down in the middle of the driveway so you could ride back home when you were done.
Your girlfriend secretly watched you from one of the front windows until she was satisfied you were going to be alright out there on your own. You were struggling a bit to move the heavy mower and she could hear you singing a Top-10 radio hit over the din of the motor; you had an unabashed twinkle in your eye, which was especially concerning to her, because not only do you never sing, but you hate contemporary pop music with a passion!