Mia annoyingly drops her bag on the couch and wipes her face. "It was your third day back." Her father snaps at her. Mia sighs, "Listen dad...I'm sorry, but--" Barry walks over to her and shakes his head, "NO...There are no 'buts' you have detention for three days?!" He gets in her face and yells. Mia closes her eyes and moves her head to look at the ground.

"Don't yell at me like that, mom said-"

"What? You're mother said what?!" He yells even louder.

Mia feels her breathing start to quicken, "John please-"

"John? I'm not fucking John. You got rid of him remember?!-"

"Of course I did! He raped me-"

"You don't know what you're talking about." He waves his hand and dismisses her. Mia inhales sharply and chuckles, her chuckles change to laughter.

Barry looks at her and scoffs. Mia places her hands on her knees and inhales again. She wipes her eyes and looks at her dad. "I'm sorry, it's just...you  think I'm fucking crazy or something? You think someone would just imagine that?!"

"You are fucking crazy!" He walks over to her again. Mia feels her heart drop and her body gets heavy as he says that. "YOU ARE FUCKING INSANE! WASTING ALL OF MY FUCKING MONEY! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO CHEER-LEAD, GET AN ACADEMIC SCHOLARSHIP!" He keeps yelling at her and she flinches.

"NOW YOU WANT TO FUCKING TRY AND PUT YOURSELF IN THE HOSPITAL AND GET ATTENTION LIKE YOUR LITTLE FRIEND-"

That was the last straw for Mia. She snaps her eyes up at him and feels her blood boil. "DON'T FUCKING TALK ABOUT HANNAH LIKE THAT! YOU PRICK-"

Nora walks in at the wrong time to her husband and Mia arguing. "What is going on-"

Out of nowhere Barry slaps Mia and her head moves to the side. Nora covers her mouth and gasps. "Barry!" She yells at him. Mia slowly moves her head up and looks back into her fathers eyes. She touches the corner of her mouth and looks at her finger. She sees crimson liquid on her fingers.

Mia smirks, "Finally showing your true colors huh?" Mia raises her brows and chuckles. He scoffs and looks at her with disgust, "I can't believe I ever got you as a daughter." He says in a low growl.

He brushes past her and Nora. She looks at Barry and sighs quietly. She looks at Mia's back and notices her breathing heavily. "Mia are you-"

"Fine, always am and I always will be." She states as she brushes past Nora and goes to her room. She closes the door and leans her back against the door and slides down to the floor. She closes her eyes as she hears that whole conversation going through her head. She mostly focuses on the familiar phrase Clay stated to her a few months ago with the same disgust.

~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~

Mia pops her gum loudly as she writes down her notes. The teacher looks up at her and rolls her eyes. Mia looks up at the board and pops her gum again as she continues writing. The teacher rolls her eyes and stands up. "Miss Walker?" She falls out.

Mia looks up at the teacher and raises her brows. "It's Mia." She says with a tight lipped smile.

The teacher pauses for a moment. She inhales, "Miss Walker-"

"Yes. Kassandra?" Mia raises her brows. The class's chatter becomes silent and the teacher turns to look Mia dead in the eye. Mia shrugs her shoulders, "What? If you can call me by my last name without listening to me. I can call you by your first name too, right?" A devious smirk appears on Mia's face.

She knows she's challenging the teacher, she can't help it. It's a defense mechanism, even her therapist knows it. But...it's like another one of her addictions. Getting on people's nerves.

"Miss...Mia, I just wanted to tell you t spit your gum out of your mouth." She states.

Mia raises her brows and nods her head once. "Okay, I will do that..." She says looking down at her paper. The teacher nods her head and turns back around to the board. Mia looks up again.

"But..." Mia starts. The class tenses up again as Mia isn't done with her taunting games. "Mia, just drop it--"

"Not now, Dempsey. I have to win." Mia twirls her pencil around her finger and smirks. "Miss--"

"I will, spit the gum out, but  me chewing gum. Takes my mind off of the feeling of vodka going down my throat and the Euphoria I got whenever I would swallow a handful of pills. But if  you want me going back to binge drinking and swallowing pills. I will gladly spit out my--"

"JUST THROW IT OUT!" The teacher snaps. Quiet snickers are heard throughout the class room. Mia inhales and grabs her gum from her tongue. She picks it up and looks at the teacher. She never breaks eye contact and winks at the teacher as she drops her gum onto the floor.

