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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The next morning, sitting at the dinner/breakfast table with Carolina and Zion, Ginny was reading what she had written so far for her essay. "My whole life changed when I moved to this progressive utopia, where creativity and compassion thrive. Wellsbury is where I most belong."
"Progressive utopia?" Carolina repeated skeptically. "More like a town with masks. Everyone just hides the pain and shit they go through away."
"It's my essay," Ginny pointed out. "And if it's a town of masks where everybody hides, you and Mom fit in perfectly."
Carolina gave Ginny a look.
Zion gave Ginny a look. "Hey. Easy, gummy bear."
"What do you think?" Ginny asked, asking their opinion on her essay.
"Well, it's... definitely well written," Zion answered.
"What?" Ginny asked. "What's wrong with it?"
"Is it true?" Zion asked. "Is Wellsbury where you feel you most belong?"
"Dad, it's an essay, and winning the contest could help get into the right college," Ginny told him.
"Oh, there's a right college?" Zion asked.
"Well, yeah," Ginny answered. "I mean, no offense. I know you took a bunch of different courses at a bunch of different places, but that's not how things are done here."
Zion had a narrow eyed sarcastic look. "Oh, no offense taken."
Carolina chuckled.
"How would you make it better?" Ginny asked.
"Let me think on it," Zion told her. "Caro, you get anything for your essay yet?"
"Not yet," Carolina answered. "I'm having trouble coming up with what to write that isn't completely dark and not suitable for the classroom."
"Good luck with that," Ginny told her. Carolina and Zion both looked at her. "I mean, with everything..."
Ginny didn't finish, knowing that there was nothing she could say that would sound right.
"I know this is more important to you anyway," Carolina told her. "You wanna do the whole college thing right. Me?"
"You're probably gonna pull a Mom or a Dad and do a bunch of different things and go to a bunch of different places," Ginny finished.
"And there's nothing wrong with that," Zion told her. Carolina managed a small smile. Zion sighed. "Though, speaking of that, starburst..." Carolina smiled at his old nickname for her, like how he called Ginny 'gummy bear'. "When I'm on the road, I told you that you could tell me everything that goes on here. Including..."
Carolina sighed, knowing that this was gonna come up. "Having episodes and attacks so you know when to be there. But, Dad, you know that I hate getting in the way of your jobs and doing things you love, and--and traveling and seeing the world, and..."
