{Allie comes out of her flashbacks and turns over in bed, to lay on her back.}

(A couple hours later, she hears her room door open and someone come in. She sits up to see her mom standing in the room. She crawls in bed and under the covers with Allie. Allie lays against her, resting her head on Laura's shoulder. Laura puts her arm around her.)

Laura: Hey, princess.

Allie: Hey. *sniffles and wipes her eyes*

Laura: Whatcha been doin'?

Allie: Just laying here. Thinking. I can't sleep, so I figured, why not daydream?

Laura: *chuckles a bit*

Allie: Is he still gone?

Laura: Yeah. He still hasn't come back yet. He's pretty upset.

Allie: He should be. Mostly with her.

Laura: I know.

Allie: I wish I understood what he sees in her. Why he just chases after her.. She's so mean to him. And she doesn't even love him.

Laura: Nat is..a very loving person. You know this. And, I think he's just afraid that he'll never have that one girl to love him the way he's always wanted. He has always had aspirations towards love and a family, growing up. He's always loved the idea of someday having his own. With the perfect girl. And you know how time moves. He'll be 22 this year, he's graduating soon. He just doesn't wanna spend his life constantly looking for someone to be with and he doesn't wanna be alone. He has plans for when he wants certain things to happen. He wants to see them through. But, he's spent 6 years with Aviana. So, you kinda have to see why he's trying so hard to make it work. Any other guy would've called it quits in a heartbeat and ran off to fool around with someone else, but you know Nat. He's not like other guys. When he's in a relationship, he works to keep that relationship. And nobody puts so much time into something for years, just to quit when things get bumpy. I think Nat just wants to prove that he's a good person to be in a relationship with and that he can be. Aviana's walking around, as if he isn't shit. The whole world knows about them. It's stressful. The slightest disagreement could make Nat look so bad, in the eyes of girls everywhere. He just has a lot going on right now and I think he just believes that keeping Aviana happy will solve his problems. I also think he's holding on to how they used to be in high school. I think he just misses that so much, that he's optimistic about getting it back. And that's why he keeps staying with her.

Allie: She's no good for him, mom.

Laura: We all know that, honey. And, I'm sorry, not to be a pain, but, had you told Nat how you really felt back then, maybe he'd have you right now, instead of her. And you're every bit of good for him.

Allie: Now's not really the time for you to rub in what everyone else has already been saying.

Laura: I'm sorry, honey. But, Alex was right. And he has every right to be upset about this. That girl has been toying with his emotions for 6 years and knowing that it could've all been avoided, had you just been honest with Nat, angers him. You tell Nat everything, sweetie. Why not tell him how you really feel? I know you're afraid of how he'll react, but Polly's right. You should not let that stop you. Especially if you really love him as much as say you do. Which, I know you do.

Allie: I think I was mostly afraid of what he'd say.. We never really disagree on anything. And knowing that he doesn't agree with friends dating.. Knowing that he might just tell me no so seriously.. It scared me. It still scares me. I don't wanna hear that I can't have him. I can't hear that. Especially not from his own mouth. It'll tear me apart.

Laura: I understand, honey. But Nat needs to know. He deserves to know. Not just for his sake, but yours too. You've never lied to him. And just think about how hurt he'll feel, if he finds out from someone else.

Allie: I know.

Laura: I'm just glad that I finally know. Deep down, I think I've always known. *petting her hair, she chuckles warmly* Watching you two grow up was the best thing about my life. It still is. I sit and think about it all the time. Nat's always been so good to you. Seeing that little baby boy kiss and cuddle you all the time, caring for you. It melted my heart. And all you've ever done is love and love him. There would be so many times where you would cry and literally no one could get you to stop, except him. And all he would do is crawl right up next to you.

Allie: *smiles a little and giggles a bit*

Laura: For the life of me, I could not understand your infatuation with him. It's like he was your stuffed animal or something. You refused to let him go anywhere away from you. It used to drive me insane. You would throw such a fit. I think that's when I really started to know you were in love with him. You wanted him more than you wanted your dad. It used to make him so jealous.

