Mia

"You look hot!" I exclaim as I look Sara up and down.  She did a quick spin, showing off her outfit.  After changing a million different times, she settled for a pair of ripped up booty shorts and a black crop top.  "Wear these," I insisted throwing a pair of black sandals at her.  She catches one of them, but the other falls to the ground.

    "Thanks," She muttered, bending down to pick it up.  She slid them on her feet and examined herself in front of the long mirror on the closet door.   

    "How do I look?"  I ask, mimicking her spin.  I am wearing my black romper that I had bought last week at Forever 21.  It shows off my long legs, hitting my mid-thigh.  Not too short but short enough to show off one of my best features.  I also like that it covered the front but was almost completely backless.  Classy, yet some edge.  

    "Amazing, as usual!  I don't know how you are single."  Sara says as she runs the straightener through her locks.  Her makeup was on point tonight.  She had let me help her apply it, so I went with a smoky eye to match her outfit.  The dark makeup really made her eyes pop.  

    "I am single because all the guys here are douchebags," I joke, sliding my feet into a pair of black sandals myself.  I turn to look in the mirror and fluff my hair.  I left my hair curly and just sprayed some product in it.  I did my makeup very similar to Sara's.  Smoky is my go-to makeup routine for night life.  

    "The boys are here!" Sara announced, glancing at her phone.  "Bryson just texted."  We each grabbed out wristlets and headed out the door. 

    Bryson eyes Sara as we walk out to his car.  I can see the adored expression on his face the minute we close the door behind us.  I can already see Alex's shape in the front passenger seat. Bryson looks Sara up and down, eyes never leaving her body.  

    "He is sure checking you out," I whisper, leaning in.  She blushes and looks at the ground as she walks.  "Stop acting shy.  Own it. Be bold" 

    Bryson opened the door for us, like he does every time.  He leans in and plants a gentle kiss on my cheek.  "You look stunning." 

    Alex glances back at us, as I plop in the seat after Sara.  His eyes linger on me for a few seconds before he turns back around.  I can't tell if he likes me or not.  I mean, I do find him attractive.  I was halfway hoping that he would make a move but was disappointed when he said that he preferred Sara over me.  

    "My friends Josh and Tate are meeting us there," Alex announced.  

    "Are they cute?" I ask, grinning over at Sara.  

    "I don't know.  I don't check them out," Alex scoffs. 

    I see Bryson keep glancing back at Sara in the rearview mirror.  He's got it bad, that's for sure!  I have a feeling things are going to heat up between those two sooner than later.  That is exactly what Sara needs in her life, a good guy.  A stable relationship.  Where she isn't always having to worry about what he is doing, or if he is being faithful.   

    We pull up to the house once again, and we all pile out of the car.  Alex throws his arm around me this time and leads me into the house.  Bryson and Sara follow.  

    "Want a drink?"  Alex asks me, as I immediately take a seat on the couch.  I nod and throw him a smile.  Sara takes a seat beside me as Bryson follows Alex to the kitchen.  

    "Are you into Alex?"  Sara asks, watching the guys walk off.  

    "I don't know.  I mean, I guess he's cute," I reply casually.  Sara knows me too well and lets out a small laugh. 

    Before anything else can be said, or teased, Alex's blonde spikes appear, moving towards us.  Bryson and him

 are no longer alone.  Three other guys are laughing and joking around with them.  One of them happens to be absolutely gorgeous.  I can't help but to stare.  

    "Mia, Sara, this is Josh, Tate, and Lucas," Alex introduces everyone.  Tate and Lucas look very familiar.  I think I might have seen them before at the beach with Bryson.  Tate lifts a hand and gives a slight wave in our direction.  Josh's eyes catch mine and I feel like I can't breathe.  He looks very similar to Alex, minus the bleach.  He has dark hair, a little bit of stubble, and bright green eyes.  He is in black skinny jeans and a black V-neck.  His lip and eyebrow are pieced, just like Alex's.  Both arms are marked with sleeves of tattoos.  I don't even notice the other guy or acknowledge him.  I can hear Sara say hi to all of them.  Josh eyes don't leave mine.  I keep telling myself to look away but can't. 

