“Where the hell were you?”
Carla was trying really hard to keep her voice down. She didn’t want the girls to hear them arguing. Not when they’d just given them a long speech about trying to get on. But Bob’s nonchalant attitude was really starting to grate on her.
“I told you. I was in a meeting with an important client.”
He wasn’t giving her a lot of direct eye contact. This only made her more suspicious.
“And what about Mary-Jane’s phone? Why was that off too?”
Bob sighed and went to the fridge. “Because she was in there with me. Honestly Carla, can you give this a rest now?” He pulled out one of the cans from the fridge and took hold of the ring pull.
“But even your office line wasn’t answered! Surely Mary-Jane steps out for calls?”
Bob swung round to face her, his mouth set into a thin line. “It isn’t any of your busi
It had been a strange week for Ryan. After the article had come out, he’d decided that he’d had more than enough of Mia Fernwood. All she’d done is make his life more complicated. And it was already complicated enough.But then she’d done that whole apology stunt, and his mind had wavered. It didn’t help that Savannah had tried to muck with Mia’s truck. It made him wonder if he really should continue to put the effort into that relationship. Was she really who he wanted to be with?He decided that he was going to hang out in the shop for her shift. Maybe spending more time with Mia again would give him a better idea of what he wanted to do. Not only that though, his dad had been pretty well behaved of late. Ryan didn’t think for a second it was because he was changing in any way. It just meant when his dad snapped, it was going to be explosive. And there was every chance that he would turn up at the shop to terrorise his mom wh
“He used those exact words?”Tilly was perched on the edge of Mia’s bed while Mia proceeded to pull out every item in her wardrobe.“Yep. Part of me wish he hadn’t because now I’m even more nervous than I would have been.”She slumped onto her desk chair and looked at Tilly. After the big apology speech over the school PA, Tilly had phoned Mia later that night to forgive her. Mia had never felt so relieved in her life. Losing Tilly had reminded her what having a friend was like. Now she had her, she didn’t want to be without her.“Look. It’s going to fine. He’s seen you from looking like a mess to looking a million bucks.”Mia sighed. “True. But I don’t want to look like I’ve tried too hard, but also not like I’ve not bothered either…” Mia knew she was rambling, but she couldn’t help it.Tilly fished around on the floor am
She didn’t make it home in time. Just as the view of her house came into sight, hot salty tears escaped from Mia’s eyes. She felt so stupid and miserable. What if he’d gone to see Savannah instead? What if she’d completely misunderstood the point of tonight? Maybe it had just been about hanging out? But why hadn’t he at least messaged her?As she fell onto her bed, a cold chill ran through her. What if this had all been a game? Maybe he hadn’t forgiven her for the article at all, and this had been all part of an elaborate plan to humiliate her like she’d humiliated him.She was just about to throw herself into a fresh bout of sobs when her phone went off. She grabbed it and read the message.“I’m so sorry about tonight Mia. It was out of my control. Will you meet me at that place by the creek?”Mia wanted to scoff. Was he being serious? He stands her up and then asks to meet at the same place whe
Mia was lost. She was lost in him. The first kiss had been wonderful, but this was something more. It was as if this time neither one of them was holding back. The passion she felt was pure, yet addictive.As their lips moved against each other, Ryan’s grip around her waist tightened. He couldn’t get enough of her. He was sure it had never felt like this before. Not even with Savannah. It was as if Mia’s touch held something so powerful he could barely breathe.Neither knew how long they stayed locked together like that, their arms entwined, and mouths joined, and neither of them cared either. They were the only two people in the world in that moment, and nothing else mattered.But then Ryan felt something inside him shift. He could feel his hands itching to feel other parts of her that he was sure had remained untouched. As much as he wanted to give in to his urges, he respected Mia too much to go to fast. And they were hardly in the right pla
When she woke up in the morning, Mia realised she was already smiling. She stretched, enjoying the delicious feeling of contentment as her arms extended above her. She reached for her phone, and almost squealed when she saw there was a message from him. But as soon as she opened it, Mia’s good mood was knocked.“I won’t be in town for a few weeks. Mom is finally willing to divorce dad, so I’m going to stay with her at my aunts while things get sorted out. I know this isn’t great timing for us, but I need to do this for my mom. I’ll miss you, but I’ll be back as soon as I can. Last night was amazing.”Mia sighed. She knew that he was doing what he had to, but with thanksgiving coming up that week she’d hoped they would be able to spend some time together. And not long after that it would be the winter formal. Last night she’d gone to sleep dreaming about him asking her. Would he even be back in time for that? S
“Could you pass me the yams please?” Mia’s hand went to pick up the dish her mom had just requested and handed it to her.Once that exchange was done, the table immediately fell back into silence.It wasn’t that the so-called ‘family’ dinners had ever been pleasant, it was just that it had never felt this awkward. Mia wondered if it was because it was Thanksgiving. Maybe that was putting more pressure on everyone than usual. After all, the holiday was all about being with the people you loved and being thankful for it, right? But looking at these solemn faces there was nothing to be thankful for it seemed.Carla cleared her throat. She was determined not to let this meal go down as the worst thanksgiving ever. “So, is the food, okay?”She’d spent hours preparing everything. She’d hoped if she could create a wonderful dinner, the tension between her and Bob, as well as the tension between the girl
Ever since the phone call with Ryan, Mia felt as if she had been floating on a cloud. She’d hoped he was going to ask her, but now he actually had she couldn’t believe it. Every night she went to bed thinking about the dance. She imagined them swaying together in the middle of the dance floor, their eyes locked on each other as fairy lights twinkled all around them.Tilly was excited about it too, and the first opportunity they got, she insisted they go to the mall to find a dress.“I thought you would have bought yours by now? Jake asked you like a month ago!”Tilly shrugged her shoulders and continued to run her fingers through the multicoloured display rack. “I was hoping you’d come and we could do it together. Coming dress shopping on my own seemed a little…sad.”Mia gave a small smile and nudged her friend gently. “Well I’m glad you did. It’s a lot more fun to do it with you.”
It was strange. It had only been a week or so since they had last seen each other, but it felt like a lifetime. At first, Ryan simply held her close and kissed her hair, taking a moment to enjoy the sweet coconut smell of her shampoo.Mia realised that she felt nervous again, just like how she had the first time they’d been this close. She didn’t dare look at him, and instead chose to bury her face in his chest.Ryan chuckled and pulled back slightly before looking down at Mia whose cheeks were beautifully flushed. He said nothing, and instead simply smiled at her before placing his fingers under her chin and raising her head. She let him guide her, her eyes reaching his as she returned his smile.Ever so slowly, he tilted his head and moved towards her, lightly placing his lips on hers.Mia sank into them. Relishing the warm full feeling as he kissed her. Her head felt so light, and yet she was magnetised to his touch. After a few moments she
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