Chapter 58 The One Who Stayed

Chapter 58 The One Who Stayed
Dalton wasn't asking her to drink with him; he just wanted to prolong their time together and hold off the loneliness. He had been trying to do the same thing earlier when he wanted to walk on the beach, but she had ignored him. Now, she had to choose. Could she handle being alone in her room with her thoughts about Alonso or Arking? Or would she rather spend the night with Dalton? He never asked about her problems; he just let her be. Staying with him meant having someone to focus on instead of the quiet room waiting upstairs.

Stepping back out to the hallway, she watched him walk away. "Hey!" she called out.

Dalton stopped and turned back to look at her.

"You know what? It’s the last day. Bring on the hangover!" She laughed, rushing past him and down the stairs.

Mayzie giggled as she sat on the couch next to Dalton. The night air had turned cold, so they had moved their small party inside. They had both bet they could drink three whole pitchers of beer, though they were still working on their second.

"He swung the bat back and hit me right in the face," Dalton pointed to his nose. "That’s how I got this scar. After that, I swore I'd never teach Arking a sport again."

Mayzie laughed. "Were you mad?"

"What do you think? He broke my nose!" He took a sip of his beer. Even though he told the story with a light tone, he wasn’t smiling. "He hid from me for three weeks after that. Never did let me get him back."

"It was an accident, though."

"I’m not so sure about that." Setting down his glass, he nodded toward her. "What about you? Do you have any scars?"

"It’s faint, but look." She pointed to her chin. "I got it when I was twelve from ballet."

"Never took you for a ballerina."

"I was a great ballerina, thank you very much." Mayzie stuck out her tongue.

"What happened?" he asked, ignoring her attitude.

"We were just starting to learn the point — that's when you stand on your toes." She smiled at the memory. "I tried to jump, and when I landed, I slipped. I reached for the bar but missed and fell right on my chin. My jaw and teeth hurt for a week."

Dalton smirked. "How long did you do ballet?"

"Until high school. After that, I switched to other sports like football, swimming, and basketball. I didn't have time for ballet anymore."

"Football?"

"Yeah, it was a real fight to get on the team because the coach didn't want a girl playing. But I made it. I wasn't the best player, but I think I did alright." She took a drink from her glass. "Did you play sports?"

"Football and basketball, but I only got my varsity spot because of my parents," he frowned. "I never got to earn it myself. I probably would have liked it more if I had."

"Probably," she agreed. "Have Ariel and the others always been your friends?"

"Since I was five with the twins, and twelve with the other two. What about you and Bellatrix?"

"We met at Ravenfield University. Both of us are on scholarship, so we just clicked." She looked down at her glass, her eyes turning sad before she forced her smile back. "You had a lot of girlfriends, I bet."

Dalton pressed his lips together. "A lot of girls tried, but I’m not easy to get close to."

"Yeah, well, the yelling and name-calling probably have a lot to do with that."

He narrowed his eyes on her, then chose to ignore the comment. "Did you have many boyfriends growing up?"

She laughed softly. "Surprisingly, no. I had one boyfriend in school, and then Alonso." Her smile disappeared.

Dalton stayed quiet despite the sadness in her voice. He wasn't going to press for details; if she wanted to talk, she would.

"We broke up today," Mayzie said, clearing her throat before taking another drink.

"Is that why you’re even more tense than usual?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "Turns out the more you try to force yourself to love someone, the less you actually feel for them. I’m not sad that it's over; I’m actually glad. I’m just upset that he’s moving out and I’ve lost my best friend. It’s not Alonso I’m missing, just the friendship. Does that make sense?"

"No, but okay," Dalton said.

She gave a weak smile. "The more I tried to like him, the more I resented him. Like it was all his fault, even though it was mine." She sighed. "Plus, Arking being a jerk all week hasn’t helped. You know?"

He didn't answer.

"If I hadn't had to act tough in front of you, I probably would have locked myself away and cried all week. So, thanks for being a stubborn jerk I can't show weakness to." She raised her glass and clinked it against his. "If I didn't hate you so much, I wouldn't have been able to ignore my own feelings." She drank again.

Dalton picked up his glass and took a sip. "I guess I should be glad I have some effect on you," he muttered. He looked up instantly when he heard her sob.

"Crap." She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Stupid alcohol makes me too emotional."

He stayed silent as Mayzie tried to pull herself together.

Taking his silence for discomfort, she stood up. "I’m going to bed. I don't want to do this in front of you." She started to walk away.

Dalton stood up and blocked her path. Before she could say anything, his hands caught her shoulders, and he pulled her cheek against his chest. "Just this once, you can cry. I won't tell anyone," he said softly.

Mayzie went stiff in his arms before the emotions inside finally broke through. The people who were supposed to be kind to her weren't, and the guy she thought was her enemy had been the only steady thing during this awful time. Nothing made sense, and she hated feeling out of control. A heavy sob escaped her against his shirt. She wrapped her hands around his waist and finally let herself feel everything.

"Everyone who loves me always stops," Mayzie cried. "No one ever stays."

Dalton held her tightly against his shoulders and stayed quiet.

"Whenever I let people in, they leave. Why do they do that? Why hurt the people close to you?" Her tears soaked through his shirt. "I thought Arking cared, but he was just a lie. Alonso was a lie, I told myself. Everyone is just a total lie!" she screamed into his chest, her fingers gripping the fabric of his shirt.

He squeezed her tighter when she yelled but kept his silence. He told himself he wasn't really there. He didn't need to remember anything she said; he was just giving her a shoulder to lean on, the way Madeline used to do for him when he was a kid. He couldn't help but hear her, but he chose not to think about it.

She kept crying and talking about betrayal until she ran out of energy. Dalton guided her down to the couch, keeping his arm around her as she quieted down. After about an hour, her breathing turned soft and even.

"Are you asleep?" he asked. When she didn't move, he gently lifted her chin toward his shoulder. "Yep, you're out." He sighed, looking down at her. "If you’re anything like me, you’re going to be embarrassed and mad about this tomorrow."

She sighed in her sleep. He smiled slightly and wiped a tear from her cheek. "Crying on me about other guys," he muttered to the empty room. His eyes fell back on her face. "Telling me you hate me. How can you hate me when I feel the exact opposite?" He let out a long breath. "I’ll be your friend forever, you’ll see. Even if you never look at me the way you look at Arking, I’m the one who won’t leave. I’m too stubborn to let you push me away. One day you’ll see me, Mayzie. Even if it’s too late."

Leaning forward carefully so he wouldn't wake her, he grabbed his beer and took a sip. "What a load of cheesy, cliché nonsense." He finished the rest of the drink and set the glass down. "You make me so corny," he whispered, looking at her. "Don't you feel bad for that?"

Mayzie shifted and rubbed her nose against his shoulder.

"I didn't think so." He rolled his eyes and leaned his head back against the couch. "I’m definitely not carrying you upstairs."