MIA

"Why didn't you wear the dress I bought last week?" My mom's voice filled the car as she focused on the road ahead. I didn't know how to respond, so I simply reached for the book "Unravel me" from the backseat and plugged in my earpods, seeking solace in my favorite pastime.

You see, I'm a book lover through and through. You could call me a book freak or nerd-I embrace both labels. Books are my sanctuary, and I keep them hidden all over the house. There are books tucked under the living room chair, stashed in the garage, hidden in my mom's room, and even in the kitchen. Once, I even stowed a book in the bathroom, only for Miles, to mistake it for his own personal toilet paper. In retaliation, I sneakily placed his precious Snickers bar outside in the rain. It was the perfect prank, though it did earn me a month of silent treatment. Thankfully, Miles is a self-proclaimed chocolate freak, and I eventually won him over by offering him my stash of Halloween candy.

"I didn't feel like wearing it, and what's so special about your friend anyway?" I responded bluntly, growing increasingly irritated with the situation. The car fell into a heavy silence, and my mom's gaze seemed to drift elsewhere, avoiding my eyes.

"Then the clothes can stay," she sighed briefly before refocusing on driving. The car remained quiet, so I decided to chat with my two friends, Sydney and Ariel, through our group chat.

"Hey Mia, let's go to the movies. I want to watch the spider movie with the cute dark guy," Ariel texted.

"You mean 'Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse,'" Sydney replied with a moody emoji.

"I wish, but my mom is taking me to the airport," I replied sadly, envious that they were going to the movies while I was stuck heading to the airport. Ugh!

"That sounds boring. Why though?" Ariel questioned.

"I have no clue," I replied with a sigh.

Suddenly, the car came to a stop, and I noticed my mom parking. "Okay, let's go," she said as she got out of the car.

"I guess I'm already here. Have fun at the movies," I sent my final message before tucking my phone away and clutching my book.

"Put the book away, Mia," my mom rolled her eyes, clearly tired of my peculiar obsession with books.

I frowned and retorted, "Mom, let's just go before it gets even more crowded." It was true-the airport was already bustling with people, likely due to the influx of arrivals.

"Fine, but at least..." She suddenly approached me, untied my hairband, and let a few strands of hair fall loose.

"Mom, what are you doing?!" I whispered with a mix of surprise and annoyance, attempting to step back. However, her strong arms prevented my escape, and she proceeded to adjust my hoodie.

"I don't understand what's so special about this friend of yours. Are they some sort of celebrity?" I muttered, just loud enough for her to hear. She brushed off my remark and looked at my face intently.

"Trust me, you'll thank me later," she said with an air of mystery, before taking hold of my hand and guiding me towards the entrance. I let out a sigh and rolled my eyes, resigning myself to wherever destination she was taking me.

"Holy Crap," I muttered under my breath as I surveyed the sea of people rushing past, dragging their luggage in all directions.

"Well, good luck finding your friend," I said to my Mum, clearly unenthusiastic about witnessing her search for this so-called mysterious friend.

Without waiting for a response, I turned and began making my way towards a more comfortable spot. I could hear her calling after me, "Okay, but stay safe and keep your phone with you!" I didn't bother replying, simply raised my left hand in a thumbs-up gesture, and set off in search of a less chaotic place.

It took me a good ten minutes, but I finally stumbled upon an open seat near the entrance. There were two options available: one next to a woman devouring a hot dog, and the other beside a guy in a gray hoodie, the zipper revealing a white undershirt. He had his face partially covered and seemed relaxed, arms folded, and at ease. I opted for the lady, as it felt like the safer choice.

I opened my book, "Unravel Me," as I made my way towards the seat, reveling in the uninterrupted moments to lose myself in its pages. Counting the steps in my mind, I focused on my reading: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5...

But before I could complete my steps, something obstructed my path, causing me to stumble and plop down right next to the guy in the hoodie.