The teacher exhales sharply. Zach scoffs quietly and Mia looks down at the gum. "I mean, I didn't throw it out, but dropping it counts doesn't i--"

"Go to the principal's office. Now." The teacher says in a quiet voice. Mia chuckles and inhales. She grabs her bag and slings it onto her shoulder. She grabs her pack of gum and places it in her mouth as she passes the teacher. Mia stops at the door and turns to the teacher.

The teacher burns her irritated eyes into her blue ocean eyes. Mia pops her gum "I win..." Mia says lingering on the words.

~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~

Mia looks shakily at the subpoena paper she has in her hand. She leans her head against the headboard of her bed and closes her eyes. "Fuck me..." she whispers. She hears a knock on her door and Mia straightens her back.

She runs a hand through her hair. "Come in..." Mia says softly. Her mom opens the door and Mia sighs quietly. Nora looks at Mia staring at the paper in her hands and she inhales.

"Mia, honey, it's going to be alright-"

"You know they made Courtney come out in court?" Mia questions while tightening her grip on the paper. Nora walks over to her daughter quietly and sits on her bed.

"Well, that's only because she wasn't truthful with herself. But you-"

"But me what, mom?" Mia snaps. Nora closes her mouth and Mia scoffs quietly. "They press the truth out of everyone. It happened before and it'll happen again. I just...I need to find out how?" Mia says quietly before she gnaws on her bottom lip.

Nora tilts her head slightly confused about what her daughter was saying. A few moments later she understood and she tenses up. "No." Nora says. Mia looks up at her mom with her brows scrunched together. "No what?-"

"No, you are not observing those court cases. It's not happening, got it? Your father doesn't want you there-"

"I stopped listening to Dear old dad years ago." Mia says after she rolls her eyes. Nora observes the red mark on her cheek from her fathers hand the other night.

"Are you okay, after that night? I mean...I don't want you to relapse-"

Mia laughs loudly and covers her mouth. "Our of all the things to make me relapse , you think his slaps are going to send me over the edge?" Mia questions with a smirk. Mia stands up and shakes her head. "Guess you don't know me at all..." Mia says quietly.

Nora sighs and looks up at her daughter, "Oh, honey. Please dont-"

"I've got to school, soon. I don't want to be late..." Mia says with a soft smile. Nora inhales and nods her head. She stands up and walks out of the room letting Mia get her clothes ready.

During lunch Mia was sitting next to Tyler and talking. She saw Clay and inhales. "Hey, Ty. I'll be right back." She says to him. Tyler nods his head and goes back to eating his sandwich. Mia stands up and walks over to Clay who was talking to Jess and Alex.

Clay catches a glimpse of the intimidating girl walking over. He quickly whispers something to them and they all tense up and look at her. "Mia, hey." Clay says.

Mia gives him a soft smile. "Hey, I just wanted to come and see how you're doing." Mia states. Clay looks at Jessica and Alex. He stands up and lightly grabs Mia's arm to talk to her in a more private place.

"Um...wh-what are you talking about?" He asks. Mia adjusts her back on her shoulder. "Skye, I heard about what happened to her. I'm so sorry." Mia says quietly with sincerity. Clay feels his body get heavy as he gets reminded of Skye in the back of the ambulance and the hospital bed.

"Y-Yeah, thank you...but she's going to be fine. It's just...tough you know?" Clay shoves his hands in his pockets. Mia nods her head, "Yeah. I know...it's just...first, Hannah, then Alex and I, and now Skye? This school is fucking people up-"

"Well maybe it's not the school." Clay snaps. Mia's soft expression changes to confusion. "What are you talking about?" Mia questions. Clay opens his mouth to apologize but Mia reacts first. "Are you saying that we're the fuck ups ourselves? That...I'm a fuck up?" Mia questions him with a cold tone.

