A Recipe for Disaster

when the party's over

A few minutes after Maya arrived, Marissa walked in behind her, dressed in short shorts and an oversized white T-shirt with "Nirvana" emblazoned across the front.

Her hair was loosely draped around her neck, and she grabbed a beer from the counter, twisting it open and taking a huge sip a second later.

"What's up?" she asked, taking a casual sip.

I shrugged, not in the mood for conversation. "Not much."

"You guys just got here?" she asked, her eyes scanning the room.

Malerie shook her head, taking a swig from her beer. "Nah, we've been here for about thirty minutes."

Marissa nodded, then took another sip, her gaze sweeping the party. "Anything interesting going on?"

Malerie gestured toward the pool with a smirk. "Well, Lucas just jumped in—fully clothed. And Maya just showed up."

"Who's Maya?" Marissa raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

"Graham's girlfriend," I muttered, trying to keep the jealousy out of my voice.

"What? Graham has a girlfriend?" Marissa's jaw dropped in disbelief. I nodded, mumbling, "Yep. She's from Pennsylvania."

"Since when?" she asked, still processing it.

"Since July, I think." I shrugged and quickly changed the subject. "Is Joyce with you?"

Marissa shook her head. "No, she had something to do before coming."

I nodded, but my mind couldn't shake Maya's presence. A wave of irritation stirred inside me, uninvited and unwanted.

Why today?

She should have come the day she said she would come!

Not to be rude or whatever but, an extra week wouldn't kill anyone!

I stared at the floor, trying to push the thought away.

I wonder if this is a dream... Maybe it is... I hope it is.

I pinched myself.

Nope. Not a fucking dream

."Wanna sip?" Marissa interrupted my thoughts, holding out her beer.

Screw it. I grabbed the bottle and took more than just a sip. The bitter taste hit me hard, and I coughed. "That's bitter."

"I thought you didn't want to drink?" Malerie teased, raising an eyebrow.

"Keyword: thought." I tried to muster a smile, but it didn't reach my eyes. Inside, it felt like my world was crumbling.

Malerie and Marissa chuckled, but just then, Maya was standing in front of me, practically glowing with energy as she pulled me into a hug. "Hey, Amy!" she greeted, her enthusiasm making me cringe.

"Hey, Maya," I said, my voice flat as I awkwardly stepped back.

"You look amazing today!" she beamed.

"You too!" I replied, not lying. Her light pink dress and curly hair made her look resemble Regina George, except she was a real blonde. 

"But what are you guys doing?" she asked, eyes sparkling with excitement.

I shrugged, but before I could respond, Marissa snatched the beer from my hand, giving me a cheeky grin. "Nothing at all. You?"

"Just saying hi to people!" Maya's smile didn't fade as she beamed. "I was so excited to see you! And Ryder, too! I can't forget about him!"

I forced a small smile. "Oh, I'll find him later so you can meet him."

You can meet him after I kill him for making me come here,  I thought as I kept a fake smile on my lips.

Maya's smile grew even brighter, just as Graham snuck up behind her. "Boo!" he practically yelled.

She feigned a startled reaction. "Ah! You scared me!" she teased, laughing softly.

Graham chuckled, pressing a kiss to the top of her head and wrapping his arm around her shoulders. My stomach twisted as they shared a quiet laugh. A thought I couldn't shake surfaced: I'm not going to survive tonight.

This is the place I'll fucking die. At a stupid party. 

I shifted my gaze to the table behind us, where the solution to my problem gleamed in amber and glass.