Marcus & Mia

by Hannah Meade

  I wish I had taken her advice.

  Five

  I wish the next day had been Friday. Then nothing would have gone wrong.

  ***

  "MIA, HELP! IT IS AN EMERGENCY!"

  I wake up to Emily screaming for me, claiming an emergency.

  "MIA! GET YOUR ASS UP AND COME HELP!"

  I scramble out of bed and run into Emily's room. "What? What is the problem? Do we need to go to the hospital?" I look around Emily's room in a panic, afraid of what I might find. "EMILY, WHERE ARE YOU?"

  Then she materializes from her closet, in her underwear and bra. "Finally, Jesus. It is twelve-thirty. What has been keeping you asleep for this long? You never sleep past nine. I have been in here for the past two hours trying to find something to wear and you've been in la-la land this whole time."

  I glare at her. "That is what you woke me up for? TO HELP YOU PICK OUT A FUCKING OUTFIT? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" I then realize the other part of Emily's statement. I look over at the clock and sure enough, it reads 12:30 p.m. in flashing red lights. "Holy shit. It really is twelve-thirty. How have I slept this long?" I have an idea. I was dreaming about Marcus the whole time. That is why I have slept this long.

  "First of all. This time it is very important I pick out the right outfit. I have a date with a guy I met and we're going hiking. I have no idea what to wear. And I have to be at this date in a half an hour. Second of all, you need to stop dreaming about Marcus over there and help your best friend out. And I will repay the favor for your date tomorrow."

  "This is ridiculous. Just wear some workout pants and a tank top. You need to be comfortable if you're going hiking. This is not a fashion show." I roll my eyes and turn to walk out of her room. If it is already twelve-thirty, I need to do something with my day. I have already wasted three hours by dreaming about a boy. That is so not me.

  "Mia, wait. Please help me. I cannot just wear any old thing for hiking. I really like this boy and I need to look good. I need him to like me. I am tired of sleeping around with everybody. I need an actual relationship.”

  I sigh. I am going to end up helping her, aren't I? "Is the clothing choice you wear going to determine whether you get into a relationship or not?"

  "It is going to determine whether he actually likes me or not."

  "Em, if he is going to judge you on what you wear, then he shouldn't be judging you at all. You shouldn't care what a boy thinks of your clothing choices. They are called yours for a reason."

  Emily rolls her eyes. "You just do not get it. I want to look good for him. I do not care what he thinks, but this is what I think. So are you going to help me or not?"

  "Fine. I will help you. Show me your closet."

  I am never going to get the next twenty minutes of my life back. Seriously. I try telling Emily what to wear and she shoots down every single one of my choices. She ends up wearing her bright pink leggings that say the word PINK in black letters down the right side, her matching black tank top that says PINK in bright pink on the top, and her new black and pink Nikes. Everybody is going to see her coming in that outfit. She even has a Victoria's Secret PINK headband that matches also. I think her choice is ridiculous. I would just wear some workout pants and a random tank top. Simple and comfy. But that is not Emily's style by any means.

  She has ten minutes to get to her oh-so-special date so she leaves right after she gets dressed. And after she puts on some makeup, of course. It is not like she is going to sweat it off anyway. (Insert eye roll here.)

  I finally have some time to myself once she leaves, so I decide to make some use of my day. I am starting to research editors that I can send my book to. I have been thinking for a long time about publishing my book, but I have always been too scared to do something about it. Emily has long since believed that I can do it and I figured that I might as well start believing in myself.

  I had just started emailing someone I found on this Wattpad website when the phone rings. I sigh. So much for alone time.

  “Hello?” I hope whoever it is makes this conversation fast.

  “Hello, is this Mia Hatheway?”

  I rack my brain for who might be asking for me. The voice does not sound familiar. “Uh, yes. Who is this?”

  “This is Mrs. Livingston from Barnes and Noble. We had an interview with you a few days ago, and I am calling back to follow up.”

  Internally, I am screaming. They called me sooner than I thought, so that has to be good news, right?

