Mia was panicking the whole ride to whispering way. Her panic did not stem from being late in returning home, but rather from knowing how concerned her mother would be and the potential consequences of her worries. Her mother was still taking high blood pressure medications and her doctor had advised her to avoid situations that would cause excessive worry. Until today, Mia had been successful in following this advice and avoiding to cause any worries to her mother.
If she hadn't gotten into trouble with Diane in school and hadn't followed Leo to his house, she wouldn't have been in such a situation in the middle of the night. Because of her anxiety, she did not even pay attention to Leo's speeding through the streets of Zen city until his tires made a scraping sound as he sharply turned into Whispering Way street.