Clay shakes his head, "I'm sorry. Mia it's just...you were reminding me of everything that I already think about everyday and...It fucking sucks, alright?" He questions with exhaustion. Mia's angry expression softens and she feels guilt surround her.

"Fuck...Shit! I'm sorry, I-I-I didn't mean to-"

"No, I know...It's just hard..." Clay says quietly. Mia nods her head and looks up into his blue eyes. Silence surrounds them and Mia feels her heart start to beat faster as their eye contact grows more intense.

She clears her throat and looks down at her boots. "You know, I got a subpoena. For Hannah's trial?" Mia shrugs her shoulders. Clay tenses up as he thinks about Mia not knowing about the tapes.

"Wh-What? Why would they do that-"

"I mean...I was Hannah's. Best friend, but...I don't want anything I don't know to come up in court. Or any of my business to come up in court. But I know it is and I have to be ready for what kind of questions they're going to ask..." Mia says quietly.

Clay looks around, "So, what are you saying...Mia?" He questions quietly.

"I'm saying...I'm going to observe the case that's going on today. It's...Jess's right?" Mia questions.

Clay tenses up and nods his head. "Um...yeah it is but are you sure you want to-"

"Of course I do. I need to do this, Clay. It's okay." She touches his arm and the bell rings. Mia looks up and smirks. "Okay, well I've got to go, but I'll see you around." Mia says quietly.

She walks away before Clay can say anything else.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Mia walks into the library to meet up with Tyler and sees someone knock over his books. Mia runs her tongue over her teeth and walks quickly over to the jock. "Hey!" Mia says loudly. Someone shushes her and she hisses at them.

"Female Walker, what's up!" The jock says. Mia grabs his collar and pulls him down to her level. She burns her blue eyes into his.

"Mia, really, it's okay-"

"No, it's not. Tyler. I told you I would never stand around while someone tries to be a dick again!" Mia pulls the boy closer and growls quietly.

"Listen hear, prick. Tyler's my bud. And if you fuck with him you fuck with me. And let me tell you, I have been working out like hell these past five months. I will beat you senseless if you mess with him, again. Got it?" Mia says the whole thing in a cold tone and an emotionless face.

The jock feels his blood run cold under her heavy gaze and nods his head. Mia shoves him back and he stumbles and straightens his jacket out and walks away.

Mia runs a hand through her short hair and clears her throat. She turns to Tyler and smiles. "Crisis averted, my friend." Mia pats his arm and Tyler gives her a soft smile. "Thanks." He says chuckling.

"Assholes." A familiar voice calls out. Mia turns to see her new acquaintances. "Cyrus, what's up?" Mia questions as she sits down across from Tyler.

He introduces everyone to Tyler and Mia. Mackenzie and Tyler talk and Mia smiles as she sees sparks fly. "Quiet Freaks." Someone says.

They all flip him off, Mia and Tyler exchange looks and Mia raises her brows in praise. "Badass." Mia nods her head and crosses her arms over her chest.

"You know what's also bad ass?" Mackenzie questions. Mia turns to her intrigued, "I'm interested, tell me." Mia rolls her lips into her mouth.

"Being a prissy cheerleader and coming back a fucking Rebel outcast." She says.

Mia snickers and shrugs her shoulders. "I don't know, that's what...things do to you, they...change you. It's just, super intense, I don't want to get into it right now..." Mia tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and smirks.

Cyrus nods his head, "Understandable, but still bad ass. I mean, not many people change into who they want to be. They just...stick with whatever society forces them to be." He states simply as he goes back to reading.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Mia sits don in the courtroom as Jessica talks about the photos she found in her classroom. "Jesus...can this school get anymore fucked?" Mia questions quietly. Clay slightly turns to her as he looks at her nervously squeezing her hands until her knuckles become white. He slowly and cautiously moves his hand to hers. Mia flinches at first, but she relaxes and exhales quietly as she holds his hand.

"And wasn't it true that Alex Standall was your boyfriend and that Hannah was jealous of that?" The Lawyer asks. "No. we were all friends...at first." Jessica states as she makes eye contact with Mia.

"If you're waiting for, like, the perfect moment to choreograph your first kiss, you're gonna die a virgin." Jessica states as she laughs. Mia smiles as they all laugh.