  “Well, we reviewed your application and your answers that you provided during your interview.”

  I beg for her to get to the point. Did I get the job or not?

  “We still need to run a background check on you, but we would love to offer you the job if you are still interested.”

  Oh my god. I did it. I actually got my dream job.

  “Miss Hatheway?”

  Reply back, dumbass. “Yes, sorry. Thank you so much. I am really looking forward to working there!”

  “Perfect. We do have mandatory orientation for you to go through before actually starting. Are you available this Thursday at 9:00 a.m.?”

  I mentally scroll through my schedule, but since I do not currently have a job, I have no plans ever. “Yes, that is perfect. I will be there.”

  “Sounds amazing. We will see you Thursday then. Congratulations.”

  “Thank you.”

  She hangs up on the other end and that is when I let myself scream. Is this real? Or am I dreaming?

  I glance back down at the letter I was writing. All of my dreams could actually come true. I finally have a networking job and I have a finished manuscript to show people. I am achieving everything I wanted as a child.

  I get up to go make myself a celebratory bowl of ice cream for breakfast when the phone rings once again.

  I pick it up and hope I sound like I am annoyed. "Hello?"

  No answer.

  "Hello? Is this a prank call?" Normally, I would hate prank callers. Today, however, I am on cloud nine. A group of punk high schoolers is not going to get me down. “Okay, I am hanging up now.”

  They sniffle, like they are crying. "Mia? Can you...can you come get me?"

  It is Emily. She is supposed to be on a date right now, right? Why is she crying? I swear to God, if that son of a bitch hurt my best friend, he is done living on this planet. "Emily? Where are you?" I get up and grab my keys, heading downstairs.

  She is now full on crying, sniffling, and hiccupping at the same time. Something must have really upset her. She hates crying in front of anybody, even me.

  "Emily, please. I will help you, but you need to tell me where you are. Just take a deep breath and get it out."

  She did not say anything at first, but then I hear her take in a breath. "I am at the corner by the café."

  Thankfully I had gone there just yesterday so I know exactly where she is. "Alright, Em. I will be there as fast as I can. Do not get kidnapped." Most people might think I am joking around when I say that, but it is actually a pretty serious thing between Emily and me.

  About a year ago Emily was mad at me, so she went out to Walmart, her favorite store. (Yet another thing we do not have in common.) Well, she stupidly did not drive to Walmart; she walked. So when she had to walk back with all of the bags in her hands, (I think it was five full bags of random shit that she bought to make me pissed off. I absolutely hated clutter), Emily was not too into that. So, being the Emily that she is, she flagged down the first person she saw driving by. And, of course, it had to be some creepy stalker guy who almost kidnapped Emily on her "way home.”

  I ended up going out to look for her after two hours of her being gone and found her running down the side of the road, tears streaming down her face. I pulled up right beside her and got her home safe. Later, she told me that the guy who was supposedly taking her home was driving out of town and she knew something was up. So, Emily reached for one of her bags in the backseat and knocked the guy out with it. The only reason th
ey did not crash was because Emily steered the car towards the side of the road and jumped out the window before they could crash. We have both been paranoid about Emily being alone ever since. I try to make sure she is not by herself at any time of the day, but evidently, I did not try hard enough.

  When I pull up by the café, I am relieved to find that Emily is still sitting at the corner. I release a breath I did not realize I am holding and get out of the car. I walk up to Emily and crouch down to her level. She is sitting with her knees to her chest and has her head down. She looks so defeated; my heart reaches for her. "Hey, Em. You okay?" I put a hand on her shoulder, letting her know I am here now.

  She looks up and her eyes are all red and puffy. "No, Mia. I am not okay."

  "What happened?"

  Emily sniffles and pulls her knees closer to her chest. "So instead of going hiking like we planned, Jack called me and told me to meet him at the café for lunch. Well, I got here and Jack was not even here yet. That was the beginning of this horrible date. So he ended up getting here an hour late. He tried to tell me traffic was horrible, after he told me he walked here. He's not the brightest, Mia."

