Saving Ever After (Ever After #4) (7 page)

Chris

“That’s
Sadie’s other sister?” Katrina asked with raised eyebrows as she watched the
scene before us.

“Yeah,
that’s Mia.” I cringed as I watched her start to stumble and then reach out
with her hand that wasn’t holding an almost full champagne flute. She latched
onto Ace’s sister for support. They laughed and then carried on dancing as if
she hadn’t just about fallen on her ass. From the stories I’d heard about Bree,
she was no doubt the instigator of their little dance party that was taking
place in the dining room. Between the three girls, I didn’t want to know how
much champagne they’d consumed, but Mia was undoubtedly the drunkest, barely
able to stand, singing boisterously and not at all pleasantly. Not that she
could get many actual words out between the non-stop giggles.

“She looks
like she can’t be more than seventeen. Shouldn’t someone do something about
her?” Katrina said distastefully.

I had to
agree with her. I’d watched the past hour and a half as Mia progressed from
lively right into drunk, and then piss drunk. Sadie had been distracted with
her party, mingling and accepting congratulations as she entertained everyone,
oblivious to how out of control Mia was getting, or she would have cut her off
a while ago. Honestly, I should have put a stop to it myself. Now there wasn’t
a person here who wasn’t aware of just how drunk Mia was. Her other two sisters
were standing there, watching Mia with contemptuous looks. They were her
sisters. They should have done something besides stand there and stare.

“She’s
eighteen, and yeah, she’s a little wild sometimes, but she’s actually a sweet
girl.”

“Real sweet,
I’m sure. And real classy.  She’s not only embarrassing herself, she’s
embarrassing Sadie.”

I looked
over to see Sadie watching her sister with concern, finally realizing that Mia
had gone way past just having a good time. I knew Sadie didn’t give a fuck
about what anyone here thought. She wasn’t embarrassed. She was worried about
her kid sister.

“I’ll be
right back,” I told Katrina.

“Where are
you going?”

“I’m just
going to talk to her,” I said. “Give me a minute.” I walked up behind Mia,
gently grabbing her shoulder to get her attention. She jerked, sloshing
champagne out of her glass as she tried to turn on her heels to face me. She
would have landed on her ass if I hadn’t steadied her. I grabbed the glass from
her hand. “I’ll take that. You’ve had enough.”

“Oh no I
haven’t.” She tried to take it back from me, but I easily kept it away from her
while still holding her upright with my other hand on her elbow.

“Mia. You’re
drunk,” I said flatly.

“I’m having
fun
.”
Hazel green eyes narrowed on me. “So don’t you worry about me. You just go back
to Ellll-vira the vampire succubus over there and let me dance.” She yanked her
arm from my grasp and turned back to the other two.  They seemed to finally be getting
that they were creating a bit of a spectacle and quit dancing. Mia didn’t, or
just didn’t care.

“Mia,
seriously, this is enough.” My irritation was growing.

“If you’re
not going to give me back my champagne, you can just go,
Chrissstian.”
I
was taken aback by her hostility. This was a side to her I hadn’t seen, and one
I really didn’t like. I couldn’t find any trace of the sweet girl I usually saw,
in those cold eyes. Whatever was going on with her, I had a hard time accepting
that this angry, out of control person was really her.

The real
Mia, her eyes were usually warm and sometimes a little sad, but when she smiled
it was dangerous, because it made you want to work your ass off to be the one
to put it on her face, even when you knew that job didn’t belong to you and
never would. And her laugh, the genuine one that bubbled up from inside her and
spilled over, infecting everyone around, was nothing like the flat, listless
giggles that fell from her drunk lips now. I knew, because I’d heard and felt
the real one. I’d seen the real Mia. She didn’t stay with us very long last
year, but it was enough for me to see the girl that she was when she wasn’t
trying to be anything else. The girl who was now hiding behind this hard,
defensive exterior.

“Hey Chris,”
Sadie came up beside me, but before she could say anything else, Mia turned and
threw her arms around her sister.

