CHAPTER EIGHT:
SAY GOODBYE AND GO

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IF SOMEONE WAS TO ask Mae Cooper if she thought Embry Call would ever ask her out on a date, the answer would most definitely be no.

Well, it would've been, had he asked her before that day she spent at Sam and Emily's house. Three days later, Embry had somehow managed to pluck up enough courage to prove her wrong. Stopping her on the way to lunch, he nervously blurted out the question that had been on his mind for a while now, his eyes darting around the corridor as he avoided looking at her.

Will you go out with me, Mae?

Sure, he was quick to play it off as 'two friends hanging out' but both of them knew there was more to it. Fast forward to the day of the date, and Mae was going out of her mind with anxiety. No matter how many times she repeated the words 'just friends' to herself as she stood in front of the bathroom mirror with a comb in one hand and a stick of mascara in the other, she knew they were a lie. She could go on that date with him and pretend her heart wasn't racing a mile a minute every time he smiled or did something cute, but that wouldn't erase the lingering feelings she'd gained for the boy. That date would mean more to her than 'just friends' and it scared her. Something that Lina was quick to notice as she passed the bathroom door for the fourth time and saw Mae almost poke her eye out.

"Do you want some help?" she chuckled as Mae cursed under her breath.

"Please," she sighed, unusually serious.

Lina hummed before pushing off the door frame, making her way into the room and guiding Mae to sit down on the closed toilet lid. She took the mascara out of her hands as she sighed again, leaning her head back against the wall and allowing Lina to fix her makeup for her.

"Why are you so stressed, Mae?" she couldn't help asking after several beats of silence. "It's just Embry."

"I know," Mae muttered. "That's the problem."

Lina just frowned in response. She wanted to ask what Mae meant but figured it was best not to, at least not then. Instead, she offered to fix the girl's eyebrows for her and the two sat in silence for a while, the radio down low as background noise. With Lina's help, Mae was ready to go with thirty minutes to spare. She ducked back into the bathroom after changing into the outfit she'd picked; a pair of black jeans with holes large enough to fit her hands through them on the knees, a beige knitted jumper that was cropped just above her belly button, and a pair of black converse with a matching parka.

Perfect for a hangout with a friend... right?

"You've got this," she murmured to herself in the mirror, subconsciously fixing one of the curls that sat free around her face. Then, with a nod at her own reflection, she was leaving the room, ignoring the amused stare Lina gave her from where she'd watched on in the doorway.

The diner they had chosen to meet at was a twenty minute walk from her house. Rather than awkwardly asking her dad to drive her to her date with a boy, Mae had decided that the walk would do her some good, giving her some time to prepare for whatever Embry had come up with. Plus, the extra time alone at the diner would give her a chance to get comfortable so she didn't look like a complete fool when he arrived.

At least, that was what she told herself while she sat there alone, staring out the window for any sign of him.

The River's Edge was a cute little restaurant located a few minutes away from the beach. The walls were made out of smooth oak wood, the tables being cute little vinyl booths like something out of a 50s movie. The workers were friendly, offering her their menu with a smile and asking her about her day. Mae could see why Embry liked it, why so many others had crowded into the little diner that evening. And yet, Mae couldn't bring herself to admire her surroundings as time continued to tick by.

Five minutes.

Ten.

Fifteen.

Soon, thirty minutes had passed since Embry had asked to meet up. She was sure he'd told her 5:30pm, but maybe she was wrong. Maybe he'd said 6pm, or 6:30, or 7pm.

After an hour and a half spent in that booth, the workers' smiles turning to pitying glances, Mae couldn't stand it anymore. She pushed out of her seat and rushed outside, the cool breeze pricking at her skin and bringing tears to her eyes.

Sure Mae, her brain taunted. The breeze is definitely the reason you're so close to crying.

If she'd felt like an idiot before, she felt even worse knowing that Embry had stood her up. He'd gone out of his way to ask her on a date only to decide she wasn't worth an explanation. All her texts had gone unopened, her calls going straight to voicemail. Were his sweet smiles and soft glances just an act, some sort of game he and the other boys had decided to play on her? And how was it that Maeve Cooper of all people had fallen for it? This was something, as cruel as it sounded, that usually happened to Lina. It wasn't Mae on the receiving end of heartbreak, so the crushing ache in her chest felt ten times worse.

With watery eyes, she wandered towards the beach; in the end, this only seemed to make her feel worse. She caught sight of the log she'd sat on with Embry at that party, and suddenly she couldn't hold the tears back anymore. They spilled down her face; one, two, then a dozen as she turned to walk away.

"Mae?"

