Loving Your Imperfections

Brace Yourself

Mia

I braced myself for what else was to come, looking between dad, Nikki, and my stepmom, Phoebe. "Ok, talk," I demanded, folding my hands over my chest. I clenched my jaws looking sternly between the three. I was tired of being treated like a child.

I know technically, was seen as the baby of the house; that is, until Bailey and Phoebe joined the family, making Bailey the youngest. She was a month and a half younger than me. And even then, I feel like they treat her with more respect than me, trusting her more.

Dad looks at mom with slight concern, rubbing the back of his head and clearing his throat. He was ready to talk, when the door jolted open.

"Hello, hello! I'm home!" Bailey yells as she comes into the room, clearly intoxicated.

I look at her in shock, this wasn't like her. She has never drunk before, and she's practically a hermit when it comes to parties. She doesn't like going to parties, doesn't like to socialize, or any of the sorts to be honest.

She's...well... I guess you can say she's your typical nerd who likes being invisible. We both are, that's why we became best friends right away.

"Hey, you're back! Wait... Did you guys really finish moving everything out of the house already? Dang, that was quick!" she says slurring her words and making my heart drop. My eyes widen in shock as I look toward my parents who don't know whether to scold Bailey for her drunkenness or hide behind a rock for the news she just told me.

"What did she mean move out?" I blurt out, unfolding my hands. "Aannnnd- this is my cue to go. I'm going out for a walk around town, you wanna join me, Bay? I think fresh air will help bring you back to your senses, don't you think?" she says, pulling Bailey out of the room with her and closing the door behind them. "But, I want Mia. I wanna go with Mia, Nikki," she says, hiccuping as her voice becomes faded.

"Sweetie, we wanted to tell you, it's just," Mom says, making me turn my attention back to them.

"What did she mean move out, dad?" I look at him with eyes furrowed, making his mouth gawk openly. "I... Baby, I guess there's no point in us keeping this from you anymore. Mia, we lost the shop, and the house. We... We hit a few too many rock bottoms and had to sell the shop, in hopes that we could save the house, but... Even with the money from that we... We weren't saved from bankruptcy."

My mind was running wild, I was in both shock and anger as I hear the news. How could they keep something like this from me? Did I not matter to them? Am I even part of this damn family?

"You two are unbelievable. How can you say that you comfy in me when you clearly don't trust me enough to tell me these things? How could you let this happen, dad?"

"Sweetheart, we didn't want you guys to worry. But, our partner did some bad deals behind our back. He got into some deep debt and ponded the shop's title to settle part of his debt. We had no clue until we got a visit from the IRS saying we owed a lot of money. He's nowhere to be found, and,"

"They told your dad if he didn't pay what was owed he and I could face jail time. Mia, we tried everything, including seeking a lawyer for advice, but," mom says, with her shoulders dropped.

"The only thing he had iced us was to settle the debt. We had no choice but to sell the shop for a measly price, but even then... It wasn't enough."

"Why didn't you tell me? I could have gotten a job, and helped out. What about Nikki, and Audrey, do they know?" I asked, making them exchange looks.

"Baby, we knew you'd want to do something, but there's nothing any of us can do. Your sisters offered to help as well, but this is our battle, not yours. You are too young to get involved in adult feuds, and I was not going to allow either of your sisters to leave their lifestyles to help us. We'll figure it out. I promise. Look; We managed to salvage the house here in town, but... It needs work before we can move in. So we had to sell our cars to make those repairs. I don't know how long that will take, and in the meantime, Audrey has agreed to take you, girls in while we get back on our feet." he says as his face becomes saddened.

I go and take a seat next to him and my mom. Her hand wraps around my shoulder. "We're really sorry we kept this from you, sweetheart. But with the panic attack you had a few weeks ago we thought," she looks at dad with concern, earning a slight smile from dad as he clutched her hand, squeezing it slightly.

"We thought it was best to tell you later. Once things were calmer. Mia, this is your last school year before college. The least we want is for you to worry about our problems. Soon, you'll be too preoccupied with filling applications for universities, going to prom, and your last SAT's."

"But, dad!"

"No, Mia. Dad is right. He and I need to work and get you girls into college. In the meantime, you'll have to stay here with Bailey and take care of each other." mom adds, giving me a pained look.

"But, you said the house we owe in this town is still ours, why can't we just move there together?" I say as I begin to cry. I hate being away from dad. For the longest time, he was the only one who could calm my anxiety and stop my panic attacks.

"The house is in no state for living, the roof needs a lot of repairs, and since it has been raining, the walls suffered lots of water damage, so they need to be replaced as well." dad adds, making me close my eyes and sigh.

"What about our things? Our belongings? Our furniture, everything?" I asked. I knew I was being a hardhead, but this was all getting to me. I'm a matter of hours I had learned I no longer had the home I so desperately wanted to go home to. My safe haven, my calm place. I felt n***d and alone.

