Shyla's graduation party the next night was out of this world. Every room of the house was full of people. Finding nothing else to do on a Saturday night I decided to make an appearance with my friends Roland and Mason from the coffee shop. The bonfire area and back deck were crowded, even though it was May, and the weather was well under eighty degrees. I'd even wore one of my thinner hoodies. A blood red one I'd gotten two Christmas's ago from a Great Aunt I hadn't seen since I was a toddler.
I had a mid-shift that afternoon and didn't have time to change, so I still reeked of espresso and caramel. I was still dressed in my work pants but had put on a red long-sleeved t-shirt from my trunk. I pulled my hair into a ponytail at the nape of my neck and secured it with one of my mom's hair-ties. Roland and Mason of course took off to do their own thing, while I wondered around the backyard, watching everyone party, drink and live their best lives. I couldn't help but laugh at how vapid these people were.
"What's so funny?"
I turned to see Maggi. She was dressed in a black Led Zeppelin t-shirt that looked manufactured to be a crop top. She had on a pair of wide, baggy, grunge pants, with black suspenders and black and white Vans sneakers. She had her hair pulled up into a ponytail on either side of her head. Her nails were painted black except for her red painted middle fingers, and she was holding a red solo cup in her hand.
"Oh hey, nothing I was just thinking about something" I shrugged.
"Well look at you deciding to be social tonight" Maggi grinned.
"I wasn't doing anything else" I shrugged.
"Ready for graduation next week?" Maggi asked.
"Are you?" I parried.
"I'm a Junior actually" Maggi smirked.
"Really?" I smiled. "I would have never guessed you were a lower classman."
"I would have never guessed you were the sociable type."
"I'm usually not. I pride myself on staying in the cut. But what brings you to the land of the teenage dirtbags?" I asked shoving my hands into my pants pockets.
Maggi's bright eyes immediately dropped, and she exhaled.
"Nasty break-up. Shy and Liv made me come out so I could clear my mind" Maggi explained.
"Fair enough" I nodded.
Mason's massive, beefy hand, gripped my right shoulder, startling me a little. I turned my head to look at him.
"They've set up the beer pong table" Mason explained.
"And?" I shrugged.
"And I need you with me on this" Mason said.
"Why do you need me, where's Ro?" I questioned.
"He's upstairs somewhere" Mason informed.
"But I hate beer" I muttered.
Mason gave me a disapproving scowl.
"Hey, just go with your friend I have to go find out where the girls went anyway" Maggi insisted.
"Okay, I guess I'll see you around then."
"Yea sure" Maggi said.
And just like that she vanished into the crowd of adolescent noise. Just like she had at school.
I scrubbed as much of Olivia's lip-gloss off as I could, but my lips still looked oily. I placed the washcloth on the sink and looked at myself in the mirror. What was I doing? I know I liked Olivia, but I didn't know if it was enough to push this relationship further. I'd been with her almost every day this week when I wasn't at work. There was some chemistry, but not enough to make a big bang. The bathroom door swung open with a click. I turned around to see Maggi entering the bathroom. We shared identical confused expressions.
"Sorry, the door was unlocked so I didn't think anyone was in here" Maggi shrugged letting go of the door.
"No, wait!" I yelled, throwing my left hand out towards the door.
Maggi jumped and shrieked.
Click. The door closed behind her.
"What's wrong?" Maggi questioned.
"Found out the hard way that the door is messed up, so now we're in here" I explained.
"What do you mean we're in here?" Maggi probed.
"The like...latch thing is broken or something, so now we can't get out unless someone is coming in" I explained.
Maggi turned around and began fiddling and pulling on the knob. The door didn't budge.
"Butter knife or something?" she ordered turning to face me.
"Tried it" I answered, pulling an extremely bent butter knife from the pocket of my hoodie.
"Well, that's awesome. Who knows when the next person is coming in here" Maggi sighed, plopping down on the toilet seat.
"Well, a house full of teens, consuming gallons of alcohol at a time, it shouldn't take long" I shrugged walking over to the tub.
