The Overnight Party

Chapter 14

The roar of the Friday night crowd at Mariner's Rest High School vibrated in Maya's chest. She stood alone in the parking lot, a solitary figure amidst the sea of cheering fans. The strong smell of deep-fried food, hot dogs, and soft pretzels suffocated the warm late-summer air. Ethan had just waved goodbye to Maya and, before he disappeared into the bowels of the team bus, he gave her a concerned look and warned her to be careful. The exchanged a look, both of them determined in their individual causes. Ethan carried his helmet in his hands and joined Alex and the other teammates by the bus. The football coach was shouting something to them, getting them psyched up and ready to conquer.

Behind the bleachers, and behind the concession stands, four sets of double-doors painted the school colors, black and crimson red, led into narrow carpeted hallways, each joining the locker rooms. She saw some of Mariner's Rest football players lingering on the inside of the hall on the other side of the door.

Then, she saw him. Mark, with his tousled dark brown hair, and lines of crimson and black paint smeared beneath his eyes, slipping into the shadows near the school's locker room. Curiosity, laced with a touch of trepidation, propelled her forward.

"Mark?" she called out softly, her voice barely audible over the cheers.

He turned, his face a mask of anger that morphed into surprise as he recognized her. "Maya? What are you doing here?"

His voice was laced with an edge of hostility that sent shivers down her spine.

"I needed to talk to you," Maya said, her voice steady despite the tremor in her hand. He didn't respond, just stared at her with a cold intensity.

Sensing her discomfort, Maya blurted out, "It was you, wasn't it? At Cairo's party. You were the one arguing with Arilla."

Mark's jaw clenched, and his voice rose an octave. "Yeah, I was there! But only for a minute! You can't just-"

He stopped abruptly, as if realizing how his outburst sounded. Suddenly his voice cracked. His shoulders slumped, and his anger dissolved into a look of raw pain that took Maya aback.

"I was in love with her, Maya," he choked out, his voice thick with emotion. "And I was stupid. I just wanted to see her, talk to her. I fucking miss her like I've never missed anyone before."

His words spilled out in a torrent of regret, his voice raw, pausing to take calm breaths. "I was at Cairo's party," he admitted. He had been consumed by a desperate hope of rekindling what he and Arilla had lost and had waited for her outside, where nobody could see him, hoping to talk to her. When he found Arilla, she confirmed his worst fears.

"She told me she was seeing someone else," Mark continued, wiping a tear from his cheek. "Said they'd been dating for two weeks."

His voice broke, filled with a despair that resonated within Maya. Tears streamed down his cheeks.

"Even when she was dating me, she didn't even want a boyfriend," he said, sobbing, "That's what she told everyone. She was the one who asked me, and then told everyone I had asked her, and then just wouldn't leave. She made me sound crazy."

Two weeks. Maya's mind raced. The timeline fit perfectly with the gossip she'd heard in Bridgeport.

"Who was she seeing?" she pressed, urgency fueling her question. "Was it Cairo?"

Mark shook his head, his denial tinged with a bitter sadness. "I don't know. I didn't want to know. It was like my world collapsed."

He buried his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking with silent sobs. "I loved her," he whispered, his voice raw with pain. "Still do. Even through the hell she put me and everyone else through."