Mia gasps as she jolts awake, with her heart racing. She touches her stomach and closes her eyes as she quietly exhales. "Hey..." A soft voice whispers. Mia looks next to her and sighs, "I'm sorry, I woke you up." She says shaking her head as she covers her eyes. "N-No, you didn't...I mean you did, but it's fine." Clay says as he sits up.

Mia smiles at him softly as she looks into his blue eyes through the dark room. "Another nightmare?" He whispers. Mia sighs and nods her head, "Yeah, it was the...same one as always..." She whispers as she lays back down and looks up at the ceiling. Clay lays on his side and sits himself up with his arm. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asks quietly.

Mia bites the inside of her cheek, she folds her hands together and places them on her stomach. "Do you ever wonder...about what would've happened if ...we failed to stop Tyler?" She asks quietly. Out of the corner of her eye Mia notices Clay tense up. "Yeah, I do..." He says quietly.

Mia keeps her eyes on the ceiling, "What happened?" She asks quietly as her voice gets caught in her throat. "Nothing...we just weren't there anymore. He pulled the trigger and...everyone was..." Clay become more quiet and couldn't finish.

"Dead." Mia says in a whisper. Clay nods his head and notices the moonlight reflecting off of the tear that is sliding down her cheek. "Mia." He says worriedly. The blonde haired girl's chin begins to tremble. "There was a time in my life where...I wanted to die, but I-I-I don't want to anymore. I want to live, laugh, and...I want to be with you..." Mia turns to him and quietly cries. Clay watches as sadness clouds her features.

"Hey...Hey..." He whispers as he hugs her. Mia lays her face in the crook of his neck. He rubs her back softly as he comforts her. "Hey, are you guys okay?" Justin asks tiredly as he sits up. Mia and Clay look over at him, Mia wipes her tears. "Uh--yeah, we were just talking." She says with a chuckle.

"Oh god, don't tell me you guys are 'talking' while I'm sleeping." Justin says with a groan. Mia frowns slightly confused, but she soon catches on and groans. "Oh god! Justin!" She grabs a pillow and throws it at him. He receives the pillow to his face. "Ow! What the fuck!" He screams as he throws the pillow back.

"We were just talking. Not 'talking'." She hisses. Clay's face heats up as he finally gets what the two were arguing about. "I-I'm sorry, just ignore him." Clay says.

Mia turns to him and smiles, "already doing it." She whispers. Justin rolls his eyes and lays back on his side facing away from the couple. Mia traces a pattern on the back of Clay's hand. Goosebumps form on the back of his neck. "Hey..." He whispers. Mia looks up at him and he tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. Mia chuckles and she lays closer to Clay and lays her head on his chest.

The next day Mia and Clay stand in front of the lockers as Tyler walks through the doors. "Hey, Ty." Mia greets him. Tyler quietly greets the couple, "How'd you sleep?" Clay asks him. The three walk down the hall together. "Better I guess..." Tyler says as he grips the straps of his bag. "So, Alex stayed with you? Tony gave you guys a ride?" Mia questions him. Tyler nods his head.

"Awesome" Clay and Mia say at the same time. "So. Hey, how about making an appointment to talk to Dr. Singh?" Clay asks. Mia furrows her brows and looks at Clay.

"Why?" Tyler asks. Mia wanted to ask the same thing. "You know, just to talk things through with, who can help." Clay states. Mia shakes her head, "But, he has us." Mia states.

"He does. He definitely does. It's just...maybe she can help in ways that we can't." Clay explains. Mia bites the inside of her cheek. Still feeling anxious about this whole thing.

"Mia and I set up a schedule. Who picks him up in the morning, who takes him between what classes, after school, nightly check-ins." Clay states.

"And if we spread it around, it's not that bad. I can text you the URL. It's password protected." Mia says factly.

Jessica blinks as she grabs the tablet. "There's, like, the insanity of us doing this at all, and then there's the insanity of, "Oh My God, you both built a website together." Jessica states. Mia and and Clay look at each other as laughter fills the table. "Well, we didn't build it per se, it's really just storage space." Mia says then she gives them a tight lipped smile. Jessica smiles, "You guys are adorable." She says.

Mia feels her face heat up and she tugs on her earlobe. "That's a lot of coordination. My brain injury hurts." Alex states.

"How long do we have to do this?" Cyrus asks.

"Till he gets better." Justin answers.

