Every Moment ── TOM HOLLAND²

21. "crumbling"

When Luna picked up Mia that night, she knew something was wrong.

Well obviously, something's been wrong.

But this time was different.

Mia got into the car in complete silence after sending Luna a bland text that said "I want to leave." Luna abandoned the game of Uno she was in the middle of, informing her family that Mia was going through a rough time and needed her, to which they shooed her. She expected that Mia would at least share a story about how her brother cooked something, and everyone was forced to eat it out of pity like they did every year. Or something about how her aunt started an argument with her mom, the dispute being settled with an arm wrestle. Mia always had a story to tell about Thanksgiving, but this time, she was silent.

Luna didn't question it, simply playing the radio to fill the tense silence. She continued to sneak glances at the girl, only stopping when Mia met her glance with a glare.

It was when they stepped into the apartment that Mia plopped herself onto the couch, instead of retreating to the bedroom, that Luna knew she was ready to talk about what had shaken her up so badly. "They brought him up at dinner," Mia mumbled sadly, her eyes focused on the loose thread on her jeans. Luna sunk into the couch beside her, her legs tucked beneath her as she listened. "My mom knows, so she tried to divert the conversation discreetly, but my idiot brother just blurted it out."

"So how's your boyfriend Amelia?" Mia visibly stiffened, the fork she'd been using to poke at her turkey no longer moving. She barely raised her head, locking eyes with her mother, who frowned now.

"Well, how's your boyfriend Quinn?" Mrs.Lancaster asked her niece politely, because Mia could wear as much makeup as she pleased, but she'd never be able to hide from her mother that she was hurting.

Jonathan Lancaster looked between his older sister and his cousin, pointing his fork in Mia's direction. "They broke up," He shrugged, Mia's fork making a 'clank' as it hit her plate. Jonathan looked back to his mother, only to be met with a glare, his eyebrows furrowing. "What? Was that a secret or something?"

Quinn raised her eyebrows at this, ignoring the glare her own mother had on her, a silent way of saying don't push it. "But wasn't he just here? He came all the way to New York just to break up with you?" Mia didn't respond, because she didn't know what she was supposed to say to that, and partially because she felt as if she couldn't breathe. She thought she'd be able to push back the sadness that'd been swallowing her whole for a few measly hours, but that proved wrong. "Oh wait, it was Luna's birthday. He came for her then, and breaking up with you was just a side job."

"Quinn," Quinn's mother warned, but Quinn's gaze was focused on the cousin she'd been holding a grudge against for as long as she can remember. It was always Mia did this, Mia did that, Mia's successful, why can't you be more like Mia? Now, Mia was the one feeling like she did, small and worthless.

"Did he give you a reason? Or did he just dump you?" Without a word, Mia pushed away from the table, rushing out of the room. She could hear her brother break the silence in the room by calling Quinn a few names that earned him a scolding from her parents, but she didn't care. All she scared about was the fact that her hands were shaking, and tears were beginning to prick at her eyes.

Luna frowned as the story came to an end; she's known Quinn Lancaster ever since she was eight years old, and she cut the hair of Luna's doll thinking it belonged to Mia. But still, the two girls were family, and she didn't understand what Mia had done to the girl to deserve such abuse from someone meant to love her unconditionally.

Luna opened her mouth, but her phone began ringing. Mia watched as the girl tugged her phone out, sending the person to voicemail with a sigh. "Was that Tom?" Mia asked quietly, making Luna look up. She didn't have to say anything for Mia to know the answer was yes, because who else would call her at 1am besides Tom, who was concerned having not gotten the text that she was home and going to bed. Mia managed a small smile when Luna's phone lit up with a text, most likely belonging to the boy. "One of my only achievements is the fact that I got you two together," Mia sniffled, Luna's frown deepening. "You're happy, and I was too." She turned to look at her best friend, a sad smile on her face. "Then I'm tossed to the side and suddenly I'm left envying you."

Luna moved closer to the girl, wrapping her arms around her, Mia immediately accepting the embrace. "I hate this Luna," Mia murmured, Luna's hold around her tightening. "It just feels like history's repeating itself. Like I'm destined for nothing but to be alone and brokenhearted. I let my own relationship fall apart in front of my eyes, and I didn't do a single thing to stop it. He walked away from me, and I didn't say anything, or do anything. And I know us being different was just an excuse, I wasn't enough for him. I let this all happen, Luna. It's all my fault." Luna found herself tearing up as she listened to her friend's rambling, and she had no doubt that Mia was crying too. "Don't let this happen to you Luna, please don't."

Mia Lancaster found out at age fourteen that her best friend read into things too much. They were reading Catcher in the Rye, and Luna was the only one that seemed to understand a single thing their english teacher was rambling on about. Or maybe it was just Mia who was careless and didn't read into things enough. But Luna had given Mia's words a meaning that night, a meaning that they didn't hold, a meaning that sent everything crumbling down.