when you met me

progress

Progress

“He’s such a sweetheart, this guy.” Beth assured Mara, two months later. They shared a packet of crisps as they walked to Mara’s flat. Mara had never been to Beth’s, Beth either came to her, or they met on the street by chance.

At Mara’s flat, Dax and Cole were practicing, just like Mara liked it. The more people surrounded her, the better she felt. In the time they’d known each other the four of them had created a make shift family, where they just trusted one another. Where they, at the same time, didn’t really know one another.

Mara put the screen up that Dax had found for her. Or rather, stolen. Dax was a sweet little crook. He was thin and just taller than Mara, and though he and Cole were cousins, he had a much darker complexion. With dark hair and tan skin, and no matter how small he was, you knew he would protect you. He had that sort of air about him, no matter how dopey he seemed.

Cole was the opposite. Charismatic, witty, and charming. With light features, and taller than maybe even Dud, he could act like he cared, but not care at all. And you’d not know either way. Like he was a figment.

Beth, on the other hand, was something Mara had never seen before. She was an open book, or rather, she kept up the image that she was. But no one knew where she was, where she lived, and she knew everything about everyone else. She chewed gum and twirled her hair like she was ditsy and fragile, when Mara knew better.

They were all hiding something.

“Try this one on!” Beth exclaimed as she threw a dress over the screen that Mara was behind.

Jack and Jim sat opposite Dud at a McDonalds. It was Sunday, a day that they had all agreed would be treat day. “So, you got contacts?” Jack asked, taking a big bite from his burger. Dud nodded, blinking several times as he remembered they were in his eyes.

Jim took a small bite from his burger and sighed. “I can defuse a bomb in less than two minutes but apparently bulking up is more important.” He took another bite and swallowed sorrowfully. Jack rolled his eyes. “At least you already have the brains, I still have to learn how to do a load of stuff.”

“When they need you, they’ll come and get you.” Dud said to both of them. Jim swallowed hard and put his burger down. “Easy for you to say, you’re sufficiently smart, and you’ve gotten all fit somehow.” He motioned up and down on Dud and Jack nodded along.

“Is your girl still the driving force?” Jack asked.

Dud thought about lying, but saw no point. “No. She’s not MY girl anymore.”

“I knew you looked depressed! You’re so damn quiet I can barely tell.” Jim exclaimed happily, and then quieted himself down to be more somber. “Sorry, man.”

“Do you want me to set you up with someone?” Jack asked, pulling out his phone, as if he had a million girls’ numbers on his phone just waiting. Dud imagined he did.

Mara walked out from behind her screen, sporting one of Beth’s dresses she actually liked. It was blue and flowing at the bottom. She twirled around too show off. She had her white flats on, and her now short hair bounced perfectly as ever. When she had complained that her hair had gotten in the way after their third successful gig, Beth cut it for her.

Her curls had automatically come into themselves, becoming perfectly brown ringlets surrounding her face. “Very pretty.” Dax said sweetly. Cole nodded and smiled, and Beth grinned as she looked up from her banged up phone. “He’s almost here.” She said, giggling.

Mara’s phone had run out of life, and she suspected her parents would have stopped paying for it already anyways. So, until the band hit big, she would do without. She could rely on the makeshift family for anything important.

“I’m telling you kid, five months at the most and you’ll be in a unit. You’re making leaps and bounds. Progress is what you make it.” Officer MacMillan said, taking a closer look at Dud’s shooting practice sheet. “On point.” He said, and walked off. Dud smiled until he left, and it faded.

He went to take a shower, wondering what Mara was doing, if she was okay. He just had to hope she would snap out of it soon. He missed her too much. When Jack had asked if he wanted to be set up with someone, Dud had promptly said, “No thanks.”

“Don’t dwell on it too long, Ash.” Jack had replied, and Dud had taken a minute to register that Ash was his name. His real name wasn’t Dud. How his first name could sound so foreign was surely not good. He wished he could explain to the boys that it wasn’t dwelling. That Mara was the only one. There had never been anyone else, and he meant that so literally that he had to start making up girls so that Mara wouldn’t wonder why he wasn’t going after anyone.

How he watched guys chase her, as everyone loved the edgy yet friendly girl that couldn’t seem to care less about anything that school had to offer. How sometimes when he couldn’t find her during lunch, he would find her kissing a boy at her locker. After this long, he wouldn’t ever love someone the way he loved Mara. And one day, everything would work out. It had to.

The man’s name was George, and he was approximately three years older than Mara. He couldn’t know where she was living, so she waited outside her flat, as if she owned the whole place. RUSTIC, ISN’T IT, she thought she’d say. He had pleasant features, and looked about as nervous as she felt.

“You look lovely.” He said.

“Thanks.” Mara replied.

“Shall we go?” George said, and Mara was about to say yes, when a voice rang out from her front window, where the kitchen was. “Don’t you dare hurt her, mate!” Dax had appeared in the window. George glanced at Mara, and back to Dax. “I’m part of the Oakes family, you know who they are?” George assured him that he didn’t. “Pray you never find out. One word from me and they’ll split you open and cook your insides in front of ya!”

Cole appeared next to him, ready to get in on the action. “Yeah! And get her back by 11! No later!” He shouted. While the majority would be embarrassed and angry, Mara felt a smile warm her cheeks. She found it especially funny as no one had been so protective of her before, though they never had to because most of the time she was with Dud, a harmless puppy.

Beth appeared last in the window, and Mara, tilted her head, readily expecting another threat for her potentially mortified date. Little did he know that Mara still had her trusty pepper spray in her bag in case she needed it. “And bring back leftovers!” She shouted with the same ferocity. The boys nodded along.

“Can we go now?” George asked nervously. Mara laughed and nodded.