"So...forever." Jessica states. Mia looks over at Jessica with furrowed brows. "People do get better." Justin and Mia say at the same time, as they know what it feels like to get help. Clay touches Mia's thigh and she looks at him and nods her head. "They do." Clay says as he agrees with her.

"I guess we get to summer and see how he is. And maybe senior year, it'll be fine." Clay says reassuring them. As everyone leaves Clay walks Mia to her house. "Why do you want Tyler to see Dr. Singh?" Mia asks.

"Why do you not want him to see Dr. Singh?" Clay asks her back. Mia lightly jabs him with her arm. "I asks you first." She says with a smirk. Clay nods his head, "Dr. Singh is a professional an everything that Tyler has gone through...he won't talk about it with us, but with Dr. Singh maybe he will." Clay explains. Mia places her hands into her jacket and bites the inside of her cheek. "What if..." Mia stops walking and so does Clay. "What if, he does open up, but he opens up too much and something slips. What Dr. Singh turns him in and we lose Tyler, he gets thrown in jail and--"

"Mia, Hey." Clay touches her arm and Mia inhales and stops talking. "You can't worry about that stuff--"

"How can I not? That's all I worry about." Mia says as she runs a hand through her blonde hair. Clay cups her cheeks and she looks up at him, "Tyler's going to be okay, everyone's going to be okay, and most of all..." Clay lets go of her cheeks and he smiles softly. "You're going to be okay." He says. Mia looks into his eyes and smiles. She touches his neck and kisses him on the lips.

Clay places his hands on her waist, "Thank you, Ocean eyes." She whispers. They place their foreheads together and smile.

"I think Chloe's at Sacred Heart, but we don't talk anymore." Jessica states.

"But you two seemed pretty close after Spring Fling." Clay states.

"Yeah, friends come and go." Jessica says as she turns to look at Ani.

Ani raises her brows, "Really? Just like that?"

Jessica and Ani keep their intense eye contact, Clay senses the tension and he inhales. "Were Chloe and Zach ever anything?" He asks.

"Just friends." Jessica answers. "Chloe had major Stockholm when it came to Bryce."

"So, you don't think Chloe and Zach had any secrets?" Ani asks.

"I know Chloe had secrets." Jessica states.

Clay looks at Jessica, "Like?" He questions as he waits for her to answer.

Jessica inhales, "Like...she was pregnant, by Bryce." Jessica states. Ani feels her heart stop, as she also knows someone who has a secret similar to that one. She looks at Clay, and he notices her looking at him. He turns to her and she quickly looks away. Clay furrows his brows.

Ani and Clay walk out of the classroom, "Hey, Ani." He says to her. Ani inhales and turns around, "Yes?" She says raising her brows. "Why did you look at me, when Jessica told us about... Chloe?" He asks her.

Ani rolls her lips in her mouth and chuckles. "Well, because I was just as shocked as you were." She states. Clay looks into her eyes and knows she's not telling the truth. "Do you ever stop lying?" He asks. Ani shakes her head, "Now, that's not fair." Ani states.

In another part of the school, Mia walks down the hall as she pops her gum. She hears arguing and she turns the corner to see Tyler pinned against the wall and Monty yelling at him. Mia feels anger flare up in her chest. Monty walks away and leaves Tyler in a shaken mess. "Tyler..." Mia says quietly.

"Hey, are you okay?" She asks him. Tyler looks at her and can't form any words. Mia runs her tongue over teeth. She touches his chest softly, "I'll walk you to your class--"

"No, I'm fine, I swear." He says. Mia looks into his eyes and she nods her head and sighs.

She walks over to where Monty went, and Tyler's eyes widen, "Wait! Mia don't--"

"Tyler, I promise. I'm not going to do anything." She says. Tyler relaxes and nods his head. He slowly walks away. Mia looks at the bathroom door and walks in. Mia kicks each bathroom stall to check for any other students. She looks up at Monty and he looks at her and chuckles. "This brings back some memories doesn't it?" He asks her.

Mia inhales as she remembers what he did to her. She pushes that down, "Leave Tyler alone." She hisses.

"Or what?" Monty asks trying to intimidate her. "Or I'll hurt you." Mia retorts.

He walks away from her and grabs paper towels. "Haven't we done this already, female walker? What are you gonna do? You gonna run to mommy and daddy? Maybe Brycey?" Monty says as he walks back over to her. Mia frowns slightly and shakes her head, "No, I can take care of myself." She answers.

