Mia couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened at the shop. She wondered if Ryan and his mom were okay, and if Jeff had come back. As it began to get later, she wasn’t sure how she was going to sleep with all this running through her head.
Hamlet knew something was up, and snuggled in next to her on the bed with his head on her leg.
“What should I do, boy?” she whispered.
But the dog just stared at her with his large dark eyes.
Just then, something hit Mia’s window. Her forehead creased. It hadn’t been large, but she’d definitely heard a noise. Hamlet had also looked up, and was studying the glass pane with interest.
Then it happened again. Something small and hard ricocheted off the glass. She got up and went over to the window, and couldn’t quite believe her eyes when she saw Ryan standing on the lawn below.
She opened the window, and in a hushed voiced called out to him. “What are
“So, what have you been doing for the past week then?” Brook had her arms folded across her chest, and looked as if her eyeballs were about to laser into Mia’s skin.“It was a bad week alright? But I think I might have some help to get back in now.”Brook raised her eyebrow. “Is that so? Who’s helping you then?”“Ryan. Ryan Lee.”Brook scoffed, Ryan Lee? Was she crazy? “Okay. If you think you can make that work, then fine. But I want this piece ready before Christmas.”“Yeah okay. It’ll happen.”Brook exited the room and Mia was left there standing with Tilly.“Is Ryan really going to help you? Like have you asked?”Mia made a face. “Not exactly…”Tilly put her face in her hands. “Oh god.”“It’s fine. Honestly. I’ve got a plan. Kind of.”Tilly sighed. &
Annie and Trish were so overjoyed that Mia had managed to secure a date with Tyler, that they insisted that she visit Annie’s after school one day to prepare.“I know you’ve been making a bit more of an effort recently, but you need to step your game up if you’re going to be dating a footballer,” Annie said whilst rifling through her closet.Mia was perched on the edge of her bed, worried sick that she was going to mark the pristine white linen. “I’m not sure we’re exactly dating…we haven’t even had the first date yet,” she commented, edging forward a little more.Trish was painting her nails a hot pink colour at Annie’s vanity desk, and looked up briefly. “Come on Mia. You have to think more positive than that. Once we’re done with you, he won’t be able to resist.”Mia bit her lip. That was the issue though. She didn’t want to be irresistible to Tyler.
“Maybe it’s time you had your own transport,” Carla commented as she drove Mia to Annie’s house.It was the night of the date, and Mia hadn’t really been paying attention to what her mom had been saying. She’d been too focused on not being sick from nerves.“What did you say?”“A car Mia. I’d rather that than have to keep ferrying you round everywhere.”Mia gave her mom a side-ways glance. “Okay. Well, that would be great.” After everything that had happened between them recently, the last thing Mia would have expected would be her mom buying her a car. Maybe she just didn’t want to spend any more time with her than necessary.Carla nodded. “I’ll have a look round town tomorrow when you’re at work. It won’t be fancy though okay? Just something to get you started.”“No. Okay, thanks. Really.”Mia’s mind st
Mia had to force her feet to move down the stairs. They didn’t want to open the door to Tyler either.“Come on, Mia!” Annie gushed. “You can’t keep him waiting too long!”As she finally made it to the bottom of the stairs, Annie asked if she was ready.Mia felt like she was ready to be sick.As the door opened, Tyler’s image came into view. Mia had to admit, he looked good. He was wearing dark jeans, and a tight white t shirt. However, it didn’t matter how hot he was. Mia still knew he was a dick. She also noticed the way Tyler’s eyes were roaming every inch of her body. It made her uncomfortable.“So, what so you think Tyler?” Annie asked, looking at the both of them.“I think I’m about to take out the hottest girl in this town,” said Tyler, sliding towards Mia. He knew she was pretty, but Annie had taken her to a whole other level. She was definitely worthy
“Popcorn, milk duds, or both?” “Both. And a soda.” The words were out before Mia could even stop herself. Despite the situation, she kind of loved the movies. There was that feeling excitement. Right from getting all her favourite snacks. This movie theatre was quite old fashioned too. There was plush red velvet everywhere and the unmistakale smell on popcorn. Tyler laughed. “What ever you want babe.” And with that, his arm was back around her shoulders. Maybe she should have declined his offer, but she had to get something out of this ridiculous evening. “Make sure you don’t bust out of that dress after all that, Mia,” Savannah spat. Mia was about to respond, but Tyler got there first. “I wouldn’t have a problem with that.” He shot a wink at Mia. “Come on Tyler, lets get the tickets,” Ryan said, wanting to end the exchange. When the boys got in line, Tyler turned round to face Ryan. “What g
He’d hardly slept all night. He had no way of knowing if Tyler had tried anything else after Mia left with him after the movie. When he’d dropped Savannah off, he’d been tempted to wait around until he could sneak into her bedroom again. But he wasn’t sure if he could handle that either. Being so close to her and alone had been difficult. He wrote it off as he’d just become fond of her since she’d kept his secret. That was all. Nothing more.It was Saturday, so he made sure that he was up early and, in the store, before she got there for her shift. It also gave him a chance to calm him mom down. Ever since Mia had caught his dad hitting her, she’d been in a panic. She was terrified Mia was going to say something. At the very least, she knew it might be awkward seeing her again.“I told you mom. she’s promised not to say anything. So, she won’t.” He was watching his mom pace up and down the aisle.
