“Go apologize to her and get back together!!”
“Will you please be a little quieter?” he asked. He rubbed the back of his head.
Avery waited patiently for a better response than “Will you please be a little quieter?” He sensed it and nodded.
“First of all, you aren’t supposed to even know about us,” he began.
Avery snorted.
“Second, it’s much more complicated than you’re making it out to be.”
“Bullshit, Mr. Connelly. You love her. She loves you. Hence, the two of you should be together.”
He opened his mouth to reply, then promptly shut it. What could he say to that anyway? Her words made perfect sense. He loved Cadence. He hoped she still loved him. And if she did, then why shouldn’t they be together?
He looked at Avery, who knew she made one sound argument. And then he remembered.
“I’m her teacher.”
“So what?”
“It’s unethical.”
“Just don’t change her grades.”
He cracked a smile.
“I could lose my job.”
“You don’t even like your job.”
He burst out laughing. That was mostly true. The only thing he liked about his job, really, was seeing Cadence every day. High school teaching was merely a stepping stone to better things—a doctorate and university job.
“I don’t want to complicate her life. Especially with her parents.”
“Are you afraid of her parents?”
He bristled. “No.”
“Then what do you care?”
He sighed then mumbled, “You’re relentless.”
“Yeah, I am,” she replied. “Because my friend is hurting. Don’t let her fool you. She’s not over you. She’s not even the same silly Cadence. I think her heart is growing black.”
He flinched at the words.
“And it’s your fault. Why did you break up with her?”
“Several reasons.”
“All of them bad.”
“Yes,” he said before he could stop himself.
Avery was startled. She said nothing as she watched him work through his admission. Yes, they were all bad reasons. Yes, he was lonely. Yes, he was miserable without Cadence. Yes, she was the shining light, and now his world was dark. Cold.
“She’s going to the movies tonight with Tate. I thought you should know. Don’t let her, Mr. Connelly. Who cares about all that stuff you just told me. You love her. Consequences be damned, right?”
Mark thought a moment.
“You can say that because you’re eighteen. Society gives you a free pass. I can’t say that at twenty-eight. I don’t get the free pass.”
“It’s not about a free pass, Mr. Connelly. It’s about you fighting for someone you love.”
He nodded. She was right. He would go.
***
Mark pushed through the crowded room, shoving students aside.
“Watch it, asshole!” someone cried.
Mark ignored him and continued his hunt. Where was she? He burst through one door and caught sight of a make-out session among roughly five people. A young girl asked him to join them, and he politely declined.
“Do you know Cadence?” he asked before closing the door.
“Who’s Cadence?” she replied, unhooking her bra.
Mark shook his head and moved on. He opened another door to an empty bedroom. That was it. No more bedrooms. The line to the bathroom stretched the length of the hallway and wrapped into the kitchen. He searched the line for her, but she was nowhere.
And then he heard her laugh. The sound wafted in through the open glass sliding door. He clenched his jaw and moved towards the sound. Out the back door. Into the littered yard. Among the dozens of drunken college students looking to get obliterated. He followed that giggle all the way to the far end of the yard and saw her doubled over, laughing hysterically against the back fence.
And then she promptly threw up all over the ground, her companions jumping backwards to avoid her vomit. One shouted, “Cadence! You idiot! You drank too much!”
Mark stopped in his tracks. He stood yards away observing the scene. He watched her stand up, grab a chunk of her blond hair, and hold it out to the side of her face.
“Is there throw up in my hair?” she asked weakly.
Her friends laughed. That Michael person was among them, and Mark thought he’d pounce on him. He didn’t like anything about him. He saw Michael as wily and manipulative. Even now, he watched as Michael stroked Cadence’s arm, like he was her boyfriend. That did it. Mark made his move.
“You ready to go home?” he asked Cadence, approaching her little group.
“Mark!” Cadence cried. “OMG! What are you doing at a frat party?”
“Picking you up,” he replied.
“But I’m not ready to go yet,” Cadence argued. She teetered on uncertain feet.
“You threw up. That means you’re ready to go,” Mark explained. He gingerly sidestepped her mess and took her arm. “Back away,” he said evenly to Michael who didn’t move from Cadence’s side.
“Dude, I think you should let Cadence stay. It’s her life,” Michael said. He said it with a mixture of petulance and complete idiocy.
“Move,” Mark instructed.
“You don’t have to be all mean about it,” Carrie pointed out. She hiccupped and giggled with Cadence. “She wants to stay.”