“So, do you like school?” Mia asked Evie as they looked through racks. So far, Evie had found a pair of jeans, some cool vintage sneakers and a pair of earrings that hung almost to her shoulders. Mia had offered to buy everything, not that she had a ton of extra cash lying around. She just wanted to be the cool, fun aunt, even if it was only for a week. She had to make memories so Evie would want to come back one day.

“Not really. It’s kind of a bore,” she said, picking up a red crop top and holding it up to her chest.

“Um, no,” Mia said. “Your mother would kill me.”

Evie rolled her eyes and hung it back up. “I love this band tee.”

Mia quickly looked at the price tag and nodded. “A dollar I can do. So, what do you want to do after high school?”

“I don’t know. Maybe travel.”

“Travel? Where?”

“I want to, like, backpack around Europe. I saw a YouTube video about that, and it seems fun.”

“Right,” Mia said, pretending to look at clothes. “But, if you don’t get your education, how will you pay for that?”

“It’s cheap. You just camp as you hike. No biggie.”

“Got it. And your mother is okay with that idea?”

Evie laughed. “My mother isn’t okay with pretty much anything about me.”

“I’m sure that’s not true.”

“It’s totally true. She rides me about every little thing. It’s so annoying.”

“Y’all, look at this skirt? Can you even imagine me wearing this? It’s amazeballs!” Raven said like a giddy schoolgirl. Mia would swear she got stuck in her teenage years sometimes because she sure didn’t act like a thirty-four year old woman.

“Nobody says amazeballs anymore,” Evie said.

“Cool people do,” Raven retorted before going back to the dressing room.

“I was thinking about what you said about your mother riding you. You know, I’m sure she means well. She wants to protect you. That’s what mothers do,” Mia said.

“She just wants me to be something I’m not.”

“And what is that?”

“Perfect.”

“Does it make my butt look too big? I mean, I know that’s in right now, but I don’t want my cheeks hanging out,” Raven asked, turning around and trying to see her own hind quarters.

“It looks fine,” Mia said, giving her friend a look of warning. Raven backed into the fitting room and pulled the curtain closed. “Have you talked to your mom about your feelings?”

Evie chuckled. “You don’t know Mom very well yet, but she isn’t the easiest person to talk to. She’s stubborn as a mule.”

“That might be genetics,” Mia said, smiling. “Look, mothers love their daughters. Just tell your Mom what’s going on in that teenage head of yours so she can help.”