As Mia made the drive over, she still couldn’t believe that Ryan had offered to sort out her new truck. When he’d offered the day before, she’d almost expected it to turn into a joke. For him to turn around and go ‘hah! Not really!’ Then she started to worry that he would do that once she got all the way to his house. She pushed the thought away. No. They were friends now, right?Ryan’s house was on the edge of town. The whole property was encased in fir trees, making it a private spot that couldn’t be overlooked. Mia realised that this was probably the reason no one had witnessed any of the abuse perpetrated by his dad at home.A long pebbled drive took her down to an outbuilding where Ryan said he would be, and as promised, he was standing there waiting for her. He looked different today. There was no football jacket. Just a pair of old jeans with marks down the front, and a dark t shirt. For the first time since she’d
Mia screamed as Jeff took Ryan by the throat and slammed him into her truck.“Get out of here, Mia,” Ryan spluttered.Without even thinking, Mia launched herself at Jeff, bashing her fists against his large frame. She didn’t even have a plan. All she knew is she wanted to stop him from hurting Ryan. Her attack caught him by surprise, allowing Ryan free from his grasp. He dropped to the ground, choking.“You little bitch,” Jeff roared. “How dare you!”He forgot about his son on the floor. Jeff had his sights firmly set on Mia now. She knew it too. He turned towards her, taking steps closer and closer. His fist came up. Just as he was about to swing, Ryan came up behind him and pulled him back. But Jeff was too quick, and with one swift movement his elbow slammed into Ryan’s stomach. Ryan fell back to the floor, gasping for breath.Jeff rounded back on Mia, but instead of flinching or shying away, she m
Mia stretched her arms high above her head, enjoying the feeling of the soft grass beneath her and warm sun above. She sighed happily and turned her head to smile at Ryan who was bopping his head with his eyes closed in time to the music emitting from his phone beside them. They had just finished their final exams, and all that lay before them now was a blissful summer together.She leant over to him and placed a soft kiss on his cheek.He opened his eyes and smiled. “Finally relaxed now?”“Definitely. I’m glad all that’s over now. I need a break before I start college. I feel like my head was going to explode trying to cram all that knowledge in.”Ryan laughed. “I’m not surprised. I’ve never seen someone study so much….it’s pretty nice to spend time with you while you don’t have a book in your hand.”Mia rolled her eyes. “Yeah yeah. Well I had no cho
For a long time, they just stared at each other in silence. Mia didn’t understand what was happening. What was he doing? Her vision flickered, and Ryan suddenly spoke up.“Just hear me out Mia, okay?” He pleaded, his eyes wide and shining.She thought about protesting. She thought about walking out. But instead, she found herself nodding.His shoulders seemed to relax.“Thank you. Listen, I know you’ve told me you’re going. And I know you’ve told me that we’re not going to be together anymore, but I can’t let you go, not without telling you everything. Not without telling you exactly how I feel about you.”Mia swallowed. His eyes were boring into hers, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t look away. It had felt such a long time since she’d allowed herself to be lost in them. She was hypnotised.“I know we had a bad start. A very bad start. And I know that
“How many boxes have you got left?”Mia looked round at the rest of the pile. “Probably about five or six maybe? After that it’s just the stuff I’ll need for the trip.”Carla nodded. “Okay good. Are you sure you still want to drive your truck on your own? I can always pay for it to be transported back. Then you can come in the car with me.”“Don’t be silly. That’s gonna cost loads. And anyway, you know I’ve already done the trip before. I’ll follow behind you. It’s going to be fine.”Carla frowned. “Well. Alright then. But we will be taking plenty of breaks, as well as a stop over. Got it?”“Got it.”Carla had hired movers to take most of their belongings to Philadelphia. That truck was going to be leaving soon, but they were sticking around a little longer so Mia could say goodbye to Tilly.“I’m just going to
School had finished for the Christmas term. Mia had tried to keep a low profile in order to escape the school gossips as much as possible. Which was hard when you were embroiled in the current drama of the town. It had also come out about her mom and Bob, and people were now looking at her with a mixture of pity and confusion.After she’d told Ryan she was moving, he had stayed away from her. Mia was both glad and sad. Part of her was pleased he wasn’t causing any scenes or trying to win her back, but she also couldn’t help feeling disappointed too. If he claimed to feel so strongly for her, wouldn’t he want to put up any kind of fight? Then she remembered how easily he’d given her up at the dance and she realised how silly she was. She was sure it wouldn’t be long before he found a new girl. After all. He was still Mr Popular.“You okay, honey?”Her mom’s voice jerked her out of her thoughts.“Y