I bent down to sit on the side of the tub when my foot slipped on the rug. Before I could balance myself, I went tumbling backwards into the tub, taking the shower curtain with me. Maggi gasped and leaped up to help. I landed with a loud thunk, my head hitting the tiled wall behind me. I mumbled swears as I massaged the back of my head.
"Are you okay?" Maggi giggled.
"Of course not, did you not just see me just fall" I laughed.
"Alright, come on your big baby" Maggi laughed.
It was the beautiful, infectious laugh that always sent ripples through my body. I was her tuning fork, and her existence was my surface. She pulled me up and we sat on the side of the tub together, her moving the shower curtain off me.
"Well, that was embarrassing" I said.
"No, you fell very gracefully" she smiled.
"Yea right" I smiled.
Maggi laughed as she leaned forward on the side of the tub.
"What's that?" She asked pointing.
I followed the tip of her finger down to my red and white converse. She was pointing to the writing on them.
"Oh, I have a few pair of shoes like this. Some have lyrics, some phrases and quotes and some poems or signatures" I explained.
"That's really cool" she said. "Any of it yours?"
"Well, I have this one pair, and it has one of my sonnets on it, and a sonnet by Robert Frost. It's my lucky pair."
"So serious literature that's your thing huh?"
"Yea pretty much, I find passion in it" I grinned with a shrug.
"Passion? So, what's your favorite poem by Robert Frost?"
I pondered for a moment looking at the ceiling and biting my bottom lip in thought.
"My favorite poem would probably have to be...well it's a tie between 'The road not taken' and 'Stopping by the woods on a snowy evening'."
"So why those two?" Maggi inquired.
She took a little piece of her hair around her index finger and played with it lightly as she looked up at me. Her large bright eyes were focused as she hung on my every word.
"Because I feel like they describe loneliness and also the need to make executive decisions for yourself and your life" I explained.
"Woooow. Deep" Maggi grinned.
"Are you being sarcastic?" I smirked.
Maggi shook her head with a huge grin on her face.
"So, how long had you guys been together?" I asked.
Her smiled faded into a somber pout. It was sad, but so adorable.
"A little over a year. He went off to college and we made plans to do long distance until I graduated, and then I would join him there" Maggi informed.
She turned her face a little, but I could see her fighting back tears.
"So, what changed?" I asked softly.
"He did" She whimpered, holding back a sob.
"Oh god I'm sorry I didn't mean to pry" I lied.
"No, you're fine, it is what it is you know?" She shrugged.
We sat quietly for a moment, both of us looking down at our feet. A single tear escaped her left eye and began making a trail down her cheek. I pulled the sleeve of my hoodie down over my hand and gently and cautiously wiped her cheek.
"Thank you" Maggi sniffled.
"Look it's okay. Distance can do a lot of things to people, even show who they truly are" I informed.
"You talk like you speak from experience."
"Not really, I've only had one real relationship my entire life."
"Who broke up with who?"
"She died actually, Hodgkin Lymphoma."
Maggi gasped and covered her mouth.
"I'm so sorry."
"Its fine, I mean you didn't know" I shrugged.
"I know that was really painful for you" she said.
I nodded.
"That's why I have the sunflower hair clip in my shoelaces, it was hers" I pointed to my left shoe.
"Why the left shoe?" Maggi questioned.
"Because we were both left-handed" I replied.
"What was her name?"
"Dana."
"Well, I'm sorry for your loss" Maggi said softly.
We both looked at each other, her green eyes burning passionately into mine.
"Your eyes are so beautiful and so...blue" Maggi smiled.
I turned my head slightly, feeling my cheeks grow hot. Suddenly, Maggi wrapped her arms around my torso and hugged me tight, burying her face into my right shoulder. I leaned and hugged her back. Just then the bathroom door came flying open. Standing in the door was Shyla and a tall skinny guy with a fauxhawk, covered in tattoos and piercings. We both jumped and looked up. Shyla stopped tongue wrestling with her suitor to smirk at us.