Beyond What Meets The Eye

Chapter One

Mira was born to be an athlete. Every sport she played, she excelled, and when it came to physicality, her stats were insane. Unfortunately, just being good at sports wasn't enough to get her a D1 offer; apparently now you had to be a star athlete and scholar.

Mira spared a few glances around the locker room to see if any of her teammates were lingering around, before pulling out a small sandwich bag full of white powder.

It was only Adderall, but she realized snorting white powder wasn't the best look. Once she was done she quickly shoved it back into her backpack and made her way out towards the track.

"So, you ready for this stats quiz?" Jayla asked, joining Mira's side as they walked towards the school.

"After studying for two hours last night, unfortunately, no," Mira sighed, her stomach churning just thinking about it.

"Shit, me neither. I swear everything Mr. King says goes right over my head." Jayla shook her head.

Mira pulled out her notes as she sat down in her desk, quickly scanning the pages in hopes at least some of the information would stick in her head.

The bell rang and Mr. King began passing out the quizzes. It was ten questions in total and by the time she had finished there were only 3 she was confident she'd gotten right. She spared a glance over at the kid next to hers quiz in hopes maybe he had a better grasp on the content than she did, but his page looked like a total dumpster fire.

Finally, after staring at her answers for another five minutes, she reluctantly turned it in.

Mira's grades were looking pretty rough, but it wasn't because she didn't try. She paid attention in class and tried to take notes, even studied, but things just didn't click for her the way they did for other people and it drove her nuts.

Mr. King finished the class with another one of his never ending lectures, and despite trying to focus, Mira found herself staring out the window, more interested in the pattering of rain against the window than what her teacher was saying. 

The bell finally rang, dragging Mira back to reality.

"Hey Mira," Chris made his way over to her desk. "I'm throwing a party at my lake house this weekend since my parents are going to be out of town. You should come." He offered her smile, his shaggy blonde hair reminding her of a golden retriever. All of her friends fawned over him, and she didn't blame them, he was cute and charming, but he was shallow.

"Sounds fun, I'll definitely try to make it," She smiled, although she didn't really see herself making any actual effort to go. Her party phase had come and gone, and she couldn't afford to get drawn back into that lifestyle, not when she actually had a chance at going to one of her dream schools for soccer. She used to drink and smoke all the time, eager for some feeling of euphoria, but when a positive drug test took her out of the two games last year, she realized it wasn't worth it. She'd just have to deal with her problems without relying on substances.

The rest of the day went by excruciatingly slow, Mira spending most of her classes completely zoned out, flinging her pencil between her fingertips while she waited for the bell.

She was one of the first people out the school doors when the final bell dismissed them. She tossed her bag into the passenger seat while she hopped behind the wheel of her sleek BMW, a gift from her father from her 16th birthday. Of course, he hadn't been there, just one of the guys who worked for him dropping it off with a note card that simply read 'Happy Birthday'. She could still remember the way she rolled her eyes and crumpled up the pathetic note and tossed it in the trash. If having a car didn't make her life ten times easier, she would have flat out refused the gift, made the man take it back to wherever the hell her dad had bought it from.

She drove with her music ear blisteringly loud, speeding down the road in hopes of avoiding the inner city traffic. Unlike most of her friends who lived in the subdivisions outside the city, Mira lived in the penthouse of one of Manhattan's most expensive apartment complex's. Everyone always made comments about how much money she had, wishing they had what she did, but they didn't realize that her money came from a father that resented her, a substitute for his presence in her life. 

The doorman greeted her with a pleasant smile as she walked through the lobby doors, sticking out like a sore thumb as she tugged the straps of her backpack, dressed in leggings and a hoodie.

People smiled at her as they walked past her, knowing her for nothing more than bearing her dad's last name. They were just being polite, she knew that, but it still bothered her how much she was associated with him.

He was the reason she tried so hard to make a name for herself. Someday, she wanted to leave this life behind, and be able to support herself without her dad smothering her with his money in a weak attempt to acknowledge her as his own.

She held her keycard to the door and smiled as her pug Pickles came barreling at her. Her dad didn't even know she'd gotten a dog, but if he wasn't going to bother ever stopping by, she figured it was the least he could do. After her mom died and her dad basically cut ties with her, Mira was desperate for something to make her feel even a little less lonely. 

"Hey buddy," She tossed her bag onto the couch and dropped down to pet her dog. He snorted excitedly, his curly tail wagging with anticipation. She filled his food and water bowl, and flipped the tv on.

She had roughly two hours before work at the café down the road, a job she'd gotten simply to keep her occupied. Anything was better than spending hours alone in an enormous apartment that felt completely foreign to her. 

She let Pickles weasel his way into her arms as she laid on the couch watching a cheesy romcom. The apartment used to be so cozy when her mom was there, every room lit, pictures lining the walls, the smell of home cooked meals filling the air, but her dad wiped away every trace of her when she passed.

He acted like he was the only one who lost someone, while Mira not only lost her mom, but him too. She closed her eyes, the blissful thoughtlessness of sleep the easiest way to get rid of the feelings that overwhelmed her.