"Why do you fucking care about Tyler?" Monty asks. He starts to smile and Mia reaches in her pocket, "Wait, are you actually fucking?" He asks with a laugh. Mia pulls out a Swiss Army knife from her back pocket of her jeans and the smile on his face drops.

"If I ever see you speak to him again. I will slit your throat open and watch you gurgle on your blood." Mia says looking up at him with a dark angry look in her eye. "You're a crazy motherfucker." He states.

"Yeah. So leave." Mia hisses. Monty looks at her with slight fear flashing through his eyes as he leaves the bathroom. Mia looks down at the knife and puts it back into her pocket. She smirks and walks out of the bathroom. She bumps into someone and groans, "Sorry." She says to the person.

"Mia?" The voice says. Mia looks up and her eyes widen as she looks at her boyfriend. "Clay, hey...what are you doing here?" She asks.

"It's the boys bathroom...and I need to go to the bathroom." He says. He opens his mouth but Mia speaks, "Jeez, you go to the bathrooms here? It's disgusting, I can't believe you contribute to the messiness of these bathrooms, Jensen." Mia shakes her head and quickly walks away before he can asks her anything else.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"And now I'd like to introduce our next candidate for Liberty president, Jessica Davis." Courtney introduces her. Everyone claps for her. "My name is Jessica Davis. I'm running for president because I want change. I don't mean better dances or new cheer uniforms." Jessica states. Someone interrupts her, "Sexy!" A boy yells.

Mia scoffs, "I fucking hate this school..." She whispers. Clay looks at her and nods his head, "Totally know how you feel." He states. Mia chuckles quietly. "...new cheer uniforms or healthy choices in the vending machines. I mean real change." Jessica continues.

"Bitch!" A voice says.

"Oh yeah! Real Mature, Montgomery!" Mia yells at him as she shakes her head. "You know what? Fuck you. Monty! Fuck all of you jocks!" Jessica shouts in the microphone. Mia folds her arms and leans back in her seat.

"I was raped, by the king of the school and I stayed silent. I protected the jock who raped me because...I don't know. Because I thought it would hurt more to speak up, because I thought it would hurt someone close to me." Jessica says as she makes eye contact with Mia. The short haired girl inhales and looks down at her shoes. "Or II thought it would ruin my reputation. But I am no longer staying quiet. No more. So here's my promise. If you elect me, I will take down the jocks at this school. Put an end to their bullshit. I will not tolerate the ones who protect them, and I will demand that their victims no longer remain silent. Because their silence destroys us all." Jessica says confidently.

Silence fills the auditorium, Mia smiles and quickly stands up. She claps loudly and shouts, "Go Jess!"

Everyone joins her and the crowd roars with pride.

Mia, Nora, and Chloe sit together at the dinner table. "I apologize for my dick of a brother." Mia says as she grabs her glass of water. "Mia." Her mother says.

Mia sips her water and rolls her eyes. "Sounds like Hillcrest is...challenging." Chloe states.

"Only one can hope." Mia murmurs. Ani's mom begins to talk to Mia's grandpa as he throws things around. Mia sighs as she takes another sip of water.

"My dad doesn't like to take his meds." Nora states. "He says they cloud his mind."

Mia snorts quietly and Nora looks over at him. "I'm sorry." Chloe says.

"Well, it's a mind already clouded with old age and bitterness." Nora states.

Mia sets her water and throws up her index finger. "Don't forget, there's what turns out to be a fairly virulent strain of racism that he no longer sees the need to filter." Mia finishes her mother's sentence.

Nora nods her head in agreement. "I bet he was a really nice man before he got sick." Chloe states trying to make the best of things.

"He wasn't." Nora and Mia say at the same time. "But you're sweet to say so." Nora finishes.

"I'm sorry to be blunt, Chloe, but it seems I've lost the capacity to lie." Nora states. Mia smiles, "And that had made this house 100 time more better." Mia raises the fork to her lips.

Chloe nods her head, "I understand."

"Do you? Mean are cruel to prove they're not weak, but they doth protest too much. I was raised by a cruel man and I escaped him by marrying another." Nora states. "The only difference was Dad used his fist and Barry used silence. And neither of them should have been fathers." Nora says, she folds her hands together and leans forward slightly.

Mia drinks some of her water and purses her lips as she looks between Chloe and Nora with confusion. "My son is no different, Chloe." Nora says "In fact...I think he may be worse." Nora finishes. Mia finally caught on to what was happening and her stomach turns.

Mia opens her mouth, "Oh, shit." She whispers.