Mia was frozen. The corridor had fallen into a stunned quiet, although the sound of hushed whispers could be heard like the rustling of leaves in the wind.Footsteps approached her from behind, and she knew just from the echo of the sound that it was him. He moved round so he was facing her, his mouth set into a hard line.“All I’m asking, is for you to give me five minutes of your time. Please. Just let me explain everything.”Mia nodded. After all, he’d just announced his private business to the whole school. If she didn’t agree he might just follow her around shouting what he wanted to say.He led her away from the corridor down towards some empty classrooms. They walked side by side, but Mia found herself acutely aware of the negative space between them. She was torn between wanting to move further away and closing the gap between them. She wasn’t even processing the statement he’d just made.Ryan found
In the few days Mia had been away, Carla had managed to move all their personal belongings out of the house. Most of it was in storage, but the few personal things they needed for every day use had been placed in the motel rooms she’d paid for.Bob hadn’t even put up a fight. On the night of Mia’s winter dance, Carla had followed Bob’s car. She’d watched in agony as that woman had climbed in next to him. How they’d wrapped themselves around each other. From the way they’d moved against each other, Carla could tell this hadn’t been the first time.When she’d confronted him, Bob didn’t even seem to care. She’d screamed at him, asking him why he’d let her move her and Mia here just to cheat on her. He’d shrugged and told her he couldn’t help who he loved. That had been the real kicker. Carla had decided it wasn’t worth fighting with him. Their marriage had been a lie. That night she&
Despite her strange surroundings, Mia slept well and without nightmares or bad feelings. She actually felt refreshed in the morning when another officer came to wake her. She was sorry to hear that Office Park’s had already left for home. She felt like she’d not expressed her thanks enough.The morning officers made sure Mia was feeling settled enough to drive before they gave over her truck keys. Hamlet seemed like he’d had a night full of being pampered, and Mia was relieved to find he was his usual wagging self.When she got to her truck she briefly felt flashes of terror as memories of last night entered her mind. She pushed them away though. Something about Officer Park’s words had inspired her. She wanted to be strong too. She didn’t want the actions of a few thugs to affect her. But it was time to go home. As sad as it was, Philadelphia didn’t feel the same anymore. It wasn’t what she had hoped it would be. All she could
Events appeared to move by in a flash from that point. Mia watched as the thugs dropped what they had in their hands. The brick made a loud thud as it hit the concrete of the parking lot. The beer bottle the other guy had been holding shattered, the pieces fanning out like ripples on water.The first officer continued to hold her weapon while her partner handcuffed each man. She spoke into her radio and Mia guessed she was calling for back up. Minutes later it arrived, and more uniformed officers appeared. Mia looked on as each man was led away and placed into a nearby vehicle. Once they had been taken, the female officer came up to Mia’s window with a warm smile.It took Mia a few minutes to realise that it was finally safe to open her car door. Shakily, she switched the lock and pushed it open.“Hello Miss,” The officer began. “I’m Officer Parks. Are you okay?”Mia nodded. “Yes. I mean. I think so.”
It had taken Mia a long time to calm down after she’d started crying. People in the park had looked at her like she was a crazy person. As soon as she was able, she had walked briskly back towards the car, Hamlet waddling behind her trying to keep up.When she got back to the truck, she was determined to try again. She wanted to feel connected to her dad. She drove round to the diner they’d always gone to for pancakes, but as soon as she pulled up she noticed that the whole place had been redecorated inside. Nothing looked the same. As she looked through the window that was framed by Christmas lights, she felt the tears coming again. Not wanting a public repeat of the ice rink, she hurried back to the car and sobbed in there instead. She’d thought coming back to the place where her and her dad had spent time together would help her feel closer to him. In truth she just felt further away. It was like it was compounding the fact that she was on h