This Summer

In The Wake Of Dawn

Emily's POV

The sound of Mark groaning and my alarm clock booming through the room awakens me.

"Turn that thing off, please."

I squinted my eyes, trying to get them to adjust to the now very bright light, and felt Mark bury his face in the crook of my neck. I try to reach for the alarm clock while Mark latches onto me like a baby, making the struggle even harder, but I succeed nonetheless. This was all very new to me - Mark in my bed, Mark's arm wrapped around me, Mark's face nuzzling my neck.

"Thanks." He murmurs against my skin.

"We have to wake up now." I tell him and I'm answered by a throaty groan.

"It's too early." He whines and hides under the covers, moving away from me."

"It's past eight."

"That is extremely early, Em." He states as a matter of fact.

"Well, I gotta wake up. Do you want me to bake you something?"

He peaks out of the covers just enough for only his eyes to be seen.

"A velvet cake?" He politely requests.

"Alright." I swung my legs off the side of the bed.

"I'll get up when I can smell it." He says, going back to cover his entire face with the blanket.

"Okay."

I quietly walked over to my closet to choose what to wear today. I decided to wear something very simple since I had to take Mark around town. I grab a high-waisted pair of jeans and a white sleeveless body-con top. I do my morning routine and curl the ends of my hair so that for once it looks presentable. I decided not to apply any makeup for the sake of even more simplicity.

I grab my phone and leave the bedroom, making my way downstairs. I plug my headphones into my phone and play my favorite playlist. Music always helps to clear my head and it helps me make the right choices.

And I'm sure that it'll help me right now with deciding how to act towards Jake. I can't judge a guy I don't even know. I don't know how he acts towards his parents, his friends, or people. I don't know his personality or anything. I'm completely clueless and so is Mark, maybe even my mom. Mark doesn't know his side of the story, he only knows Maddie's. And I can't say that she lied or joked about it, because who sane girl would ever do something like that. Maybe they made a mistake in sentencing him. Mark said that he was fighting, saying everything was a lie. But then why did he suddenly stop fighting? Why would someone innocent stop fighting for his innocence?

"Bonjour, ma chérie. (Good morning my dear)." My mom removed one earphone from my ears.

"Good Morning, mom."

I begin setting out the ingredients to make the velvet cake and place them on the kitchen island.

"I heard about what happened last night, and Maria sincerely apologizes to you." She sits down on a stool in front of me.

"I don't need an apology, mom." I looked at her, "I need an explanation." I clarified.

"I know, dear, and I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier."

"Mark knows Jake and Mark hates him." I support myself with my elbows on the marble countertop."

"That, I had no clue about. But Maria said Mark didn't know the truth."

"Well, do you know the truth?" I narrowed my eyes at her.

I need an answer. I need guidance. I just need something, anything.

"I do, Emily."

"Great, then tell me. Help me understand."

"I can't, Em. It's not mine or Maria's truth to share." She says, looking down.

I know that she believes what she is doing is the right thing. And it is, but I just can't let him into my heart, I can't let myself be friends with him when he might've or might not have done something terrible. I really need to know. I need to know if he is the one who ruined Maddie or if someone else did.

"Then how do you want me to act around Jake? Mark told me everything that he did to that girl." I lied, hoping to get something out of her. "Maybe you are putting me in danger by letting some r****t into the house."

"Don't you ever say that word here, Emily. You don't know a single thing." She hisses and walked out of the kitchen to check if anyone heard me. " I can and will never put you in any danger, and that is why I forced Maria to tell me the truth."

"So he didn't do it then?"

I have no idea why I'm feeling this happy right now, just because my mom gave me a little ray of hope that he might not have done it.

"That's not what I said. It's just so much more complicated than that."

"Ugh, why is this thing so messed up?" I groaned as I began to mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl.

"I know it is, but just try and get to know him. Be nice to him and be his friend, and I'll talk to Mark about this later when he wakes up."

"Okay, mom."

Well at least I know that it's okay to be friends with him, although I know Mark is going to disturb me to no end for even trying. I know for sure Mark is going to freak out once he finds out that I want to be his friend, and just because my mom says it's alright or because she's forcing me. She didn't force me at all, in fact, I forced myself. I dont' know but I feel this weird thing inside me that tells me it's okay to be close to him, that he'll make a great friend, and I've wanted to be his friend since the moment I saw him.

"What are you baking?" My mom pulls me out of my thoughts.

"A velvet cake for Mark," I answered her.

"Well, isn't that sweet of you?" I heard Aunt Maria's voice, and momentarily moved my eyes from the batter to her so I can greet her.

"Good morning, Aunt Maria."

"How are you this morning?" I could hear the concern evident in her voice.