Allie: *chuckles a bit*

Laura: *chuckles* So, all that talk you did, growing up, about getting married someday, living in your perfect house, having a bunch of kids.. That was all about Nat, wasn't it?

Allie: Yeah. *sniffles and wipes her eye* It always was.

Laura: *just kisses her head*

Allie: I knew I wanted to be his girlfriend when I was 6. I knew I wanted to marry him when I was 11. I knew I wanted to have kids with him when I was 14. Maybe I knew before then. I just..fell more and more in love with him as we grew up. I just always knew he was the only person I wanted, mom.

Laura: It scared me half to death when you talked about having kids that young. *chuckles a bit* I used to freak out.

Allie: *laughs a little* I know.

Laura: *laughs* I would really just sit there and wonder, like, uh, does she know how that happens?

Allie: I was fully aware, mom. *chuckling*

Laura: Then you are so grounded!

Allie: *laughs hard* What?! You can't ground me now! I'm 21!

Laura: Technically, I can ground you until you're 25! *chuckling* Talking like that to your mother, and you were only 15!

Allie: *laughing* I was just letting you know!

Laura: Oh, goodness. *chuckles and shakes her head* Having a daughter is so stressful.

Allie: But you love me, right? *looks at her, with a innocent smile*

Laura: *smiles at her and kisses her forehead* With all my heart. I love you so much, baby girl.

Allie: I love you too, mommy. *hugs her tight*

Laura: Don't worry, princess. We're gonna help you get through this. *rubbing her back* Everyone's worried about you.

Allie: No one's asleep, yet?

Laura: No. We can't sleep. It's been a crazy night. Kristina can't sleep because she wants to see you. Polly can't sleep until Nat comes home. Everyone's just up. *sighs* I can't sleep because I'm so worried about you and Fat Daddy. *looks at her*

Allie: Yeah. Me too.

Laura: Anyway, if you're not sleepy, I think you should get up and go be with your friends. It's been a trying trip for all of you. Maybe you guys should have a drink. Nat certainly is.

Allie: That actually sounds good.

Laura: Yeah? *pets her hair*

Allie: Yeah.

Laura: Go ahead. I'm gonna go sit with Polly and Michael for a minute. Try to get your godmom to relax.

Allie: Ok. *kisses her mom's cheek and crawls out of bed*

(She leaves the room and goes back over to Nat's room. No one was in there. That's when she checked Alex's room and found everyone sitting in there, on the floor, in a cirle. She goes and joins the circle, sitting next to Kristina. Kristina hugs her.)

Allie: Hey, guys. *low voice*

Alex: Glad you could join us. *low voice*

Kristina: You alright? *low voice*

Allie: Not really. But, I can't sleep, so, I figured I'd get my sad ass out of bed and come sit with you guys. *low voice* Does everyone just sound sad?

Alex: Pretty much. *low voice* We're contemplating some drinking and some chit chat. Like old times. You in?

Allie: *shrugs carelessly* What the hell. I got nothin' better to do.

Alex: That's the spirit.

David: *low voice* Who's got the booze?

Alex: I can take the limo and make a run. *low voice* All I got left is a bottle of gin.

Thomas: Let's hit that before you make your run.

Alex: *goes and grabs his bottle of gin, then sits back down and opens it up* First sip goes out to my troubled ass brother.. *takes a hit from the bottle*

Everyone: Amen.

Alex: *passes the bottle to his right, over to Teala*

Teala: *takes a hit from the bottle and passes it to her right, to Cooper*

Cooper: *takes a hit from the bottle and passes it to the right* Man, that burns.

Qaasim: *takes the bottle and takes a hit, then passes it to the right, to Thomas*

Thomas: *takes a hit from the bottle and passes it to the right, to David*

David: *takes a hit from the bottle and passes it to the right, to Cody*

Cody: *takes a hit from the bottle and passes it to the right, to Stiles*

Stiles: *takes a hit from the bottle and passes it to the right, to Kristina*

Kristina: This hit goes out to my best friend. May shit in her life finally take a turn for the best. *takes a hit from the bottle*

Everyone, except Allie: Amen.

Kristina: *passes the bottle to Allie* Go ahead, babe.

