Back at Dot's, Panther and Jane were not speaking to each other.
"This is a very pretty dress," said Dot, the owner of the shop.
"Thank you. It's exactly what I wanted,"
Panther replied, but she was glaring at Jane.
"I think it makes you look fat," Jane said in a mean voice.
"You girls should be nice to each other.
Aren't you sisters?" Dot asked.
But neither Panther nor Jane replied.
Meanwhile at the game store, Cy was ready to pay for his purchases.
"Your total comes to one thousand fifty-six dollars and seventy-one cents," the clerk said wearily.
Cy paused. "Uh, how much is that in gold coins?" he asked.
"Excuse me? Did you say gold coins?" asked the clerk.
"Yes. That's what I have here."
Cy pointed to his bag.
"Half of it's mine," Bobby said angrily.
"I'm sorry," the clerk said, "but we only accept cash, credit card, or check."
"But these are worth a lot of money,"
Cy pleaded as he held out a coin.
"It looks like play money,"
the clerk said, taking the gold coin from him.
"They're real, I tell you,"
argued Cy, but the clerk did not believe him.
Jane felt like crying.
"It's not fair," she thought to herself.
"Why does Panther get to do whatever she wants?
I have money too."
"That'll be twenty-one dollars and sixty cents," smiled Dot.
"Fine," Panther replied.
She began counting out some gold coins.
"Sweetie, we don't accept foreign currency here," Dot said.
"These aren't foreign," laughed Panther.
"These are gold coins."
Dot picked one up suspiciously.
"Where did you get these?" she asked.
Panther glanced over at Jane before answering.
"From my uncle.
He gave them to us as a gift," Panther lied.
Dot narrowed her eyes and stared at Panther.
"Stay right here.
I'm going to make a phone call," she said.
Then Dot disappeared into the back of the store.
Panther grabbed Jane's arm and whispered frantically,
"Jane! I think she's going to call the police!"
Jane crossed her arms and replied, "I don't care.
You're the one in trouble, not me.
I didn't buy the dress."
The situation at the game store wasn't looking any better.
"Come on, man." Cy continued to argue with the clerk.
"Look, I'll give you all the gold here.
That's going to be worth more than five thousand dollars!"
"That's not fair!" shouted Bobby.
"Some of that is my money!
And I'm going to buy a car!"
Bobby grabbed the bag.
"Let go, you little punk!" yelled Cy.
The boys began pulling and tugging at the bag.
Then, like a watermelon splitting open, the bag ripped in two, and the gold coins flew out everywhere.
At Dot's, Panther had to make a quick decision.
"Jane, we have to get out of here," she said.
When Jane didn't respond, Panther grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the store.
"Get back here, girls!" Dot shouted, running toward them.
"I said, come back!"
Without a backward glance, Panther and Jane ran off as fast as they could.
The clerk at the game store was very angry now.
"I'm going to call the cops," he threatened.
"For what?" Cy asked in a shaky voice.
"For trying to use counterfeit money," the clerk replied.
"But this is real.
It's real gold, I tell you!"
Cy argued, but it was all in vain.