Knowing You

Chapter 14 - Tornado Warnings

"Don't understand
How quickly we get
Right back in our rhythm
Without missing a step."
- Sabrina Carpenter

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Mia's POV

You know, there are lot of things to like about finally being seniors.

We're at the top of the food chain, the teachers are actually giving us a little bit more freedom, and sometimes we even get to wear our own clothes to school instead of our uniforms.

I know that doesn't sound like much, but at a school like Northwest, that's practically like getting away with murder.

Of course, there are downsides too.

Every test or quiz feels like it could make or break your entire life. Everyone keeps trying to pile on the responsibility to prepare us for the "real world."

Oh, and sometimes your mom might try to have a deep conversation with you about your future before breakfast.

I pause with my fork midway to my mouth, feeling like a deer in headlights. "What?"

"I said, have you started applying to colleges yet?" she repeats like it's the most casual thing in the world.

Judging by the way I lose my appetite, I'm guessing my stomach disagrees.

I just had this conversation with Alina, and considering I haven't mapped out my entire life in the couple of days since, I'm no more prepared for it now than I was then.

Slowly, I set my fork back down on my plate. "Uh, no, not yet," I reply. "There were just a few more I wanted to look at first."

"Which ones?" she asks absentmindedly as she continues putting away the dishes. "I thought we decided we had all the good in-state schools covered."

I nod. "We did. There were just a few out-of-state ones I wanted to look at too."

She glances up at me, the smile still on her face, but it's impossible to miss the way she stiffens.

"Mia," she starts, slow, like she needs to ease me into this. "You know your father and I work very hard to give you and your sisters the kind of opportunities we never had. But I have to be honest, honey, I'm not sure if an out-of-state school is going to be an option for us. Financially, I mean."

"No, I know," I reply. "I just figured I'm going to get scholarships, and there's always financial aid, so it might not hurt to -"

"Is Hunter going to an out-of-state school?"

My brain practically does a record scratch. "What?" I ask. "What does that have to do with anything?"

She waves it off with a hand. "Nothing I guess. I just know that when you're young, your.. friends might seem like the most important thing in the world, but you need to make sure you're thinking about what's best for your future."

And there it is. The real reason she brought this up.

You see, ever since my little tussle with Nicki, my parents have started to grow increasingly concerned about my relationship with Hunter.