Allie: To my shitty love life.. *takes a hit from the bottle*

(They pass it around 5 more times, before the bottle is finally empty.)

Alex: Anyone even halfway buzzed yet?

Everyone: Fuzzy, but not buzzy. *low voices*

Cooper: Man, how dry was that stuff?

Alex: Pretty dry. That's how I like it.

Thomas: You can make that run now.

Alex: Right. *starts to get up, but the door opens and Nat comes in with Aviana, who's clearly drunk*

Nat: *slightly drunk* Oh, wow. *small laugh and hiccup* I thought you all were sleeping. Hey, Al. Do you have the rest of my Excedrin? She's gonna need it. *laughs a little* Get this. She tried to out drink me on the Jack. Me! Of all people! *laughs* Naturally, I was expecting her to spew after the 6th shot, but she didn't! I figured out what went wrong in Vegas! Had she eaten, she probably would've been less fucked up. But, she ate, like, a whole platter of chicken wings, and she didn't barf one time! It was awesome! *laughs a little*

Aviana: Hi, everyone! *happy, nice, drunk voice*

Nat: She's not as fucked up as you think, right now. She's actually pretty leveled out. Still drunk, though. *chuckles*

Aviana: I tried with the Jack. I honestly tried. *drunken laugh* I couldn't do it. That shit is so strong. It's a man's drink for sure. I couldn't make it past 6. Nat drunk, like, 10 ounces!

Nat: *laughs* I love Jack Daniels! What can I say?

Aviana: Do you love it more than me? *laughs a little*

Nat: *laughs* I don't think I do. It's a little debatable. Jack loves me when you don't.

Aviana: *laughs and just leans on him* Oh, whatever. Am I gonna be fucked up in the morning?

Nat: A little bit, Tiny. A litte bit. *chuckling*

Alex: The Excedrin is on the sink.

Nat: Thanks. Hold on, Tiny Tim. *chuckles and goes to the bathroom, grabs his pill bottle, and comes back out* Let's go put you to bed.

Aviana: Is it comfy? *chuckles*

Nat: *laughs, picks her up, and carries her out the room*

Aviana: Goodnight, everybody! *laughing*

Alex: What the hell was that?

David: Was she actually being nice?

Kristina: She had to be shit-faced. She was smiling. With Nat. We never see that.

Alex: I don't even have the energy to investigate.

Thomas: That just blew my fucking mind. Maybe that gin hit harder than we thought.

David: Right. What brand was that?

Alex: Seagram's. *looks at the empty bottle, with slight confusion*

(Nat comes back into the room 5 minutes later.)

Nat: Oh man. We had fun. *chuckles and joins the circle carelessly, next to Alex* For the first time in a long ass time, we actually had fun.

Alex: Are you sure she's not shit-faced?

Nat: Positive. *chuckles* I made sure she had a good balance. It's just the whiskey. It's got her all loose and uncoordinated. Really fuzzy in the head, too. She's gonna have a good ass sleep. She is a lot more mellow, when she's drunk the right way. You see she didn't even snap at you guys?

Alex: Bro, that does not excuse what happened tonight.

Nat: Aw, man, tonight? Who gives a shit? I'm just glad we're ok. *laughs a little*

Stiles: You realize what you're feeling is only temporary, right? Same with her. It's gonna go right back to drama, as soon as you guys are sober.

Nat: No it's not. *chuckles* Yes, I realize we're in a temporary state. But, I may have found my solution. Come on, why does everybody sound so low? You mad at me?

Alex: If anything, we're mad for you.

Nat: Oh, come on. I came home, didn't I? *chuckling* Truthfully, I was contemplating running away. *laughs a little* But, I thought better of it!

Alex: Seriously, dude?

Nat: Look, I say we just kick back, have a few drinks, and relax. We don't need to commiserate about tonight or anything. *chuckles* I just wanna sit with my friends and chill out. We haven't done much of that this entire trip. Come on. I hate to commiserate. I seriously do.

Cooper: You didn't even wanna commiserate, back in Vegas!

