Ginny and Georgia: The Younger Shadow

Chapter 22-School and Trouble
"Wait, so they just turned up, out of the blue?" Aria gaped her mouth wide open as she contemplated what I had said.
"She was there with the little boy when you came back from Max's, right?" Kara asked, her brown eyes as polished amber in the first rays of dawn.
"Uh huh. They were just sitting there. And we talked. Talked about my mom. Before, I didn't even know they existed! But my cousin Caleb and Missy, my aunt, will probably stay for a few days before heading back to Alabama." I answered, and took a sip of my lemonade. The morning had been incredibly difficult, and Ginny refused to speak to my mom. I decided to forgive mom though, because though Missy still hadn't told me much about her childhood, she said my mom was a warrior, and always fought to protect us. Protect us from who, I didn't know.
"So you don't know that much about your mom's childhood, do you?" Madi asked, "my mom had a pretty average one. Just normal old Ellen Baker in Wellsbury with her brother Archie Baker. Nothing special. Maybe your mom's wasn't or she doesn't like to dwell on the past."
"Maybe. Who knows? All I know is that I'm not looking forward to the next few days." The lunch hall was buzzing with voices, and Ginny and her friends were a few tables away from us. I didn't know if Ginny had told them about Missy and Caleb, or decided she just couldn't be bothered.
"Mads, you can tell Max and the others. I don't mind."
"Ok, I'll explain a little, because Ginny looks like someone just stole all her Halloween candy. Actually, that was exactly how my face looked like when I was eight and Marcus and Max worked together to steal all my candy. Needless to say, my mom beat their asses after, and I got to keep all of theirs. So it just proves it."
"Proves what, Mads?" Kara asked, even though her eyes were still trained on Josh Cooley in a sickening love daze.
"It proves there's light at the end of the tunnel, however narrow or long it is!" Madi said, and Aria rolled her eyes and focused on her pasta. She really was just like her sister when she did that. I could've mistaken her for Abby, in fact.
"Lunch is over in five minutes and I still haven't eaten half my food!" I groaned and grabbed half of my sandwich.
"I'll finish it off for you!" Madi and Kara took some of my food as I grinned at them, the corners of my mouth raising. And it was a real smile. Unfortunately, Leon had caught a stomach bug from his brother and couldn't come to school for a few days. I tried not to let it dull my mood because I needed him. Especially in these confusing times. I still struggled with the fact Missy had tracked us down. And how? If we ever had to leave one of mom's exes in the dead of the night, she always made sure to never leave the slightest trace. And yet her sister, who she hadn't seen in nearly 16 years, managed to find us in Wellsbury. It nearly blowed my mind. Missy definitely wasn't stupid. She had a quick, clever mind.
"We need to work on our science project after school!" Aria groaned and rested her head on the table, like she was already defeated. Science and math were always my weakest subjects. Ginny and I both loved to write and create our own worlds we could be trapped in, but equations and refraction just made my mind work backwards.
"My mom's picking me up, guys. She just texted me to say something happened with Austin. I don't know what, but she had to pick him up from school and he's in big trouble."
"Your brother got suspended? God what did he do, swear at a teacher or something?" Kara exclaimed.
"I don't know. Great. As if I didn't need enough problems. I hope Austin is ok though. That's not like him. He never gets in trouble." I bit my lip, till I felt a spot of blood and winced in pain.
"Don't worry. Maybe it's just like attendance problems or something." Madi commented. Then the bell rang and we all went to class. I felt the eyes of someone following me, and that shivering feeling crawled up my spine. It was Ginny. And I had never seen her look so...so different.
A few hours later....
"He needs to go to therapy, mom!" Ginny scowled and clenched her fists, tight. My mom drove so quick I was terrified there would be an accident. Austin didn't look at anyone. My mom's anger spiked as she cried,
"No he doesn't! I am his mother, Virginia Miller! And you will not tell me how to parent!"
"Because you've done such a great job of that, haven't you?" She sneered, and mom's grip on the steering wheel hardened. Austin had been suspended from school for a week because he'd stabbed a kid with a pencil. The kid's name was Zach Fuller. Apparently he had been bullying Austin about his dad, calling him names, and Austin had said he'd had enough. I never knew he would have such psychotic tendencies, but I had learnt by now nobody was what they led you to believe. We all wear masks, however much it might not seem. But I still felt bad for my brother, and a tug of sympathy at seeing his depressed face. He looked like he was trying to fight tears.
"Austin, honey, this isn't your fault." Mom said. She leaned over and gave his hand a squeeze, but it didn't seem to help.
"You're only saying that because he's Cynthia Fuller's kid, and Paul's running against her for mayor!" Ginny yelled. Her voice after the few minutes of silence unnerved me.
"Ginny, stop. Why do you always have to cause problems? Just stop being so rude to mom, ok? She does everything for us, you ungrateful bitch!" The words slipped out of my mouth before I'd realised what I'd said.
"Charlotte Marie, don't call your sister that! Good God, what did I do to deserve this?" She rested her head on the steering wheel. Ginny got out of the car and stormed off to the next street. I suspected she would be going to Max's, or maybe Hunter's.
"Mom, I'm sorry." Austin whispered, and his voice cracked, which in turn made my heart shatter slightly.
"Don't worry, baby. I love you all, you know that? I would give up everything for you. In a split second." Why did everyone have to speak like the whole world was over?