Maze awoke to the sensation of her phone vibrating in her pocket—and the sound of Kass groaning in annoyance whilst saying, "Turn it off..."
Her limbs were stiff and movements mechanical as she fetched her phone, uttering a soft apology to Kass as she answered the call and put the speaker to her ear. "Hello?" she croaked.
"MAISY MORI!" someone screamed, and it took a second for Maze's eyes to focus on the caller ID. It was Declan. "Where the hell are you?! Oh my God, are you all right?"
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" she said, clearing her throat.
"Where's Kass? Is she with you?"
"Yeah, she's right here—"
"Then tell me WHY THE HELL AREN'T YOU TWO IN THE TENT?!"
Maze grimaced, pulling the phone away from her throbbing ear. Kass sat up and the blanket fell from the top of her head, exposing them both to the elements. A shiver shot through them both as the cool, crisp morning air swept in. Kass was squinting, disoriented, and had a serious patch of bedhead flattening her blonde hair up on the left side of her face, the rest barely contained in her bun.
As Kass nestled her arms under the blanket, tugging it up to her shoulders, Maze reassured Declan that they were alive and well in the baseball field.
"Is that where you two fucked? Are you decent?" he asked.
Maze's cheeks turned red in an instant. "We didn't—We're fine, we were just stargazing and fell asleep."
"Aw, that's romantic."
"So I've been told," she droned, rolling her eyes. They landed on the back of Kass' head, where her hair was sticking up. Maze curled her free hand into a fist to keep from reaching out and flattening Kass' hair back down. "We'll head back to the campsite in a bit. Our shoes are kinda wet now." She lifted up a sneaker from the grass and found it coated in morning dew.
"Fine. I'll get coffee started and then we can talk about heading back," he said, and she agreed on it.
She hung up and let her phone hang between her knees as she sat up. She sighed as the morning creaked through her weary joints. She cracked her neck, to which Kass said, "Gross."
Maze laughed. "Yeah, get used to it," she said.
Kass glanced back at her. Her gaze lingered, and Maze watched it drift down and away with a light smile. "Whatever," Kass said.
"Declan's waiting for us. He thought a bear got to us or something," Maze said.
"Figured."
Neither of them moved.
Dawn had already broke, which left the field dusted in a light fog from the nearby lake and a warm hue in the sky. Maze breathed it in, hands clasped around her legs as the spring birds mingled and woke up far away from where their sleeping bag was. Kass sniffed.
"I could do this every morning," Maze whispered, as if talking regularly would scare away the birds.
"Deer," Kass said, pointing off to the side. Maze followed the gesture to where a doe walked along the edge of the trees, so far away that Maze would have mistaken her for a tree trunk. Her ears flicked.
"Oh, shit, that's cool," Maze whispered.
Kass turned to look at her, and Maze gave up resisting. She reached a hand out to smooth back Kass' bedhead. Her fingers caught underneath Kass' hair tie and slipped it out. She smiled when Kass' eyes closed the way a cat's did. When they eased open, Maze grinned.
"You're docile in the morning," she said.
Kass laughed, closing her eyes again as Maze combed her fingers through her hair
again. "I'll fucking kill you after I've had coffee," Kass promised.
"I think you mixed up your letters there," Maze said. Kass raised an eyebrow, eyes still closed. "You used two 'L's instead of two 'S's."
It took a second for Kass to scoff. "Smartass. My breath is gonna taste like shit after coffee, so that's not happening. Come on."
They pulled their slightly damp shoes back on, folded up the blanket, and rolled up the sleeping bag. Kass tugged the sleeping bag straps over her shoulders and started off, leaving Maze to follow suit with her arms filled by the folds of the blanket they had spent the night in.
At the campsite, Declan scowled at them and all but splashed coffee into their mugs. Maze grinned sheepishly, thanking him for making breakfast while he no doubt speculated about what, exactly, they had been doing all night.
After breakfast, they scheduled a time with Bryan to swap the cars again and, luckily, Vincent would be out with The Boys playing cards that Sunday, so they could expect the property to be empty and free for the taking. Kass listened to the phone call from beside Declan's car, sloshing water around in her mouth and spitting it and her toothpaste out into the dirt.