"I just want it to be special." Hannah replies. Mia shakes her head, "Your standards are way too high." She says as she chuckles. "Yeah, you need to lower them like the rest of us." Alex states.

"Okay, wait. Never have I ever never been kissed." Alex states. Mia shakes her head as Hannah throws a pillow at him. "Too soon. Too soon." Jessica states. Mia nods her head toward Hannah.

"Drink, Hannah." She says as she laughs.

"It's Sprite." Hannah states. Mia holds up a finger, "It's fake Sprite." Mia corrects her.

"It's Twist up, actually." Jessica corrects Mia.

"Your mom is so cheap." Alex states.

"That's so rude!" Jessica shoves him.

"What the fuck kind of name is Twist Up?" Alex questions her.

"Oh my god, When did this become a game?" Hannah questions. "Okay, never have I ever kissed my best friend." Alex states. Mia looks down at her drink nervously and plays with the top of it.

"And I don't really like this generic shit, so..." Alex moves towards Hannah and the kiss. Mia looks and chuckles at the two as Hannah sets down her drink. "Well, uh, we're all best friends." Hannah states as she moves towards Jessica. They both kiss longer than Hannah and Alex do. Mia raises her brows and snickers. She and Alex exchange looks and Mia shrugs her shoulders. "I have a boyfriend." Mia states. Jessica and Hannah separate and they both groan.

"Oh come on, Mia." Jessica says with a smile. Mia scrunches her brows together. "Guys, I'll just sit awkwardly and wait till you three are done." Mia says chuckling.

They all stare at Mia. After a few moments she groans and sets her drink down. "Fine..." Mia says. She moves over to Alex and kisses him. She raises her brows. They all look at each other and laugh. Mia and Jessica kiss for a moment and they all laugh again.

Mia sits back into her spot as Jessica and Alex look at each other. They both kiss, but their kiss was different. Mia and Hannah both looked at the two kissing longer and more intimately. Mia looks down at the blankets and then at Hannah.

Hannah clears her throat and looks at Mia, "Well...I guess it's just you and me." Hannah says. For some reason, Mia couldn't help but feel nervous. She inhales and nods her head. She smiles softly as her and Hannah move closer to each other. It takes a few seconds for Mia to react. She kisses Hannah. They both kiss for a little longer and Mia feels her heart start to beat faster.

She touches Hannah's neck and they both separate. Mia opens her eyes and stares into her emerald green ones. Mia notices she's been staring at Hannah to long and fake laughs. She pats Hannah's neck and turns to Alex and Justin. They were looking at the two and Mia rolls her eyes. "That's how it's done..." Mia says before drinking her Twist up.

Mia snaps her head up from her and Clay's hands intertwined. She looks at the Lawyer still questioning Jessica. "What's happening?" Mia asks.

Mia feels Clay's hand tense up, "Uh...just asking the generic question--Are you okay?" Clay asks trying to change the subject. As the questions end Mia feels like everything's been drained from her body. She gets up and walks to the bathroom. She closes the bathroom stall and closes her eyes. She tries to slow her breathing down and she shakes her head. She was about to open the door when she hear someone else walk in.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Jessica says.

"It's okay," Olivia states.

"No, Hannah was my friend, I just wanted to help her." Jessica says while crying. "No, you did Honey. You did." Olivia comforts her.

"Jessica, Is there...is there something you want to tell me?" Olivia asks. Mia furrows her brows in confusion. "We've all been so focused on Hannah, maybe we should be worried about you." Olivia adds.

"No, no. I'm fine." Jessica states.

"I've listened to the tapes." Olivia says.

'Tapes what tapes?'

She hears the door to the bathroom open. Mia hears her phone ping and she curses quietly.

"Hello?" Olivia calls out. Mia looks at her phone and sees Clay text her saying he's leaving the courthouse and so is Tony. Mia stuffs her phone back into her back pocket and opens the door. She walks out and looks at Olivia. "Mrs. Baker, Hi." Mia says with a soft smile.

