Into the Storm

Chapter 11 | Sixty Seconds

MAIA

'I watch how the moon sits in the sky in the dark night,
Shining with the light from the sun but the sun didn't give the light to the moon assuming the moon is gonna is owe him one'

I think of those spoken lyrics as they flow out from the singer of one my favorite bands. Linkin Park. The words are right on as Art's face pops in my mind and I shake it off and snap out of it before I make myself upset.
I was sat gathered around my house full of people and when I took a look around as I sat on my wooden bench in my back yard, I am grateful for my friends who don't hesitate to make sure I am having a good time and help clean up the madness of the evidence of a party at my place. I laugh to myself as I keep a discreet eye on Jade and Hiero. I don't know what's the trouble in their oblivious paradise, but I can tell they want to fix it. I shake and my head and laugh. Jade is a stubborn brat, and I will laugh tonight if Hiero gets to break that tonight. My thoughts are interrupted when I hear Hiero's voice beside me.
"Mai?"
I turn to him and smile. "You ok? Hey, can I put this away in your room? I'm really not chancing leaving this in the car."
I look up at his hands holding onto his camera and raise my brow. "Actually, yeah. Here." I pull the key to my room from my pocket and hand it to him. "Just hang on to it in case you get the urge to take more photos. I don't need to go in there anymore tonight." I don't. Tonight feels different once again and without Art here, I don't want to look at a single thing in my room that reminds me of him. My entire room is flooded with things and furniture he bought for me. I just want to continue to enjoy my night with everyone.
After the sun set behind the hill and the night sky clear and arrived, giving us the the light from the stars and the moon.
I was in a bit of a relief that Art wasn't here. Everyone has a blast playing beer pong, kings cup, truth or dare, or even spin the bottle. Spin the bottle when couples are playing, they make an acceptable adjustment. If the bottle lands on someone's else's girlfriend or boyfriend, they'll choose a truth or dare on them. It's fair unless the swinger comes out in them and they're allowed to kiss other people, and that's the dirt of dirt.
We sat around the fire pit as Jonah and Philly adjusted the wood into the metal, making a perfect hight of the fire. Everyone was stood or sat around the back yard and around the fire. "Emma, Let's do truth or dare game. I'm bored." Katherine whined downing the last of what was left in her plastic cup.
I laughed and raised my brows at her, "Kat, you're only bored because Philly isn't out here." I smirked at her knowingly and she threw the wadded napkin she had in her other hand at me. I like giving her a bad time about Phillip. She likes flirting with him and it's funny to watch him shy away.
I felt a buzzing from my phone and I pulled it from my pocket. It was Art calling me, but I forwarded it to voicemail and put my phone back in my pocket. Jonah sat beside me and Hiero across from me. Vince came out and Jade followed behind him to sit on the other side of me.
"Perfect timing, Jade. We're playing a game." Katherine smirked. Jade's eyes spotted Hiero sitting opposite of me and winced.
"What game?" Jade eyeing me as she asked cautiously.
"You know." I laughed and rolled my eyes. Jaded eyes shifted away as she spotted the person who walked out of my patio door. Her eyes locked and her mouth almost dropped as if her heart had stopped in that moment. Her mortified expression immediately gave away who it was if you knew better.
Darren.
He spotted her as he stood at the back porch with his hands in his sweater pockets. I glanced at Hiero who was watching the scene and put his head down and then looked away to his cup, pretending he wasn't bothered. He lifted his head up to Jonah and started to strike a meaningless conversation. Jonah eyed me and smiled but he went along with it.
"Jade, Love. You ok?" I asked. I knew she wasn't and the look in her eyes was expectant of his presence but hesitant on what she had to deal with. She had to do it. She's been keeping herself from it for months. "Just go, Jade." I leaned into her. "I'm right here, hun. We all are."
She nodded and thrusted her hair out of stress to the side with her fingers. She stared into the fire with her hands over her mouth in a quick thought before she took a deep breath and stood up to walk over to where Darren stood. They walked off together through the house and out my front door. Hiero watched them walk away from where he sat until he couldn't see them anymore. Philly nudged him lightly with his elbow and lifted is chin at him.
"She'll be back, R.T. She just needs to take care of something with him."
Hiero took a drink of his cup and lowered his brow into it not looking at Phil, "I don't know what you're talking about, man."
Phill let out a small laugh, "Alright. Forget it."
Vince tossed a chip of wood into the fire, "Why couldn't he just call her to talk about that. He shouldn't be here, Mai."
"Just leave it, Vince. He's already here. She has to do this. They have to-" I stopped myself  before I've said too much. It's not my place to say. Hiero doesn't know a thing about their history, and I'm not gonna be the one that Jade has my head if she didn't want him knowing.
"Who wants a shot? Art left a bottle of Vodka in my car last week. Snooze you loose." Hiero forced himself into a better mood.
"Is it an Absolute bottle?" Philly asked.
"Yeah." Hiero answered.
"That dick! That was mine. He owes me, man. Let's crack that open." Philly laughed.
"Wait." Hiero eyed me and I immediately knew what was wrong.
"Give me the keys, I'll go get it." I protested. It's not a good look if Hiero pops out front while Jade and Darren are handling what they need to out front. I took one for the team and Hiero handed me the keys.
I spotted Jade and Darren two houses down on the sidewalk talking and I ignored them. I threw a quick wave at Jade as she had her arms crossed across her chest talking to Darren.
When I returned back to the backyard, Vince and Hiero had the shot glasses lined up on the patio table ready to go.
We all stood around with our shots poured and Emma was going to make her little random toast. Just when we raised our glasses, Jade took my shot out of my hand, "FUCK THIS SHIT!" She shouted and knocked back the shot and slamming the glass down on the counter. "LET'S PLAY, ASSHOLES." She shouted and walked away into the abyss of the backyard toward the fire pit.
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HIERO