Or maybe not.

Part of her hoped it was Embry coming to explain his absence, that it was all a big misunderstanding, but the voice was distinctly feminine and unfortunately familiar. Maggie Sullivan was walking towards her with a leash in one hand and her phone in the other. At her feet was a small dog — Scooby, if Mae recalled his name correctly — who sniffed at Mae's feet curiously and whined at the sight of her sadness. Maggie didn't seem too happy either, though her eyes held the answers to secrets she couldn't share. She knew why Mae was upset, just as she knew the reason why Embry couldn't be there, but it wasn't her place to explain the supernatural to someone so far out of it. Still, she couldn't sit at home alone knowing Maeve was out there feeling embarrassed and defeated.

"Hey," she sighed as the two girls stood opposite each other. "I thought I might find you here."

"Maggie," Mae stuttered, pointlessly hurrying to wipe the tears from her face. Maggie had clearly already seen them but that didn't stop her from trying anyway. "What do you want?"

Maggie held up her phone, a contact under the name of Dakota flashing across the screen. "My sister has a job at River's Edge. She recognised you and called me when she saw you leave. She said you were upset."

"I'm fine," Mae mumbled. "Sorry for wasting your time."

"You didn't," Maggie insisted. "How about I drive you home, Mae? It's getting dark and we shouldn't be out here alone."

The last thing Mae wanted was to spend fifteen minutes stuck in a car with one of Embry's friends but Maggie wasn't going to give in. So with a sigh of resignation, Mae followed the dark-haired girl down the road to wherever she lived. There was a boy around their age waiting on the steps when they arrived. His brows were furrowed in worry for his sister but Maggie didn't give him a chance to question her as she pressed Scooby's lead into his hands.

"I'm driving my friend home," she said. "I won't be long."

"Does she know?" the boy whispered something that Mae obviously wasn't supposed to hear.

"No," Maggie quickly shook her head. "So, please, keep your mouth shut."

He nodded, sparing Mae a glance over his sister's shoulder before disappearing inside. Maggie watched him go before gesturing Mae over to her beloved yellow bug. Normally, she'd stop to admire the vehicle, having gushed about it several times with Maggie every time she brought it to school, but she couldn't find the energy that night as she crawled into the passenger seat. It took Maggie a minute to join her — Mae briefly saw her angrily talking down the phone to someone as she paced her driveway — before they were following the GPS directions back to Mae's house.

"Hey," Maggie called her back as she went to leave. "I know it's not my place to say this but please don't be too angry with Embry. He's not the type of person to stand somebody up. I promise."

"Yeah," Mae laughed in disbelief. "Okay."

"I mean it, Mae," she insisted. "He's been planning this for ages, hasn't stopped talking about it."

Red hot embarrassment coursed through Mae like acid. All of them knew — even sweet Maggie — what Embry had planned and were there to witness him failing to follow through. They were all there to watch Mae have her heart stomped on.

"You're right, Maggie," she mumbled, surprise followed by hope filling the other girl's eyes. "It's not your place to say this."

Before she was able to reply, Mae closed the door and rushed inside. Her parents and Lina were in the living room when the front door opened. The three immediately frowned in alarm at the sight of Mae's red and puffy eyes.

"Hey," Lina stood up slowly, uncertain as she shared a glance with James and her mum. "What's wrong?" When she remained silent, "Mae?"

Mae said nothing, averting her eyes to the floor as she hurried away to her room. The door slammed behind her, though it didn't take long for it to open again and for Lina to step inside. Neither of them said anything for a moment, the latter watching as her sister brushed away a stray tear and tore out the nice clips she'd put in her hair to keep the flyaways in place.

"What did Embry do?" she demanded. "Did he say something? Did he hurt you?"

Mae gave a scoff. "He'd have to show up to be able to say something to me."

"He stood you up?" Lina hissed. "Oh fuck no."

"It's fine," she sniffed. "It doesn't matter."

"Clearly it does." Another second of silence before Lina's arms wrapped around her waist. "I'm sorry, Mae. I really am."

After a couple minutes, the two girls separated, and Lina made her way out into the kitchen to grab ice cream and two spoons. Mae, despite her protests, knew Lina wasn't going to leave her anytime soon and simply accepted it, changing into her pyjamas and crawling under the covers of her bed. It was as she sat there that her phone vibrated and a text appeared on the black screen.

EMBRY <3
i'm so sorry, mae
Seen
can you call? i'll explain everything
or try to
Seen
mae?
Seen
i'm really sorry
Seen

Yeah, she thought as she switched the device off and threw it to the end of her bed. You should be.