"Don't worry about it, I talked to her already." My mom comforts her.

"You sure you don't wanna tell me the truth yourself." I ask her, already knowing the answer but still giving it a shot.

"I really can't." She gives me an apologetic look and I nod my head in understanding.

"But he knows that I know now. Isn't he going to question me when he feels like i'm being too friendly or getting too close?" I say hoping for her to spill at least something.

"Em, what was your first impression of Jake? What did you think when you found out about staying with someone who spent time in juvie?" Maria asked and I decided to give her my honest answer.

"Well I thought it was going to be very interesting." I mixed the dry ingredients with the batter and whisked everything together. "I thought he could teach me some things about juvie, like their slang, code words and stuff like that. But I didn't know what to expect and what his crime was. To be frank, I don't think I really cared about knowing either."

"Well, can you act the same way you were feeling before and not now?" She begged me.

"My feelings haven't changed at all," I confessed and heard her take a sharp intake of breath.

"Are you sure about that?" My mom is referring to what I said before Maria came in.

"I only said that so that you might say something that was going to help me. But you didn't and...." I stop my sentence short when I hear Mark's voice.

"You were taking so long that I couldn't wait any longer." Mark walks in with a wide grin on his face and his happiness makes me smile in return.

"I'm almost done here." I inform him and he walked around to place a gentle kiss on my cheek.

"Good morning, ladies." Mark says, tipping his imaginary hat.

"Good morning, Mark." they said in unison.

"Uh, Mark, can we talk to you for a minute?" My mom asks and I see Aunt Maria fumbling with the fingers nervously.

"Am I in trouble?" He tried to joke but my mom just flashed him a small smile.

"Alright, it's serious, then." He rubs the back of his neck and looks at me.

"Try to be understanding." I tried and give him a hint about what they are going to tell him, but I know how angry he will be when they begin to speak. Oh well.

He gives me a look that says "Is everything alright?"

"Let's go and talk in the backyard." My mom suggested, so that their voices wouldn't be heard.

"Em, please make breakfast." My mom looks at me over her shoulder.

"No problem."

"Thank you, sweetie." My mom blew me a kiss and I blew one back to her in response.

After they leave, I turn on the oven and place the cake inside. I grab a bowl topped with fresh oranges, and grab the fruit juicer and chopping board. I slice the oranges in half and drop them in the fruit juicer.

My thoughts wander to Mark and how he must be taking all that my mother and Aunt Maria are trying to tell him. My guess is probably not good. I saw the pain in his eyes, the pain he felt, how he was hurting while he retold me the story. I can't imagine how painful it was for him to watch his best friend lose herself bit by bit right in front of his eyes.

I really do want to believe Mark. I want to stand by his side, to view this as he does - as a threat. But I can't ignore what my mother told me this morning, the hope that she gave me, or what Maria asked of me.

"Uh, excuse me."

I look up and I'm met with Jake's dark blue eyes.

"Good morning, Jake."

In all honesty, I really did think that Jake was going to lock himself in his room for a couple of days. Looks like I was wrong.

"Um, Good morning." He says reluctantly. "Have you seen my mother."

"Yeah. She's in the backyard with my mom and Mark. But she will be back shortly."

"Ah.." He nods his head, as he seems to be picking up what his mom is trying to do.

"Well, tell her that I left."

"Do you know how to speak French?"

I see he is thinking before answering my question.

I noticed that he was wearing a plain black basketball jersey and grey sweatpants. His jersey shows his arms, revealing his sleeve of tattoos. His right arm was decorated with a sleeve of tattoos done by an extremely talented artist. They were breathtakingly beautiful. There was a cluster of words and small and subtle basketballs that looked like they were made out of fire and smoke.

A road starting at his elbow and winding up to his shoulder was filled with roses and skeletons at the sides. At the end of the road are the backs of a boy and little girl who are holding hands, but the girl looks like she is being pulled into a dark gate while the boy is trying to hold on to her. The moonlight is shining over them and a fog-like mist is surrounding them. In the middle of them are numbers.

28/9/19. I wonder what it means.

"I don't." He finally replies, breaking my train of thoughts.

"Well then, you won't be able to communicate with the people here." I explained. "Only a few people in this village understand English. You are going to need a guide."

"Let me guess, you are going to be my guide." He says incredulously.

"No." I turn around to wash my hands, attempting to hide the frown that has formed on my face. "But there is am office some blocks down from here that can help you."

"Thank you for the information. So long for now." He tips his head forward and turns around to leave.

Jerk.

"Jake." Maria's high pitched voice stops him and groans loudly.

"Mom, I have to go." he waved at her and continued walking forward.

