Brendan's car would pick Mia up and drop her off at a bus stop just far enough from school that no one would notice. Only after she got out would the car pull away.
I'd even stumbled across them on a weekend once.
Mia on Brendan's arm, strolling through shops, before the two of them disappeared into a hotel.
And Carter back then?
Sure, he was handsome. But he was quiet, aloof, and aside from good grades, he had nothing. Between classes, he spent most of his time working part-time jobs and handing out flyers on street corners.
I'd also heard Mia trash-talking him to her little clique with my own ears.
"Carter Delgado, that broke loser. So what if he gets good grades? The second he steps into the real world, he'll be nothing."
"If I ended up with him, I'd be suffering for the rest of my life. I'm not that stupid."
"As for that idiot Serena—if she wants him so bad, she can have him."
So of course I knew exactly why Mia was circling Carter now.
It was obvious.
She'd seen that he'd made something of himself. That he had money.
Just days ago, Mia's sugar daddy had dumped her. His wife had dragged her to a clinic and forced her through an abortion.
To survive, she needed to latch onto someone new.