"Let's get out of here," Kass said, and it didn't take much long after that for them to hit the road.
_______
"Word around town is you and The Girl are dating," Brielle commented at work that Monday.
Maze immediately hissed, nerves spiking to an all-time high. The instant her eyes darted towards the kitchen, Brielle gave her a dismissive wave. "I already made sure your mom wasn't around. I think she said she was getting lunch with a friend."
Maze's shoulders slumped in relief. She turned back to the coffee machine and poured a liberal pot of water into the top as she said, "Yeah, I guess we're dating? Did Declan tell you?"
Brielle scoffed. "'Did Declan tell you'," she mocked. Maze rolled her eyes. "Of course he did! Didn't I say it was the talk of the town?"
"Just checking," she said, dully. It was to be expected. Declan was, often, the talk of the town. He caused enough trouble in grade school to leave all the parents talking on top of all their peers talking.
Brielle leant back against the countertop, sliding her skates back and forth. When she tipped her head against her shoulder, her bun bobbed to the side. "To be honest, we all thought you were as straight as a needle. Gotta say I'm a bit baffled."
"To be fair, I think I am a needle," she said, snapping the lid shut. "Some needles bend, you know. I think?"
"Uh-huh," she hummed, unconvinced. "Then I take it Kassandra literally and figuratively bent you."
Maze glowered at her, but she couldn't withstand Brielle's brilliant smile. Maze grinned back, arms folding over her chest, and said, "I guess."
"Well, I'm happy for you."
"Thank you."
"Just make sure she doesn't snap you in half."
Maze slapped her in the side, and Brielle jerked away, giggling, and skated off. She twirled around the bar and lent a hand against the corner of it, the other poised on her hip.
"Since you two are together or whatever, you should get Kassandra and stop by my house tonight."
Maze rose an eyebrow. "What's it matter if we're together or not? We'd go regardless."
Brielle shrugged. "I just mean, like... as an item? If you're comfortable with everyone else knowing, I guess."
"I—" she started, and her voice cracked. She cleared it. "I mean, I guess?"
Brielle seemed thrilled and after work that day, they went their separate ways with the promise of reconnecting just an hour after then. Maze took a milkshake with her as she left the diner to the new shift that waved to her as she skated out the front door. She spun around and hopped off of the curb, sipping creamy chocolate ice cream with a hand in the front pocket of her hoodie.
She spiraled and weaved her way around cracks in the sidewalk on her path to Hiromichi's. There, she found Kass waiting for her on the tailgate of her truck.
Kass immediately put out a hand for the milkshake, which Maze held onto for one last sip as she put on a show with her rollerskates. Kass didn't look impressed until Maze at last handed the milkshake over.
"What's this about a party and why are we going?" Kass said.
"'Cause Declan told everyone and their mother that we're dating," Maze said.
Kass' lips popped off of the straw and Maze coasted away with flushed cheeks, pretending that the sky was far more distracting... "That isn't a reason."
"Sure it is," Maze said. She stretched out the front of her hoodie with her hands in the front pocket. "I mean... It's like... us announcing that we're going steady? First public appearance and all that."
"Bullshit."
"Well, we'd have to do it eventually if we're gonna hang out with the gang again.
Together."
"No we don't," Kass said.
Maze turned back with a dull stare. Kass dropped her legs down off of the tailgate. Maze pursed her lips and rolled her eyes away again because her attention immediately honed in on how far apart Kass held her knees. Like Maze could just... glide up and slot herself between them.
"So..." she said, clearing her throat. "You're saying that we'll never ever, ever hang out together with the gang? Ever?"
When she looked back, Kass was glaring at her. "I see your point," she said. She leant back on one hand, milkshake in the other, and said, "Fine. I'll go, but only if it isn't a party specifically about us being a thing."
"I never said it was!" Maze laughed.
She gave in with one push back towards the truck. Her skates pulled her up to Kass in seconds, and she steadied her hands on Kass' knees to lessen the blow of her hips hitting the open tailgate.
Kass' eyes skimmed up from Maze's waist. Maze couldn't quite peg the look in her somber brown eyes. She was certain she had never seen it before. "Kinda made it sound like it was," Kass said.
"I don't think they'd care enough to throw a celebration for us," she said with a grin. To her, though, this was the biggest, positive event in an otherwise shitty year.
