Mia Hill. College bound with an athletic scholarship. A go-getter with big dreams and a fully thought out plan to make sure they come true.
But with her father's release from prison looming and the inevitable stresses of adulting, everything she wa...
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December in California is such a strange conundrum. Everything looks like Christmas, but the weather's as mild as an early autumn day back home.
By this time in Oakwood, we'd have at least a good handful of snow falls already, and winter jackets were probably pulled out on Halloween. Covering up your carefully chosen costume for trick or treating is practically a way of life.
Here in LA, the parts I've seen anyway, holiday decor seems to be the only sign that the seasons are even changing. It's wild.
At the moment, you wouldn't know which side of the country we were on though. Because the typical American mall experience seems to be the same wherever you are at this time of year. Bustling with shoppers, bursting with the smell of cinnamon pine cones, and gigantic Christmas trees everywhere you turn.
"Oh my gosh!" June squeals so loud, I think they heard her in the North Pole. "Santa's train is running!"
Oh yeah, there's also a train here.
Mia twirls around to look at me, her face lit up and feet all jumpy. "We have to ride."
"Are you serious?" My eyebrows do a slow rise. "I'm not getting on that thing."
"Not you and her, dummy," June laughs, giving me a shove. "You get to see her plenty now that you stole her from me and made her your girlfriend," she's quick to add. After rolling her eyes, she gestures between herself and Mia. "We need to ride. It's tradition. We always ride Santa's train together!"
Brandon chimes in now, tilting his head at the train. "Are those cars structurally sound enough to hold the both of you?"
June smacks him on the shoulder, but Mia just lets out a longing sigh. "It's been a while since we were allowed to ride together together. Growing up has forced us into our own cars, but it's still fun."
"Let's get in line," June says. She reaches for Mia's hand but I get there first, using my ultimate agility to pull her against me before my cousin has a chance to steal her away. She's a Mia hog and that's officially become a problem for me. I'm not looking forward to sharing when she makes these weekend visits.
As I wrap my arms around Mia, she melts into my chest and looks up at me with the sweetest smile. "What am I supposed to do while you're gone?" I ask, dropping my voice low so Brandon can't hear me being needy.
Mia's teeth sink into her bottom lip and a small laugh escapes her mouth. "I don't know," she says, looking very amused at that neediness. "Shop? Walk around for a bit with Brandon?"
My eyes dart over to my best friend for a quick second. He's good company and all, but he's not Mia. "I'd rather keep walking around with you."
"I'm standing right here," Brandon points out with a sigh. "I can hear you no matter how quiet you think you're talking, Gray." His hand comes out and he smacks my shoulder. "And that hurts, by the way. I'm excellent company."
