Carolyn: You are an excellent story teller........holding me on the edge of my seat just wondering what will happen next.
Thanks, this is what I strive for!
Does Sarah really mean she is not jealous of Maria........?? I find that hard to believe.
She's really . . . not jealous. Sarah's just not the kind of girl to feel that way. She's very confident and secure, and she believes and trusts in what she and Michael have together.
Sara: Well......hmmmm I have to say...Im a little annoyed that Sarah wants to meet Maria. I guess I can sort of get it...but not really. Leave it in the past.
Yeah, it might be best to leave it in the past. Or to at least try to.
And you break my heart a little more wiht Tess and Kyle....I am horribly sad for them.
I know, me, too. Their scenes were so hard to write. They went from being the happy-go-lucky golden couple to being . . . this.
Thanks for reading and leaving feedback!
I'm recommending "Starlight" by Muse when you see
if you'd like.
Part 21
Halloween was one of Michael’s favorite holidays, so he planned to go big. Late night, probably one that just blended into an early morning. That was the plan. Because of that, he had to get as much rest as possible during the day, so he squeezed in sleep every chance he got. Including the minutes leading up to Music Appreciation.
“Wake up,” he suddenly heard right when he felt a finger flick him in the back of the head. He opened his eyes, and there was Maria, taking her seat beside him. She actually didn’t look completely annoyed to see him today, which was progress.
“Hey,” he said, moving around a bit so he wasn’t taking up so much damn space.
“So . . .” She gathered all her hair in place behind her head and held it there for a few seconds in a ponytail before releasing it all again. “I talked to Max about meeting up with you and Sarah at this party tonight, and he said he’s okay with it.”
“Really?”
Dammit. There went all hope of avoiding this encounter then. He’d kind of been banking on Max being resistant to it.
“Yeah. He actually said he thinks it’s a good idea, too.” She rolled her eyes, and that made him smirk. “
Anyway . . . we’ll be there. For a little while at least.”
“Great.” It wasn’t great, but . . . whatever. Hopefully Max and Maria would just make a brief appearance, and then he and Sarah could spend the rest of the night letting loose and having actual fun. And then when they got home during the wee hours of the a.m., they could
really let loose and have some fun.
“What’re you gonna wear?” he asked her.
She gave him an abrupt, sharp look. “
What?”
“For a costume,” he clarified, snorting. Yeah, right, like he’d really care that much about what she was wearing under normal circumstances.
“It’s a costume party?”
“Well, yeah, it’s Halloween.”
She groaned. “Great. I’ll just throw a sheet over my head and call myself a ghost.”
“Classic,” he remarked. Actually, a ghost would work. A ghost would be great. Then she and Sarah wouldn’t
technically have to meet face to face.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Every time Maria crossed paths with her mom, she had to force a smile and act like she wasn’t petrified to see her. “Mom.” It always came out a shaky, nervous greeting like that, though. Their relationship, having always been a rocky one, had actually been pretty decent for the past couple of years. They didn’t smother each other with close proximity anymore, which seemed to be healthier and better for both of them. And even though Amy DeLuca still got her snippy little comments in here and there, she’d lightened up a bit, and that made it easier for Maria to deal with her.
“Hi, honey.” Her mom came right inside, eyeing her outfit curiously. “You look . . . you look great.”
I look like trailer trash, Maria thought. She had on an old pair of jeans and a white tank top. But it was all part of her costume for tonight. She’d decided that if she was going to this stupid party after all, she might as well make a little bit of an effort.
“Where’s Dylan?” Amy eagerly asked.
Typical, Maria thought.
Haven’t seen the woman in three months, and I don’t even get a hug. Not that she wanted one. “He’s still getting ready,” she replied, shutting the front door. “Thanks for coming. I know it was short notice.”
“Oh, I don’t mind. I love getting to spend time with my grandson.”
Maria pressed her lips together tightly to refrain from saying anything. She’d come to realize that, as much as her mom said things that drove her crazy, she herself tended to escalate the problem by making a big deal out of them.
“What’s he dressing up as?” Amy asked.
“Um, a football player.”
“Oh, of course.” She rolled her eyes. “Well, I’m sure he’ll look cute.”
“He will.” Dylan always looked cute.
“Gosh, this sure is one advantage of having you guys closer to home,” Amy said, strolling around the kitchen. She did weird things like opening up the refrigerator and skimming her hands across the countertop, as though she were inspecting the place or something. “I missed out on this last year.”
“And the year before that,” Maria mumbled, “and the year before that.”
“I’m just saying, I appreciate the invite.”