After dinner, Mia caught up with Chloe. "Hey, wait..." Mia says quietly. Chloe turns around and she tenses up, "Listen, Mia...I know you might be mad--"

Mia shakes her head, "Not at all, Chloe..." Mia looks around and she closes the door. "It's just...I know what you're going through." Mia says.

Chloe furrows her brows and looks into Mia's fragile eyes. "You were...pregnant?" Chloe whispers. Mia nods her head, "Yeah...I was..." She says nodding her head. "Was it...Jeff?" Chloe asks.

Mia nods her head, "No...I was uh-- I was raped. He was my dad's friend and..." Mia wipes her nose and looks away. "Oh, I'm sorry...I didn't know" Chloe says.

Mia nods her head, "Yeah, no one does, my parents made sure of that." Mia states.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Chloe asks. Mia looks back at her, "During Hannah's trial, I told the court...I was sexually assaulted and they...my dad paid the editors and reporters off so they wouldn't say anything." Mia explains.

Chloe's jaw tightens, "I'm sorry, that your story...it was taken away from you like that." She says quietly. Mia smiles softly, "Thanks. But this isn't about me..." Mia says.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Mia asks her. Chloe smiles at her, "No, you don't have to...Zach's going with me." She says quietly. Mia smiles softly, "Zach?" She raises her brows.

Chloe chuckles, "Not like that." She rolls her eyes playfully. "Okay, Okay..." Mia throws her hands in the air. They both laugh, Mia sighs quietly and she hugs Chloe. "I hope everything works out for you..." Mia says with sincerity.

"Thank you." Chloe says to her. They separate and Chloe gets into her car. Mia sighs and looks around for anyone. She closes the door of her house and heads to her room, but what she didn't know was that there was a short curly haired girl listening in on their conversation.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Mia runs through the school hall as she's already late for class. She stops as she sees a group of girls standing in front of her. "Uh...hi?" She raises a brow. She looks at the girl walking towards her. "I don't get it, your brother moves to another school and yet you don't?" She questions. Mia inhales and presses her lips together, "Well I'm not a rapist." Mia says as she begins to walk past them.

The girl blocks her path, "Yeah, and how do we know that?" She asks. Mia looks up at the ceiling, "Casey. Right?" Mia says to her. "Listen, Casey. Bryce is a dick, but...I'm nothing like Bryce. So this intimidation thing..." Mia walks closer to her, "It isn't working." She whispers the last part with a smirk.

Mia brushes past her, Casey quickly turns around and the group of girls surround Mia. Mia's heart begins to bang against her chest. She knows what's about to happen. "Send a message to Bryce for us." Casey shouts. "Fuck Rapists! and Fuck Bryce Walker!" She shouts.

Mia drops her bag, "fuck me..." She says quietly. A fist collides with her face and she stumbles back, two girls grab her arms and hold her as another begins to punch her. Mia gasps for air as they throw her against the lockers. Mia kicks one of the girls running to her. "If I'm going down fighting..." Mia says as she holds her fists up, "Might as well kick some ass..." She whispers.

She punches a girl in the face. She grabs one girls hair and pulls her down to the ground. She feels her hair get tugged at and she is thrown against the walls again. Mia gets punched in the mouth, immediately tasting blood. She falls to the ground with a loud thud. Mia opens her eyes and is greeted with a kick in the face. Mia covers her head as she just lays there, not able to do anything.

"Hey!" A voice says. She feels the pressure off of her body and squeaks of shoes. Mia keeps her arms over her head as she feels someone leans over her, "Mia. Oh shit...are you okay?" A soft voice says.

Mia looks up and groans, "Jesus...I didn't know those chicks had it in them..." She whispers trying to lighten the mood, even though she felt like she could burst into tears. Justin grabs her arm and helps her up. Mia groans as she feels her whole throb in pain.

"We need to report--"

"No!" Mia yells at him. Justin looks at her, "No? Mia, what are you talking about 'no'? They just beat the shit out of you--"

"They did it, because they were mad about Bryce. I-It's no big deal." Mia says.

"Mia, you're bleeding from the nose, mouth, and I can already see the bruises setting in." Justin adds.

"Justin, it's fine alright...I don't blame them...I got a few punches it. It's all good..." Mia says getting out of Justin's grip. "I-I've got to go." She says.

"What? Mia?--"

"I'm going home, Justin...I can't go to class like this." Mia says as she walks slowly down the hall. "I-I'll drive you." He says. Mia shakes her head, "N-No--"

"Stop it." Justin says to her as he grabs her bag and helps her to her car. He drives her home and Mia groans. "Thanks, Justin..." Mia says quietly.