“Sadie! My
favorite sister, the only one doesn’t think I’m a complete screw up. Dance with
me. You’re getting married!”

Sadie’s face
fell as a wobbly Mia tried to pull her into dancing. “Mia, that’s not true. You’re
not a screw up, but I think you should come sit down with me for a while and
sober up.”

“Sober is no
fun,” Mia whined playfully, and then sighed, “Sober Mia is no fun. I’m fun now
though, and the champagne makes it not suck as much.”

“What sucks,
Mia?” Sadie asked her softly.

“All of it,”
she whispered, and the heavy sadness clinging to her words ebbed some of my
irritation with her. This was more than her letting loose and not knowing her
limits. She was clearly not having a good time and trying to cover it up. She dropped
her head to Sadie’s shoulder. “I don’t feel so well. I think maybe you’re right
and I do need to sit down.”

“Come on,” I
put one arm around her back and let her lean on me so I could get her over to
the couch. Mia finally seemed to notice the few eyes that still lingered on her,
and realize that she’d caused a scene.

“I’m sorry
I’m ruining your party, Sadie. You’re the only one who still cares and I just
wanted to be happy for you. I tried to make myself happy, but now I think I’m
just drunk.” She tipped her head back against the sofa cushion and closed her
eyes.

“Oh, Mia,”
Sadie whispered, pained, but I don’t think Mia heard her.

“She needs
to go home,” I told her.

“I know. Ace
and I will take her. I just want her to rest a little first.”

“No. You
guys can’t leave your own party. I’ll take her,” I offered.

“
Chris,”
a
voice sounded behind me. I hadn’t even realized Katrina had followed us over,
but she appeared more than slightly annoyed.

“You don’t
have to do that, Chris,” Sadie said.

“It’s okay,
I don’t mind.” I looked at Katrina. “You can follow in my car, and then we can
come back or head home, whatever you want,” I told her.

“Fine.” Her
mouth was pinched in a tight line.

“Thank you,
guys.” Sadie sounded relieved. Katrina gave her a strained smile. I’d have to
make it up to her later.

Despite
Mia’s attempts to refuse my help, I was able to get her outside and to her car.
It took ten minutes of arguing with her before she handed over her keys. She
kept shoving at me, trying to get back inside, demanding somebody else drive her
home. I hated that she wouldn’t let me help her, that she seemed to want anyone
but me to help her. I didn’t know what her sudden problem with me was, but my
frustration mounted and I snapped.

“You’re a
fucking mess right now, Mia! Nobody else wants to deal with you,” I shouted at
her, instantly wishing I could take it back when I saw the look of hurt on her
face.

After my
verbal slap to the face, she handed the keys over without anymore protest and
dejectedly climbed into the passenger seat. She managed to buckle herself in
while I stood there regretfully, trying to think of something to say that would
take away some of the sting of my harsh words, but I didn’t know what. I just
walked around to the driver seat and slid in.

“Look Mia,”
I started once we were driving, but she stopped me.

“Don’t bother
apologizing. We both know it’s true.” She leaned her head against the window. Her
eyes stared straight ahead.

“Not it’s
not,” I tried to say.

“I said
don’t,” she bit out sharply, trying to mask the emotion in her voice. The rest
of the ride passed in silence.

When we
pulled up outside her dorm, I found the closest parking spot and shut off the
car. I climbed out and walked around to the other side to help her inside. She
was still being stubborn, refusing my help and pushing me away. My patience was
wearing thin and my irritation was flaring again. I wanted to demand she tell me
whatever her issue was with me helping her. Instead I made another asshole
remark.

“Mia, you
can’t even walk straight, especially not in those damn shoes. Just let me help
you inside before you fall on your face.”

Her
stubbornness only rocketed up, and she started kicking off her shoes. “Look,
now I can walk just fine. You can go home and leave me alone.”

Before I
could argue with her further, or shake some sense into her, we were
interrupted.

