the art or practice of taking and processing photographs
• • •
"I'll get it," Mara said standing from her bed.
"Good, I wasn't going to get it anyways," Raven mumbled into her pillow.
Mara checked the peephole in the metal door only to see that there was no one there. She saw the elevator from across the hall shutting but could not tell who was in it. She opened the door anyways, to check down the hallways to see if there were any kids playing ding dong ditch.
The hallways were empty, she should have expected that at this time of night. No parent would let their kids stay up this late. Even if it was Saturday.
She moved her foot slightly forward to get further into the hall when her foot kicked a neatly wrapped box. She picked it up and brought it back in the room after doing one last check of the halls.
"Raven, look," Mara said excitedly. There was a card on top of the box that had Mara's name written neatly in a familiar font.
"What is it?" Raven said twisting around in the bed. She saw the box and instantly sat up. "Open it! Open it!" She begged, full of energy and enthusiasm once the box was in her point of view.
"Just wait. There's a card," Mara said as she carefully removed the card from the box. She slid it out of the frosty white envelope.
Mara,
I hope to see you in this after the game tomorrow. Don't forget your promise you made to me after we win. This will look great on you. I always said you looked good in white with your beaming blue eyes shining. My favorite day together you wore white. This will all make sense soon. See you soon.
Love,#11
"What does that even mean? I haven't worn white on a day with him. And he never told me I looked good in white," Mara said confused. "Do you think he meant to put this by his wife's door?"
"I think he did put it by his wife's door," Raven said under her breath.
"What'd you just say?" Mara asked quickly looking up from the handwritten card that she was admiring. Julian's handwriting was a sloppy yet romantic font. It was mesmerizing to Mara.
"Nothing. Open the box," Raven demanded. Mara shrugged her shoulders and went back opening the box.
"Oh my god," Mara announced as she pulled the jersey from the tissue paper filled box.
"Ooooooh," Raven admired.
"I can't wear this," Mara frowned.
"What?! Why?" Raven asked almost offended at the reaction.
"I'm not the real Mrs. Edelman. Somewhere out there his wife will be wearing the same jersey. I can't," Mara put the jersey safely back in the box.
"No, he bought it for you. You need to wear it. Tomorrow is the biggest game of his life. It's not about you. Or me. Or his "wife". It's about him. You need to do what makes him happy," Raven demanded. She wasn't playing around anymore. She needed Mara to understand.
"Ughhh I guess you are right. I'm going to bed. Tomorrow will be a long day," Mara yawned. She took the box off of her bed and put it near her other clothes and climbed under the covers.
• • •
The jersey fit perfectly. Mara smoothed out the edges as she stood in the mirror. She was hoping she could make the excuse that it didn't fit, but it fit her body like a glove, as if it were made specifically for her body.
Mara scrolled through her phone looking for the perfect picture to post from her week in Arizona while she waited for Raven to finish getting ready. Super Bowl Sunday had finally arrived and she wanted the perfect picture to let the rest of the world know she was celebrating the unofficial American holiday.
"You look so cute! The jersey fits you perfectly!" Raven exclaimed as she came into the main part of the light hotel room. She was wearing an identical white jersey with "Mrs. Amendola" on the back.
"Thanks," Mara groaned.
"Did you still want me to do your hair?" Raven asked tilting her head, ignoring the negative tone from Mara. Her hari was already perfectly curled and ready for the big day.
"Yes please!" Mara requested. Raven took a seat behind her and put the curling iron to work. "Is it weird that I'm nervous?"
"Not at all. This is a big game. HUGE game," Raven assured her.
"I get that, but just thinking about it makes me want to throw up and I haven't watched a single game all year," Mara explained.
"Maybe it's because someone you love is playing in it," Raven countered. The hot curls hit Mara's back and sat in perfect little ringlets as Raven let go of them.
"I don't love Julian," Mara defended herself. Raven just shook her head. Of course she loved Julian. Mara and Julian were what the rest of the group modeled love after. They were the couple everyone admired. She went back to looking for pictures on her phone.
Before arriving in Arizona, there was a gap of at least a week where Mara hadn't taken any pictures. She found it odd because she loved taking pictures as a memory holder. Her thumb kept scrolling through the iPhoto gallery until she arrived at January 18th, 2015. There were at least 200 pictures there at Gillette Stadium. They were from a bunch of different angles. Up high presumably watching the game and then down on the field to celebrate. There were pictures of a lot of the players but they were mostly of #11. During the game. After the game. Covered in rain. Hoisting the AFC Champions Trophy in the air. Hugging and kissing a blonde woman, whose face couldn't be seen. She wondered if that was his wife.
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How come she hadn't seen these pictures before? And why did she have them?
