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When vocal cords had hopefully, finally grown raw and lungs deflated from the exuberant amount of screaming, their voices probably, already, incredibly hoarse, the students all shrank back down to their seats. Maybelle followed, taking her seat with the rest of the calming crowd. As a whole, the students all waited eagerly on the edge of their uncomfortable seats as the president and his VP got their hands on a microphone, exchanging a glance Maybelle immediately recognized as an unspoken code between the two friends that only radiated confidence and unity.
Trey accepted the microphone first, a charming smile pressed up his lips, “Good morning, Harbor High!”
This greeting alone sent the fans back into a riot of enthusiasm. The boy literally said four words and they all were dogs lapping up anything and everything Trey offered. And Maybelle wasn’t any better than the rest of them as she scooted up her seat to somehow get a better view.
Trey and Liam joined forces, taking turns to rattle off the agenda for not only the rest of the assembly today but also event specifics for the rest of graduation week. Today they would be excused after the rally to go home, tomorrow was class party day so each class the teacher would have an activity planned for the hour, and Wednesday would be the official graduation ceremonial day.
Even just announcing a lame, not so extravagant schedule Liam and Trey really knew how to work a crowd getting everyone excited for boring things like the graduation rehearsal that would happen after school Tuesday. They did well together, neither overpowering the other, both complimenting each other.
Those two were an unstoppable force.
“Now for The Senior Last Dance.” Trey hollered into the microphone, Maybelle couldn't stop her eyes from trailing up and down his body. The black pants painted to his powerful legs while the jersey hugged his muscled shoulders the way she wished she could and suddenly she was all too aware of all the other female gazes around her no doubt doing the exact same thing. She refused to acknowledge the fact that a lot of those gawking stares were also for her twin. Cause that’s just sick.
“Teachers and staff, we love you but cover your ears because this is a senior only event!” Trey continued before handing the microphone off to Liam who exuded easy, self-assurance as he turned a dazzling smile on the “lesser” students anticipating his every word.
“After graduation spend time with your families, don’t rush it! Because we will be meeting on Rodeo Beach at Midnight, and we will be partying until the sun rises!” Liam punctuated his announcement by throwing an elated fist into the air, spurring the crowd into an upheaval of roaring applause.
These damn kids go feral for a beach party in the middle of the night. The senior girls sitting directly in front of Maybellewere already tittering about what they all planned to wear for the night out while the boys to her right boasted about the alcohol, they planned to snatch from their dads’ personal coolers and sneak to the beach. And that there is the difference between men and women, ladies and gentlemen…
Trey and Liam proceeded with the rest of the rally program with a game of musical chairs made up of a few chosen faculty and students then followed it up with a dance routine put together by the cheer team and the cherry on top to the whole event was the football team tackling their head coach, Coach Matthews, and slamming his face with a coconut cream pie.
It was actually, pretty entertaining Maybelle had to admit.
Soon after that, to Maybelle’s delight, the rally was concluded, and everyone was excused to go home. Maybelle picked up her bag, said a quick goodbye to Hannah, then clumped down the bleachers contemplating what her plan of action for getting home unnoticed was. Either she beat the boys to the Jeep and pretend to not exist in the back seat or see if they just forgot about her entirely, allowing her to walk all the way home and not giving her another opportunity to humiliate herself with Trey.
As she processed her options and concentrated on the steps down off the bleachers, Maybelle failed to notice the looming danger ahead.
A possessive, rough hand found its place at the small of her back and far too close to the swell of her backside. Startled, but unfortunately expectant of who she’d find, Maybelle’s gaze shot up to meet with the onyx eyes of Clayton Thomas. The overpowering smell of too much body spray was singeing her nose hairs and threatening to make her eyes water.
“Hey Mason.” Clayton smirked at her alarmed reaction; his arrogance and assholery a palpable thing.
Maybelle’s body instantaneously tensed and froze.Gosh, she hated this, the reaction her body gavehim. The paralyzing fear that glued her joints still.
“Can I help you?” She quietly tried to bite out, the surrounding crowd of students too thick and noisy to notice her unmistakable discomfort.
Clayton Thomas was an ass, and not the kind she longed for in romance books, he was a real ass. A dick really. No respect for women or people in general, your generic not all too original bully who also liked to see how far he could push the quiet girls.
The first time Clayton had tried to harass Maybelle was behind the building end of junior year. She had been scared frozen then too, her only weapon being to glare at him with absolute disdain. Thankfully, he didn't get past grabbing a handful of her rear end before a group of prying eyes came around the corner scaring Clayton off. Maybelle never saw who witnessed the situation because due to her scalding embarrassment, she high tailed it out of there almost immediately after Clayton.
The prick hadn’t bothered her since then. He might have shot her an unwelcome wink here and there in the halls, always making sure she knew he hadn’t forgotten about her, but he hadn’t been half as assertive or vocal. Which just left her antsy and unnerved wondering when he would strike next, until now.
Clayton’s hand remained on her back with the delusional feeling of slime and snake scales against her skin, “I just wanted to see if you would be going to the bonfire after graduation. I would love to see you there. Maybe we could hangout, talk?” He came in too close for comfort, but Maybelle couldn’t move, couldn’t push him away.
Maybelle gripped the shoulder strap of her bag, knuckles white. How she would love to backhand the sleazysmile off his stupid face. She hated that Clayton of all people had this kind of control, power over her.
Clayton drew in closer, beginning to whisper something in her ear, but he halted abruptly. From the one hand still on her back she could sense his body stiffen.
Maybelle peered up and tried to track his gaze, but he retreated and removed his hand far too fast for her to follow. Clayton had a fleeting look of frustration before he shot her a half-assed grin that made her want to outright gag.
“See you Wednesday night, Mason.” Then he was gone and with him left the ice that coated her joints.
Maybelle’s heart finally kickstarted with the deep inhale of fresh, untainted air she sucked into her depleted lungs. Today already sucked and she wanted to go home, to shower away the greasy smell that was now feeling like an infection in her nose and on her skin. Maybelle raced outside, beating the large ensemble of students out to the parking lot, and waited in the unlocked Jeep for Liam and Trey.
Almost forty-five minutes later, Trey and Liam finally dragged themselves free of the cheerleaders and hopped into the car. Maybelle kept her head down, refusing to acknowledge either boy in efforts to keep any and all attention off her, and they didn’t care to draw any notice to her then or through the duration of the drive home. When they pulled up to the house Maybelle exited the vehicle, this time,thank god, a lot more gracefully, and started up the driveway. Before she could reach the front door Liam finally brought her back into existence, “May, let mom know I went to the beach with Trey to surf. Thanks!”
She opened her mouth to reply but the Jeep was already peeling down the road.Finally, she could breathe a little easier with the pressure of Trey’s significant presence lifted with his absence. Maybelle spun back toward the front door. The Masonhome was humble, quaint. It had a cute red door with a white and black, wood sign painted with “Mason” in bold letters atop the door frame. Always managing to point out the negatives in literally everything, Maybelle often thought it was a perfect sign to let any stalkers know exactly where they lived but her mom thought it was a darling decoration piece, so Maybelle didn’t have the heart to voice her grievances.
She passed the small family car noting her mom was home from work before walking through the front door to the sweetest aroma of smells. Citrus, vanilla, and maybe cinnamon.