“Well . . . you’re welcome.” Truth be told, though, her mom probably wouldn’t have scored an invite had they not required her babysitting services tonight. “And I appreciate you being here,” she said, genuinely meaning that. It really
had been short notice, asking her to come. “Actually, I, uh . . . I was wondering if you might wanna hang around tonight for a while. With Dylan. After the trick-or-treating.”
Her mother gave her a suspicious look. “What exactly are you getting at, Maria?”
Here goes nothing. She mentally steeled herself for an onslaught of judgment. “Well, Max and I were kinda thinking we might go to this costume party later tonight.”
“What? A party?”
“Yes.” Hard as it was to remember, they were still both very young, and young people liked to go to parties. Of course that wasn’t why she was going, though. No, she would have been perfectly content to just stay home and watch Dylan crash out while digging into his candy, but . . . circumstances.
“Where is this ‘party’?” Amy asked, using air-quotes for some reason.
“Just on campus.”
“Where on campus?”
Maria sighed, well aware how irresponsible this would sound. “The Sigma Chi house.”
Her mother’s mouth gaped in disbelief. “A
frat party? You want me to babysit Dylan so you can go to a frat party?”
“We got invited.”
“By some very mature and respectable frat guys, I presume.”
“No, by . . .” She put on the verbal brakes before she said too much. “A friend.”
Amy made a face. “You have a friend?”
“Yeah, don’t sound so surprised.”
“Well, I just . . . that’s good, I suppose.” Amy pulled out one of the kitchen chairs and sat down at the table. “So what’s her name?” she asked.
“Who?”
“Your friend.”
“Oh . . .”
Crap, Maria thought. Why hadn’t she just lied and said they wanted to have a date night? “Just . . .”
Much to her relief, Max came down the stairs at the exact right time, and he blurted out a name for her. “Joan. Her friend’s name is Joan.” He smiled politely and said, “Hi, Amy.”
“Hi, Max.” She got back to her feet and gave him a quick hug. “You know what? I will gladly watch Dylan tonight while you guys go to your party, just because I love spending time with him and don’t get to do it often enough.”
“Thank you,” Maria said, relieved to have that done and over with. Now she was just going to have to work up some backstory on ‘Joan’ in case her mom probed any further with the questions.
Max cleared his throat and announced, “Alright, now presenting, the star of the Houston Texans, number ninety-nine, Dylan DeLuca!” He swept his arms exaggeratedly towards the stairs, and Dylan came scampering down excitedly.
“Yay!” Amy exclaimed, clapping wildly. “Oh, look at that!”
Maria smiled adoringly. If it was possible, Dylan looked cuter than she’d even anticipated he would. He had the eye black on and everything.
“Gramma!” her son exclaimed, his face immediately lighting up with excitement when he saw her. He ran towards her, nearly tripping on his jersey, and practically pounced on her.
“Oh, sweetie!” Amy swept him up into her arms and hugged him tightly. “Look at you! You look so big and tough.”
“I am big and tough, Gramma.”
“Not too tough to give me a kiss, though, right?”
He giggled and gave her a big kiss on the cheek.
“Oh, I didn’t think so. Give me one more.”
Maria sidled over to Max and quietly said, “Thanks for covering for me.” The only name that had been coming to her mind was
Michaela, and that just would have been too damn obvious.
“No problem,” he said, putting his arm around her waist. She leaned against him, grateful that he understood why it wasn’t a good idea to tell Amy they were meeting up with Michael tonight. Unlike Max, her mother just
wouldn’t understand.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“I’m gettin’ a lot of candy,” Dylan proclaimed as he waddled back to the sidewalk from Mrs. Murrow’s house. The woman had been surprisingly generous with the Snickers and Twix, by the looks of it.
“You gonna share?” Max asked him.
“Yeah.”
“With who.”
He pointed to Maria and Grandma Amy.
Max feigned offense. “What about me?”
Dylan grinned.
“Ah, you’ll share with me.” Max patted him on the back, and together they walked along.
Maria hung back with her mom, letting her boys have their time together. This was nice. Last year, Max had gone trick-or-treating with them, but it hadn’t been like this. At that point, Dylan had only known him to be ‘Mommy’s friend.’
Maybe he’d suspected that they were dating. But he hadn’t thought of Max as his dad.
“You know, I was skeptical at first,” Amy admitted, “but I’ve been surprised how good Max is with him. Surprised
and impressed.”
“Yeah, he’s great,” Maria agreed. As skeptical as her mom had been, she’d been ten times more so. But it all seemed to be working out well.
“Alright, get ready,” she heard Max saying as he and Dylan arrived at the next house. “You got more candy coming. You want me to go up with you or you wanna do this one by yourself?”
