Mia
I wasn't sure how long I had been strolling through the streets. So many people were still walking about, making me feel safe.That's one thing I love about this small town. They make you feel welcome and safe.It was pretty hot out, and having my Jeans jacket on made me feel hot, so I took it off and continued walking until I heard sirens behind me.I closed my eyes, sighed, and stopped in my tracks."Where you off to, young lady?" Steven's voice asks, taunting in a fake cowboy slur."Hi, Steven," I respond, turning and waving weakly at him.He parks his patrol, tells his partner to wait, and exits the car.He pulls his belt up as he makes his way toward me. "Mia, what are you doing? you can't be walking around by yourself this late at night." He adds as we both sit on the edge of his patrol car. "Steven, it's barely nine, and it got dark no longer than an hour and a half ago," I say, making him smirk, nodding his head."You know what I mean. Bailey called Audrey. She got worried when she couldn't find you at the party. What happened? Why did you leave?""I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry anyone. I just... I wasn't comfortable at the party. I needed to be alone for a while." I say as I play with a loose string on my jacket, trying to avoid eye contact with Steven.He paused for a bit, looking at me as he studied my every move. "Your dad told us you stopped seeing your therapist a while ago." He says, making me curse inside.Dad is always so worried about me. I wish he had just lived his life and stopped worrying so much about me. "You know you can come to Audrey or me if you ever want to talk, right? We're here for you, Mia.""I know... thank you for that, Steven, but I'm fine. Honest." I say, making him pause.He crosses his hands and legs, taking a deep sigh. He then pulls me in for a side hug and kisses the top of my head. "Mia, I mean it. I've known you since you were a tiny kid. You're like a daughter to me. I just want to make sure you're OK .""And I am. I promise." I say, hugging him around his middle and sighing."I mean it, kid. I know you still blame yourself for your mom's...." he stops, knowing well that mom's death is a fragile issue for me."Oh, my God, Steven... Please don't." I say, undoing my hands from him and looking away."Mia, you were only four years old. The car accident was not your fault. It was out of your hands, sweety.""Steven... ENOUGH. It was my fault; I distracted her. If I hadn't been so stupid....""You have to stop blaming yourself, Mia. It wasn't your fault.""IT WAS! can't you understand? It was my fault. If anything, it should have been me who died that day, not her." my voice quivered as tears began to fall. This day just began to get worse. I knew I shouldn't have gone to that party.If I had just stayed home, I wouldn't have kissed Nate. I wouldn't be feeling so guilty about kissing him, and now... To top it off, Steven made me remember why I don't deserve to be here. It should be mom in my place, not me."NO, IT WASN'T. You were only four, Mia. How could it be your fault? It was hers for driving drunk that day; she's lucky you lived.""She was not drunk, Steven. How can you say lies about her?""Because it's true, Mia. I read her report myself after your dad told us." I felt my head spin. Why was he saying this? Mom never drinks. And she would never drive while intoxicated; she was always so responsible. Dad said so himself.I shook my head, placing my right hand in a fist over my chest. "No. No, you're... You're lying, Steven. Mom would never." He reached out as I took a step away."Mia, I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. You're old enough to know the truth. I'm sorry, sweety.""No!" my throat ached, and I choked up. My mind began to cloud, and I was hurt and angry. This had to be a sick joke.Suddenly my vision blurred, my chest began to hurt, and I felt like I was in a tiny room, making me panic. My heart started to pound in my ear, going at a million per second, and my throat felt as if it had begun to shut down, making me feel out of breath."Mia, I hate seeing how you blame yourself for this. You need to know the truth and stop blaming yourself. We want the best for you." Steven continued to talk, but my mind stopped processing what he was saying. I kept nodding in disbelief. I turned and began to walk away, faintly hearing him calling for me."No," I repeatedly whispered, unable to stop crying, and walked quickly. But the more I walked, the harder it became to breathe. No... Not again. I