"So.. How long do we have to stay here with Audrey? All summer?" I ask, scared of their answer.

"Maybe... Maybe longer?" he responds, making me turn to look at him with eyes wide as saucers. Is he for real? How does he expect me to live here with my sister and her family? This house is crowded enough with them here, how is it going to be with two more joining this house?

"What do you mean longer?"

"Audrey agreed to take you girls in for this upcoming school year," he says, looking at my mom, worriedly.

"What?"

"Baby, think about it. Fixing a house is a lot of money." dad says, making me grown inwardly.

"Money we don't have." mom adds, "Plus, look at it like this. You rarely spend time with Audry anymore, you two can get reacquainted. Plus Bailey will be here with you, and so will Kate."

"And Kenzie. She's here too. You two are great friends." mom says, trying to sound positive.

"First of all, Audrey's a married woman, dad. How do you expect me to feel when I'm invading her house, her privacy? She needs her privacy, she needs to be with her family."

"I have no trouble with it. And neither does Steven, right, Steven?" she says by the door, making us turn. "Ouch. Of course not. Mia, you and Bailey are always welcome. You girls are like daughters to me. You'll always be welcome here." he smiles brightly, obviously rubbing his hand where Audrey pinched him.

I whine, dropping my shoulders as I close my eyes. I just knew that all this was a bad idea. A really... Really bad idea.

"I guess I have no choice now, do I?"

"Sweety, don't worry. All of your stuff is in a storage unit close by. I'll give Audrey a copy if you ever need to get anything, ok?" he says, placing his hand on my shoulder.

✨✨Two nights later✨✨

I lay in bed. I was still feeling awkward being in my sister's house. Dad and mom were long gone and Nikki was sleeping back in her boyfriend's apartment.

Bailey was fast asleep and I hear a soft creaking noise as someone tiptoed close to my room. I just knew it had to be Kate.

She opens my door slowly and peeks in. "Mia? You're awake?" she asks, making my head pop up.

"Yeah. I'm awake." she comes in, taking a breath of relief as she closes the door softly behind her and goes to sit by the edge of my bed.

"ome on, get ready. I have a surprise for you," she says as she begins opening the closet. "My goodness, I'm still so excited about the news. I can't believe you guys are joining my school this year. It's going to be so much fun." she says excitedly.

The truth is, I never liked my school, but hey... Maybe a fresh start could be a good thing.

"We'll have so much fun this whole summer, and when school starts I can introduce you to all of my friends. I mean you know most of them already, but you'll see. It's going to be so much fun." she says enthusiastically, holding my hands.

I wasn't a complete outcast, but I didn't like to socialize, much either. I get irritated easily, and my sassy mouth has gotten me into more trouble than I'd like to admit. The summer was blazing hot, and even with the fan on, the room was still scorching. "Now come on, let's get ready for some fun, Lakeview's way!" she says cheekily, making my eyes widen.

"What? Now? It's midnight."

"I know, which means the fun already started. I know someone who will be more than happy to see you there," she says making my stomach flutter.

I look at her and she gives me a wide smile before chuckling. "Oh come on, did you think no one would find out about your little kiss with Spencer's boy in the bathroom the other day?" she says making my eyes widen in surprise.

"What? How did you,"

"Everyone knows, dummy. Word spreads fast around here, Mia. You should already know that. Besides, I can tell you he was looking much more forward to that kiss than you can think." Bailey says, making us turn. We look at each other in suspense before we start laughing.

"Yeah, well. It won't happen again. He's...he belongs with Andrea. Not me."

"Oh, please. Nate is madly in love with you, Mia. Not Andrea. Besides, speaking from a friend's point of view, I rather see him with you than that bitch." she says raiding my closet and taking a two-piece swimsuit out, and tossing it to me.

"What? What do you mean? Andrea is a nice girl, Kate, and she is obviously in love with Nate. Besides, they keep going back to each other, I don't want to be the reason they end up mad at each other." I say, looking down at my feet.

"Oh, bull s**t. You don't know her as I do, Mia. Andrea is a b***h, and the only reason Nate keeps going back to her is that she keeps crying her a*s out, making him feel sorry for her."Kate retorts, tossing a swimsuit to Bailey.

" Stop putting other people before you, Mia. You deserve to feel happy too. Think of what you want for once. Nate is obviouslyinto you, and you are too." Bailey says, taking off her pajamas, changing into her swimsuit, and putting on a t-shirt and shorts over them.

"I... I'm finding it hard to believe. Andrea has always been the nicest person."

"She knows how to lie to people, that's why. You'll soon see. And the fastest you and Nate let each other in, she'll show her true colors to you." Kate says making me feel uneasy.

"Don't worry. She's on vacation right now. So you and Nate can go wild and do kinky stuff all summer long without worrying about her." Kate says, wiggling her eyebrows.

I giggle, nodding my head. The truth is, that kiss from earlier was still lingering in my mind, and I wanted more. So much more.

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