“Mmm . . .” Dylan thought about it for a moment and decided, “You can come.”
“Okay, let’s go.” Max looked almost as excited as Dylan was as they approached the front door. “Look extra cute. That’ll get you even more candy.”
Maria folded her arms over her chest as the wind whistled past and looked at her mom, thinking that this blue and white plaid over-shirt would be the perfect addition to her lame costume tonight. “Can I borrow your shirt?” she outright asked.
“Are you cold?”
“No. Well, yeah, but I mean, when we get home.”
Her mom made a face. “Why?”
“I just need it for my costume,” she explained. “I have plenty of plaid, but none of it looks country.”
“So you’re saying I look country”
“Well, you don’t look city.”
“Oh, please,” her mom scoffed. “Roswell’s a bigger town than Carlsbad here is. If anyone looks country . . .”
“Can I borrow it or not?”
“When we get home, yes.”
Maria rolled her eyes. God, all of that bickering just over a shirt. It was ridiculous.
“Aw . . .” Amy cooed, watching as Dylan held out his little plastic pumpkin and exclaimed, “Twick or tweat!” Max stood beside him, holding his hand, his eyes on him the whole time.
“Look at that,” Amy said. “Isn’t that sweet?”
Maria smiled, feeling warmer now. It was as sweet as could be.
****
“I think he had a really fun time tonight.” Maria took one more look at her little boy, tucked securely under his Buzz Lightyear blanket, and closed the door to his bedroom, leaving it open just a crack in case he hollered for her in the night.
“Yeah, he did,” Max agreed, shuffling down the hallway with her. “He’s gonna sleep like a rock, though.”
“Yeah.” They’d gone to the Texans game, and Dylan had just about yelled his head off. He actually seemed to have a pretty good understanding of the game, though. He’d known when to cheer and when not to.
“I’m pretty relieved,” Max confessed as they made their way into the kitchen. “I halfway expected him to see me and . . . I don’t know, get panicked or something.”
“He doesn’t remember . . .” she reminded him.
“I know. But I just thought . . .” He shrugged. “I don’t know, I guess I was just prepared for the worst.”
“Well . . .” The worst hadn’t happened. Dylan had taken to Max really well. “He liked you.”
“Thank God.” Max actually looked a little emotional. “I don’t think I would’ve been able to handle it if he hadn’t.”
Maria opened the refrigerator and took out a bottle of water for herself, holding one up as an offer for Max, too. He shook his head to decline.
“So,” he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets, “you’re probably pretty tired, too, then.”
“Yeah,” she answered, “I kind of am.” The game had gone late, and they’d stopped for ice cream afterward. And it had taken Dylan nearly an hour to come down from that sugar high, so . . . normally they were both in bed by now.
“So you probably don’t want me to stick around,” he concluded.
She certainly didn’t want to seem rude. Besides . . . she’d had a good time tonight, too. “Oh, no, you can if you want,” she told him. “It’s just, I don’t know how entertaining I’ll be.”
He smiled. “I can go.”
“Are you sure?” She really wasn’t trying to kick him out.
“Yeah. Tonight was all about making a memory with Dylan—you know, a good one—and I did that, so . . .”
“Okay.” They’d probably do this again sometime. This or something like it. “Well . . .”
“Well . . .” he echoed. “Goodnight then.”
“Goodnight.” She just stood there, feeling like an idiot, not sure if she was supposed to walk him out the front door or just let him see himself out or . . .
All thought suddenly vanished when he bent down and pressed a kiss to her lips, shocking the hell out of her. She was so shocked, in fact, that she couldn’t even react.
“I’m sorry,” he immediately apologized.
She tilted her head to the side and stared at him curiously. Why would he apologize? It wasn’t like she’d pushed him away. But that was just what Max had gotten used to doing, wasn’t it? Apologizing. Making amends.
He wouldn’t look her in the eye all of a sudden. It was as if he were ashamed, like he felt bad for making a move.
Don’t feel bad, Max,
she thought. You’re
not bad anymore.
Surprising even herself, she moved in closer and kissed him this time. But unlike her, he was able to react. His lips brushed against hers, and his hands found her waist. And gradually, the kiss grew deeper.
****
Maria pulled herself out of her thoughts as Dylan came scurrying back towards her, holding out two hefty handfuls of sugary goodness. “Did you get more candy?” she squealed.
“Yeah!” he exclaimed.
She knelt down to inspect, make sure there were no unopened wrappers or anything of the sort. “Ooh, show me what you got.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sigma Chi was one of the nicer fraternities at NMSU, which was exactly why Sarah had chosen their Halloween party to attend. Personally, Michael would have opted for the bash at the Alpha Delta house, just because it would get wilder, but this was probably the smarter choice. The cops wouldn’t end up putting a stop to this one.
