Do we truly know those we consider as our family?
This is the last year before the beginning of the rest of Cara and Mia lives!
Mia Carter still has one more year to spend on Angel Island before leaving, with her best friend, for Montreal to pursue...
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Chapter 3 - Basic instinct
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Mia - Thursday, 8:02 AM
I'm late. The third alarm finally wakes me up from my sleep. I spent Wednesday in bed recovering from the previous night while getting ahead in this year's curriculum. I actually fell asleep with my science folder on the pillow, but at least I'm one month ahead in that subject. I grab my phone as I head towards the shower. No news from Cara since yesterday.
Anna will pick me up in about ten minutes, so I start playing my playlist. I hear Anna honking as I kiss my dad on the cheek and wish my mom a good day, who's still in the shower. I grab an apple, my water bottle, and rush towards the car.
"Damn, I almost left without you!" She starts the engine and speeds towards the high school. "I'm sorry, I had a problem with my alarm this morning." I take out my makeup bag and apply my creams while Anna tells me about the gossip from the party. "By the way, have you heard from Cara?" I interrupt her, but she doesn't seem to mind.
She furrows her brows and shakes her head. "We haven't talked much lately. I had a busy summer, and I feel like..." she hesitates, but I complete her sentence, "distant?" She sighs and confirms, "Yes, exactly, like she's not always there with us." "We could talk to her at the cafeteria," her suggestion comes with a smile. "Maybe she's having problems with her father again, like last year."
Cara has never been very close to her family, or at least not like I am with mine. But since last year, we all felt that a coldness had settled in and that her relationship with her father was not getting any better. Oscar Ward is the mayor of the town. He's a charismatic yet cold man. With his graying hair and gray eyes, he resembles a retired actor. I don't like him very much.
He has a slightly mean look and doesn't speak much when I come over for sleepovers at Cara's, despite our long-standing friendship. "Yes, I agree." I close the car's small mirror and grab my bag while Anna clumsily parks in two spots. We exchange a knowing nod and rush off to our respective classrooms.
By some stroke of luck, I arrive a few seconds before the teacher and stop at the classroom door, noticing that the table usually occupied by Cara next to mine is empty. I furrow my brows and seem fixated on this sight when a voice startles me.
"Mrs. Carter, go to your seat!" I turn around startled, and the stern look from Mrs. Grier brings me back to reality. I mumble apologies and take a seat next to the empty table. I turn around to look for her and meet Austin's gaze behind me, already staring at me. I quickly avert my eyes and check my phone on my lap.
"Mrs. Carter! No phones." I slide it into my bag and apologize once again before opening my notebook and focusing on the math lesson. The empty seat next to me makes me uncomfortable for the rest of the hour.
