DANDELIONS! girl meets world

CHAPTER TWELVE, the real world (part two)

Brylee glances up when she heard footsteps walk into the room, smiling a little at seeing Riley's younger brother, Auggie. "Hi, guys." Auggie greets cheerfully. Maya and Riley glance up at him, not saying anything with solemn looks before looking back at the laptop. Auggie frowns. "That's not nice." Maya and Riley look at him again, but with a forced smile this time before they look back at the laptop.

Brylee chuckles a little and shakes her head. She sends Auggie an apologetic look. "Sorry, bud. We're a little busy right now."

"Okay. Today's local item...'No Day at the Beach'." Maya read off one of the headlines and Riley looked at her with confusion.

"What's that?" Riley leans over to get a closer look, furrowing her eyebrows as she read the article out loud. "'New York City beaches are overrun with trash. Bottles, cans, wrappers litter our beaches to the point where wildlife is endangered and people no longer go barefoot.'"

Auggie frowns. "But I like the sand between my toes." He then turned and left the room.

Riley leans back, leaning against the window. "Don't you hate it when people overreact?" Brylee shared a look with Maya before they both turn to look at Riley, giving her incredulous looks. Brylee rolled her eyes and chuckled a bit as she shook her head.

"So, how do you feel?" Maya questioned, glancing at Riley. Riley was looking to her right dramatically, her hands folded on her lap.

"I feel transformed. Evil's gooey tentacles have squeezed my pure heart. But I'll never believe that people aren't good." Riley answered with a smile.

"You know how I pass the newsstands and the headlines are screaming right at you in the face?" Maya asked and Brylee nodded in agreement. She knew what her sister was talking about, the headlines were impossible to ignore.

"I look at the pretty magazines." Riley grinned.

"Of course you do." Brylee murmured under her breath, shaking her head slightly. She wasn't surprised, it was typical Riley behavior.

"But do you ever look at the news?" Maya inquired.

Riley shrugs. "Mm, I know what's trending. I know what's up with what's up."

"Hmm...So you look at the news every day?" Maya asked her.

"Hmm," Riley shakes her head with a grimaced look. "Not every day, no."

"You don't look at the news at all?" Brylee chimed in, glancing at Riley with surprise. She didn't look at the news every day, but she looked at it once in awhile to know what was going on.

"Hmm, not really, no." Riley admitted.

Brylee couldn't help but frown a bit at her answer, shaking her head a bit. "Wow." She murmured, feeling a bit of disappointment. She couldn't believe that Riley didn't look at the news at all. That was concerning, it was important to know what was going on in the world. She didn't like looking at it all the time because it made her anxious sometimes, but she still looked at it often enough to stay informed.

"Riles, the world isn't as simple as you think. There's a lot of bad stuff going on." Brylee tells her. "I mean, I get that you want to hold onto the good and hope that everyone is good, and I wish that was true, but it's not. Ignoring the news won't make the bad stuff go away. It's better to know what's going on so you can be prepared and maybe even help make a difference." She said softly, giving her a sympathetic look.

Riley glances at her with a frown. "What's wrong with looking at the pretty magazines? I like to look at the pretty pictures." She asked, tilting her head.

"Nothing is wrong with that. I like looking at the magazines too." Brylee reassures her. "But, it's also important to look at the news and stay informed. Ignorance isn't bliss, it's dangerous." She tells her. She wasn't going to beat around the bush for Riley, she needed to hear the truth. "I know it's scary and it can be overwhelming, but it's better to know. I'm not saying you should obsess over the news, but it's important to know what's going on in the world. It can be helpful to learn and educate yourself."