    "Mia, here you go," Alex hands me a cup, forcing me to look away.  I look into the cup to a see a red liquid.  I thank him as he gives me a weird look.  I turn bright red, knowing I've been caught.  He saw me staring at his friend.  Hopefully, he isn't upset over it.  Then again, I can't even tell if is flirting with me anyways.  I take a long drink from the cup.  The vodka burns my lips.  Cherry vodka sour, how did Alex know that was my favorite?

    Alex squeezes in beside me on the couch and throws his arm back around my shoulders.  It is almost like he is reading my mind.  He pulls me towards him, like claiming his territory. I let him.  Well, I don't push him away, I mean.  I can feel Josh's eyes on me.  I look over at Bryson and Sara who are on the other side of me.  Sara is whispering something into Bryson's ear. 

    "Let's go dance!" I randomly suggest, grabbing Sara's arm and pulling her up off the couch with me.  Bryson looks up at us confused and then shrugs.

    There are quite a few people dancing and I join in the crowd.  One of my favorite songs is blaring through the speakers.  I can feel them staring at us, but I don't care.  The beat of the hip hop song is contagious.  Sara's body is close to mine and moving against me to the music.  I feel a hand on my hip, and I twirl around to see a random dude pulling me towards him.  I break away from Sara and give her a look, telling her it's okay.  It's just dancing.  She looks back at the guys nervously.  I grind against him, moving to the rhythm.  He is a few inches taller than me and I can smell the whiskey on his breath.  I think I recognize him from the football team.  He looks like the jock type.  Not drop dead gorgeous, but not horrible to look at either.  Part of me wishes that Josh would come out here and dance with me.  But if he won't, I'll sure put on a show for him.  I want to look and see if he is watching, but I don't want him to catch me looking.  I look over at Sara, who surprisingly is still dancing.  There are mostly girls out here dancing anyways.  She looks like she is enjoying herself.  She is so pretty when she just lets loose and has a great time. 

 His hands slowly go lower, and eventually are grabbing my backside.  He pushes his body against mine.  I push his hands away and take a step back.  "Stop!"  He grabs at me again, this time leaning in and kissing my neck.  He is too strong.  I keep pushing against him, but nothing is happening.  I can feel him breathing in my hair.  

"Get off of her!"  I hear Sara shout.  She is beside me now and helping me push him off.  He falls to the floor, losing his balance.  

"What the hell is going on?"  Bryson's voice carries over the music.  He appears beside me, looking down at the jock.  He scrambles up and holds his hands up in front of him to protect himself.

"We were just dancing," he protests.  Bryson's nostrils flare, and I can tell that he is angry.  I turn around and see that all the guys are watching.  Josh's green eyes stand out.  Did he see all of that?  Did he see the way that guy touched me?  I make eye contact with Alex and he looks a little pissed.  A crumpled up red cup is on the floor by his feet.  Why didn't he come help me when he saw that I was trying to push him off me?  

Bryson puts a hand on my lower back and guides me back towards the couch.  "That's enough dancing for the two of you."

I look over my shoulder at him and throw him my best pouty face.  My eyes catch his hands.  Their hands.  Bryson and Sara's fingers are intertwined.  I can't help but to smile.

I take my seat beside Alex and look over at him.  "That was hot." I couldn't tell if he was joking or not.  He wasn't smiling. I ignore him.  Lucas is sitting in the chair beside the couch, with a blonde sitting on his lap.  Thank goodness it isn't Becca.  Tate and Josh are holding their own conversation between the two of them.  I look Josh up and down.  He is the prettiest guy I have ever seen.  So Flawless.  

    "Do you like him?" Sara whispers in my ear.  Her question catches me off guard.

    "Who?"  I ask.  

    "Josh? Alex? You tell me!" Sara replies, trying not to laugh.  

    I roll my eyes and then look over at Josh.  I'm surprised to see him looking at me.  A few more girls have wondered over, but Josh isn't paying any attention to them.  Tate has his arm around a leggy brunette.  "I could ask you the same thing!"  

    I finish the last drop in my cup and stand up to go make another.  Sara volunteers to go with me.  

