I took Owen's hand, and in front of everyone, I pretended to be strong as we made our hasty exit from the cinema.

Once outside, I yanked my hand away from his and shot him a glare filled with frustration.

"You seriously didn't know about Bruce and Kate?"

"Don't look at me like that! I didn't hear a single whisper!"

Owen kicked a small stone by the sidewalk, turning to confront me. "Aren't you the one who's supposed to know everything about Kate? You had no clue?"

"Ugh! I've become a pawn in their little game!"

I scoffed, realizing how ridiculous this all was.

Kate knew I liked Bruce, and Bruce knew Owen had a crush on Kate.

They were both my friends and his friends, yet they kept this secret from us. It felt like they didn't even consider us friends anymore!

What a mess!

When I got home, my parents were still at work. I was too restless to stay alone, so I headed over to Owen's place.

He was home alone, too; his dad was away on business, and his mom was still at the community center playing poker.

Owen had ordered three dishes from a restaurant downstairs and bought two dozen beers, ready to dig in.

Without hesitation, I plopped down at the table and started eating.

He cracked open two cans of beer, and we each took one, munching and sipping in silence.

I was heartbroken, and he was just as lost.

We had talked about finding people to date, but here we were, both single and miserable!

The guy I liked was with the girl he liked. It was downright absurd!

I seriously overestimated my alcohol tolerance.

After just one can, I was feeling light-headed, and my thoughts were getting hazy.

"What were they thinking?" I fumed. "And I actually thought of her as best friend!

"They don't even tell me they're together—just treating me like I'm invisible!"

Having stuffed myself and downed some drinks, I was getting more and more worked up as I vented to Owen.

"Your buddy just stole the girl you like, and you're not going to say a damn thing about it?"

Owen, looking flushed from the drinks, replied through gritted teeth, "Dude, Bruce is such a jerk! I've told him a million times I like Kate, and he goes and confesses before I get the chance? And plays dumb about it too! Screw this guy; I'm done with him!"

"Well, I don't want Kate either!" I shot back, cracking open another beer and tapping my can against Owen's. "Let's keep drinking and see who holds their liquor better today!"

Eventually, things got fuzzy, and I was completely lost.

The next thing I knew, I was jolted awake by a sharp slap.

I blinked and found myself surrounded by a crowd of faces—my parents, Owen, and his mom, Miranda Augustine.

"Why did you slap me, Mom?" I asked groggily, rubbing my sore cheek.

"What do you mean, why?" Amanda Rodriguez shot back, twisting my ear and pulling me up from the bed. "What on earth were you two up to?"

As I scanned the room, I realized I was in Owen's room. Wait, how did I end up in his bed?

Owen was desperately giving me the eye, urging me to come up with some sort of excuse. But my mind was still scrambled; I couldn't recall what had even gone down.

"Owen, how did I end up in your bed?" I finally managed to ask after a long pause.

He let out a deep breath, then suddenly dropped to his knees in front of my parents. "Mr. Rodriguez, Mrs. Rodriguez, I swear Mia and I just got drunk. Nothing happened! I blacked out, and so did she. We just went to bed—honestly, nothing happened!"

"You little punk! What were you thinking?"

Without waiting for my parents to respond, Miranda swung a feather duster like a whip, smacking Owen with it, and I winced at how hard she was hitting him.

Great, we got drunk and fell asleep together—now we were in really deep trouble!

Before Owen and I had a chance to sort things out, our parents dragged us both into a living room arranged like a war room, ready to discuss the "situation."

"How do we even explain this? My daughter isn't even eighteen; do you know how bad this looks?" Amanda fumed, pointing an accusatory finger at Owen. "You little brat! Did you take advantage of my Mia when she was drunk?"

"I didn't do anything!" Owen protested, his eyes darting over to me, pleading for help.

I stepped forward. "Mom, it's really not what you think."

"Shut it! You don't get a say right now!"

I sat on the sidelines, watching my parents and Miranda lecture Owen like he was a wayward child.

They took turns; they went on for a good thirty minutes!

"Maybe we should throw these kids an engagement party?" Miranda suggested after a while, slapping her knee for emphasis. "We've watched them grow up. They're good kids. This is going to look bad if it gets out, so why not make it official?"

My parents exchanged looks, and to my utter disbelief, they nodded in agreement!

"This engagement party could double as a graduation celebration. How convenient! All our relatives are already in town, so why not kill two birds with one stone? A double whammy!"

I shot a desperate look at Owen, trying to signal him to come up with a plan, but he just rolled his eyes at me.

"When they were grilling me, you said nothing! Now you want me to speak up? Not a chance!"

His defiance was infuriating!

"Mom, can you at least respect our opinions?"

I couldn't hold back any longer.

Amanda shot me a fierce look. "Do you realize the rumors? You sleeping over at his place? I'm trying to protect your reputation!"