Write off the Fear

Chapter 3

If there ever was something that Mim really, really hated, it would be the start of a new school year. The first day of school, as a junior in high school, with no friends, to be more specific. But at the same time, she couldn't seem to care. It was already the third week of school and no one cared about her and she didn't care about them. She had her sisters and that was totally enough for her.

It was Friday and Mim was ready for the day to end so she could go home, fling herself into bed and hibernate in her room for the rest of the weekend. All week, the whispers and gossip throughout school was about Jason's album and how "oh my gosh, amazing!", it was that he managed to write and produce all the music by himself...Ya-dah, ya-dah, ya. Mim stopped listening and paying attention to the voices as soon as she realized what they were all talking about.

Now, as soon as the final bell rang, she was out the classroom door and beelining it to her car. Ready to make good on her thoroughly thought out plan of sleeping the weekend away. But, like everything, even really good laid out plans don't always work out.

Just as she was about to reach the school building's entrance, her exit to sweet, sweet freedom, for two days at least. She hears a familiar voice call to her, "MIM! Mim! Wait!" She really didn't want to turn around and acknowledge the voice, but if she didn't she'd probably get an earful of it at home. Weighing out the pros and cons of turning or just continuing on her path to freedom, the decision is made for her when a hand lands on her shoulder.

"Mim, sorry to stop you, but I really need your help." She turns around to come face to face with her flustered looking older sister.

"Hey Mia, I was just about to head home and...do stuff..." She tries to explain with her thumb hooking over her shoulder, pointing towards the exit.

"We both know, you were just going to crash in bed." Mia says with a pointed look and Mim has the decency to at least look sheepish. "I really need your help with the Winter Musical. Please, please just help me." Mia says with the beginnings of a pout, pleading eyes and palms flat together in a prayer gesture.

Mim stares at her sister, her resolve shaking as the pout deepens. "Ugh, I hate you. You and Tiny really need to stop hanging out. The pouts are killing me." She says giving in with the most dramatic eye roll she can come up with.

"Yay! Thanks Mim, I totally owe you!" Mia says, back to her usual chipper self, as she drags Mim towards the Theatre club room.

So Mim ends up spending the whole afternoon, seated at the piano and tickling the ivories. All to help Mia run through and shortlist a range of songs for the school's Winter Musical, which she's writing and directing. She's just sung the last note on the final song of the list when there's a knock on the door. Both their heads whip up to look at the person sticking their head through the door. They're both a little surprised to see that it's the head cheerleader, Katelyn Carr.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt." Katelyn is looking at Mia, eyes flicking over to Mim and Mim doesn't really know what to do when a pretty girl makes eye contact with her, so she gives her a small smile. Katelyn continues and flicks her eyes back to Mia, "But I thought you guys might like to know that the school's closing in about 30 minutes, if you didn't already know." Both sisters glance over at the clock above the door, surprised to see that it was already 6.30pm. Mim isn't sure she'll have a voice to speak to Katelyn, so she looks over at Mia, hoping her sister will take the lead.

"Oh, wow. Thanks Katelyn. We were kind of in our own world here." Mia thankfully replies to the head cheerleader and starts to make a move to pack up.

"No problem. See you guys on Monday." Katelyn says with one more look over at Mim before she nods and closes the door behind her. Mim just stares after her and keeps staring even when the door closes with a click. It's only when she hears her sister scoff that she looks over and notices that Mia was already packed up and waiting for her. Scrambling under her sister's all too knowing look, she closes the piano, pushes the bench back into place, grabs her completed homework off the nearby stool, shoves it into her backpack and starts to walk towards the door where her sister is waiting.