That same day, before sunset...
-
Ying
"Maggie...?" I mumble over the buzz of the tv.
There's slashing sounds and rustling and grunting as the two characters on-screen tustle, though I'm not really paying attention to them. It's probably Buffy versus another frightening monster. (She's pretty badass, so she's probably going to pull through as always.) The show is what Maggie invited me over to watch with her. I'm seated on some pillows on the carpet, my back against the couch, as Maggie lays sprawled over top it.
It's not that I'm not interested in the show, I am, it's just...
My gaze is trained down on my phone in my hands.
"Hmm? What's up, baby girl?" Maggie asks belatedly, and I feel her hand drifting distractedly through my hair, her eyes glued to the screen. The touch and the nickname have my face feeling warm, and... why is my heart beating like this? Helplessly, I find my voice closing up on me in a familiar way.
Darn it, Ying, I think. You've been able to talk to her before. Why is now when I'm suddenly losing my voice?
Maggie seems to notice my silence, and I hear the couch cushions shifting behind me as she sits up, reaching for the tv remote. A moment later, there's a click, and then the sounds of the kerfuffle on-screen are silenced as she pauses the show.
"Is something wrong?" Maggie asks, her voice softer this time as she gives me her undivided attention. For some reason, my face only feels warmer, and I tilt my head down, away from her. "If it's the show, I'm sorry, it is a bit violent. Maybe we could..?"
"N-no..." I manage to stutter. "It's not the show... It's just..." I purse my lips, my eyebrows drawing low as I look down at the phone in my hands again. The screen that stares back is blank, and I know if I checked again, I'd have no new messages.
The couch creaks as Maggie leans over my shoulder, and I tense somewhat. I know the moment she sees what's in my hands as she exhales a long "Oh" of understanding.
"It's him again, isn't it. He hasn't responded?" She asks sympathetically, and I can hear her frown in her voice.
I shake my head "no". He hasn't yet. It's kind of frustrating, but also nerve-wracking at the same time. Has he even seen my text? Is he ignoring me? He brushed us off at the rainout, and that'd kinda stung. But he'd seemed so focused on something else...
We'd watched as he'd led a black-haired guy from the crowd out into the foyer. The guy had looked like a college student, and I'd never seen him before. Which is weird, because I feel like I know most of the athletes in our district, even if I don't talk to them. I go to a lot of games after all, for the student newspaper.
I remember Maggie commenting with disgust as we'd watched him walk away: "If he can't spare you the time you need, girl, then he's not worth that time."
I turn to look back at her now, and it's in time to see her flop back against the couch cushions with a throaty sigh.
"Joshua..." She groans with frustration. "I swear, I don't know what's up with that boy lately... I'm sorry, Ying. You don't deserve this kind of treatment." She turns her head to look at me as she says this, and I find myself getting slightly lost in those eyes of her's. She's not wearing her fake glasses at the moment, and she looks so cute.
"N-no, it's okay." I try to assure her, embarrassed by her words. She's so nice...
In my lap, I'm gripping my phone tighter. I want him to message me because I want to try and sort everything out. I want to let him know why I didn't come to our date—I'd been at home, trying to distract myself with anime while also trying not to cry—and I want to tell him about the text message I'd gotten from Maggie.
I still remember the moment I got it; I'd been in the process of typing out a reply to Joshua for whatever conversation we'd been having. I don't even remember what I'd been typing, just what this new message said.
Unknown Number: Joshua would never tell you this, but... he doesn't realy like you back. He feels bad for you, and he doesnt know how to tell you. He didn't know how to turn you down when you asked him out. He's not planning on showing up on Saturday. Im sorry.
Reading it had my world crashing down around me.
I couldn't even face Joshua, the morning after. I was on the verge of tears for the whole day, and I think trying to talk to him, the dam would have just broken. I couldn't do it.
I'd approached Maggie about the text, after finding out whose number it had been. I hadn't even been trying to figure out who sent it; I'd just been moping in Ms. Brown's room, half-heartedly trying to work on an article. Ms. Brown is the sponsor for the school's newspaper, and she's also the coach for the girl's soccer team. I hadn't meant to look at the roster on her desk, but there were all those names and numbers, and well, I was upset and curious. I didn't expect to actually see the number there on the list, next to the goalie's name.
Marcel Jones
I knew who that was. One of Joshua's friends. The knowledge only made my churn of emotions worse, because if anyone would know if Joshua was regretting our relationship, wouldn't it be one of his friends?