Fly was there, dressed only in his underwear and claiming it was somehow his costume. Monk was there, too, for a while, but he left shortly upon arrival and went home to chat online with . . . who the hell knew at this point. Luckily Isabel and Courtney didn’t seem to be anywhere near the premises, so Michael could avoid having
both his ex-girlfriends there tonight.
“You know,” he said as he filled himself up a glass of beer from the keg, “I think this is the first college party I’ve ever gone to that I’m not stoked about.” At least he looked good, though. Cowboy costume. Got the job done every time.
“Oh, lighten up,” Sarah said, adjusting the thin wreath on top of her head, careful not to disturb the massive hairstyle she’d assembled. She’d dressed up as a Greek goddess tonight, full-length white toga and everything. She had on all this gold jewelry to go with it, and strappy gold sandals. She really did look a goddess. But then again, that was nothing new.
“I’m serious, I don’t wanna be here,” he said, sipping his drink. “We could just go home and fuck around all night.”
“Michael, it’s gonna be fun,” she insisted.
He made a face.
Fun? Not exactly the word he would use for it.
“Okay, it might be a little weird at first,” she acknowledged, “but trust me, this is gonna be good for all of us.”
“I hope so.” If this turned out to be pointless, he was going to be so pissed.
“Who are you more nervous about seeing,” she asked, “Maria or Max?”
“I’m not—I’m not
nervous to see either one of ‘em,” he stuttered. “I just think it’s gonna be weird.”
“Weirder than that?” she asked, pointing out Fly, who was now running all around the party with only a red plastic cup covering his junk. He was letting loose this high-pitched wail and chasing girls up and down the stairs, whirling his underwear around his head like a lasso.
“Maybe not weirder than that,” Michael said. “Just promise me you’ll hold me back if I start layin’ into Max.”
“Promise
me you won’t lay into him at all.”
He groaned frustratedly. “Being mature really bites.”
She reached down and squeezed his hand with both of hers, then rose up on her tiptoes with her lips puckered for a kiss. He gave her a quick one, then took another drink.
“You wanna dance?” she asked.
He would have, just because she was such a damn good dancer, but he glanced at the front door just in time to see the gruesome twosome show up. He noticed Maria first, mostly because she was . . . dressed up as a cowgirl. Jean shorts that weren’t
too short, blue plaid shirt, brown boots and a lighter brown hat.
Oh, great.
Max was right behind her, but he was just wearing a suit. He looked totally out of place and uncomfortable there, which Michael personally enjoyed.
“Is that them?” Sarah inquired.
He exhaled slowly, bracing himself for the weirdest Halloween he would ever have. “Yep.”
Maria saw him, too, and started picking her way through the crowd towards him. Max followed her like a fucking lap dog.
“She’s pretty,” Sarah said, her tone giving no indication that she was feeling insecure. Because she wasn’t. That just wasn’t Sarah.
When they were finally close enough, Maria managed a smile and a “Hey,” in greeting.
Michael just halfway nodded to reciprocate.
Sarah, ever more bubbly, exclaimed, “Hi! You must be Maria.”
“Yeah,” Maria said shakily. “Hi . . . Sarah, right?”
“Right. Nice to meet you.” She seemed to surprise Maria by giving her a quick hug, but Maria hugged her back.
Michael shot a quick glare at Max and then downed what remained of his beer. Time for a refill. The only way he was going to make it through this night was if he kept knocking back the giggle juice.
While he was bent over and refilling, he heard Max introduce himself. “Hi, Sarah. I’m Max. Good to meet you.”
Michael grunted.
Yeah fucking right.
“Hi, Max,” she said politely, though he’d put her under strict orders to not bother being too friendly with him tonight.
When he stood back up straighter, he took a closer look at Max’s supposed costume, trying to figure out what the hell he’d been going for. It looked completely and utterly average to him. “What’re you supposed to be?” he demanded.
“Oh, I’m a . . . I’m a lawyer,” Max replied.
“Huh, it sure is Halloween then.” That would never happen in real life.
Maria shot him a sharp look, and Sarah of course did her best to keep things peaceful. “So, Maria . . . look at you,” she said. “Cowgirl.”
“Uh . . . yeah.” Maria glanced worriedly at Michael. “I just didn’t have anything else to wear.”
“Well, I always go as a cowboy,” he reminded her. She should have known. Jeans, white t-shirt, boots and hat. Simple and irresistible. It was his go-to Halloween look.
“Right, well, I just figured . . . Aggies. Our mascot’s a cowboy, so . . .” Maria shrugged.
