All We Will Never Know

Chapter 16 - Mia

Mia sipped from her cup, the liquid burning her throat on the way down. She hid her grimace well, but inevitably, someone saw her roll her eyes in disgust. It wasn't the alcohol this time, instead it was the hypocrite of the evening, her ex-boyfriend. She sat the cup on the counter behind her and wondered if the girl who had Jake's tongue down her throat knew that he was at Mia's house just hours ago, crying like a lost puppy.

"Is that Kylie?" Peyton asked, peering into the living room.

Mia nodded, her arms tight across her chest. "The one and only."

Kylie Moreno had a reputation in Everwood, and it wasn't a good one. Mia and all of her friends hated her for various reasons, but the fact that the only guys she ever tried to get with were either taken or hot off the press was at the top of the list.

"Need a refill, Fitz?" Liam Tate called over the bass of the music, his question directed toward Mia.

She shook her head, signaling to the cup of Malibu and pineapple juice that was still half full. She knew the alcohol was probably the reason for her anger at Jake's fresh new hookup, so the only option was to take it easy before she embarrassed herself in front of everyone. Until her brother showed up and did the job for her.

"Ugh," Peyton groaned, typing away on her phone. She had been glued to it all night, since they walked into the kitchen and found almost every guy on the soccer team except for Sam. Though she didn't say anything out loud, Mia could tell that they had plans tonight. By the amount of perfume Peyton had slathered on, Mia had a lucky guess at what those plans entailed.

"Is he even coming?" Mia asked, pulling out her own phone to find zero notifications.

"Yes, he's just waiting on Ethan. Of course. I swear that guy is trying to ruin our relationship." She grabbed a shot glass from the table and tipped it back quickly. "And he has the nerve to think he has a shot with Lex. I mean, come on."

Mia wasn't surprised by this news. A lot of guys at Everwood thought they had a shot with Alexis, and generally, it was always one-sided fantasies. The same went for the majority of their friend group. To most of the high school population, they were untouchable. There was a select crowd that they hung around with, the kind of people who were invited to Tate parties and starred on the sports teams. The kind of people Mia sometimes wished she hadn't become.

"She's already trashed, so he may just get his chance," Liam chuckled, stepping from behind them and throwing his arms around their shoulders. He pulled Mia's head toward his armpit, where she caught a whiff of Tom Ford cologne mixed with sweat.

She coughed, pulling away from him and taking another drink.

"Damn, the only thing I saw her drink was that beer before we came in," Peyton added. Both girls peered onto the back deck, where Alexis was shaking her hips in the middle of a large group on the makeshift dance floor. The multicolored disco lights illuminated the crowd just long enough for Mia to spot Darian Forrester among them. She didn't even know he was back in town.

Peyton's body stiffened beside her, and she took another shot. "By the way, you're an ass, Liam." She added between coughs.

Mia nudged him, remembering that he had just insulted their friend. "Why aren't you with her anyway?"

Liam laughed, grabbing a bottle of Jim Beam from the table and waltzing toward the living room. "Old news, ladies!" He slurred as he ducked into the crowd and out of sight.

Mia emptied her cup, tossing the plastic in the trash can. As much as she thought she had a right to complain about Jake, she was glad that she wasn't in Alexis's situation. Liam Tate was just as Peyton had described, and his constant on-and-off with Alexis was just the tip of the iceberg. She glanced back onto the deck, watching as Lex fell into someone's arms, her hips still swaying to the beat of the music.