The Flower Children

Chapter Seven

There's a reason why Maia spent so much time at home. The process of choosing an outfit before going out was almost too much for her and she knew Jaimie would have a fit if she dared to show up in her grey sweatpants.

Eventually, Maia settled on a short black and sleeveless sundress that she completely forgot she owned. To finish off the look, she slipped her feet into some white sneakers, swiped on a little mascara and lipgloss before deciding that she was good to go.

She had sent her mom a message explaining that her friends had set up a goodbye party for her and the response she got was a simple K. which Maia decided to worry about later.

As she headed for the door she hesitated when she noticed Micah lounging on the couch.

"Micah, I'm going out for a few hours okay? I'll be back as soon as possible," Maia said.

Micah turned his head a fraction to acknowledge his sister. Upon seeing her, he managed to muster a little half smile before muttering, "You look nice."

Maia brightly smiled at her brother, especially because Micah's compliments were quite hard to come by.

"Thanks," she beamed before turning the door knob.

As she stepped out, she remembered something and poked her head back inside.

"There's some left over chicken stir-fry in the fridge. Please promise me you'll eat. You need to eat more."

Micah rolled his eyes and replied with, "Okay mom."

She was about to head out again when she remembered something else. "Oh yeah, if anything happens, anything at all, call me and I'll be right over. Even if it's vision or you hear some rustling outside or whatever, call me. You still have my number right?"

Micah let out a chortle before facing his sister again with a slightly broader smile, "Maia, it'll be okay. If anything happens I'll call you. You stress too much, just go out and have some fun like a normal teenager for once. I can take care of myself for a couple of hours."

Maia let out a breath of relief and shout out "I love you" before proceeding to close the door. Before the door shut completely, she heard her brother yell out, "Love you too," and that put a smile on her face as she made her way towards the bus stop.

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Maia was able to find Jaimie's house quite easily much to her surprise. She thought she would've battled with the directions Jaimie had sent her, but luckily she managed alright. Jaimie's house was located in pretty, quiet suburban neighborhood, right at the end of the cul-de-sac. It wasn't a particularly big house, but it looked quite welcoming as Maia knocked on the front door.

The door swung open and Maia was immediately pulled into Jaimie's arms and squeezed to the point where she couldn't breathe.

When Jaimie pulled away, the two girls were then able to fully assess the other's attire. Jaimie squealed as she took in Maia's outfit. "Oh my goodness! You look so cute! I didn't even know you owned a dress! I hate that I'm only seeing this just as you're leaving!"

"Oh please, I look amazing? You look fabulous! If your outfit doesn't impress you-know-who, I honestly don't even know what will," Maia gushed as Jaimie blushed bashfully.

It was true though, Jaimie looked amazing in her washed out denim high-waisted shorts, paired with a silky light pink long shirt with slits up wthe side. She also wore a bit of makeup that accentuated her already pretty features and she had obviously curled her normally pin-straight golden locks.