"I know that I can fuck up your whole life with one look. But I can't stop myself."
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Mia Rose McHenry tries her best to live her life under the radar, never having been one to enjoy the spotligh...
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"I swear, Mom," I say desperately, throwing my hands in the air in frustration. "It's just Saige's! We have this big English project, and I can't fail! I promise that's where I'll be. When you get back from your business trip, I'll be home where you want me. Just please let me go. Please?"
Mom purses her lips as she watches me beg her for forgiveness. For two weeks straight—since the day I came home after sleeping at Thorne's—I haven't left the house to go anywhere but school. My parents have no clue that Saige and I are no longer friends. They have no clue that I haven't spoken to Emmie in weeks. They don't know that when I'm talking on the phone, I'm talking to Thorne's (and now my) good friend, Charlie. They have no idea that their daughter is basically going out with notorious "bad boy" Thorne Baxter.
And I'd like to keep it that way.
When Thorne asked me today during fourth if I could go to Charlie's with him, I immediately said yes. Now, the hard part is convincing my mother to let me go. She and my dad will be away this weekend on a business trip, giving me the perfect opportunity to spend time with Thorne. (Not that they have to know that.)
"I don't know if I can trust you, Mia," Mom says hesitantly, a conflicted look on her face. I can feel my heart seize in my chest at her words, praying that I can convince her otherwise. "Are you really going to be at Saige's?"
Hell no. I'll probably never go to her house again. "Yes!" I practically scream. "You can even hear the voicemail her mom sent me, explaining it all!" When Mom asks to hear the voicemail, I readily play it for her. I got Charlie to record a voicemail for me, pretending to be Saige's mother. All I had to do was change her contact info in my phone to Saige's mom. The only hard part of the plan is getting my mom to fall for it.
Mom stares at my phone for a good ten minutes, replaying the voicemail twice before finally speaking to me. "I'm still not happy with you for lying and keeping secrets from your father and I. But—" Mom pauses, taking a deep breath. "I genuinely don't like the idea of you being home alone all weekend. If something happened to you . . ." she trails off, shaking her head. "Just because I let you go doesn't mean you're not still in trouble, do you hear me?"
"Loud and clear," I assure her, crossing my fingers as I wait for her verdict. Finally, my mom sighs. "Pack your things," she tells me. "But you better be home by Sunday. And I'm going to be calling you, so keep your phone on you."
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" I cry, jumping up and down and giving my mom a bear hug before rushing up the stairs and throwing my things into an overnight bag. My parents don't know it, but this is turning out to be the best weekend of my life.
★★★
Thorne picks me up after my parents have already left, just so they won't run into each other. He comes to the front door and everything, the way a normal boyfriend that a daughter who doesn't have to keep a secret from her parents would do.
