CHAPTER FIVE:
SECRET KEEPER
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THERE WAS SOMETHING TO be said about the eyes of the Sullivan siblings. Over the years, the quartet had fashioned impassive masks to hide behind when the going got tough. But no matter how hard they tried, their eyes always managed to give them away. Only those closest to them would understand what that meant, would know how to read between the lines of 'I'm fine' and 'it's none of your business' to see the chaos unravelling underneath. So when Maggie looked at Zeke, she just knew he was keeping something secret, something that bothered her more than it should.
Maggie and Zeke were the type of siblings who told each other everything, no matter how embarrassing 'everything' might've been. There was simply no room for awkwardness between them. After all, her brother and sisters were Maggie's only friends before she was lucky enough to meet Carson and Hayden. But there was something about her relationship with Zeke that was different than the bond she shared with Vera and Dakota. Like each of the Sullivan siblings, Zeke was good at hiding, but his eyes were by far the easiest to read. When their mother died, Zeke's eyes were pretty much the only assurance Maggie had that she wasn't insane. Vera was too lost in her grief to acknowledge the world around her, Dakota was trying hard to pretend like nothing had changed, but Zeke. He recognised the pure fear in his sister's eyes and knew she'd seen something. Whether he believed that was a red-eyed blood-sucking monster, he wasn't sure, but his faith in her was enough for Maggie to not completely cave in on herself.
Fast forward several years and Maggie wasn't sure what she was supposed to feel. It wasn't like she told Zeke every single thought or feeling she had, but she told him enough that she thought he'd at least know he could do the same. But looking at him now, at the way he was hunched over his mobile with furrowed brows, she wasn't so sure.
"Zeke, no phones at the table," Wren scolded, voice light but firm.
The boy in question looked up with a sigh before tucking the device into his jacket pocket. He was strangely quiet that morning, and it had an effect on everyone else in the household. Without Zeke bouncing around with the energy of an overactive puppy, no one was quite sure how to act. It was like they fed off his presence, and when he was quiet and tired, so were they.
"Are you feeling okay, bub?" Wren frowned at her nephew, reaching across the table to press a hand to his forehead.
"Fine," he muttered, leaning away from her hand with a scowl. "Just tired. I didn't get much sleep last night."
Maggie didn't believe him, but she wasn't about to call him out. Instead, she sat there in silence like everyone else, scoffing down the last of her food in the hopes of finishing breakfast as soon as possible. When that moment came and it was time to leave for school, it was like some sort of weight fell from their shoulders. Rushing out of the house after exchanging goodbye's with their uncle, the siblings piled into Wren's car, silent but not as uncomfortable. Unfortunately, that only lasted until they reached the school's parking lot. Before anyone could vacate the vehicle, Wren pressed down on the lock and spun around in the driver's seat to look at Zeke, who had his forehead pinned to the window.
"Have you three had a fight?" she asked, eyes darting from Dakota stiff by his side to Maggie in the passenger seat. "Well?"
"Not that I know of," Maggie shrugged.
"And you two?"
"We haven't, can you let us out now?" Zeke grumbled as he tugged on his door handle.
Wren sighed but did as he asked, staring at his quickly retreating figure as he disappeared into the crowd, "Something is wrong with him."
"You think?" Dakota scoffed. She was also watching Zeke, but her eyes held more frustration than concern. "He's been in a foul mood since last night, no clue why but it's annoying."
"Just watch out for him," Wren told the sisters, quickly adding before Dakota could protest, "For me?"
"Fine," she sighed, unlocking her own door and gathering her bag into her arms. "See you later, I guess."
Then Dakota disappeared too, heading in the opposite direction of Zeke with her head held high. Maggie gnawed on her lower lip as she watched her leave, meeting Wren's eyes as the older woman let out a breath, slumping back against her seat in defeat.
"Be honest with me please," her aunt murmured. "You don't know what's going on?"
Maggie shook her head, "I don't."
"Maybe he's just having an off day," Wren hummed like she was trying to assure her, but it seemed more like an assurance for herself than it did for Maggie. "Off you go now, you don't want to be late."
She did as she was asked without a word, muttering a soft goodbye to her aunt's back as the two went their separate ways. It wasn't hard to find Hayden in the crowd. She was over by her car again, alone this time, a cup of coffee in one hand and her phone in the other. She looked up as Maggie appeared beside her, grinning widely as she offered her a sip of her drink.
"Rough morning?" she chuckled as Maggie chugged more than a sip. Hayden didn't seem to mind, knowing Maggie probably needed it more than she did.
"You could say that," she sighed, brushing the sleeve of her camo parka over her mouth. "Zeke's acting weird."
"And that's surprising why?"
"He's quiet, moody."
"That doesn't sound like Zeke," Hayden frowned. As if sensing Maggie's growing anxiety, she popped her phone in her pocket and offered her another grin. "How close are you and Quil?"