  I shoot her an apologetic smile. That guy is such an asshole. I have known it all along, but I thought Mia should find out by herself. That hurt her more than I thought.

  "So, the whole time we were here, he would not stop staring at my breasts. Every time I would look at him, his eyes had traveled downward. Now usually, I would be into that and would want to jump his bones right then and there. But this time was different. I could tell that all Jack cared about was getting me in bed with him. I tried to make small talk, but it all ended the same way. Talking about my body. So I tried to get out of it by saying I had somewhere to be, but Jack was not having it. He stopped me in the parking lot and tried to get me to go home with him." Emily closes her eyes tightly, like she's remembering something she does not want to. "I tried to wiggle out of his grasp, but he held on tight. His grip just kept getting tighter and tighter, until his nails had made deep imprints in my arm. I got scared and started crying, and people started looking at us. Jack pulled me into an alley and told me to shut up, that he was just going to take me right then, no matter what I said. He started to...to touch me and by then I was just sobbing, trying not to make any noise. After about five minutes of being tortured, someone finally came into the alley and saw what Jack was doing to me. It was about to happen...and a stranger stopped it and saved me. She helped me from almost getting raped. I just cannot really wrap my head around it yet."

  I can see Emily's eyes starting to pool again, but I am still wondering about one thing. "So why did not you just drive home?" Emily could have just drove home and we could have talked about it there.

  Emily gulps. "I could not. By the time Jack left, I was shaking so bad I could barely stand up. The girl wanted to stay with me and drive me home, but I told her no. I did not think I could handle interacting with yet another stranger, even though she saved my life. So, I called you."

  I nod in understanding and help her up into my car. "Let us go home."

  ~~~

  "I am sorry, Mia."

  I look over at Emily and she is staring down at her hands with an embarrassed look on her face. "What are you sorry for?"

  "I am sorry for a lot of things. I am sorry I did not listen to you a couple years ago and went out with guys I met online. I am sorry I had to call you and disturb you while you were probably writing. I am just sorry." Her voice breaks at the end, which makes me wonder where this is coming from.

  "Emily, you have nothing to be sorry for. So you went against my advice and went out with random guys you met online. You do not have to apologize to me for that. Yeah, it is not exactly smart. But, he did not successfully rape you. He did not achieve his goal. You just have to think positively. You cannot be sorry about it. Now you know better. But do not ever think you are at fault." I put my hand on Emily's arm and smile, hoping it will reassure her.

  Emily gives me a small smile. "You should take your own advice, Mia."

  I gulp and take my hand back. Now we are stepping into dangerous territory. "Stop it, Em. We are not talking about me right now." I can feel myself tense up just thinking about it.

  "You know it is true, Mia. You have to stop feeling sorry about it. It was not your fault."

  I do not answer, hoping she will take the hint and stop talking about it.

  Emily just sighs and looks out the window. "We have to talk about it sometime, Mia. You cannot keep avoiding it forever."

  "Not today, Em."

  We do not talk the rest of the way home.

  ~~~

  "Are you sure you do not want me to stay with you tonight?" We are in Emily's room and I am trying to convince her to let me stay with her tonight. I do not like the thought of leaving her alone, even if she is only across the hall. We never know when Jack might decide to sneak through her window or something.

  "Mia, I will be fine. I am not a little kid. I can sleep by myself."

  "Well, after all that has happened today, I just thought it would be safer not to leave you alone. You are not the only one scared here, Emily."

  I look down, feeling an eerie sense of déjà vu. Except Emily and I have switched places.

  "Mia, it will be okay. Please do not worry about me so much. Would it help if I locked my windows and doors and pulled all the curtains down? He cannot attack me if he cannot get in."

  I quickly wipe mini tears away that are trying to escape from my eyes. I cannot let Emily see me cry. I need to be strong for her; she does the same for me. "Yeah, that would help. So, I will be right downstairs if you need anything. And if you even hear a weird noise coming from somewhere in the house, do not hesitate to wake me up. We cannot take any chances."