Justin looks at the side of Mia's bruised face, "Mia...you know you can come to Clay and I if you ever need anything." He says to her. Mia licks her swollen lip and tastes dried blood. She clears her throat and nods her head as she looks at him. "Yeah...I-I know, thanks..." Mia says.

She grabs her bag and she looks at him, "Hey, you can...take my car to drive back to your place. I'll pick it up later." She says to him.

He nods his head, "Thanks, Em." He says. Mia gives him a nod and leaves the car. He rolls down the window, "Hey." He calls out to her. Mia turns to look at him. Justin examines her beaten face and her teary eyes. "I love you." He says.

Mia chuckles, "I love you too, brother." Mia replies. She walks up to the door and inhales, she wipes the tears from her eyes and walks in. Mia walks into the kitchen, but sees everyone in their. She quickly turns around. "Mia." her mother says. Mia stops walking away, "I didn't know you all would be here." Mia says as she keeps her face looking away from them.

"Well, it's the end of the school day and...we all live here so..." Bryce winces as his mom checks his cuts.

"Your home late, Clay was worried about you." Ani says.

Mia nods her head, "I'll be sure to talk to him later." Mia nods her head as she walks away.

"Stop." Nora says. Mia stops again, "What's wrong?" She asks. "Nothing..." Mia says quietly. She curses quietly as she was being too quiet. "Turn around." Nora says.

"Mom, I actually have a lot of homework and--"

"Turn. Around. Now." She emphasizes.

Mia inhales and turns around slowly. She opens her eyes and looks at them sheepishly. She looks at all of their faces but she stops as she sees Bryce's banged up face. "Dude, what happened?" She chuckles.

"Mia--"

"Oh, by the way. The girls at Liberty wanted to send a message." Mia turns to him as she opens her water bottle. "I think it was...oh yeah! Fuck Rapists! and Fuck Bryce Walker!" Mia shouts as she raises her fist in a protest way. Ani's mom begins to patch Mia up.

"Damn, Mia...I'm sorry--"

"You know, even with you at another school. You still seem to fuck up my life." She laughs like she's going insane. "Mia, stay calm." Nora says.

Mia steps out of Ani's moms grip. "Thank you, Amara Josephine." Mia says with a small smile. She grabs the gauze. "Mia, just let her help you." Nora states.

Mia looks at her mom and sniffs. She walks back over to Amara and sits down. She looks at Bryce and she smirks, "How does it feels to be the hated child?" Mia asks.

"Mia!" Nora hisses. Mia rolls her eyes, Bryce stands up and walks away as he grabs the gauzes. Nora walks away as well. Ani watches as Bryce walks away, she goes to follow him.

"Amorowat! Not our job." She says to her daughter. Mia looks at Ani, and as she turns around she makes eye contact with Mia. She inhales and walks towards her mother. Mia felt something in her stomach about her brother and Ani. She didn't like it either.

Mia wakes up with a gasp as she hears crying. She quickly gets out of her bed, "Mom?" She calls out. She walks down the stairs as looks at her mom. She sees her talking to the Sheriff. She slowly stops at the end of the steps. "M-Mom?" She squeaks quietly as she sees the tears in her eyes.

Nora walks over to her mom, "Mia...sweetie, they possibly found Bryce." Nora says quietly. "Wait...where?" She asks as she looks around.

Nora and the Sheriff look at each other. Mia notices them exchange sad looks, "Mom? Where's Bryce?" She asks.

"Mia, they found a body at the river." Nora says trying to stay calm and not think about the worst. Mia inhales as her throat immediately becomes dry. "W-Well...it's a body, it doesn't mean it's...Bryce's bodies." Mia states.

Nora opens her mouth, "Of course sweetie, but we have to expect--"

"We have to expect the best. It's not Bryce. He's okay, just taking a break from everything after the Homecoming game." Mia smiles softly and walks back up the stairs. She touches the railing to help her shaky legs up the stairs. She closes her room door and leans against it. She closes her eyes, but she feels something rise in her throat. She runs over to the trashcan and vomits. She breathes heavily.

Good Morning to Mia.

A/N: Hey Guys! I'm sorry that I haven't updated on this story lately. I'm so ashamed, but...I literally have one week until Winter Break, so...expect a lot of updates. If you liked this chapter give it a like or comment it would be much appreciated! Love y'all!