Carolina Miller is nothing like either her mother or her sister Ginny and Georgia. She's grateful toward her mother knowing very little of what their mother has actually done for them, but she's grieving and trying to move on from a history that lea...
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Early morning before school, Carolina was sitting on the porch of the Miller house when Max and Ginny walked up the steps, talking about the mayoral campaign add that Cynthia put out, attacking Georgia and Paul for their relationship.
"I can't believe Cynthia," Ginny said.
"Right," Carolina agreed. "Mom's been busting her ass. The way she is about this job, I've never seen her care like this before. I'm so proud of her."
"Even I am," Ginny agreed. Carolina raised her eyebrows in surprise, giving Ginny a slightly amused look. "And then this B pulls this C?"
Max nodded. "Bitch, crap, I'm with you." They heard Marcus and Padma by the Baker house. "Whoa, hold up. Drama!"
"I don't know what to think anymore, Marcus," Padma told him. "I just feel like I don't matter to you. Do you even like me?"
"You know I like you," Marcus told her.
Padma shook her head. "No, I don't."
"I told you," Marcus said. "I just--I just... I can't do this."
"What, this conversation?" Padma asked. "Or hooking up with me with zero commitment? Which one can't you do?"
"All of it," Marcus answered, frustrated. "I'm sorry."
Padma just glanced at him, before getting into her car to drive away. Marcus sighed, looking a little more guilty than he had expected to be.
Carolina raised her eyebrows from where she sat on her porch.
Max looked back at Carolina and Ginny. "Shit."
Carolina nodded in agreement.
✯
At school, Carolina, Ginny and Max sat in AP English. Hunter sat on Max's desk.
"Dude, I am so stressed," Max complained. "I have hives in really annoying places. It's not fun." Carolina frowned. "And the thought of volunteering with EDCO, on top of homework, and school and rehearsal, it makes me wanna chop myself up into hamburger meat."
Hunter chuckled. "I feel you. Between soccer, 3SB, and tutoring, I'm burnt out."
"Shit, you guys are so scheduled," Ginny told them.
Hunter shrugged. "Not really, just normal."
"Yeah, it's just all the stuff you have to do for college," Max explained. "Which is pointless anyway since a psychology degree will be useless when the planet implodes in 30 years."
"Stuff you have to do for college?" Carolina repeated.
Max looked up at Hunter. "Volunteering in Peru and winning a mock business proposal competition..."