    The minute we walk in the kitchen, I see Rob in there with his usual group of people.  I look over at Sara to see if she has noticed.  She hasn't yet, thank goodness.  We make our way over to the counter, where I make us each another sour cherry vodka.  

    Rob turns towards us and I shake my head at him, trying to keep him from coming over to us.  

    "You never texted me back," Rob walked over anyways, ignoring me.  Sara looked up, mid sip.  

    "I'm sorry, I got busy," She lied.  She continued to nurse her drink.  

    "I was hoping we could talk?" 

    "Sure," Sarah agreed, surprising me.  "I'll be right back," she looked at me and gave me a wink.  I watched her follow him out the back door.  How long are they going to keep doing this little dance?  She is going to ruin things with Bryson if she isn't careful. 

    I head back towards the guys, alone.  Bryson looks past me and his face scrunches up.

    "Where's Sara?"  I knew this question was coming the minute I saw him.  

    "She's outside.  She'll be back in a few minutes." I'm hoping that he'll drop it and not ask any more questions about it.  

    "Who is she with?"  Crap. 

    "Rob." I hate saying his name.  I hate the look on Bryson's face when I say it.  And I hate what I know is about to happen.  "Don't do anything stupid this time.  I don't think it's what you think."  I watch him throw back his drink, finishing it off.  His eyes are shadowed with hurt.  

    "Mia, come here for a minute," Alex calls over to me. I stand up and go over to him.  "My friend over here thinks you're hot."  My eyes go wide, and I can feel myself blush.  I was not expecting that.  I don't even know what to say.  My heart skips a beat.  I finally get the nerve to look up and meet Josh's eyes.  They are so intense.  I'm trying to read his expression but can't.    

    This is awkward.  Right as I was trying to come up with something to say, Sara brushes past me and heads over to where Bryson is still sitting.  I can tell that she has been crying.  Her eye makeup is smeared, and she has black streaks running down her face.  I hold up my index finger to tell them to hold on and follow her.  

    "Are you okay?"  I ask her.  She wipes underneath her eyes and nods.  Bryson stares at the ground, fiddling with his empty cup.  "What did he say?"  I press her for more information. 

    "He wants to work things out," her voice+ cracked.  I want to say something sarcastic about Rob and her but decide to bite my tongue.  I have to keep reminding myself that I have no clue what she is going through.  She has had plenty of boyfriends since I've known her, but this was her most serious one.  She has always had boys chasing her.  I mean, look at her, she is drop dead gorgeous.  

 Thank goodness she didn't give him her virginity.  

    Bryson's eyes shoot up at her words.  He looks completely gutted right now.  Poor guy.  I truly feel sorry for him because she has sure put him through hell.  

    "I told him no," she continued.  "I told him that I didn't love him."  The music is so loud, I hope I heard her right.  

    "Wait, so you are completely done with him?  What did he say?" My curiosity always gets the best of me.

    "He started crying.  I have never seen him cry before."  Her shoulders shake as she lets out a low sob.  I can tell she is trying to hold them in but can't.  "I just feel bad for hurting him."

    "Wait…. hurting him?"  I question, anger rising in my chest.  Does she seriously think that?  "He cheated on you.  He hooked up with someone else!"  

    With that, Bryson stood up and walked off.  I can tell he is upset by the way his shoulders are slumped.  My eyes follow him as he made his way towards the kitchen.

    "Great!" Sara muttered under her breath.  

    I turn back towards her and before I could stop myself, the words fell out of my mouth.  "What the hell is wrong with you?"  

    Sara looked taken back by my words.  They might've been harsh, but I couldn't help it.  She is about to ruin one of the best things to happen to her.  She's been pining after Bryson and vice versa since day one.  I don't know why she doesn't uncomplicate things and just go for it and leave Rob in the past.  It is my job as her best friend to make her aware of the mistake she is about to make.  

    "What do you mean?"  She asks, pretending she doesn't know what I'm talking about.

    "Bryson is crazy about you and I know you feel the same way.  You're going to regret pushing him away.  Soon, he'll get tired of chasing you and he'll move on."  I could tell by Sara's face that my words cut into her like a knife.  I felt bad for hurting my friend's feelings, but someone needed to give her a wakeup call.