Nat: There's no point! What should matter is here and now! At least I'm here with you guys, right now! And I'm still here, Coop! I get it, a lot of feelings got hurt when I left! I bitched and moaned about it for a while, too! But, I took care of business! *hysterical chuckle* Come on! We went to college! That's it! That's all it was! College! Those are the best years of our lives! I'm sure you guys had a kick ass time, without me! Especially down in Miami! What's the point in sitting around, missing somebody? Live your life! Have fun! We have our whole lives to be around each other! Did I commiserate enough for you there, Coop? ? *slight chuckle*

Cooper: You are clear on the definition of commiserate, right?

Nat: Very clear! But, guess what? I hate being in my feelings lately, so I'm over it! That alright with you?!

Cooper: Under normal circumstances, I'd argue with you about that, but, your girlfriend is shitty, so I don't blame you.

Nat: Thank you! *chuckles* You know what sitting in this cirlce reminds me of?

Alex: Chit chat, back in the day?

Nat: Exactly that! *chuckles a bit* Oh man. That was the best.

Alex: Are you sure you only had 10 ounces?

Nat: Actually, I had 7. She counted wrong. 7 ounces of Jack and 2 tumblers of bourbon.

Alex: How are you not wrecked?

Nat: *burps* My metabolism.

Alex: Anyway, we decided on a little chit chat tonight. I was gonna go make a booze run.

Nat: Nah, forget that. I got a whole case of Jack stashed in one of my suit cases.

Everyone: *looks at him with wide eyes*

Nat: What? *looks around*

Kristina: A whole case? Really?

Alex: Where has your life gone?

Nat: I honestly don't know. I turn to Jack when I'm angry. Anyway, be right back. *gets up and leaves the room*

Stiles: At least it's just anger and not when he gets emotional. Otherwise, I'd most likely be concerned.

Cody: Right. Whiskey actually calms him down.

Kristina: Still not good for him.

Cody: True. But, I'm not arguing with his beastly ass.

Stiles: Right. Let him cope. At least he's not borderline alcoholic. He hardly drinks, anyway. Besides, if I had his girlfriend, I'd probably stash a case of Jack somewhere, too.

Cody: Right.

(Nat comes back into the room, carrying a case of Jack Daniels. He sits it in the center of everyone and sits back down.)

Nat: *opens the case* Forgot I had a variety. Ok, so there's every type of Jack. There's the original sour mash, gentleman's Jack, the Fire, the Honey, and the Single Barrel. I also got bourbon. And I brought over some ginger ale for the girls. In case they wanted to mix it up a little. I also got pretzels.

Alex: Wow. You just packed a whole drunk preparedness kit.

Nat: Eh. *shrugs and grabs the big bottle of No.7* Anyway, have at it.

Thomas and David: Don't mind if we do. *grab a glass and pour them a drink*

Alex: Hand me that bourbon. I'm gonna get a ice bucket. *gets up, goes over to his mini bar, gets a bucket of ice, and goes back to the circle* In case anyone wants ice.

Nat: *makes a giant bowl of pretzels*

David: *takes a drink of his whiskey and lets out a refreshing sigh* Ah, so good.

Stiles: This is more like it. *takes a drink*

Nat: Are mom and dad still up?

Alex: Yes they are and they're worried sick about you. You might wanna go check in. Don't be a complete ass to mom.

Nat: I wasn't being an ass in the first place, ass. I just wish she'd trust me. *gets up* Be right back. *leaves the room*

Alex: He was being an ass.

Qaasim: Don't completely ice him out. He has the right to be frustrated, you know.

Alex: Yeah, I guess. *shrugs and takes a drink of his bourbon*

(20 minutes later, Nat comes back and sits in the circle.)

Stiles: How'd it go?

Nat: Well, she's calm now. We talked. All of us. It'll probably pan out into tomorrow. She was wasted off of wine. I doubt she'll remember half of what I said. *takes off his shirt and throws it on Alex and Teala's bed* My shirt is safe, right? It's not just sitting in an evaporated pool of you guys' juices, is it?

Everyone, except Nat: *laughs*

Alex: No, fuck face! Screw you! *chuckling, he shoves Nat onto his back*

Nat: *chuckles and takes a hit from his large bottle of Jack*