Read Mia Found (Starting Fires Book 3) for Free Online

in sight. Chuckling, I sat on the grass. Fiona was meeting me there. At some point, I borrowed her eye liner and stuck it in my purse. She just had to have it tonight and insisted on retrieving it.
    Fiona.
    What would happen with our friendship once we graduated? Both of us would have Art Degrees, though I’d also have a minor in Art History. Would we still live together? It was doubtful. She’d been a constant part of my life for three years, but in a few short months our futures would be decided.
    Something told me we wouldn’t keep in touch. It hurt a little.
    “ Is that him?” she asked, suddenly at my side.
    “ Oh. Hey. Yeah. The big one.”
    She sat beside me, kicking her legs out in front of her. The colorful tattoos on her thighs brightened in the sunlight. “So when does this mystery guy come home?” she asked.
    “ He’s not a mystery guy,” I said, thinking she might find that intriguing and not wanting her to. “We met a while back. We’re friends. Sort of.”
    “ Have you gone through his things yet?”
    “ What? No!”
    “ You should,” she said with a weighted look. “You’ll find out if he’s a weirdo or lunatic faster that way.”
    “ He’s not a lunatic,” I said defensively.
    Fiona’s smile was sly, calculating. “I wanna meet him,” she said.
    “ Don’t think that’ll happen.” Paul and I had barely spent any time with each other. Why would I invite her to tag along?
    “ Ohhh…this guy keeps getting more interesting. You don’t want me to meet him. You won’t tell me hardly anything about him. You like him don’t you?”
    “ Can we not do this again?” I bit out. “This isn’t some dorky boy I have a thing for. It’s not some game all right?”
    “ Geez. It’s flattering you think it’d be so easy for me to steal him away from you, but cut the jealousy.”
    I didn’t think it would be easy for her. And I wasn’t jealous. Hearing that though, reliving all the times I’d seen her making out with that guy I liked or leaving with this guy I’d been interested in put me on edge. Angrily, I snatched her eyeliner out of my purse and jerked it towards her. “Here.” Can you go now?
    “ Whatever,” she said, taking it. “I’ll meet him sooner or later. But so you know, I don’t want him. I’m only messing with you. Fontenot and I have a good thing going.
    Yeah right. Showed how much she knew. What she thought was “a good thing” was Fontenot sleeping with any woman he pleased and hitting on the rest of them.
    “ I’m happy for you,” I said. “Just be careful.” The last thing she needed was a man like Fontenot to break her heart. Her paintings would become angrier. Her moodiness would be worse.
    “ Please,” she said, standing. “I’m pretty sure I know Fontenot better than you.”
    She didn’t. She only pretended to. Fontenot and I had dated for a year and I knew I’d seen sides of him she didn’t even know existed.
    “ Bye,” I said, waving as she walked away.
    Ferdinand jumped in a big puddle and splashed water all over the place. I called his name, hoping he wouldn’t do what I thought he would, but was too late. With a happy shake, he fell into the puddle, rolling back and forth.
    “ Great.” Now, I’d have to give this mammoth a bath, too.
     

     
    Without asking Paul’s permission, because I wasn’t sure he’d give it, I asked my mother to come by his house and bring her sewing machine.
    Most of the cushions were ripped on the underside. I’d sent her pictures and she promised she could fix them. When Ferdinand was out of his bath, his coat a pretty gray again, she and I worked on restoring the couch.
    She was interested in my relationship with Paul. In my 22 years, she’d only met my high school boyfriend, and had just a passing introduction to Fontenot. Even though Paul definitely wasn’t my boyfriend, she knew I had feelings for him.
    “ Have you told him?” she asked.
    “ Told him what?”
    “ Sweetie…that you want to