Then again, where Dating Kass stood in that list... it really couldn't compare to the year she had. May in Indiana was where Maze's year officially started.
Kass took another sip of the milkshake and did something Maze recognized from middle school and on. Kass always loathed saliva residue and droplets on cups, straws, and otherwise. She remembered a time in high school when Willa teased Kass at a Starbucks for "making out" with her cup, and Kass snapped back, "I'm cleaning it off, you whore!"
Kass licked the end of the straw before setting it aside.
Maze never used to think twice about it, but that split second instance fixated her. "Maybe they should," Kass teased. "Why? You wanna celebrate?" Maze said.
"Kinda, but not with them. Maybe we could do something."
"Like what?"
Kass nodded her head toward the shop. Maze looked back at the closed garage door and dark office windows. Right on cue, the timer on the garage lights blinked on. "I've got the key to the spray paint locker," she said.
Maze looked back to Kass' mischievous grin and glinting golden eyes. The implication was clear, and it brought a smile to Maze's lips as she put her hands on the tailgate on either side of Kass' spread legs. "You wanna freshen up our initials on the bridge?" Maze said.
Kass said nothing, but she didn't have to. Maze laughed, breathless, and said, "God, I wonder if they're still there. When did we even do that?"
"Junior year," Kass said. "They aren't there anymore. Willa and I painted a massive dick over 'em after what happened."
Maze didn't have the heart to feel offended. Instead, the immature child in her burst into laughter. Knowing Kass and her remarkable artistry, Maze could only imagine the realism in the spray paint job. "I'm excited to see it. Maybe we could sneak off after the party and do it."
"Then I should grab a can before we go," Kass said, shifting forward.
When Maze didn't move, Kass set the milkshake down and pushed Maze back by the shoulders. She glided back, but she did so with her hands hooking under Kass' thighs. Kass immediately revolted, cussing at her the instant Maze swept her off of the tailgate and sent them spinning with the momentum of their precarious, top-heavy arrangement.
Maze let out an unflattering cackle when Kass didn't even bother hooking her legs around Maze's waist. Instead, Kass insisted on letting go of any impulse to hang on, which prompted Maze to half-drag Kass under her arms to the side door.
Before they could get there, though, Maze picked up speed so she could spin like a professional ice skater while Kass put her arms out, her legs now parallel to the ground and propelling them into a goddamn speed vortex.
When they finally stopped and Kass got her footing, she staggered like she was eight shots deep. She tipped to the side, feet crossing, and wavered for a moment before slapping her hand on the door handle. Maze nearly collapsed laughing. Kass flipped her off on her way through the door.
From the locker, Kass shouted out the colors to Maze, who yay or nay-ed them from afar, skating circles in the lot. When Kass came back the can up the front of her sports bra, all but sandwiched between her bare breasts, they locked the door and hurried to the truck to make their grand escape.
Brielle's house was one of several owned by her parents. The cabin they had up in northern Wisconsin was where her parents spent most of their summers, which left Brielle alone with their purebred Doberman Pinschers in Indiana. Maze recalled spending several days basking in Brielle's pool while her parents were away.
The long drive through the forest to Brielle's house was peppered with outdoor lights strung up on posts, which encircled the wide expanse of concrete outside of their garage. There, they found Willa's car parked alongside Scorpion and Felix's vehicle. Behind them, Declan's mismatched car pulled up and parked on the edge of the asphalt.
Declan stepped out of the driver's side and slapped both of his hands on the roof of his car, looking over at where Kass and Maze watched him out of the driver's side window.
Kass rolled down the window to say, "How's it feel to be the one to break the story?"
Declan beamed mockingly, nose scrunched up. "Just peachy. How're you two lovebirds?"
Kass rolled up the window all while flipping him off. He laughed and all but waltzed to the gate beside the house. They could see the pool lights on down below as Declan pranced out of view. Someone was blaring Dear Maria, Count Me In on the speakers and Maze could vaguely hear Grace half-sobbing, half-screaming to it.
Kass turned to Maze then with a sigh and said, "Ready?"
"As much as I'll ever be," she said, though she was smiling through any hesitancy she might have had.
