52

“You alright, honey?”

Mia looked up to find her mom standing at the doorway.

“I did knock…but you didn’t answer.”

Mia took off her headphones. Since coming home from school she hadn’t moved from her bed. “I’m fine,” she lied.

Carla cocked her head to the side. “Okay. You don’t look fine.”

Mia scoffed. “Thanks.”

Carla sighed and pulled out Mia’s desk chair before sitting down. “You know I didn’t mean it like that. Come on. Tell me what’s going on. We never talk anymore.”

“Yeah well…we argue after most of our ‘talks’,” Mia grumbled. She knew she was being belligerent, but her mood was too bad to be nice.

Carla cast a glance outside of Mia’s window. She wasn’t prepared to give up just yet. “I know we haven’t been as close recently, and I know we’ll nev