“I think you look great,” Sarah chirped. “I saw a couple other girls dressed up as cowgirls, too, but it’s all, like, too revealing.” She cringed. “Yours is better.”
“Thanks.”
“And which goddess are you?” Max jumped in. “Artemis? Aphrodite?”
“No, Athena,” Sarah corrected. “Because she’s the goddess of wisdom, and I like to think I’m wise.”
“You are,” Michael assured her. Hell, the only reason why he’d agreed to this tonight was
because she was so damn smart and he figured she knew what she was doing. “Sarah’s studying biochemistry. She’s gonna be a pharmacist someday.” He smirked, happy to be able to brag his girl up a bit.
“Wow,” Maria said. “That’s . . . impressive.”
“Thanks,” Sarah said. “What about you, Maria? Michael told me you’re a great singer.”
Their eyes met for a second, and Michael quickly looked away. He didn’t want Maria knowing he’d told Sarah anything about her.
“Um, well, I’m—I’m studying music right now,” she stammered, clearly more nervous than either he or Sarah was. “No solid plans.”
“That sounds so fun,” Sarah said. “I wish I could sing, but I’m completely tone-deaf.”
“Ah, that’s alright.” Michael put his arm around her shoulders and praised, “You got plenty of other talents.”
Sarah gave him a curious look, but he shrugged unapologetically. He really hadn’t meant for that to come off as sexual, but it had. Whatever. That worked for him.
“Okay, well, Maria, what do you say we go find a bathroom?” Sarah suggested. “I know everyone thinks girls always have to go in pairs, but some stereotypes are just too good to pass up.”
Maria laughed lightly, seemingly easing up a little more now. “Okay, sure.”
“Alright. Later, guys.” Sarah grabbed Maria’s hand, and like the self-confident social butterfly she was, she led her through the crowd towards the stairs, narrowly escaping being hit by Fly as he came running back down.
That left Michael standing there with Max. So naturally, he was left with no choice but to toss back the rest of his beer and refill his cup for a third time. Luckily, Max got the hint and moseyed on away.
Been a while since I’ve really
been drunk, Michael thought. Somehow, this seemed like the perfect night for it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Maria stepped over a drunk couple making out in the middle of the upstairs hallway and followed Sarah into the bathroom. It was large and miraculously still clean, and it was quiet compared to the rest of the party.
“Oh my gosh, I hope you don’t mind,” Sarah babbled as she shut the door. “I just couldn’t even hear myself think down there, let alone carry on a conversation.”
“Yeah, it was really loud,” Maria agreed.
“And crowded,” Sarah added.
“Yeah.” Glancing at herself in the mirror, Maria couldn’t help but be self-conscious. Her costume really paled in comparison to Sarah’s. Sarah looked beautiful and flashy, but still classy. Maria felt like she looked like a hick, and that hadn’t been what she was going for. Maybe if she’d put her hair in braided pigtails, she would have looked cuter, but that had just seemed so childish.
It wouldn’t matter what she wore or how she did her hair, though, not when she was standing next to Sarah. Michael’s girlfriend was
supernaturally pretty.
“Hey, so thank you so much for coming tonight,” Sarah said, twisting the ends of her long, dark hair around her finger. “I’m really happy to be able to get to know you.”
Maria considered that, not sure if it could possibly be true. “You are?” Honestly, was any girl ever
really happy to be meet her boyfriend’s ex?
“Yeah. I know it’s not typical, but I really think this is more of an opportunity than anything else,” Sarah insisted.
“Uh-huh.” Maria wasn’t trying to be skeptical, but she couldn’t help but wonder if this was all just an act. “Listen, I just—I feel like I need to apologize to you,” she blurted, needing to get this off her chest.
Sarah cocked her head to the side inquisitively. “For what?”
Maria sighed, tracing her fingers along the edge of the sink counter. “For somehow ending up in this music class with Michael.”
Sarah smiled teasingly. “Oh, yeah, ‘cause you totally had control over that.”
“Well, I should’ve made sure he told you everything sooner.”
“Because you had control over that, too.” Sarah laughed lightly. “Maria, there’s absolutely nothing you need to apologize for. And I want you to know, I’m being completely genuine when I say I wanna get to know you. I have no ulterior motive or hidden agenda. This isn’t some ‘friends close, enemies closer’ thing. I consider myself a mature adult, and that’s how I intend to go about this whole situation.”
God, she’s so . . . confident and well-spoken, Maria thought enviously.
Two things I’m not. “That’s good to hear,” she said, feeling a bit more relieved now. Based on what Michael had told her about Sarah and the vibe she was getting from her, this didn’t feel like a set-up. It
did feel genuine.