It wasn't quite dark enough for them to see the city light pollution beyond the wide open field behind Brielle's house. The mosquito repellent candles melted down their wicks along the walkway and Maze could smell it in the air as Kass took the lead ahead of her, hands in her pockets. The warm, humid temperature was pleasant, with just enough lakefront chill to maintain the status of Maze's hoodie.
Kass hopped the fence around the pool, which prompted an eruption of chaos the instant she came into view.
Chaos that Maze surely hadn't expected.
"Dude, at long last! Why didn't you ever hit on me if you knew you were gay?!" Amelia shouted.
Maze pushed open the gate as Kass stood on the edge of the pool and snarked, "Maybe it's because you're butt-ugly."
"I dunno, that's strong evidence that you might be straight," Josie hummed from beside Amelia, who placed a hand over her offended heart.
They didn't know? Maze thought, mortified.
And here she thought all the concern about maintaining a low profile had to do with Maze's comfort levels. Kass wasn't even out of the closet, at least not fully.
It added a new layer of unease to a memory Maze tried not to reflect on. Here she had thought Kass' confession senior year of high school had been the turning point.
She would tell Maze, and then everyone else, and everyone and their mother would know what side of the spectrum Kass gravitated towards. It wasn't just Maze who knew. There had to be others, and the only people Maze had spoken to about it were ones involved in the incident: Willa and Bryan.
And that, aside from perhaps Grace, was it.
Amelia threw a tennis ball at Willa then, who floundered with it before it could hit her money maker (her face). "You whore! You knew this whole time, didn't you?! And here I was tryna get you to hook me up with that brat!"
"S-Sorry! It just wasn't my place!" Willa cried, waving her hands in surrender. Amelia snarled at her like a dog before turning on Felix, who threw his hands up.
"And you—!"
"I didn't know, I swear," Felix said.
"Yeah, I'll bet you didn't," she seethed.
"It's not that big of a deal," Kass sighed, hip cocked to the side.
Maze took a hesitant step up next to her by the pool. She felt more or less like she had snuck her way into the pool area using her 100 Sneak in Skyrim. It wasn't until Kass looked at Maze that their friends addressed her.
"And you!" Amelia reared up, wagging a finger at her.
Brielle dismissed her before Maze had the pleasure of stammering her way through an excuse. "That's enough. Let the poor girl be."
"I'm more interested in the fallout now, though," Declan murmured from the tiki bar.
Kass sneered at him, about to snarl something vile.
Willa threw her arms up even higher and said, "Yeah, no, let's not talk about that!"
"Yeah," Maze said before she could stop herself. She cleared her throat when everyone looked at her, and she steadied her gaze on Kass. "We made up and that's all that matters, I guess."
Kass stared at her as the girls all aw-ed and Felix and Declan offered golf claps to the cheer.
Maze pointed down at Kass' hands, which were still in her pockets. "Can I see your phone?" she asked. "I wanna take a picture."
Kass seemed taken aback by the question. She unearthed it from her pocket and handed it over. As she started listing off the passcode, Maze turned away and shoved her elbow into Kass' back in the process.
She walked off as Kass skidded off of the pool ledge, yelping, "Fuck!" before crashing into the water.
Everyone shrieked before Kass bubbled up to the surface. Declan splashed his drink in the process of losing his shit behind the bar.
Maze swiped open Kass' camera and snapped a quick selfie of Kass thrusting an arm up out of the water to grab onto the ledge, a vicious snarl on her lips. Her hair was slicked back and nearly white against the teal pool lights.
"You're gonna fucking pay for that—" Kass seethed, a sheet of water slopping onto the tiles as she hiked a soaked leg out of the pool.
Maze cursed, cackling as she jogged away and passed her phone, wallet, and Kass' phone over to Bryan. Bryan was still wearing sunglasses, reclined out on one of the chaise lounges. "Reap what you sow," Bryan chided.
Kass, now fully emerged, stood like a feral beast on the edge of the pool, facing Maze from across the way. Maze froze like a deer in a field. Kass jerked to the left. Maze ducked to the right. They faked each other out until Maze went sprinting for the tiki bar.
Grace turned to Willa, who was watching in awe. "Are they usually like this?" Grace asked.
"Usually they're worse," Willa whispered, a finger to her lips. They snickered to each other.