MIA

My heart was still racing from Jackson's last words. And you. Those two simple words had flipped my world upside down. I wanted to ask him so many things, to dig deeper into what he meant, but before I could even gather my thoughts, I heard voices from downstairs.

"Mia!" The sound of Ariel and Sydney calling my name pulled me back to reality.

"Is that Ariel?" Jackson's voice came through the phone.

"Uh... yeah," I stammered, "Um, Jackson, can we talk later? I just remembered I need to start the project."

"Oh, okay," he replied, sounding slightly disappointed. "See you-"

I ended the call before he could finish. I know I shouldn't have done that, but when the universe decides to interrupt a crucial moment with Jackson by sending the two people I promised I wouldn't see or talk about boys with just below my room, I had to act fast.

I took a deep breath and tried to shake off the lingering feelings from the call as I heard footsteps approaching. The door to my room creaked open, and in burst Ariel and Sydney, both looking a mix of excited and suspicious.

"There you are!" Ariel exclaimed, her eyes narrowing as she looked me over. "What were you doing? We've been calling you forever!"

"Just... nothing," I lied, knowing full well my face was probably betraying me. "I was about to start the project."

Sydney raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. "You look flustered. Were you on the phone with someone?"

I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks. "No, just... um, thinking about how to start the project."

Ariel wasn't convinced either. "Mia, you're a terrible liar. You were totally on the phone with Jackson, weren't you?"

I sighed, realizing there was no point in denying it. "Fine, yes, I was. But it was nothing important! Just, you know, project stuff."

Sydney and Ariel exchanged a glance, their expressions softening. "Fine," Sydney sighed, "But hope it was just about the project"

"Yeah," Ariel added, sitting on the edge of my bed. "Hope the whole no boy talk can still go on. We just want you to hang out with us more without any boy drama."

I felt a small smile tug at my lips. "I know, but seriously, it was only about the project." Another lie. I'd just lied twice in five seconds, and the guilt was already weighing on me, but I didn't mind. They knew I was lying, and I needed a distraction.

I turned to look at Sydney, trying to shift the focus. "Woah, I didn't even realize it," I said, my eyes tracing the outfit she was wearing-a tight pair of jeans that showed off her curves and a pink crop top.

Sydney never wears crop tops.

"Who are you, and what have you done to my best friend?" I teased, grinning as Sydney's cheeks flushed a deep red.

"Right?" Ariel chimed in, fully stretching out on my bed. "I asked her what the special occasion was, but she said nothing."

"It's not like it's anything special," Sydney mumbled, biting her lip as she trailed off. "You know what, let's just forget about it. Mia, would you mind if I grab some juice from the fridge?"

I nodded. "Sure, ask Maddy if you can't find it."

She smiled and quickly left the room. The moment her footsteps faded down the hallway, I turned to Ariel. "It's Ryan, isn't it?"

"Obviously," Ariel chuckled.

I sighed, flopping onto my back next to her, my hands resting above my head. "I get how she feels, wanting to impress a guy, but..."

"But what?" Ariel asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing. I just remembered our no-talking-about-boys rule." Honestly, I thought we should just cancel that rule. There's no way we girls could sit together and not talk about boys, but I kept that thought to myself.

"Okay." Ariel didn't push further. A few seconds passed before she sighed and said, "It's a dumb rule, right?"

"You have no idea."

We both burst out laughing.

Ariel sat up from the bed and looked at me. "I know it's dumb, but let's try to stick to it just for today. And if it's too hard, we'll drop it. But..." A mischievous smirk grew on her face. "I never said it applies when it involves two people."

"So..." I trailed off, confused.

She sighed dramatically. "You're so slow, Mia. Look, just tell me what you wanted to say, and I'll share mine before Sydney gets back."

"You're cunning," I said, sitting up. "I like cunning people."

She rolled her eyes, still smirking. "Come on, spill."

"Fine," I relented, rolling my eyes too. "I just wanted to say I hate how Sydney feels like she has to change herself for Ryan. She's already beautiful and amazing, and I wish she could see that."

"Right," Ariel agreed, her tone matching the sadness in mine. "We've tried talking to her, but she's head over heels. And to be fair, Ryan seems like a good guy, so it's hard to paint him as a bad one."

I narrowed my eyes. "Wait, he seems? Did something happen? Did you hear something?"

Ariel hesitated, biting her lip before speaking. "Okay, you got me, but don't tell Sydney, okay? I overheard Ryan telling her he wouldn't be able to do the project with her because of football practice. He said she'd have to do all the work and present it alone because he wouldn't have time for that either."

I couldn't believe it. "What's wrong with that dude?!" I shot up from the bed, hands on my hips, pacing around the room. "Who does he think he is? Football practice, my foot! Is he the only one who plays?"

"Remember, he's the star player."

"So? That doesn't give him the right to use Sydney like that!"

""Mia, don't say anything. You know it won't change a thing."

That was true. Sydney was so hooked on Ryan that it bordered on obsession. I'd give anything for her to see someone else, someone who actually appreciated her.

"But that still doesn't explain why she dressed up like that today," I said, frowning.

Ariel sighed. "Ryan invited her to a café where he usually hangs out with his friends."

"I don't like this, Ariel," I admitted, sinking back onto the bed.

"I know," she replied, her fingers moving rapidly over her phone's screen. "But what's taking her so long, though?"

I shrugged. "No idea. Let me check on her."

Ariel nodded, and I left her in the room, heading downstairs. Just as I was about to call out Sydney's name, I froze in my tracks.

No. Freaking. Way.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing right in front of my eyes. Miles, my brother, was on top of Sydney, his hands pinning hers down as they stared at each other, completely oblivious to the fact that I was standing there.