“Mia, that
you?” We both looked over to see a small group approaching, three girls and two
guys. Even with the lack of lighting in this parking strip, I could see one of
the guys was very blatantly checking Mia out. Ignoring my presence, he let out
a low whistle, “Wow, you look good tonight. What’s the special occasion and where
were you all day?”

Mia looked
me dead in the eye, “Somebody doesn’t think I look like a mess tonight,” she said
in a small voice, and then turned toward the guy who couldn’t keep his eyes
above her neckline.

Fuck, of
course she looked beautiful, even sloppy drunk, and yeah, I noticed, even
though I shouldn’t. She had to know it. She had to own a damn mirror and be
able to see what I did, and that jackass did and every other male with eyes. Obviously
my comment had wounded her more than I thought.

“I was at my
sister’s engagement party,” she explained to her friends, not giving me a
second look.

“Oh that was
tonight? I completely forgot you told me about that,” one of the girls said.

“Well, what
a coincidence,” Mr. wandering eyes drolled out lazily, “you’re just coming from
a party and we’re just headed to one. You still in the partying mood, pretty
Mia?” He flashed a sleazy grin at her.

“Mia, I
don’t think that’s a good idea,” I said softly in her ear and then fixed a hard
glare on the asshole that didn’t even care that Mia was in no shape to party
anymore. “She’s all partied out for the night guys. You should go on without
her.”

Mia snapped
her eyes to mine. “Go home, Chris,” she hissed and then bent down to grab the
shoes she’d kicked off. “Hell yes, I’m still in the partying mood. Lead the
way!”

Everything
in me wanted to stop her from going with them, even if it meant throwing her
over my shoulder and getting her the hell out of there, but the honking of a
car horn behind me, stopped me. Katrina was in my car waiting for me at the
entrance to the parking lot. I knew she was growing impatient. As much as I
hated the idea of letting Mia go with them, I couldn’t exactly lock her up. She
wasn’t my responsibility and I had no way to stop her, short of locking her up,
so I forced myself to turn around, leaving her in the hands of her friends. I stalked
away angrily

“What was
all that?” Katrina asked, climbing out of the car and moving over the
passenger’s side so I could climb into the driver’s seat.

“Mia’s
friends. They wanted her to go party some more. I tried to tell her she
shouldn’t go, but she wouldn’t listen. Girl is so damn stubborn!” I slammed my
hand against the wheel in frustration.

“Whatever,
it’s not your problem. She seems like a spoiled little brat that only thinks
about herself.” I couldn’t blame her for thinking that. This was the first time
she’d ever met Mia, and it wasn’t exactly one of Mia’s shining moments, but
still I found myself defending her, not even sure why I was, or why I was
letting Mia get me so worked up.

“You don’t
know her.”

Katrina’s
eyes on me turned assessing. “And you do? Is that why you’re making her your
problem?”

I spared one
more glance for Mia, who was climbing into a car with that guy. Something more
than just frustration churned in my gut. I didn’t know exactly what it was,
only that it had everything to do with me not wanting to leave Mia in the hands
of that fucker. I wanted to slam my hand down on the steering wheel again, or
hit something, but I forced myself to let out a deep breath and I kept my hands
firmly on the wheel, putting the car in drive and getting us out of there.

“I know she’s
not my problem, and I know Mia didn’t make a good impression tonight. Maybe she
is a little bit selfish and spoiled, but she’s not a brat. If you knew how she
was raised, what her parents are like . . . Mia’s got a lot of growing up to
do, but it’s not all her fault. She’s only eighteen and trying to figure out
her place and how to deal with the shit going on in her life. Don’t judge her
too harshly for it.”

“You seem to
care an awful lot what I think about her,” Katrina commented. “You sure you’re
not trying to make her your problem?”

“It’s not
like that. I can just relate to some of what she’s going through and I don’t
like seeing what it’s doing to her. She’s Ace’s family now, which makes her
family. Period. That means I give a shit.” Only I knew I’d give a shit whether
she was going to be Ace’s family or not. It wasn’t her relationship to anyone
else that brought it out in me. It was her. Just her.