"Great," I grumbled, noticing that my intended seat was now occupied by two lovey-dovey couples. I glanced down, understanding what had tripped me up. The guy had stretched his legs out, blocking my way. And then, to my surprise, he uncrossed them and crossed them again like a lady, turning towards my direction. Though I couldn't see his whole face, I couldn't help but notice...

Damn.

His skin was flawless, like porcelain-smooth and pale, clearly not from around here. My foolish eyes drifted down to his lips, their pink hue catching my attention.

Snap out of it, Mia!

You're being a total creep right now.

I shook my head, scooted closer to the edge of my seat, and put on my earpods, determined to lose myself in my book. Fun fact about me: I can sleep just about anywhere, especially in crowded places. So, as soon as I opened my book, it didn't take long for my head to rest against the seat's headrest, my book teetering dangerously close to falling from my hands.

I'll pick it up later.

After what felt like a while, I was jolted awake by a faint vibration in my pocket. With a sleepy haze still lingering I sat up and realized the guy who had been sitting beside me had vanished. Confusion clouded my mind, but I brushed it aside and groggilly reached for my phone, already having a hunch about the caller's identity.

"Hey, Mom," I yawned, trying to stifle a stretch.

"Where are you?" she asked, her voice tinged with worry.

I glanced around and spotted her standing near the entrance with a woman who appeared to be her age. I assumed that was her friend.

"I can see you; I'm not far," I assured her before hanging up, noticing that one of my earpods was missing. I didn't have to search for long, as it was sitting atop my book.

I could have sworn I had it in my ears before I dozed off and wasn't I not holding my book so how in the world was it placed next to me?

I racked my brain, desperately trying to come up with an explanation for the guy's sudden disappearance, but my thoughts yielded no answers. Clutching my earpod and book, I made my way towards my mom. As I approached her, the woman's face became clearer, but I couldn't quite place where I knew her from.

"Oh look, she's finally here," my mom exclaimed, drawing the woman's attention towards me with a warm smile.

"Mia!" The woman walked towards me and enveloped me in a hug, which caught me off guard since I had no recollection of who she was. But since my mom knew her, I figured I could savor the moment.

"It's been so long. You look even more beautiful than before," the woman gushed, her eyes gleaming with admiration as she focused on my mom. She was undeniably stunning, and her facial features and accent suggested she was of Chinese descent.

I chose to nod and look at my mom with confusion, but she simply hushed me and maintained a wide smile. "Okay, Mimi, do you have everything?" my mom asked the woman, using a nickname that I found amusing. It was clear they were close friends.

I started walking towards the woman's luggage, figuring it was the right thing to do to lend a hand. However, she stopped me in my tracks.

"Oh, Mia, don't worry. Jackson has it covered." Suddenly, my legs felt like they were made of lead, and my hands trembled uncontrollably. My heart pounded fiercely in my chest.

Did she just say Jackson?

Holy crap, that's Mrs. Yung!

Wait a second, she said he has it covered, which means...

"Oh, here he is," the woman announced. My eyes followed her gaze hesitantly. And oh boy, I swear I stopped breathing for a split second when I saw him.

My heart fluttered with anticipation as he approached. He exuded confidence with every step, moving effortlessly. As he drew nearer, time seemed to slow down. His face was flawless, as smooth as a newborn baby's, and I couldn't help but imagine running my fingers across his cheeks, wondering how soft they might be.

Gone were the baby fat cheeks he once had, replaced by a lean frame that hinted at a well-toned physique as he grew older.

His raven-black hair was styled to perfection, gracefully falling over his flawless face. The way his bangs brushed against his forehead sent a strange but pleasant sensation coursing through me.

His dark, almond-shaped eyes were captivating. As he briefly glanced in my direction, my stomach churned with an unfamiliar sensation, as if it were filled with... butterflies? I can't believe I'm even thinking that.

I couldn't tear my eyes away as he approached. What did I expect? He looked like he had just stepped out of a teen movie, the quintessential popular guy.