was getting another panic attack. Damn it! I need to calm down, but I can't."It's my fault... It was all my fault." I whispered over and over until someone yanked on my arm, and I heard a car horn going off."Mia!"I hear a familiar voice and strong arms holding me steady. I broke down, wrapping my arms around his neck as I let my emotions out."It's ok. It's ok, relax. You're ok now. I got you." Nate soothed my back as I cried in his arms like a little kid."Everything is going to be ok, Mia. You're okay now. I got you." his voice sounded so calm, and his arms made me feel protected. No one else had ever been able to calm me down like this other than dad. God, I miss him so much right now."Look at me, Mia? Are you hurt? Are you ok?" he says, slowly pulling away and lifting my chin with his index. "I'm fine. Just... Don't let go, please? Don't let go." I say through tears.He sighs, pulling me by my shoulders and embracing me tightly, kissing the top of my head. "Never. I'll never let go, I promise. I'm here for you, Mia. I'll always be here for you." he says, placing his chin on top of my head.💖✨💙✨💖✨💙✨💖✨💙✨💖✨💙✨MiaNate held me in a tight hug until I had calmed down and stopped shaking. After that, he drove us to a nearby coffee house, where we sat quietly. Warm coffee and chocolate cake in front of us. It was peaceful. Just what I needed right now. My mind kept going back to Steven's words. I couldn't wrap my head around his words. Indeed, he had to be kidding. Mom wasn't a drunk. There was no way she had been drinking and driving, especially if I was in the car with her.Nate fiddled with his fingers, looking at his palms, but staying quiet. He knew I didn't want to talk about it, so I was thankful he wasn't trying to make me talk. I leaned my head on his shoulder, sighing. My phone kept going off, making me irritated. "Maybe you should answer. They might be worried about you," he suggests making me groan inwardly. I closed my eyes, reached into my pocket, and took my phone out. I had missed calls from mom and dad and Bailey and Audrey. I didn't want to answer any of them, to be hones
Mia"Thanks for everything, Nate." I say politely and reach over, cupping his cheek. I ;ran forward to kiss his cheek, seeing his big smile, but he moves, making our lips meet again. I can't help but feel butterflies in my stomach. I pull away just ha;f an inch, looking at his eyes. He bites his bottom lip and I can't help but give in again, leaning in and kissing him. It's so hard to resist him, but believe me, I would not be doing this if I knew he was still with Andrea. His kiss is soft, molding perfectly with my lips and tongue. His hand cups my face, interlacing his fingers with my hair as he pulls me closer. I want to keep kissing him, but... No. I can't. I pull away, gasping for air. We are panting, our breath erratic. He places his forehead against mine, closing his eyes. "I'm... I'm sorry. I got carried away." he apologizes and I can't help it as my lips tug into a smile. "Nate, it's ok. We uhm... We both did. I think. I need to go." I whispered, feeling his hand in the b
MiaI braced myself for what else was to come, looking between dad, Nikki, and my stepmom, Phoebe. "Ok, talk," I demanded, folding my hands over my chest. I clenched my jaws looking sternly between the three. I was tired of being treated like a child. I know technically, was seen as the baby of the house; that is, until Bailey and Phoebe joined the family, making Bailey the youngest. She was a month and a half younger than me. And even then, I feel like they treat her with more respect than me, trusting her more. Dad looks at mom with slight concern, rubbing the back of his head and clearing his throat. He was ready to talk, when the door jolted open. "Hello, hello! I'm home!" Bailey yells as she comes into the room, clearly intoxicated. I look at her in shock, this wasn't like her. She has never drunk before, and she's practically a hermit when it comes to parties. She doesn't like going to parties, doesn't like to socialize, or any of the sorts to be honest. She's...well... I g
