CHAPTER FOURTEEN:
RED HOT

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THE SUN WAS JUST starting to rise by the time Mae got home. She and Embry had spent the night up by the cliffs after managing to convince Emily to provide them with a picnic basket of food. It wasn't what they originally had planned but Mae found she enjoyed it more than she would've liked a dinner and a movie. It felt more genuine, more like Mae and Embry. After a while, she even found herself completely forgetting Lina and her harshness. There was just no way for her to be sad around the literal sunshine that was Embry Call. He smiled and her heart felt like it was melting from the inside out.

But as always, the good moments had to come to an end. The sun started to rise, and it was like every bad thing came rushing back with it. Mae could no longer hide in the darkness with the comfort of Embry's hand in hers. She had to go home, face Lina and worse — her parents. James and Kira had been blowing up her phone for hours; then around midnight, they stopped. A simple warning text was sent in their place.

Come home when you're ready. But expect one hell of a lecture, Maeve Cooper.

She couldn't remember the last time her dad had sounded so angry. Quickly, she hurried on home, insisting that it was better for Embry not to walk her up to the door even though he wanted to. One glimpse of their daughter returning home at sunrise with a boy at her side, and she was pretty sure James and Kira would hit the roof.

"Text me later, okay?" Embry sighed as Mae hopped out of his truck.

"If I'm not grounded for life, I will," she chuckled, ducking around to his side of the car to lean her head through the open window. Quickly and before she could chicken out, she leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Thanks for last night. I had fun."

Embry's smile was wide and rosy-cheeked. Mae laughed, kissing him again before stepping away and watching him drive away. And with him, her happiness went too. She had a horrible feeling that things were about to get seriously heated.

And she just had to be right.

"Maeve Cooper!" Kira's voice was shrill and furious the moment Mae stepped through the door. "Where on earth have you been, young lady? Your father and I have been worried sick about you."

"I know, okay?" Mae sighed, tucking her shaking hands into the pockets of Embry's hoodie. He'd given it to her at about 3am, fishing it out of the back of his truck when he noticed Mae shivering even the tiniest bit. Despite her protests, he insisted she put it on until Mae, tired of arguing, tugged it over her head. It still smelled like him now but she couldn't afford to get all giddy-eyed in front of James and Kira. "And I'm sorry—"

"Oh, you're sorry," Kira repeated with an incredulous scoff. Beside her, James sighed and hung his head in his hands. Mae was yet to notice Lina peering out of the kitchen doorway but she was there too, her hard eyes zeroed in on Embry's hoodie. "You didn't even have the decency to tell us you had a boyfriend, Maeve, let-alone that you were with him. What are we supposed to think right now?"

"Wait, what?" Mae frowned, suddenly confused. "I don't have a boyfriend, Kira."

"Well, that's not what Lina said," the woman retorted. Almost immediately, Mae spun her head around, eyes locking with Lina's sheepish ones. Red hot anger flared in her chest, like a firework set off. Lina had ratted her out, made up some lie about Mae gallivanting around town like a troubled teen. "What did you say his name was again, Lina? Embry Call?"

"What the fuck?" Mae couldn't help but shout, ignoring James' disappointed mutter of her name and Kira's scandalised gasp as she advanced on Lina's figure. Any of her previous confidence had faded away at the genuinely hurt glint of Mae's eyes as the two girls stood chest-to-chest. "You're really stooping this low, huh? And I thought I was meant to be the petty one."

"You're the one who snuck out," Lina argued. She forced an indignant expression onto her face, nose in the air and arms crossed firmly across her chest. Mae's own hands clenched at her sides. "I think you're being led astray by Embry, Mae. I'm only looking out for you."

"That's bullshit and you know it," she snapped.

Another gasp sounded from behind them. A second later, a firm hand was pressed on Mae's shoulder, pushing her back from Lina as Kira forced her way between the two girls. Right beside her was James. Mae couldn't meet his eyes for long. It hurt having him look at her like she was the stranger. Mae and Lina both knew it was the other way around.

"I'm appalled by your behaviour, Maeve," Kira shook her head in disappointment. "Is this boy really—"

"No! Embry's a good guy," she insisted.

A bit of Kira's distrust fell away then. She was angry, and would be for a while, but Mae spoke Embry's name like he was the sweetest, kindest person she knew. That had to mean something, even if the boy was the reason she'd spent half the night worried Mae was dead in a ditch somewhere. She knew logically that Maeve Cooper wasn't a total idiot, just a reckless one.

"And Lina knows that, too. She's just trying to hide the fact that she's in a relationship herself."

"What?" Kira gasped again, turning to her daughter now. Lina was staring at Mae in horror but Mae couldn't find it in herself to feel bad just yet. For a brief second, the immature, aching part of her wanted Lina to feel a fraction of her anger. She wanted to hurt the girl at her own weakest point, to not let her win. It came almost quickly as it went, but it was too late to take the words back. Mae had done it now. "Is this true, Lina? What is it with you girls and not telling us things?"

But Lina just shook her head, eyes teary. Mae's face dropped as Lina stepped away, rushing for the door before she could say anything. "I'm going to school."

"Lina, it's Saturday," James called out after her. But his only response was the slam of the door as Lina left.

The silence that came after was nothing short of painful. Mae was staring at the floor. Kira had tried rushing after Lina to no avail, and James was watching his daughter closely, like he had a stranger standing in his living room. Finally, Kira returned, James forcefully turning his gaze to her.

"Any luck?" he asked. 

She shook her head. "No." She glanced briefly at Mae but couldn't bring herself to say anything else. So with a sigh, she turned back to James, "I need to leave for work now. Can you…" She trailed off then, but Mae knew what she meant.