“Honestly, between you and me, Michael’s more nervous about all this than both of us.” Sarah smirked.
“Is he?”
“Oh, yeah. And he should be. I mean, the current girlfriend
and the ex-girlfriend under one roof?” She huffed. “Any guy would be nervous. And then add in the fact that the ex-girlfriend brought her current boyfriend along . . . who
used to be her ex-boyfriend . . .” She trailed off, spinning her finger around in the air as she sorted all that out. “Am I clear on that, by the way?” she asked. “Did I get that right?”
“You did.” It was easy to get confused, though. Her life was like a damn daytime soap opera. “So how much has he told you?”
Sarah shrugged. “He’s told me some stuff. Mostly about how it all ended, and why.”
Maria nodded, taking that in. “So you know . . . everything?” That meant she probably shared Michael’s opinion on Max.
“I know the basics,” Sarah said. “Really, as close as we are, though, he keeps that part of his life pretty closed off. I’m hoping that, with you around, he’ll be willing to open up some more.”
“I’m sure he will be,” Maria assured her. “It’s pretty obvious he adores you.”
Sarah smiled giddily. “You think so?”
“Oh, yeah. From the second I saw you guys together, I could tell how into you he is.” As juvenile as it sounded, she couldn’t help but wonder if he used to look that way with her.
“Well, I sure hope he’s into me,” Sarah said. “It’s been two years.”
I didn’t even get a year with him, Maria thought, feeling a pang in her chest. “That’s a pretty long commitment.”
“Yeah.”
Nine months. That was what she’d gotten. And they’d only been romantic for about half that time “He and I were never together that long.”
“But while you were together, it seems like it was pretty . . . intense?” Sarah remarked questioningly.
Maria almost laughed, because that was exactly the word Michael had always used. To describe himself in the bedroom, mostly. “Yeah, that’s a good word for it.”
Sarah leaned against the counter, straightening out her long, flowing dress. “I have to admit, your life seems so . . . exciting and unpredictable,” she said. “Sometimes I worry he might think I’m boring compared to you.”
“Oh, no, I’ve known you for five minutes, and I can already tell you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to him,” Maria reassured her. Besides . . . her life wasn’t all that enviable.
“Thanks,” Sarah said.
Lowering her head, she mumbled, “And I’m probably the worst thing.”
“No, not at all.”
Maria knew she was being hard on herself. She hadn’t been the worst thing to happen to Michael Guerin, not by a long shot. But still . . . she hadn’t been able to give him everything he needed, either, everything he needed to move forward in life and succeed. “I was really worried about him when I left,” she admitted. “But I felt better when I found out he went to Alabama.”
“How’d you find that out?” Sarah asked.
“Well, Kyle’s injury got, like, national coverage. And in all the pictures they showed of him laying out on that field, Michael was there beside him.” She remembered seeing that on TV, and seeing it online, and feeling absolutely agonized that she couldn’t do anything about it. “I almost reached out to him when all that happened, but I thought I might do more harm than good.”
“Yeah, I think it was a pretty traumatic time,” Sarah said. “But it really forced Michael to grow up. He transferred back here just so he could help take care of Kyle. He drove him back and forth to doctor’s appointments and physical therapy. He helped him find his house and make it wheelchair accessible. He stopped playing football just so he could be there for him.”
God, I missed so much, Maria thought. In a way, she was glad she hadn’t been around, though. Knowing that Michael had done all of this . . . she would have worried about him. “Michael and Kyle have always been really close,” she said. “Is Kyle better now?”
Sarah shrugged halfheartedly. “Not really.”
Maria sighed heavily, wishing for better news. “That must be really hard on Tess.” It dawned on her, though, right after she said that, that Tess and Kyle might not even be together anymore, that perhaps this tragedy had driven them apart. “Are they . . . ?”
“Oh, yeah, they’re still together,” Sarah filled in. “Actually, Tess was the one who introduced me to Michael.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I met her at the rehab place Kyle went to—that’s where I work. And she set the two of us up on a blind date.”
“Oh, interesting.” So Tess was a Sarah fan. Of course she was. “How’d it go?”
Sarah laughed a little. “Horrible.”
“Right.” Michael had never been known to make a great first impression.
“But the second date was better. And now I’m indebted to Tess Harding for life.”
“So are you and Tess really good friends then?”
“Oh, yeah,” Sarah replied without hesitation, “she’s my best friend.”
“Oh.” Of course. Of
course. “That must be really . . . nice.” Two couples, two sets of best friends . . . it was so picture-perfect.
“Yeah, it’s fun,” Sarah said. “If we could just get Kyle back on his feet, then it’d be even better.”