"No, you are not." She rushes after him and wraps her hand around his arm, dragging him back to the kitchen.

"You have to eat with us," She commands.

He shakes his head, "I need to go out. Right now." He jerks his hand away and she stops him again.

"Stop acting like an overgrown child and go back inside and have breakfast with us."

"My phone broke and I need a new one. Now." He says through a clenched jaw, stressing on the last part.

"Do you know where to find one?"

"No, but Emily told me where I could find a guide to help me." He explains.

"Do you have any money?" She asks him raising her eyebrows.

His eyes widen as he looks like he forgot that he can't buy a phone without one. "Oh yeah, I need money mom."

She looks at him as if he'd lost his mind. "And do you think that I'll give you the money with you behaving like this?"

"Yes....?" He says unsurely.

"You are getting nothing from me until you eat with us." She snaps.

"I don't want to stay here." His eyes moved to me, then back to his mother, "You can't force me."

I feel like hitting him with this frying pan. He has been nothing but a complete a*s to me and he dares imply that I didn't make him feel comfortable or welcome.

"Oh really? Then go ahead, let's see how long you'll last with no money." She challenges him and begins walking towards me.

"What do you need help with?"

He huffs and stomps his way back upstairs to his room, behaving like the overgrown child his mom called him earlier.

"What do you usually eat in the morning?" I asked her.

We hear the door slam upstairs and Aunt Maria sighs.

"Did he apologize to you for what he did yesterday?" She asks tiredly.

"Yeah, it's okay." Even though he didn't, I didn't want to add to her distress.

Jake is a child in an 18-year-old body. I have no idea how Aunt Maria handles him. I'm sure she has trouble keeping him under control.

"Tell me what to help you with," She says.

We prepare breakfast together. I slice the vegetables while she whips the eggs. We work in complete silence, neither one of us knowing what to say. She can't keep apologizing for Jake's behavior and I don't think it'll change anytime soon.

I saw Mark and my mother walk into the kitchen.

"Hey." I rushed to his side and slipped my hand into his.

His skin is really hot against mine and I resist the urge to pull my hand away.

"Can we talk outside.?" His eyes were hard and I failed to read them.

"Right now?" I said, trying to avoid this 'talk'.

"Yes, right now." he says.

I look over to my mom and she nods her head in agreement.

"Alright." I stepped forward, leading him to the backyard.

He tears his hand away from mine and his action causes me to abruptly stop walking further into the backyard.

"Even after everything i told you last night, you are still gonna take his side." He seethes.

"I'm not taking---"

"You are!" He yells at me. "You are taking his side by agreeing to be friends with him."

"I don't know what to do, Mark. My mom and Aunt Maria are on one side and you are on the other. What am I supposed to do?" I asked, frustrated.

"You're supposed to stand by me." The veins on his forehead and neck poke out as he yells at me. "You are supposed to believe me."

"I believe you." I take a step his way but he backs away. " I promise I believe you, but Aunt Maria says you don't know the truth."

"Oh? So you're saying all I said is an utter lie and Maddie lied to me about being--"

I stop him, "Of course I wouldn't say that. I would never accuse her of lying. Is that what you think of me?"

He purses his lips and averts his gaze from me.

"I'm just trying to do the right thing. I don't want to be on his side for your sake, because you are really important to me. But Aunt Maria says it's safe and my mom would never put me in danger. You can do whatever pleases you, but I will do what I feel is right."

"The right thing to do would be to lock the r****t up!"

"Mark." I hissed, "Keep your voice down."

"You are taking his side! And you don't know anything." He clenches his jaw.

"And you don't know either. Aunt Maria says that we don't know the truth and we should be nice and see if he will tell us."

"That's not my plan, Mark. I'm just being nice, you should too."

He seems to be processing everything i've said, and he finally exhales loudly, running his hand over his face.

"You're too nice for your own good." He extends his hand to wrap his fingers around my wrist.

"Even if you hate him, isn't it wrong to dismiss him when we don't even know the full story?"

"Em.." He begins and pulls me closer.

"Look, I know it must have been terrible to see your friend like that. But what if she missed something? What if there is something else that he is keeping to himself?" I thought out loud.

I know I might be taking this too seriously. He is just a temporary guest, and I should just be friendly until he leaves.

"I don't know. I told your mom that I'd only tolerate him for her sake."

I smiled at him and rubbed his arm in a comforting way, "Thanks."

"I still hate him though." He says, reminding me not that I need it.

"I know. This just shows what a great person you are."

"Let's go help around in the kitchen." he brings my hand to his lips and places a kiss on it.

I smiled, "Let's go."

I really do hope that Mark sticks to his words and not attack Jake the moment they are in the same room.