Could he deal with her?

"Yeah," he nodded, pulling her in for a quick goodbye kiss. "Try and have a good day, love. I'll call you at lunch."

James' face was tired, like he hadn't slept a wink for days. Guilt, strong and nauseating, made a home in Mae's stomach. 

"Maeve—" he began, forcing his sternest tone into his voice. In that moment, Mae felt like one of his disobedient students; young and incredibly foolish. She rushed out of the room with James not far behind her. "Mae, come on."

Wordlessly, she closed her bedroom door in his face. James didn't try to open it, just audibly sighed as he lingered. "Come out when you're ready."

Mae didn't move until she heard his retreating footsteps. She changed out of her date clothes and into pajamas, deciding to keep Embry's hoodie on as she climbed under the covers and brought out her phone. She clicked on Lina's contact first. Mae had always been stubborn but she could apologise when she knew she was wrong.

Mae: I'm really sorry
Read at 6:40am
Mae: I mean it, Lina. I might be mad at you but I shouldn't have mentioned them
Read at 6:43am

Sighing, she turned to Embry next. She'd promised to message him afterwards, might as well do it before Kira came home and took her phone from her. As suspected, Embry had already texted. Mae smiled and opened their chat.

Embry <3: How's it going? You still alive?
Mae: I said something stupid
Embry <3: Don't you always?
Mae: :(
Embry <3: No but really, are you okay??
Read at 6:51am

Subconsciously, Mae turned to Allison's contact. Her sister's smiling face on her birthday two years ago was the picture Mae had chosen for it. Allison's hair was free around her face as she stood out on a restaurant balcony with the sun setting behind her. She looked happy, genuinely, for the first time in a long time. Mae had taken a picture to remember it, making Allison roll her eyes and pout for her to delete it, but Mae couldn't bring herself to. Fast forward two years, and she was so glad she didn't.

Before she could change her mind, she clicked on the call button.

She wasn't sure what she expected but Allison's voicemail wasn't it. The phone dialled three times, and then Mae was listening to the robotic voice of her sister's voicemail asking her to leave a message. She almost went to hang up but her heart panged with another bout of guilt, of longing for anything but this. 

Maeve Cooper's sadness had many faces. The one that smiled through the pain, who was so convincing with her false happiness that she eventually couldn't differentiate between what she was really feeling and what was one huge lie. Then there was the one who locked herself away, who had the instincts of a wild animal retreating to lick her wounds when the going got tough. And the one who lost herself in anger, who — with bloodied fists and a snarl to match — erupted like a volcano. Sadness was like the Greek Hydra. Where one head was decapitated, another two stronger ones would grow back in its place, and the cycle would continue.

"I think I've messed up, Allison. I don't know how I'm meant to fix it."

Mae wished she was there. How much easier it would've been if Allison had stayed, had chosen them for once. Tears pricked her eyes at the thought, and she pulled the sleeves of Embry's hoodie over her hands, feeling the urge to hide away, to decapitate the head of sadness and let two more grow in its sour wake.

"I miss you. Can't you just come home?"

She hung up before any more damage could be done. Not even a second later, there was a knock on the door. She looked up, schooling her expression into neutral coolness. It immediately wavered as James poked his head in. 

"Are you ready to talk now?"

She hummed. "Depends. Are you going to ground me?"

James laughed, opening the door completely and coming to sit on the end of her bed. Reluctantly, Mae pushed herself up to be face-to-face with him. Unlike Kira, James could control his temper — well, most of the time, he could. There were moments… But fortunately for Mae, he was too tired to fight now. So for a second, they just sat there, out of arm's reach.

"I'm sorry," Mae said eventually, running a stressful hand through her hair as James' eyes met her own. "I never meant to scare you or Kira. I really didn't. I just… needed to clear my head. Something happened…"

"With Lina?" She nodded, hating the sound of his sigh that followed. "I understand that you needed some space. I think you went about it the wrong way, but I know you weren't trying to cause trouble. Kira knows that too. She just thinks of you as her daughter, and wants you to be safe."

"You're not going to stop me from seeing Embry, are you?" she asked. James laughed, causing her face to flush red. God, she sounded like such a love-sick idiot.

"No," he told her. "Just tell us if you're going somewhere next time. Especially if it's with a boy you like."

"I don't like him…" At his deadpan stare, she sighed and gave in. "Whatever. If there's ever a next time — which I don't think there will be — you'll be the first to know."

James grinned. "Oh, Mae. You and I both know there'll be a next time with you."

This made her smile for the first time since she got home. The expression only widened when her dad opened his arms for her. She didn't hesitate to throw herself into them. 

"I heard your voicemail to Allison," he whispered into her hair. Mae immediately stiffened, wanting to pull out of the hug, but James bought her in closer, his voice thick with sadness. "I miss her too, you know. Every day. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I know it upsets you that she's gone," she shrugged into his shoulder. "I didn't want to make it worse by bothering you with my shit."

James didn't even have the strength to scold her for swearing. He simply sighed, finally pulling away to meet her eyes again. "You could never bother me, Mae. And this doesn't just stand for things related to your sister. I'm always going to be here."

"I know," she nodded, painfully robotic. "I love you, dad."

"And I love you," James echoed. His eyes were tearful, like a dam waiting to burst. "Mae, I know I've made a lot of mistakes."

"Dad, you haven't—"

"No," he insisted stubbornly. "Everything with Allison, after your mother… I could have done a better job. I know that. But I'm going to make it right. I promise. Okay?"

"Okay, dad," she muttered. "Okay."

She didn't have the heart to say she didn't believe him.