9

Chapter 9

Alex cleared his throat nervously before asking, "Do you mind if we sit for awhile first? It's kind of hard to say everything I want to say without yelling."

She smirked lightly at that comment, "Of course not." She watched Alex lean back on the steps of the house and put his feet on top of the railings above them. Her heart jumped a little at seeing his bare feet. He pulled his legs back down and gave a sigh of relief.

They fell into a comfortable silence as they gazed at the sky above. The clouds covered half the sky in a dark grey color that reminded her of the clouds that hung over San Diego Bay. Occasionally the rain would fall and cause the trees in the neighborhood to shake gently due to the strong wind. It took all of Mia's willpower not to reach out and hold onto the railing, afraid that she might fall off if she moved. After a while he started speaking again.

"So. How long has it been since you've spoken to Victoria?" His voice was soft and hesitant.

Mia swallowed nervously before shaking her head slowly, "Four years."

"And how are you holding up?"

Her voice broke slightly, "Not great."

He studied her carefully as he spoke, "Why is that? I thought Victoria was your mom. How can something happen to change the relationship between you two?"

She closed her eyes as a single tear slipped down her cheek, "It changed." She opened them again after taking a deep breath, "Victoria and my father separated. My grandfather died and she left me in the custody of my aunt, uncle and cousins. That's why I ended up living with them. And then last month she went to prison because of me, so now... Well... Now everything is messed up."

Alex let out a shaky sigh and shook his head, "How horrible."

Mia laughed bitterly, "Yes, exactly. And it doesn't seem like everything will ever get better."

There was a small pause before she added quietly, "And I never imagined that the day would eventually come when I would meet you."

Alex frowned, "Met me? How?"

"Well, you were just standing right next to me a couple of moments ago, so how did we forget about each other?"

"Oh yeah. I was talking to that cute waiter at the club..."

"You were talking to a waiter!?" she exclaimed incredulously.

"Yeah," he shrugged nonchalantly as if he hadn't just admitted to being interested in someone and talking to them for nearly thirty seconds, "His name was Josh. We talked about a lot of things, especially school and our favorite bands. He asked if I could call him sometime. I guess I haven't actually told him yet…"

"What?!" Mia shrieked, "He's such a nice guy! He should totally give you his number and then ask you out!"

Alex smiled weakly at her enthusiasm before replying hesitantly, "Maybe someday. But until then I think I'll keep it a secret for now."

"Okay then, I won't tell anyone. But it's gonna hurt a lot more if you don't talk to Josh! You guys should get together sometime!"

He chuckled slightly at her enthusiasm before replying, "Sure, I'll see what happens."

Chapter 10

Later that evening when Mia arrived at home, she was startled to find Emma pacing impatiently in front of their door.

"Emma? What's the matter? What are you doing here?" Mia asked confused.

Seeing Emma's anxious face and worried expression Mia instantly realized what was bothering her friend. "Did Grandpa tell you something bad has happened to dad?"

"No... Well, maybe not exactly. He just told me not to worry about it because he had taken a few days off and planned to take me to an art exhibition at the museum tonight."

"Art exhibit?" She raised her eyebrows curiously. "Where?"

"I don't know," Emma answered sadly, "Something about a new installation by a famous artist."

"Hmm... I wonder what Dad will do when he hears that you're spending the night alone with Grandpa. Maybe you should tell him later."

"But what if he gets angry?" Emma asked anxiously, "What if he blames me and yells at me like he always does when I break rules or disobey him? What if he kicks me out?" Emma burst into tears immediately.

"Shhh, shhh," Mia consoled her frantically, pulling her close and rubbing her shoulders. "Your grandpa won't do any of that. He loves you very much." She paused and continued gently, "