He Caught Her Eye (Caught #1)[UNEDITED]

72

RIANA GARCIA

When studying for the finals, I remind myself every night of the smell and vibes of summer, relying on it for motivation.

It's the last day of school.

Finally.

There's a knock on the front door, and I raise an eyebrow at Marla, who just opened the fridge to check if there's still butter. "Does Mira want a ride to school?" I question, confused.

Marla makes a face, glancing down at her pajamas. "It's a Saturday, and it's not their exams," she scurries out of the dining room at the same time I stand up and put the dishes in the sink. I hear her gasp. "Mom? Dad?"

My heart swells. I haven't seen Mom in around two months, and Dad around four. I put on my backpack and rush to the foyer, where Mom hugs Marla, her hair now back to dark brown. There are bags under her eyes, and I can't help but feel that something has changed.

Dad lets go of two of his luggages and walks towards me with a big smile, pulling me in for a not-so-tight embrace. Shocked, I hug him back. Even from the look on Marla's face, I can tell none of us were expecting such a warm greeting.

If anything, I thought they'd be bickering and arguing.

"How have you two been?" Dad asks, his voice oddly soft. We both have dark eyes, and looking into his is like looking into my own in the mirror.

Marla and I exchange a brief look. "We're.. okay," she answers for us, "what's.. up?" she sounds suspicious.

"Nothing," Mom answers too quickly. She looks at me. "I didn't get to see Pauline Howells."

Oh. "Okay."

Pauline.

Drake.

Blaze.

He's going to tell me something later. And it's probably a big deal because he wants to make sure I won't see him right after his confession.

What could it be?

"Today's your last day of school, right?" Dad asks me, his voice monotone. What's up with him and Mom? "Let's go get pizza right after."

Pizza.

"You make me forget about pizza."

"No!" I respond too hastily, earning stares from my parents. Only Marla looks amused. "I.. I want something Italian." And what's with the sudden family bonding? We haven't hung out outside of the house as a family for a long time.

"Pizza is Italian." Marla scoffs.

"Let's go to an Italian restaurant," Mom suggests nonchalantly. Dad smiles at her. He actually smiles at her. She smirks at me. "Already wanting to move out?"

Dazzled, I perch myself against the wall. "Hm?"

"Didn't you want to set up a gourmet restaurant in Italy?" Mom reminds me. "Venice, to be precise?"