Princess & the Player

twenty-four: life goes on

a/n: the asterisks indicate texts.

Maggie's POV:

The evening bus rides back to town were my favorite. Everyone was zoned and quiet after a day on the water, the air conditioning was cool, and I could just stare out the window and unwind.

My phone buzzed with a text and I jumped. I hadn't heard from Marco in the week since we'd broken up. 

*got new phone. tell me u get this text?*

Deep breath. *got it*

*k, thx*

Marco's POV:

I looked out across the restaurant. Linnea and Brian were having a joint graduation/engagement celebration in a refurbished Italiante brick building complete with with ceramic corbels. 

Hands were flying over the table. My family was basically Muggles to the Deaf world and Linnea had us on our best behavior. I was exhausted. 

I looked down at my new phone. Was she all right? Had she been hit again? Was she seeing someone else?

I stopped myself from calling Shay.

Linnea tapped me on the shoulder. "Maggie busy?"

I should have told her we broke up but it was Linnea's big night. So I just put my arm around her. In my hand, my phone buzzed. 

Linnea smirked, "speak of the saint."

It was Maggie.

*new phone?"

*iPhone*

*u got iPhone?*

*Y*

*Welcome to the dark side*

*Resistance was futile*

*How sister's graduation?*

*OK*

*k gtg*

I slipped the phone back and my pocket and smiled at my sister. 

Maggie's POV:

My heart was beating a mile a minute. I couldn't believe I did that. 

I just...missed him so much. Ridiculously. 

When I got home, Mom wasn't there but the kitchen was a disaster. There were broken plates and a chair on its side.

Oh crap oh crap oh crap.

I ran upstairs at top speed looking for the kids. They were hiding in Jeb's room. "What happened?" I demanded, grabbing up Laurie and putting a hand on Jeb's face.

"Mom couldn't find the emergency money."

I'd swiped it the night we left. 

"You OK?" They nodded. I exhaled. "All right, Jeb, take Laurie to the Polar Bear and buy yourselves some fries and Icees. Then go to the Library and let her play on their iPads until closing." I handed him some money out of my pay envelope. "When you come back, be quiet, OK?"

"Maggie," he shook his head.

"It will be fine. I'll fix this. Just go, ok? Go. Before she gets back." 

After I got them out, I cleaned the downstairs and put the trash out. Then I put on dinner and stuck half my money under the sink in an Ajax container that I'd cut the bottom off of. 

She was back just as I was pulling biscuits from the oven. I tried to look calm even as my adrenaline was racing. 

"YOU! Where's my money?" She screamed, dropping the bag from the liquor store on the table. Two empty mini-bottles of Southern Comfort rolled to the floor. Shit.