I had to work up some serious nerve to go talk to her, and maybe it helped that I was a little angry, but when I did talk to her, she seemed so surprised. She had no idea what I was talking about, which was baffling. When I'd showed her the message on my phone, she'd never seen it before, and when she checked her own phone, there was no such message.
Things only got weird from there. She had no idea how I could have gotten that message, especially after confirming that it had in fact come from her number. She hadn't sent it. So who had? And why had they tried to break up me and Joshua? Or, well, tried— more like succeeded. Which was even more disheartening than thinking that Joshua was only dating me out of pity. Because that meant he was just as hurt and confused as I was.
Which is why I really need to talk to him. I have no idea what's going on here, but I want him to know everything we do, so at least he won't be in the dark. I'm afraid he's upset with me...
Maggie was almost more disturbed by this discovery than I was. She resolved herself to getting to the bottom of it, and I've been seeing a lot of her over the past few days. It's kind of nice talking to her; She's confident and fun, laid back and actually really easy to talk to, even in person. I'm really starting to like her.
And here I am in her living room, watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and sort-of-but-not-really studying for a Language Arts quiz we both have coming up. Mostly I'm just fretting over my phone and waiting for Joshua to text me back, pretty much all day to be honest, and Maggie has threatened to take it from me more than once.
"No, it's not okay, Ying." She says to me now, shaking her head. Her brown locks are loose against the pillow, kind of a mess, and it's a little distracting. Jesus, Christen, get yourself together. What are these thoughts?
"You really like him, and this thing is one big shitty mystery. It's not cool for him to ignore you like this. It's not cool for him to be ignoring me either, honestly, and as his friend I'm really disappointed in him, but as your friend, I'm even more disappointed in him." Maggie's continuing, and I open my mouth to interject at "really like him" but I'm thwarted as she says "your friend". My face feels really warm again.
I'm really starting to like Maggie as a friend. We have fun conversations, and she sticks up for me. She understands how to talk to me, even when I have trouble talking to her, and things aren't awkward right off the bat like they were with Joshua. Not that I'm starting to dislike him or anything, because I still really do like him, Maggie's not exactly wrong about that. I'm just... I don't know. I want him to just pick up his phone and text me. That's what I want right now.
"Gah, I still have no idea who could have texted you." Maggie mutters, scowling up at the ceiling now. She swings her arms around above her as she speaks, and I listen. "And they got ahold of my phone to do it! How gross! Creepy! Do you think it was Ethan? I wouldn't put it past him, taking my phone... I remember a day when he took it, though he swore he didn't after I found it. Little liar... But I can't imagine why he'd ever want to break up you and Joshua. Unless..."
Her eyes widen, and she looks at me with this sort of "oh man" face. I realise what she's thinking just as she speaks it aloud.
"He likes Joshua?!" Maggie exclaims, as I begin to voice the same thought.
"Could he...?" I begin, my mind spinning with the possibility. I don't know her friend Ethan very well, but it seems easily within the realm of plausibility, what, with that outgoing personality of his. Have you seen the way he does his hair? The way he finger guns? He's a true gay icon.
I don't know how to take the idea of him crushing on Joshua, however. My anime heart immediately wants to be smitten with the idea, but my realistic heart isn't so sure. I like Joshua myself, and I'm a little offended that someone would try and spoil my hard-earned chances with him.
"Wouldn't put it past him!" Maggie says again, sitting up quickly and swinging her legs over the side of the couch right beside me. Her calves almost come over my shoulder, and I feel jittery. "The liking part, at least. I still can't imagine him trying to break you two up over it though... It just doesn't seem like him. But he's the only suspect I can think of."
Her brow is furrowed with thought, and I feel the expression mirrored on my own face. Almost subconsciously, I find myself glancing down to my phone in my lap, and I know there's going to be nothing, but still I press the home button to turn it on. I watch the screen light up, hoping against hope that maybe there's a notification I missed, but no. Nothing. Just the time, and my tumblr-esque background. Flowers in a pond.
I sigh, and turn it off again.
"I think he has a game today," Maggie mutters, possibly to herself, though I glance back to her. "A make-up one at least, for the rain out."
Ah, that tricky rain out again. Maggie has her make-up game next Wednesday, because that's when they can get the other team to come back down for it. Maggie had been so happy to have today free, but now...