"Hmm." I coughed, and in a flash, Miles pushed himself off Sydney, tumbling to the floor before scrambling up and darting into the kitchen. Sydney shot up from the couch just as quickly, her face flushed as she tried to avoid the smirk spreading across my face.

"I see you found the juice you were looking for," I said with a laugh.

"Nothing happened, I swear," Sydney stammered, her eyes wide with panic.

"Hey, calm down. I'm not angry," I reassured her.

She raised an eyebrow, skeptical. "Really? 'Cause it might look weird seeing-"

"No, I'm not," I interrupted. "If you like Miles, it's no biggie. It's kind of gross since he's my brother, but also kind of cute."

"I don't like him," she mumbled, looking away.

I rolled my eyes, folding my arms. "Yeah, and I love vegetables."

"You don't," she shot back, almost smiling.

"Never mind," I said, shaking my head. "The point is, I'm okay with it."

She sighed, her shoulders slumping. "What's the point? He doesn't like me."

I frowned, tilting my head as I looked at her. "What makes you so sure? I mean, did you see how fast he ran out of here? That's not nothing."

Sydney shook her head, biting her lip. "He was probably just embarrassed. Besides, I'm pretty sure he sees me like a little sister or something. I mean, I'm your best friend."

I sighed, taking a seat next to her on the couch. "Sydney, guys aren't that complicated. If he didn't care, he wouldn't have reacted like that. Trust me, I know my brother. He's not one to freak out over nothing."

She still seemed doubtful, but I could see the gears turning in her mind. "I just don't want to make things awkward between us. If he doesn't feel the same way, it could ruin everything."

"I get it," I said softly. "But maybe you should talk to him. Or, you know, at least try to figure out what's going on in that thick head of his. You might be surprised."

Sydney sighed again, leaning back against the couch. "Maybe. But right now, I just want to get through this day without any more drama."

I chuckled. "Fair enough. But just so you know, I think you'd be good for him. He could use someone like you in his life."

She gave me a small smile, her expression softening. "Thanks, Mia. That means a lot."

"Anytime," I replied, nudging her playfully. "But seriously, no more PDA stuff with my brother in the living room, okay? It's a little too much for me to handle."

Sydney laughed, the tension easing out of her shoulders. "Deal. But only if you promise not to tell Ariel... maybe until positive that I actually like him."

I mimed zipping my lips. "Your secret's safe with me."

She smiled and we began climbing back to my room but as I reached for the door handle, a piercing scream echoed from inside my room. My heart lurched, but the panic quickly turned to irritation when I opened the door only to realize it was just Ariel, her eyes glued to her phone, probably reacting to some ridiculous meme or video.

"Ariel," Sydney groaned, clearly as fed up as I was.

Ariel looked up, her expression switching from horror to nonchalance. "Oh... hey, guys."

"Ariel, why on earth were you screaming like you were being attacked by the Terminator?" I asked, closing the door as Sydney walked in behind me.

Ariel's face lit up with excitement. "Guys! I just realized we've been so busy with school crap that we didn't notice something major!"

"What?" Sydney and I said in unison.

"Prom."

Oh my God, she was right.

"Guys, prom is in three weeks and we don't even know what we're wearing!" Ariel's voice rose with urgency.

"Okay, calm down, Ariel. There's nothing special about prom," Sydney said, making both Ariel and me turn to her in shock.

"You better not say that at school," Ariel warned, earning a scoff from Sydney.

"Sydney, prom is like the only reason I'm putting up with school," Ariel confessed, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"What about the grades, then?" I asked, plopping down on my bed and grabbing the panda bear Jackson had given me.

Ariel rolled her eyes. "That's for Mom and Dad. I'm just sucking it up so I can party my life away later!" She threw her hands in the air, making us laugh.

"But seriously!" She lowered her hands, her tone shifting. "We haven't gotten any dresses yet!"

"Why should we get dresses now? It's still three weeks away," Sydney grumbled.

I groaned, wondering why she was being such a buzzkill. "Sydney, try to lighten up. You're so wrapped up in books that it's killing your social life."

"I don't have a social life," she huffed.

"No surprise there," Ariel muttered, and I nudged her quickly, trying to keep Sydney from hearing, but she did and shot Ariel a glare.

"What Ariel is trying to say," I said, pausing to choose my words carefully, "is why don't you like the idea of prom?"

Sydney didn't answer right away. Instead, she looked down, fiddling with her hands. "It's not that I don't like it, but..."

"But?" Ariel prompted, making Sydney sigh.

"What's the point, though?" Her voice wavered. "It's not like I'll go with someone."

Oh. "Sydney," I said softly, standing up and walking over to her. "Come on, don't think like that."

She looked up, her eyes glassy with unshed tears. "How could I not?" A tear escaped, and she wiped it away quickly. "Ariel will obviously get a date, and you... well, you have Jackson."

I paused, feeling my cheeks heat up at her words.

"For the record," Ariel jumped in, "I wasn't planning on us bringing dates. I wanted it to be just us on the dance floor."

"Really?" Sydney asked, making Ariel nod.

"Ofcourse girl," Ariel says. "I can't leave my girls alone plus I just want us to have fun and if anyone ask us to dance with them then sure we can say yes, I just want it to be memorable for us before we separate,"

Something dawned to me when she made that statement.

"Ariel?" I said. "is there something we're missing because I just get the feeling you're not telling us."

Sydney nodded at my question. "Yeah, you have been talking weird lately,"

Ariel glanced at each of us slowly, her eyes suddenly filled with sand fear. " Umm... I didn't want to talk about it now, I really don't know how to bring it up but..."

There was silence for two seconds before she spoke."I'm moving out, after prom. To a different country."

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