"I mean, we talk but we're not that close," she said, her lips quirking at Hayden's nonchalant shrug. "Why?"
"No reason."
Maggie didn't believe her for a second, "You know he has a crush on you, right?"
"Of course I know," Hayden rolled her eyes, scoffing to herself as Maggie giggled. "I'm not an idiot, Mags."
"Do you like him?" she asked, wearing a full-fledged smirk at Hayden's affronted expression.
"We should head to class," she declared, reaching behind her for the backpack she'd left on her seat before she clicked the door shut and locked it.
"I'm going to take that as a yes," Maggie chuckled, jogging to catch up with Hayden's quickly retreating figure. After a moment of silence, she asked, "Are you going to ask him out?"
"I don't know," Hayden sighed, seeing no point in hiding her feelings. Maggie wouldn't believe her now. "He's your cousin."
"That's not an excuse," Maggie waved her at her dismissively. "If you want to pursue something with him, you can, don't worry about me."
Hayden didn't respond and Maggie didn't push her, knowing she'd said her piece. Instead, the two girls walked in comfortable silence to their lockers. It was only as Maggie was gathering her textbooks in her arms that Hayden said anything, her shoulders tensing almost unnoticeably as she shifted in her spot beside Maggie.
"He's coming this way," she muttered.
"Just relax," Maggie grinned teasingly. "I never knew you could get so flustered over a boy."
"Shut up," Hayden snapped, scowling as Maggie laughed. "I'm not flustered."
"Hey girls," Quil greeted as he and Embry approached them. He wore a grin almost as wide as Maggie's, and if Maggie didn't know about his crush on her best friend, she would've questioned his sanity.
"Hi, Quil," Maggie returned his greeting when Hayden remained silent. Nudging the girl's side with her elbow, she turned to look at the boy lingering at Quil's side. "Embry, wanna walk with me to class?"
Embry frowned in confusion but nodded anyway, "Sure, Maggie."
Ignoring Hayden's wide eyes, Maggie shut her locker with a snap and turned away, linking arms with Embry to draw him away from them. Once they were far enough away, Maggie dropped his arm and glanced back at Hayden and Quil, pleased to see them talking happily. Embry followed her gaze with a frown before finally catching on.
"I never knew you were a matchmaker, Sullivan," he smirked at her.
"You and I both know they'd do nothing about their feelings if they didn't have help."
"So she likes him too?" he asked.
"Do you even have to ask?" she rolled her eyes, the two sharing a knowing grin. "She doesn't like to admit it but it's obvious."
"Quil's the total opposite," he scoffed. "I'm pretty sure I know more about Hayden than I do about him and he's my best friend."
Maggie let out a laugh, Zeke's strange behaviour completely slipping from her mind.
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BY THE END OF the day, Zeke's bad mood had disappeared. When Maggie joined him and Dakota by their aunt's car, he wore his usual grin as he talked Dakota's ear off, his twin begrudgingly listening to whatever he had to say. Maggie hesitated at the sight of them, a frown tugging at her brows before she slowly closed the space between them.
"Hi, Mags," Zeke greeted her, the wind ruffling his already wild curls. "Have a good day?"
"It was okay," she shrugged, sharing a discrete look with Dakota. "I see you're in a better mood."
"Yeah, I woke up a bit," he said, and that was that. Maggie wasn't sure what to believe, but she decided to let it slide, just happy to have Zeke back to his normal self. She could tell that despite her impatient scowl, Dakota felt the same way.
Soon enough, Wren was rushing across the parking lot, a stack of test papers tucked under one arm as she rummaged through her handbag for her keys. Maggie said nothing to her apologies for being late, eyes scanning the parking lot as she waited for the car to be unlocked. Just as she turned to look away, she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure.
Paul was leaning against his truck, Jared and Kim opposite him, but his eyes were already on her. When their gazes locked, Maggie's cheeks bloomed red, a shy smile on her lips as she waved at him. Saving herself any more embarrassment, she ducked her head down, ignoring her family's questioning glances as she hopped in the car.
"Who were you waving at?" Zeke asked from beside her, his lips tugged up in a faint smirk.
"No one," she scowled at him.
Before he could pester her about it, she sparked up a conversation with her aunt about her day, happy to let the woman chatter away for the rest of the ride home. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't quite shake the feeling she got when she noticed Paul looking at her.
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A/N: This chapter is dedicated to @seIcouth who convinced me to write for Maggie today! I loved writing this chapter, I'm finally starting to delve into the storyline and Maggie's relationships with the important people in her life. Speaking of important people, before you say anything, I know you haven't seen much of Paul, but Maggie's story isn't just about their relationship. It's centred around what matters to her, and her family is part of that, so you better get used to seeing them in each chapter. I hope you come to love them just as much as I do. Anyway, let me know what you thought, I love hearing feedback. Until next time!