Her First Mistake by Carey Baldwin (books for 10th graders txt) 📕

Mia slipped the lone article about her mother back into the manila envelope, and set the others aside.

The wind slapped against her cheeks and shot grit into her eyes. She wiped them with the back of her hand.

There might be a serial killer snatching young women off the street, so of course the authorities would go all out to investigate Celeste’s case. But there was no denying that who Celeste was also drove the aggressive response.

Beautiful. Girl next door. Daughter of prominent business owner.

These were the descriptors used over and over in the news.

All Emily Thornton got was a physical description. No matter what her mother had done to Mia, and no matter how lowly her station in life, Emily Thornton was a real person—and she deserved to be looked for.

A drop of rain fell on Mia’s face. She’d better hurry. The sun would set soon, and then she’d have to rush to make it off the trail before dark.

But she wasn’t yet done with her work.

She scanned a different article that she’d read and saved six months ago.

San Diego Star congratulates Alma Cooper. Mrs. Baxter Cooper receives San Diego Women’s League service medal at the downtown convention center. She is being honored for her work with HAVEN, a charitable organization for young women.

A photo of the entire family—Alma, Celeste, Angelica, Isaiah and Baxter—showed Alma beaming as Celeste kissed her cheek.

Next, she came to her final clipping—this one from the “Harbor Youth Academy Buzz”, the school’s newsletter:

CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES AND GOOD TEACHERS

Last night’s auction raised over sixty thousand dollars. The top donation of ten thousand dollars came from Mr. and Mrs. Paul Hudson. Thank you to the Hudsons and to all of our generous donors!

Sue Ellen Keck won the raffle basket including a first-class ticket to Cancun, Mexico. Congratulations Sue Ellen!

Mia’s hand trembled when she came to the section where she’d scratched out Celeste’s name and written in her own.

A one thousand dollar bonus and heartfelt congratulations goes to Harbor Youth Academy’s Teacher of the Year:

Celeste Cooper! Mia Thornton!

*Harbor Youth Academy also wishes to congratulate this year’s runner-up, Mia Thornton. Celeste Cooper.

Mia took a deep breath, rolled all the articles, save the one about her mother, into a tube and wedged it into the steel tumbler. She rummaged in her pocket for the doughnut shop receipt, stuffed it in the tumbler, too, then took out a lighter and flicked it on, holding it to the pages until the articles caught fire. Orange flames licked the sides of the silver tumbler, and when her envy had finally turned to ash, she dropped on the top, twisted tight, and cut off all its oxygen.

Just in time, too, because the crunch of gravel and the banging of boots told her she wouldn’t be alone much longer. She started to pack up and had one palm curled around the tumbler when the sound of a familiar, male voice set her heart pounding.

“Is this seat taken?” Isaiah extended his hand toward the empty spot beside Mia.

More afraid of being caught than of him, uncanny as his timely arrival seemed, she smiled and patted the bench. “Wow. This is a surprise.”

“Maybe it’s fate.” He raked a hand through tussled hair and plunked down beside her, showing no sign he’d witnessed her setting a fire in a travel mug.

“Then cheers to fate.” Lifting the tumbler, she toasted him.

After a test-sniff of the air, her racing heart slowed. Luckily the smoke generated by her little fire had seamlessly blended with the earthy, humidity-heavy air surrounding them.

He closed his eyes and drew a long breath. “I love the way it smells before a rainstorm. This is one of Celeste’s favorite places.” Then he lifted one eyebrow, the weight of the coincidence seeming to hit him at once. “Did you know that?”

“No,” she lied. It was why she’d chosen to come here. She’d seen a number of pictures and stories of this very spot on Celeste’s Instagram, but admitting that to Isaiah would unquestionably raise her to stalker status. Good thing he’d stumbled upon her instead of vice versa. “I can’t believe we bumped into each other like this.”

“I know, right? I haven’t been up here in a while. The last time was with Celeste—the day she talked me into checking myself into rehab.”

“Celeste talked you into it?”

“Yeah. She and Angelica convinced my dad, get this, to cut me out of the will if I didn’t get sober. I was in a rage, but then Celeste dragged me up here, and we sat on this bench and talked until the sun went down.”

“And Angelica?” Angelica had told Mia she wasn’t on board with Celeste’s tough love plan. So which one of them was telling the truth—Isaiah or Angelica? The sibling rivalry subtext in this family was confusing.

“Angelica doesn’t hike.” He got quiet, and seemed to be focusing his gaze over the horizon where the sinking sun was turning the ocean to blood. “I’m oversharing, I think. Is that okay?”

She wasn’t sure. She was still irritated that he’d told Samuels about the note.

“About that note,” Isaiah said, as if reading her mind.

“What about it?”

“You understand I couldn’t ignore something like that when my sister’s gone. I’m not prepared to decide what’s important and what’s not. I know you said your aunt wrote it, but you could be wrong.”

“I don’t think I am.”

“Then why ask Samuels to check a sample of my writing?”

She shrugged. “Getting even, maybe.”

He turned, directing his attention fully to her, now. “We’re not even, though, not yet. Listen, I know I really messed up that day at the park.”

“And at the club.”

“Yeah. That was worse. But we had a nice time at dinner, don’t you think?”

She nodded.

“And this is even better.” He sent her a sweet, forgive-me? look.

Angelica had warned her about her brother. He’d grabbed her at that club, and now, he’d conveniently happened upon her out in the wilderness—only it was a popular