"The vultures are disguised as humans."
Scarlet Turner has her last semester of high school planned out: graduate as best as she can and take care of her sick mother. But when she's told she won't graduate because of the pile of tardies she's collec...
"GWENN, SWEETIE, IT'S BEEN ages since I last saw you," Christine gushed. Scarlet laughed as Gwenn rushed to embrace her mother. "It's so nice to see you. I hope everything's going well for you."
Scarlet crossed her arms in front of her chest, watching the exchange with a small smile.
"Yes, Mrs. Turner," Gwenn said. "I'm set for college next semester, and we'll see where life goes from there. I'm planning on majoring in psychology."
Her mother sighed. "Time has gone by so fast. I remember all of you running around in your pigtails when all you cared about was who got to be 'it' for tag."
Scarlet laughed at the memories. All five of them would get into massive disagreements, mostly when it was Aura's turn to be 'it.' She never liked chasing others.
"Now I care about actually graduating," Scarlet cut in before either of them could continue. "And Gwenn is gonna help me make sure that my grades don't flunk me out."
Her mother smiled, grabbing her hands in hers. Her fingertips grazed over her black nail polish. "I'm sure you'll do great, sweetheart. All will be fine."
To say it relieved Scarlet that her mother was fine with her failing grades was an understatement. The pressure built over her shoulders slid off like butter.
"So you want to get started, Scar?" Gwenn asked. She still stood by the doorway, hand over the strap of her mustard yellow bag.
"Yeah," Scarlet said, and turned back to her mother. "Mom, we'll go to my room. If you need anything at all—"
"I know, I know," her mother cut her off. "I'll call you. Now you two run along and get to work. I'll be here watching my shows." At that, she walked to the gray couch in the living room and looked over at the TV, where her favorite show remained on pause.
Scarlet led Gwenn to her room, pushing open the door to her personal mess. Her bed was unmade from that morning, her hamper overflowed with dirty clothes, and her eyeliner and mascara sprawled on top of her dresser beside a mountain of papers from past medical visits. She was meaning to put those papers in the binders she had to keep track of everything her mother went through.
"Sorry for the mess, but honestly you should be used to it by now," Scarlet said. Gwenn laughed and made herself right at home, plopping on the bed.
Scarlet took her bag from beside the door and emptied its contents on the floor, grimacing at the books and discarded pencils.
"Okay, so what's the next deadline you have?" Gwenn asked as she pulled out a huge notebook and an assortment of pens. "We can start with the most pressing one and move from there. The last thing we need is for you to miss assignments on top of everything. I can use the assignments to explain more if needed."
And that's what they did. Scarlet complained about another History paper she was meant to write. The topic bore her to death. Gwenn also grimaced when she heard about having to write the terrible five-paragraph essay on the Cold War, but she managed to help her find enough information to write about it.
About an hour and a half later, her mother knocked on the opened door, holding a tray of different snacks: salted crackers, cut cheese, and slices of ham. Scarlet scrambled to her feet.
"Oh, Mom, you didn't have to do that." She grabbed the tray from her hands as she noted her mother's flushed cheeks. "You could've told me."
Her mother waved her off. "I wanted to do this for you. You've been working hard. You deserve a snack."
"Thank you so much, Mrs. Turner!" Gwenn reached for a cracker before Scarlet could properly place the tray on her bed.
"You know I get worried, Mom," Scarlet said, turning back to her. She nodded, her shoulders slouching just a tad forward.
"You know I like to feel useful, Scarlet," her mother explained in her tiny voice. "Getting you a snack wasn't going to hurt me."
Scarlet softened, reaching out for her mother. "Thank you for the snacks," she said, resting her cheek on her mother's shoulder. "I love you."
Her mother pulled back, a glowing smile on her face. "I love you, too."
"You two are the cutest mother-daughter duo," Gwenn commented with a mouthful of cheese.
Scarlet turned to her friend, who was already grabbing another cracker. "Well, at least leave some for me."
Gwenn blushed and pointed to the tray. "There's enough for you!"
Her mother laughed. "I'll leave you both to it. Enjoy the snack."
Scarlet watched her mother leave, smiling as she adjusted her usual button-up pink nightgown with one hand.
"Come on, Scar, you aren't going to pass these classes without the work," Gwenn said, bringing her back to her annoying reality.
"I better ace those classes, Davidson," Scarlet challenged and pointed her finger at her friend. "I'm not trusting you for nothing."
That got her a cracker to the chest, which she laughed at, before they dived right into the lifeless notes on the Cold War.
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