Third Person POVThough Mia had high hopes of avoiding Nate, it became impossible to do so. The two spent all summer long. They went everywhere together, did everything together, and even slept over at each other's house. Now, before you get ahead of yourself, they never did the thing. They did nothing more than kiss here and there. He knew he was falling madly in love with her, more than he already was. But- he was willing to give her space until she was ready to say yes to being his girlfriend. They became like best friends, glued by the hip; talked on the phone until late and even fell asleep while still talking to each other. Mia wasn't ready to do anything else, and besides, she knew the school year was coming soon, and she had to face reality. He would probably go back to Andrea, and she would have no choice but to be placed back into the friend zone, where she thought she belonged. Boy- was she wrong.✨✨✨✨✨MiaI wanted to enjoy my last night of summer with my friends and Na
Third Person POVThough Mia had high hopes of avoiding Nate, it became impossible to do so. The two spent all summer long. They went everywhere together, did everything together, and even slept over at each other's house. Now, before you get ahead of yourself, they never did the thing. They did nothing more than kiss here and there. He knew he was falling madly in love with her, more than he already was. But- he was willing to give her space until she was ready to say yes to being his girlfriend. They became like best friends, glued by the hip; talked on the phone until late and even fell asleep while still talking to each other. Mia wasn't ready to do anything else, and besides, she knew the school year was coming soon, and she had to face reality. He would probably go back to Andrea, and she would have no choice but to be placed back into the friend zone, where she thought she belonged. Boy- was she wrong.✨✨✨✨✨MiaI wanted to enjoy my last night of summer with my friends and Nat
MiaThe silence was inevitable. We stood facing each other in silence for what felt like forever, though maybe it was just for a minute or two. I glanced out toward the water, seeing how the moon's reflection glistened over it. "Listen, Mia, I," I turned toward him at the same time he spoke, "Nate, I," we both apparently wanted to cut the silence at once, speaking in unison, making each another laugh. He turns his body toward me, sighing deeply. I hate to say it, but I want to be with him. I'm tired of pushing him off and making myself aside for someone else. Then I do something stupid like dating someone else to stop thinking about. It's bad- I know. But I guess I figured dating someone else would take him off my mind. But who am I kidding? The only one being fooled here is me."Mia, listen. About back there," he says rubbing the back of his head. "I know you saw Andrea kiss me, but, I just want to clarify, Andrea and I are over. There is nothing between us. I... I pushed her away
Mia (Next Day) I was finishing up getting ready for school. I was rather excited to start this year. I already began looking into universities to attend next year. I'm not sure which to go with though. Nate is thinking of NYU since that's where his dad graduated from, but he's got USC as a second choice since that's where his mom graduated from. I'm indecisive right now. I don't even know what to study, or what career to pursue. It's making me a bit nervous. I didn't even think of looking into universities until the middle of the year if I'm being totally honest, but it was Nate's mom that made me realize. I should be already thinking ahead. Both of my sisters Audrey and Nikki gave it all figured out. Audrey is a teacher at a middle school here in town, and Nikki will be graduating from medical school next year, and starting her internship soon after at a big hospital in Nashville. But as for me? I have no clue what I want to be. Bailey is also thinking of being a history teacher.
Mia (later that day)I sat in the passenger seat of Nate's car. Since it was just him and I today, he had brought his car. He usually drives his dad's SUV when we go out as a group, but his car is a beauty. He drives a really pretty black cherry Challenger. I am in love with his car, and he takes pride in taking care of it.But- even sitting in that car did not take away my nerves. We were parked outside Sandra's home. The same hone I came yelling at her when mom's tenth year of death anniversary came by. I feel so ashamed of myself right now. I was so rude to her. I cried as I yelled profanities, telling her how it wasn't fair that she was allowed to live while my mom died in that wreck. How I still cried when having nightmares, waking up in a sweat as my dreams played a repeat of that day. I know I was too small when it happened, but I still remember, it because it was the same day my sister Audrey was graduating from high school. A day we should have been celebrating, and instead