It was a busy day at Tim's as always and the girls were finally rounding up.
" Hey Jane, your phone's been ringing like forever."
" It's my mom."
" Shouldn't you like pick up or something?"
" No. I want her to see what it's like to be on the waiting end."
" You're still not on speaking terms with your mom are you?"
" Not really. I mean she had her chance when dad was still with us but she didn't take it, so I can at least say I tried my best."
" Wow! That's kinda messed up."
" My life has been messed up for so long now, guess I was the one who was too blind to realize it."
" Ok, we should probably stop talking about this and tell me all about your college."
" Of course. Why don't you come over tonight."
" It's a deal."
After locking the door, they both head home.
Jane arrives home late, technically after curfew, and this mom is not letting her off the hook so easily.
" Where have you been?" Mrs Melody asks sitting on the couch, her hands resting on the armrest
"Work." Jane replies, completely uninterested.
" You do know that you have to be back home before curfew."
" Well maybe someone had obeyed the rules so perfectly that I decided to follow after her foot steps." She retorts with a tinge of sarcasm.
" You are not pinning this one on me young lady,"
" I'm not surprised. It's not like you actually take the blame for your mistakes," yelled Jane angrily.
" I already took a leave from work, what more do you want?"
Jane scoffs mockingly, "of course you did. Well news flash, I don't care anymore. My mother died the moment I lost my father and it will do us both good, if you finally get that to memory."
The time went by fast and she lay on her bed, thinking back to the moments she had with her dad. Closing her eyes, every memory floats to the surface of her mind, playing clearly like a video.
Unluckily her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on her door.
She rolls on the bed, " go away mom." She closes her face with a pillow, muffling her voice.
The door creaks open, " I am really sorry to disappoint but I'm not your mother." Carolina steps in, closing the door behind her.
" Your mom let me in,"
" Oh, it's you."
" Well don't sound so sad about it."
Jane sits up, " I'm sorry,"
" Another episode?"
" Yeah. I just don't know what to do or say anymore. One minute she's busy with work and not having any time to spare and then the next, she wants to become my mom. It's really annoying."
" Maybe she's trying to patch things up now. Perhaps you should give her a chance."
" Trust me when I say she had a lot of chance to do that but she never came. I'm tired of giving her a chance to break me."
Carolina takes a deep breath, "well we have a lot to catch up on. I mean how's college? How's the place? What are your roomies like? Are you having a hard time fitting in? Not like you're that kind of person but I still wanna know. I mean do you have a boyfriend? " What's he like? Is he like an athlete? You have to tell me everything, lock, stock and barrel."
" Calm down, I'll tell you everything."
" Okay start." She sits comfortably on the bed, hugging a pillow.
" The college is very nice. It's really big and beautiful. Most of the people are nice except Vee and her friends, they're very annoying and you'll do yourself a favor if you stay away from them."
Carolina nods, " I'll keep that in mind when I get in next year."
" The library is very spacious and big, unlike the town's. I'm saying this cause I know you love books. Lecture halls are big as well. The cafeteria is good, but I'll stay away from the pudding if I were you."
" My roomies are nice but very nerdy. In a way they are kinda cool and easy to get along with. We play together as well as study together. I must admit, it's really nice studying with them. They don't look down on people and they definitely don't let people push them around. It's really admirable." Jane says with pride.
Carolina stares at her with raised brows and a faint smile, " wow, now I'm very curious to see these people. You make them sound perfect, but it's a relief to find out that you at least have some friends over there."
Jane smiles, " yeah. You're right. It's nice to have friends,"
" Okay, okay, no matter how perfect they may seem, they aren't better than your best friend."
" Yeah, sure, you're still the best." Jane chuckles.
" Duh! Of course I'm the best." She remarks flipping her hair.
" It's not that hard fitting in. Things are pretty chill there."
" My boyfriend, well he was kind of a track runner. He practiced most of the time and even when we got to spend time with each other, he was always on his phone. At first I thought, maybe just popularity stuff but then I found out he was secretly dating Vee." Her mind drifts back to the embarrassing incident.
Jane and Carolina lay down on their back, staring at the ceiling.
" That sucks,"
" Totally."
" It's his loss. I'm sure you'll find someone better."
"Thanks. Anyway, that should be all about my college moments. Now you have to fill me in on everything that happened while I was gone." Jane leans on her elbow, facing Carolina.
"The town's been pretty much the same since you left, and there's a new guy in town. He's cool and handsome, maybe he's your type."
She slums into the bed, " I think I've had enough drama in my life and I'm not about to dive into another so please spare me."
" We're free tomorrow right?"
" Yeah, tomorrow's our day off,"
" You can tour the town tomorrow. I'm pretty sure the last thing you'd want is to stay home."
" You're right, I want to be as far as possible from her."
" I do hope that you and your mom could work out your differences."
" I don't think that'll happen."
" I'd love to go on tour with you but I have to babysit my little cousins so..."
" Yeah Lily and Faith. Do tell them I send my regards."
" They'll hear."