Kiara always had her focus set on her studies and being the perfect daughter for her strict mother, but when she meets Hayden, she feels like it's finally time to step out of her mother's restrictions. However, not abiding by the rules might sometim...
That was her sister's response when she asked her how she continued to enjoy her life, despite all the rules they were compelled to obey. But that statement was ironic, considering the fact that if they wanted to live their life, they were going to need to lie--a lot.
For Kiara, her mom's words were what she respected the most. No matter how much she tried to disobey, she couldn't bring herself to break a single rule that her mom had created. Unlike most of her friends, Kiara was the perfect daughter, a girl who trusted her mother more than her peers.
A girl who had given up many opportunities because of what her mother had coerced her into becoming.
She wasn't allowed to go out on the streets alone, she couldn't always say 'yes' to sleepovers, and she couldn't freely go on school trips either. Yes, she was brought up in a strict household where plenty of restrictions were made to be obeyed.
Kiara wasn't like most of the typical kids at school. While most of her friends received their cell phones when they were thirteen, she received hers when she turned sixteen.
In her family, Kiara's mother could probably easily control even the air they breathed. Kiara never complained that she had a bad mother. If anything, her mother was the best mother she'd ever known. But since her mother had gone through tons of hardships in her life, she didn't want her daughters to go through the same. Therefore, she overthought and was overly cautious. And, unknown to her, some of this worrying had managed to trap the two siblings in a small bubble, unable to cope in the real world.
Having her daughters in her mid-forties, Kiara's mother didn't understand the lives of young people. Therefore, she was old-fashioned in her thinking. One thing she didn't approve of at all was getting into relationships because she believed that love distracts you from everything.
When Kiara saw how lovable her friends' parents were, she was always reminded of how different her own parents were. Her mom and dad didn't agree with each other on a lot of topics, so most of the time, their house was filled with arguing. Guess that's why her mother didn't believe in love.
Being a seventeen-year-old with a nineteen-year-old sister, Kiara had seen how her sister dealt with her life. Unlike her, Irene was very outgoing and loved to have fun--her motto was literally 'You only live once.'
Her entire life, she was in the shadow of her sister, but she soon got used to it. She learned to stay buoyant in her own small world. It wasn't that Kiara didn't like to have fun. She just preferred watching movies and sitcoms alone more; perks of an introvert probably.
And it didn't help that she had never had a boyfriend in her life when her sister had already had two guys come and go in hers. She had to admit; it was a pretty big accomplishment on her sister's part, considering how well she had hidden it from their mother.
Somehow the second relationship, the most recent one, had become quite toxic to Irene--so she broke up with him. But their mother had found out about the relationship three days after the breakup, and now she didn't trust Irene anymore.
Ever since Kiara was accepted into the Psychology course at Oberlin College, her mother appeared to be troubled by the thought of her getting too close to a guy. Although Kiara kept reassuring her not to worry about that since she'd sweat buckets if she talked to anyone, let alone a guy--her mother still held a faint doubt at the back of her mind.
Plus, Kiara had no intention of getting into a relationship. Perhaps it was because she grew up watching her parents fight, but she didn't believe in love either. People change, and in the end, couples just get tired of each other. So, what's the use of sacrificing your time and emotions if they won't even stand by you as they promised.
And she doubted boys. They simply play with you, and later on, dump you when they feel like you are no fun. At least that's what she learned, watching the people around her.
Though, there was one boy who made her doubt her beliefs. Only one boy proved to be different. His name was Jay Smith. He wasn't like the other boys. He wasn't very popular, nor was he a player. But, well, good guys are hard to come by.
This is Kiara's story. The story that changed her beliefs. A door to her mind.
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