Olivia gives Mia a sympathetic smile. Mia shakes her head, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to listen in I just needed to breathe after--"

Olivia embraces Mia in a warm hug. Mia wraps her arms around her as she notices her starting to cry. "Mia...you know you can come to me...about anything, right?" Olivia asks. Mia nods her head. "Yes...thank you, Mrs. Baker--"

"And I told you many times, you can call me Olivia." She states.

Mia chuckles, "Right, I'm sorry..."

They both separate and Olivia rubs Mia's arms. "I don't want you to think that the last resort is taking your life." Olivia says in a shaky voice. Mia tenses up and feels tears start to blur her vision. "I-I-I know that, Olivia...and I am so sorry, that I scared you. But...I'm getting better..." Mia says softly.

Olivia cups Mia's cheek and smiles softly. "I know...you went through a lot with your boyfriend and Hannah, and I am so sorry, but...you are never alone. No matter what you feel, okay? You always have people who love you." Olivia says strongly. Mia feels a tear roll down her cheek and Olivia quickly wipes it away.

"Th-Thank...you, Olivia..." Mia says with sincerity. Mia gets another ping from her phone. Mia inhales and looks at her phone. "Shit..." She whispers.

Mia looks at Olivia and chuckles, "Sorry..." She apologizes.

"No, don't let me censor your life, please. Is everything alright?" She asks. Mia wipes her nose, "Yeah, it's just...I have this dinner thing at one of my friends house. I have to go, Mrs...I mean, Olivia." Mia corrects herself quickly as Olivia says good bye to her.

Mia quickly calls an Uber and runs up to the house. She knocks on the door and Tyler answers. "Jesus, fuck Ty! I am so fucking sorry..." Mia trails off her sentence as she follows Tyler to the kitchen. "If you can't fix your language then you can't be welcomed in this house." The man states in the kitchen. Mia clears her throat and nods her head, "Of course, sir. I am so sorry. It won't happen agai--"

"And you were late to dinner, I don't know about this friend of yours Cyrus." He turns to his son.

Cyrus gives Mia a tight lipped smile. Mia feels her self esteem lower, but Tyler laughs loudly and Cyrus rolls his eyes. "Couldn't hold on for a little longer, Tyler?" Cyrus questions.

Mia looks at the three boys in confusion. "W-Wait...so were you guys...joking?" Mia raises one brow. They all turn to her with straight faces and she laughs. "Um...I'm going to take that as a yes?" She walks into the kitchen and washes her hands.

"Well, I don't care about the swearing, but the arriving late..." He says moving his head side to side. Mia inhales as she dries her hands off. I am so sorry about that sir, I just...I went to court today." Mia says turning to him. she throws the towel away and Tyler's jaw tightens.

"Y-You went to court? Did you...hear anything?" He asks her. Mia tilts her head, "Well...yeah I head things Ty. I was listening...but, I mean. It was just the lawyer being a...female dog?" Mia shrugs her shoulders trying to censor herself.

Cyrus and his father chuckle. "You don't have to censor yourself,remember?" He touches her shoulder and Mia slightly tenses up. "Right...thanks..." Mia says.

She looks at Tyler cutting the onions and Mia moves over to him. "Ty, let me show you how it's done." she says in a fake bragging manner. She grabs the onion and starts to cut it quickly and in perfect sizes.

"Holy Shit, Em!" Cyrus praises her. Mia looks up at him and smirks. "What?" She questions.

"Nothing, it's just...you're a natural." He say simply. Mia snickers, "I've been helping my maid Marisa with cleaning, and cooking, and chores and she helps me learns Spanish. It's actually really cool." Mia says with a sincere smile. Tyler feels his heartbeat skip a beat and he looks away from Mia as he cheeks become flushed.

"That's right, you're rolling in bank." Cyrus nods his head. Mia shakes his head, "Actually, my dad is rolling in bank. He makes that perfectly clear that his weak, stupid, addict, and freak of a daughter can't have anything to do with his money." Mia says with anger.

She looks up at Cyrus's father and sighs, "I'm sorry, I didn't--"

"No, you're fine. In my house, you get to speak about what's on your mind without being judged." He states. Mia smirks.

She hands him the onions in a bowl and he examines them. "Great job, Mia!" He praises. Mia smiles as she sits down with them for dinner, actually feeling like she finally has her life back.