"My word, Jackson, you look so handsome and different from before," my mom remarked, stating the obvious. He nodded respectfully in response and walked over to me.

"Hi-" I began, only to be abruptly cut off as he took the luggage from my hands and headed outside. My mom and his mom were too engrossed in their conversation to notice.

I felt a wave of loneliness wash over me as they all disappeared outside, and reality sank in.

Did Jackson forget about me?

***

No, he can't!

He had wanted to talk to me before, so why the sudden change?

I couldn't stop pondering why he acted like he didn't even know me during the past 30 minutes in the car. It was hard to think straight with both of our moms laughing and chatting away in the front seats about who knows what moms talk about.

He didn't even glance in my direction once, and I knew that because I had been staring at him for the past half-hour. He simply put on his headphones and gazed out of the window. He appeared so calm, but I sensed that something was off, something that had nothing to do with me.

I swiftly took out my phone and decided to text our group chat.

"Guys, Code Cheese!!" I typed. It didn't take long for both of them to respond, asking what had happened. It might sound silly, but our secret code had helped us out in countless situations, especially during detentions.

"Remember my childhood friend, Jackson Yung?" I texted them.

"Yeah, what about him?" Sydney replied.

"Of course, we know him, you always talk about him. I wish I could see him in person, though," Ariel replied, followed by a wistful message.

"Well, wish no more," I quickly texted, attempting to discreetly snap a picture of him without embarrassing myself completely. I rested my head against the backseat and made sure to capture his face. Thankfully, he didn't notice, and I sent it to them with a text that read, "I'm freaking out!"

"What the heck! He's so handsome!" Ariel was the first to respond.

"Ariel, take a chill pill. Mia is already nervous enough," Sydney texted, accompanied by an annoyed emoji.

"It's okay, guys. I just don't know how to act, and he doesn't seem interested in talking to me," I sighed, resting my head against the seat.

"Well, maybe he's just tired," Sydney tried to reason, but I knew it was a feeble excuse. He definitely despised me now.

"Mia, don't overthink it today. Maybe it's just airplane sickness. They might have given him something. Who knows?" Ariel said, and I replied with a grateful message before tucking my phone back into my pocket.

Since I couldn't manage to steal glances at him without being creepy, I shifted a bit closer to his side and glanced at the rearview mirror hanging in the car. My face inexplicably heated up, and my heart began pounding. Thump, thump.

What's wrong with me?

By the time I could no longer steal a glance at him through the mirror, his eyes had shifted to meet mine, and we locked gazes for a split second before I quickly averted my gaze, fearing the window would retaliate for my creepiness.

"How wonderful," I muttered, nursing the side of my head that had collided with the window. Please, let's get home soon.

As my mom pulled into the driveway, I bolted out of the car and rushed inside the house. I spotted Miles engrossed in his book and seethed with anger.

That idiot knew he was coming! And he didn't even bother to tell me!

"You traitor!" I yelled at him, startling him before I noticed a smirk forming on his face.

"Ugh!" I stormed up the stairs and found Maddie leaning against my door. "I tried to warn you," she said, attempting to justify herself, but I wasn't having any of it.

Hell no!

"Move," I commanded in a stern voice, and she immediately sensed the seriousness in my tone as she hastily stepped aside. I entered my room and slammed the door shut.

"What were they thinking by not telling me-" I couldn't even finish my sentence as I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and wished the ground would open up and swallow me whole.

"I really do look like someone who just got dumped," I whispered, rushing to my wardrobe. I rummaged through it until I found the dress my mom had mentioned earlier and hurriedly changed, making sure to apply makeup too.

After finishing tidying up, I stared at myself for a moment, contemplating whether I looked presentable. But before I could decide, I heard my mom calling out, "Mia, where are you?!"

"Coming!" I shouted back, making my way to the door, feeling a mixture of excitement and fear about seeing them. Seeing him.

"You've got this, Mia," I whispered to myself, summoning the courage to face whatever awaited me outside the door.

I mean, what could go wrong?

......