Cynthia Dion: "Cynthia!" She arrived, breathless and agitated. "Why didn't you stop?" she complained, finally making eye contact with me. "Because I didn't hear you," I fibbed, attempting to move away, but she kept obstructing my path. "What's happening with you? You haven’t even bothered to check on me all this time." She appeared downcast, pouting and fluttering her lengthy eyelashes. "Did you check on me when you left my messages unread after convincing me to sneak out? My father caught me, Mara," I responded, exhaling deeply. "Wait, oh my gosh, I am so sorry. But you're not the only one who got caught. My father caught me and was furious," she sighed, explaining why she couldn't make it and why she had even missed school. "Oh!" The urge to accuse her of abandoning me faded. We bo