She's worrying her bottom lip between her index finger and thumb as she thinks, and she says, "We could go check it out, but..." She looks from me to the paused tv show on the screen, then back again.
She releases her lip, then gives me a languid little smile as she concludes, "It's too comfortable here for that. I think I'll just text him."
My heart trips at the idea of finding out the truth behind that derailing text message, and I give a little nod. "A-alright... Sounds good."
Turning to the couch beneath her, Maggie rummages through the cushions until she finds her phone, then pauses as she turns it on, reading the notifications there. Of course she has notifications.
I watch only slightly sullenly as she skims them, but as she does, her frame grows tense, and her expression becomes increasingly fraught. As I see this, all my anxiousness comes flooding back.
"Is everything alright?" I ask carefully, leaning up on my knees.
Maggie's gaze flicks to me, and she swallows uneasily.
"I..." She starts, then looks back to her phone. "It's Connor. He's sent me a message about the news that I haven't checked. My phone was on silent."
"What is it? What's wrong?" I ask, sitting up fully now, my hands gripping at the edge of the couch.
Somehow I know, before she even manages to tell me, that it has to do with Joshua.
"It's Joshua... and Ethan... They're... Oh my God..." She's reading through something longer now, and it's killing me to wait on her to explain. I'm about to try and find it on my own phone when she manages to say, "Something's happened at the school. A room caught fire, and they both went to the hospital. But now... Oh, God, Joshua. Ethan."
"What happened." I press, almost desperate now.
Maggie finally lowers her phone, and when she looks at me again, her face as gone stark. Something is wrong. Terribly, terribly wrong. She doesn't get the chance explain, however, because then the doorbell is ringing.
Both Maggie and I jerk, and we stare at each other, our eyes wide. Neither of us are able to move.
The tense stillness draws out, and it's only broken as the doorbell rings again, sharp and blaring. We both wince.
"Did you... D-did you invite anyone else?" I ask her, and Maggie grimaces. She shakes her head.
This feels bad. Something's wrong.
The doorbell doesn't ring again, but we can feel the presence of whomever is outside, pressing at us, as though they might press the button again at any moment.
"Honey?" Maggie's mom's raucous voice calls from upstairs. "Aren't you going to get that?"
"I..." Maggie's voice comes out too quiet at first, and then she clears her throat. "Yeah, I've got it!" She calls, and pushes herself up from the couch.
Sparing me an uneasy glance, she begins to move towards the front door, and I scramble after her. I manage to catch her just as she reaches the door, and I stand close behind her as she peers into the peep hole. The expression she makes is strange, not relieved in the slightest like I'd hoped for— no, whomever she sees outside only seems to make her more anxious.
But she takes a deep breath, straightening her back, and she reaches to open the door. I can't stop myself from reaching out to nervously grasp one of her arms, and as the door swings open, I peer around her at the man standing in the doorway.
He's tall, incredibly so, and he's wearing a sharply tailored black suit, his red hair swept back over his head. As he sees us, he flashes a blinding smile.
"Ah, afternoon, ladies. Sorry to bother you, but the name's Perkins." He's pulling out a badge as he says this, and I can't take my eyes off the gold lettering. There's a sinking feeling in my stomach before he even begins to explain what he's here for, and I'm suddenly glad to be holding on to Maggie, because I worry if I wasn't, I'd fall over.
As he slips the badge back into his jacket, Perkins says, "I'm investigating the case of your missing friend, as you may have heard, and I've come to ask you a couple of questions, if that'd be alright."
Missing.
The word resounds in my head until it's all I can hear, and as I look to Maggie, I see from her pallid expression that she knew this is what he'd ask about. This is what Connor had informed her of in his alarming message.
It feels like the floor is sliding out from under me, and all I can think is: Joshua.
.
.
.
(The song is Overthinking by Acid Ghost :)
I'm so gay for Ying, I just want her to be happy! I too crush on literally anyone who's nice to me, only to be unable to talk to them when I get the chance. You got this, girl.
I honestly wish I had more excuses to write chapters centered on Ying and Maggie, and Connor too—the relationship among the three of them that's going to grow from here is legit one of my favorites!
Sadly though their escapades aren't all that crucial to Seth and Joshua's story, so maybe I'll give the three of them their own story after this? (With maybe a bit of Ethan thrown in their too, because I can't help myself and I love him sm also) :D
That being said, what are your thoughts on these minor characters? Have a favorite? I'd love to know!
Thank you for reading, and have a wonderful day/night!