  Emily puts a hand on my arm. "I will be fine. You just worry about Mia, okay? Get some sleep tonight. Do not spend the whole night worrying about whether I am okay or not. It will just backfire on you."

  "Fine, Em. But if someone knocks on your door or window, please scream. You will know if it is not me." I stand up and hug Emily, praying this is not the last time I will be doing this.

  "Go, Mia. Go call Marcus and talk to him. Maybe he will calm you down a bit."

  Yeah, that definitely is not happening. "Goodnight, Em." I walk downstairs and plop myself down on the couch. Emily is right, I did need to calm down. But just how am I going to do that when Jack could come right into Emily's room at any given minute? By the time I realize something is wrong, it would be too late. I cannot live with myself if I let this happen. That son of a bitch is not going unpunished.

  I just picked a movie to watch and am going to play it when the phone rings. Why is this house so popular lately? "Hello?"

  "Hey, Mia. It is me."

  Marcus. Why is he calling me again? "Oh, hey, Marcus. What is up?"

  “I just wanted to hear your voice today.”

  My whole-body blushes, against my better judgment. "Well, here I am."

  Here I am? Really, Mia? The guy tells you that he just wanted to hear your voice today and all you say is here I am?

  "There you are. So, how was your day? Anything exciting happen today?"

  I chuckle. He has no idea. "Well, Emily woke me up for no reason other than to help her pick out an outfit for her date that she went on today. And I slept until noon. Oh, and I may have gotten my dream job too.”

  "Mia, that is amazing! I cannot believe they called you already?”

  I grin. “I know, I was shocked too. I start orientation on Thursday.”

  "I am so proud of you. We should celebrate.”

  “Oh? What did you have in mind?”

  “Well, I have a picnic basket full of food and a nearby beachfront that is calling both of our names. What do you say?”

  I think about how I am supposed to be looking after Emily, just in case Jack decides to pay a visit. Maybe I should check on her. "Can you hold on for like five minutes? I will be right back."<
br />
  "Uh, sure."

  I put the phone on the table and run upstairs to Emily's room. "Hey, Em?"

  "Yeah?"

  "Would it be okay if I do something with...a friend tonight? I know I am supposed to be watching you and if you really want me to I will stay, but..."

  "Mia, you can go. You do not need my permission. And does this friend maybe have the name Marcus?" She looks at me knowingly.

  I smile, probably giving it away already. "I will text you when I am coming back. Bye, Emily." I shut her door and run back downstairs to the phone. "Pick me up in 10?”

  “Sounds perfect, send me your address and I will see you soon.”

  I rattle it off to him and hang up the phone.

  I got a job and a date today, what could be better?

  Six

  MARCUS'S POV

  I did not think she would actually say yes.

  I ask her to the beach at nine o'clock at night just because I want to see her face and she says yes. I have never been this lucky with girls. Never even gotten to the second or third date until now, with Mia.

  Mia. Just even saying her name sends me to la-la land. I do not so late at night? But then again, who says yes?

  "MARCUS, GET YOUR SCRAWNY ASS DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW."

  I winced at the loud voice booming from downstairs. I thought I had gotten rid of him for the night.

  "Yes, Sir?" I trudge down the stairs and look at the drunk man in front of me. His beard is all uneven and scraggly, and there is another beer bottle hanging from his right hand. What a joke.

  He grabs me by the collar and brings me right up to his face. "WHERE THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE SNEAKING OFF TO TONIGHT? HUH? DO NOT PLAY WITH ME, BOY. I SEEN YOUR CAR PARKED OUT FRONT."

  I try not to turn away when his alcohol-infused breath hits me. "No...Nowhere. I am not going anywhere. I was just...um going to clean my car. Yeah. I was just getting it ready for tomorrow."

  He looks me in the eye, probably trying to gauge if I am lying or not. "You better not be lying to me, boy. Or I am going to take your keys away for good. Get your ass upstairs right now and stay up there. If I hear so much as a peep from you, you're dead."