What's a girl to do

Chapter 2: the greeting

it's a wonderful sunny day and todays the day where I finally get over my fear and say hey to that guy because I'm not scary I just need to build up my confidence and courage so i practiced in the morning before I left for school " don't look at me like that I know y'all have before it was 5 mins till 8 and I had to go I got Mia and we left , while I was driving he texted me and asked if I wanted to meet up after school normally I would say yes because I have no plans , but since I was set on this boy I gently declined his offer even though I felt bad I just didn't want to start something between us I arrived at school and there he was with his friends, should I go say hi now I was debating definitely not I got out the car and went straight to my locker day 2 of school this is going to be a long year , i then went to meet my friend phoebe who looked like she's just woke up on the wrong side of the bed , and I was shocked she's never been like this before . so I
decided to ask her what was going on. and she looked at me like I ruined her life

what's a girl to do next, I wondered. I couldn't ignore the obvious shift in Phoebe's behavior.

she walked away from me like she hated me at that moment I was crushed I stood there for a moment, feeling a mix of confusion and hurt she was my best friend for as long as I could remember . Instead of letting my emotions overwhelm me, I took a deep breath and reminded myself to approach the situation with understanding and compassion so I didn't ask her anymore questions I just walked to class As I made my way to class, I couldn't help but replay the interaction in my mind, desperate for answers she never acted like this before. Was there something I said or did that could have caused such a sudden shift in her behavior I didn't put to much pressure on myself I just sat down and took notes for class , trying to distract myself from the lingering confusion .

then I saw him again this time he was next to me , smiling warmly and asking if he could borrow a pen for notes i replied with a friendly gesture, sharing my extra pen with a smile , notes today was so much I could feel my hand burning from all the writing. As he took the pen and thanked me, I couldn't help but feel a flutter of excitement in my chest knowing that he even looked my way

. Maybe, just maybe, there was a spark of interest between us.

I couldn't help but wonder if this could be the beginning of something special.

or maybe I was being delusional there was no way a guy that handsome would go for a girl like me especially because I wasn't as pretty as these girls out here, I couldn't let doubt consume me, so I decided to embrace the uncertainties and let fate take its course

what's a girl to do. I reminded myself that self-doubt was my own worst enemy, and that I needed to have more confidence in myself. once I learned that thinking bad of yourself is not good I stopped immediately What's a girl to do but to love herself unconditionally and focus on her own happiness, it was now time for class to be over but it was different today he spoke to me in the hallway as we walked out together , and I panicked what's a girl to do. My heart raced, my palms grew sweaty, and words escaped me as I tried to respond to his unexpected gesture , but what came out was nothing more than a mumble. What's a girl to do but replay the awkward encounter in her head a million times, wishing for a do-over I finally got the chance to talk to him and I blew it . It wasn't the first time I let my nerves get the best of me in front of him .

I felt so stupid I honestly knew he probably didn't wanna see me no more after that But deep down, a part of me hoped that maybe he would understand my nervousness and give me another chance I got in my car Mia was already home I finally got a chance to play the radio , loud music blaring in an attempt to drown out my self-conscious thoughts.

As the lyrics filled the car, I tried to shake off the embarrassment, reminding myself that everyone has awkward moments and that I shouldn't be too hard on myself . I took a deep breath and resolved to make things right with him, no matter how uncertain I felt it's never to late to apologize and try to mend the situation I was finally home , and I knew that I had to gather the courage to face him head-on I saw that my sister emma was here too, sitting on the couch with a concerned expression on her face and I felt that something was wrong "What's going on, Emma? " I asked, my voice filled with both curiosity and worry. she said I did something and mom and dad might k"ll me "What? " I gasped, my heart dropping. "What did you do? " I asked, my anxiety skyrocketing as I tried to brace myself for the worst possible scenario I'm pregnant "What? " I exclaimed, unable to comprehend what Emma had just confessed " yes I know me and my boyfriend who I've been dating for a year was messing around and things happen My mind raced as I tried to process the gravity of the situation so I replied with "Emma, we're going to get through this together," I reassured her, my voice steady despite the turmoil in my own heart , I didn't want her to think she was alone in this Emma nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. "Thank you," she whispered, her voice trembling with a mix of fear and relief ,

now may I ask how long you have been pregnant? "she said for 8 weeks and I knew emma was scared , emma always told me her having a baby would scare her and I didn't know how to reassure her because my head was somewhere else but she knew I was also stressed about something she asked me what was going on I took a deep breath, trying to gather my thoughts and find the right words to explain well there's this boy name Ezra he's new in my school and we had an well he finally came up and started talking to me today but I got nervous and blew it ," I said with a sigh. Emma listened intently, her eyes filled with empathy I felt like I was embarrassed and couldn't escape the weight of disappointment lingering in the air she said "Don't be too hard on yourself. It happens to the best of us," Emma said, reaching out to hold my hand I felt comfort in my older sister for the first time in a long time. Her touch was reassuring, easing the tension that had built up inside me .

hmm mia seemed to not appeared anywhere it was 12:00 and I thought she was already home Concerned, I looked at the clock once more, hoping for any sign that Mia would walk through the front door at any moment hours went by she didn't . I paced anxiously, wondering where she could be. Thoughts of accidents and danger filled my mind, causing my heart to race with worry me and emma goes out to search for her I completely lost train of thought Mia was the only person on my mind rn As Emma and I set out to search for Mia, my mind raced with possibilities of where she could have been we checked all her favorite places, but there was no sign of her. Panic started to settle deep within my chest then suddenly my heart dropped at the message
i received : "Help, I'm lost! I don't know where I am," the message said from an unknown number.

this had to be mia I showed the message to emma , who read it with wide eyes before grabbing her jacket we called the number but no answer I wondered who and how they found mia did mia know this person is this a prank We exchanged worried glances, trying to piece together the puzzle mia never goes anywhere with without us knowing she always sends a message to let us know where she is, but this time, she had vanished without a trace

She doesn't even have a car, so how could she have gone so far without us noticing? so many questions I needed answered too I decided that there was only one thing left for us to do - report mia as missing. every hour went by was an hour she could be hurt or in danger but when we got home we saw the strangest thing - Mia's coat hanging neatly on the doorknob. Confused and disheartened, we stared at it, unsure of what it meant we went upstairs to mia bedroom and there she was , fast asleep and completely unaware of the panic she had caused I was confused what's a girl to do in a situation like this?

In a situation like this, I knew I had to wake Mia up and find out the truth.

but her response was something I never expected. As I gently shook Mia awake, she groggily blinked her eyes open and gazed at me with a puzzled expression as if she was confused I asked mia what was going on and why she didn't come home after school. Mia rubbed her eyes and mumbled, "What do you mean? I told her me and emma was here before i left school they said you was already gone and that someone took you but I didn't know who so I came home to wait for you. ". but you never showed up My heart sank as Mia's words sank in you're safe so that what matters I hugged Mia tightly, relief flooding through me .