Chapter One: Mariana

I stared at myself in my hand mirror, critically inspecting my winged eyeliner and smokey eyeshadow. It was a tiny bit uneven, but Matt wouldn't notice that. Would he?

"Hey." Callie said casually as she walked into our shared bedroom. I jumped up in my seat, startled.

"Hey," I replied. "Do you think that my eyes look uneven?"

"Not that I can see." That calmed my nerves a little bit. If Callie couldn't see it, then Matt couldn't. What does he know about makeup?

Callie grabbed her phone from her nightstand and left the room. I looked at my face one more time, and decided that it would be okay. I picked up my two nail polishes - Revlon "Indigo Night" which he complimented back on our first date, or Sally Hansen "Rose Rush" which brought out the pink dress that I bought just for this occasion. Ugh. I just could not decide.

That is, until I saw Jude walk past my room through my mirror. "Judicorn!" I called out. That was just what I needed, the sassy opinion that a girl could only get from a gay… well, from Jude.

He walked into my room quietly and sat on the bed next to me. "I really can't decide what nai-"

"Blue." he said.

"Bu-"

"Blue."

I hesitated a moment, but I knew that he had an eye for color- although, I suspected that there was another factor, considering the fact that he hadn't even seen the dress I was gonna wear, or the shoes. "Is that all?" he asked, putting my mind back on reality. He stood up and started to walk out of the room.

"Wait!" He turned around. "Do you… wanna paint my nails for me?" He giggled, but returned to his spot next to mine. "I always get some of it on my fingers when I'm doing my right hand!" I lied. I've had more than enough practice to know how to not do that, but the truth was, I needed company right now. A distraction.

Jude unscrewed the lid and wiped the brush on the side of the bottle.

Just as the brush was about to touch the the first nail, we heard Mom call from downstairs. "Jude, Mariana, Callie! Come down to the living room please! Family meeting!" My heart sank to my stomach. Crap! We knew that family meetings could only be bad. We had one when moms told us Callie had run away, one when Callie couldn't get adopted, and one right after the accident. I gulped, and I felt Jude shiver, but together, we stood up and started to head out the room.

Jude and I held hands as we walked down the stairs, terrified of what this could be about. There we saw Moms on the couch, looking at the floor, and Callie, sitting in a chair looking like she was about to have a panic attack. Jude and I both sat in the other chair and I could feel him shiver.

"Callie," said Stef. She waited a for a long pause (with a few sighs thrown in). "Mariana." I almost felt sick. "Jude." He took in a deep breath. We squeezed our hands together tight. This couldn't be about… what happened. Could it?

Lena looked up, looking at us all with a disappointed expression. "We, uh…"

Stef interjected, "We, uh, can't…" she sniffled. "We can no longer go to Rosewood this summer."

A part of my heart jumped in relief, but the other half sank way down into my stomach. I had planned this luxurious vacation for over two years. Despite never having been to Rosewood, I could lead you to every coffee shop, salon, and high end restaurant in alphabetical order without using a map. I had been looking forward to this vacation for years, and now it was gone. But at least they didn't know.

"Yes," Lena said, picking me up from my daydream. "We cannot go to Rosewood any longer; however, YOU GUYS CAN!"

It took a moment to register, but then the sadness inside me was replaced with questions.

"But, wha-"

Stef cut Mariana off enthusiastically. "You'll be staying with Lena's best college friend, Ashley. She has a daughter- about your age, Callie- and she's…"

"But moms, it just won't be the same there without you!" I said sweetly. And I meant it.

It would be sooo much better!