“Yeah.” Maria had never been close to Kyle, but she hated to think of him going through something so difficult for so long. “At least you and Michael are doing well, though.”
“Michael’s doing great,” Sarah informed her. “You should see his GPA.”
Maria
felt the shock that swept across her face. “Really?”
“Oh, yeah.”
She grunted, wondering just how high it was. “Unbelievable. This is the same guy who seriously considered dropping out of high school once.”
“Thank God he didn’t.”
“Yeah, really.” She remembered when he used to come into the Crashdown and vent about school, about how much he hated all his classes and all his teachers, and how he thought it was pointless to be there. She remembered hoping and praying back then, even when she’d still barely known him, that he wouldn’t make the same mistake she had, that he’d do better. “You know,” she said thoughtfully, “as crazy as it’s been seeing him again, I’m really glad to see that he
did go to college and stick with it, and that he’s working hard and making something of his life.” She’d always known he had that in him. “It makes me feel really . . .” She trailed off as she searched for the right word.
“Proud,” Sarah filled in simply after a few seconds. “You’re proud of him.”
It almost seemed like too generic of a word, but that was it in a nutshell. “Yeah,” she said. “I am.” This was all she had ever wanted for him, to get out there in the world and be someone. To go somewhere in life. She couldn’t have any regrets.
“So am I,” Sarah said, giving her a knowing, friendly smile.
Maria smiled back shakily, wondering if she would ever be able to tell Michael this someday, or if she would always just have to assume that he knew.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Desperately in search of another keg, Michael wandered through the frat house with his empty cup. What the hell was wrong with these stupid frat guys? They should have known they would need more booze.
“Yo, chico.”
He stopped when he almost stepped on Fly. Naked Fly, in fact, who was sitting behind the couch with his legs sprawled straight out in front of him.
“You seen my pants?”
Michael reached over the back of the couch and picked up a pillow, dropping it onto his friend’s lap to cover him up. “I’ve seen more than I want to, Fly.”
“Heh-heh,” Fly chuckled. “I’m naked.”
“You’re drunk.” Michael’s shoulders sagged with discontent. “Why am I not drunk?” He should have been three sheets to the wind by now.
A loud voice rang out, “You must’ve inherited a high tolerance.”
Groaning, he turned around slowly, and there was Max. Quite frankly, he was pretty pissed off that the guy would even attempt to talk to him. Did he want to get his ass kicked again?
“It’s the same for me,” Max said. “I’m just like my dad. We both have to drink twice as much to be half as buzzed.”
“Oh, so you’re a druggie
and an alcoholic,” Michael commented. “What a catch.”
“I’m not anything like that anymore,” Max claimed, sounding like a broken record. “Listen, Michael, I know you hate me, and I understand.”
Michael chuckled angrily. Really, he understood? Really?
“But there’s no reason to hold grudges and dwell on the past. We’re both grown men now. What do you say we start fresh?” Max held out his hand for a peaceful handshake, but Michael wanted no part of that. Shaking Max’s hand was the next step down from forgiving him, and he was nowhere close to forgiving him.
Ignoring Max’s request, Michael pushed on past him and continued his search for another keg.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(
)
Some guy Maria didn’t even know burped in her face. Right there on the stairs as they crossed paths . . . just burped in her face. Didn’t even say sorry. It was disgusting.
“Oh, gross,” she said, waving her hand in front of her face to try to fan away the fumes. Why had she come here again? Frat parties were so not her scene.
Near the bottom of the stairs, she looked over to where Michael and Sarah had been standing when she and Max had arrived. Michael was back there again, or maybe he’d never left. But he wasn’t drinking anymore. Instead, he was just standing by himself, looking at a photo of the fraternity members on the wall. But it was like he was lost in thought, though, like he wasn’t
really looking at any of the guys in the photograph.
She looked around for Max, but it had gotten even more crowded in the ten or twenty minutes she’d been upstairs, and she didn’t see him. So she slipped between a girl dressed as a giant loaf of Wonder bread and a guy dressed as Aladdin and made her way over to the cowboy in the corner. “Hey,” she said just loudly enough to get his attention.
He looked at her, then behind her at the stairs, “Where’s Sarah?” he asked.
“She’s still upstairs,” she replied. “She said to tell you she’ll be down in a minute.” She’d started chatting with a gay guy from one of her chemistry classes, though. He’d been dressed as a snake charmer, with a plastic snake protruding from a
very certain part of his anatomy, and Sarah had gotten a kick out of it and stopped to talk to him.
“So,” she said, testing the keg to see if there was anything left. Nope. Damn. “How crazy is it that we both went western with our costumes?”
“Pretty crazy,” he agreed, his eyes locked on the framed photo on the wall again. He only stared at it for a few seconds longer, though, before he completely turned to face her. “What happened to the ghost?”
“Turns out I only have one set of plain white sheets, and they need to be washed, so . . .” She shrugged. “Cowgirl it is.”
“Hmm.” He pointed over her shoulder to a girl who was dressed like a Playboy bunny. “See that chick? She’s gonna
reverse cowgirl later.”
Maria gave him a curious look, surprised that he would say anything sexual around her tonight, even if it wasn’t directed at her. “Are you drunk?”
“No.” He snorted. “But it’s not for lack of trying.”
“Well, relax.” Tonight was a brief cameo, nothing more. Taking Dylan out had been fun but exhausting, and she was ready to go home and get some sleep. “Max and I aren’t gonna stay long.”
“Good,” he muttered. “No offense.”
“None taken.” This hadn’t exactly been her ideal Halloween, either. “So I talked to Sarah.”
“Yeah?” Automatically, he sounded interested. “What do you think?”
“I think . . . she’s probably the nicest person I’ve ever met in my life.”
He smirked. “Yeah, she gets that a lot.”
“And she seems really smart, too.”
“She is.”
As petty as it was, it would have been nice to have
something bad to say about her. But there was nothing. Sarah was everything Michael had claimed she would be and more. “I really like her.”
He raised one skeptical eyebrow and asked, “Are you just saying that?”
“No, I really do.” She didn’t seem like some high-maintenance diva, and she wasn’t an airhead, and she wasn’t an obnoxious slut. She was just a real, personable, likeable girl. “You found yourself a good one.”
“Wish I could say the same for you.”
She rolled her eyes, groaning, “Michael . . .”
“What? I was professional . . . earlier,” he reminded her.
He had been. And that was, she supposed, a big step for him. Though if Sarah hadn’t been here, he probably wouldn’t have bitten his tongue so much. “I think I’m just gonna leave you with your beer,” she decided. It was time to find Max and leave.
She started to walk away, but he called out to her, stopping her in her tracks. “Hey, Maria.”
She turned back around slowly, thinking he was going to leave her with some parting shot about Max, some jab about how he wasn’t good enough. But much to her surprise, he asked, “How’d you do it?”
Frowning, she didn’t understand the question. “Do what?”
“Get your diploma.” He looked her right in the eye intently. “I’ve been meaning to ask you.”
She inhaled sharply, realizing in that moment that she’d been waiting for him to ask. “I didn’t,” she answered. “I studied for three months and got my GED.”
He blinked in surprise. “I didn’t know you could go to college with a GED.”
She shrugged. “Community college. I took a couple classes at one of those, and then I transferred here.”
Holding her stare, that intent look slowly morphed into a smile. “Good for you.”
She smiled back at him, trying not to look too elated. But it was really good to hear that from him. As proud as she felt of him, it was nice to know that he was proud of her, too.
Turning away from him again, but feeling proud of herself now, too, she went to go find Max.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
GED, Michael thought, smiling fondly to himself as Maria disappeared into the crowd.
Of course. She’d just been out of high school too long to get a diploma, but there was nothing wrong with a GED.
He’d always known she could do it, and he was really glad she had.
When Sarah came back downstairs, he wasn’t thrilled to see the snake charmer with her. He would have kicked into jealousy mode had the snake charmer not angled his snake directly at some other guy’s ass. So he was a bun-duster. Good.
“Boyfriend!” Sarah squealed, scampering towards him. She threw herself into his arms and kissed him exaggeratedly. “How’s it goin’, pardner?” she asked in a ridiculously bad country accent.
“Mighty swell, ma’am, now that you’re here,” he played along, cringing right after he spoke. “Wait, what is that? That’s old-fashioned. I’m not that kind of cowboy.”
“What kind are you?” she asked eagerly.
“Well . . .” He put one hand around her back and held the other out to the side, clasped together with her hand, swaying side to side with her. “I’m the suave kind.”
“Oh, suave?” she teased.
“Yeah. And the wild kind.” He spun her around when she wasn’t expecting it, and when he pulled her back in, she practically collided with him. “The sexy kind.”
“Very sexy,” she agreed, snaking her arms around his waist. She moved in close to him, holding him closely, content to dance off-beat with him even though she could dance better without him.
He stroked her hair, breathing in the floral scent of her shampoo, but when he looked over her shoulder, he saw Maria dancing with Max, too. They weren’t as close as he and Sarah were, but still . . . they were dancing.
She didn’t notice him watching. Max didn’t notice him watching. Sarah didn’t notice him watching. So he didn’t look away.
TBC . . .
-April