QUEEN MARABELLA ISLAND(2)
1017 Words
CHAPTER TWO
Monica crossed her arms, her voice sharp. “You don’t get it. Maxwell isn’t like the others. He’s… different.”
Clara tilted her head. “You really mean that, don’t you?”
Monica’s expression softened, her frustration giving way to something more vulnerable. “Five months, Clara. I’ve never liked anyone this long before. He makes me feel… seen.”
For once, Clara didn’t tease. She exchanged a glance with Annalise.
Annalise shifted uncomfortably. “I didn’t mean to make you feel small. I just…” she exhaled, running a hand through her hair, “...I don’t trust boys our age. They don’t always know what they want. And I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
Monica’s lips trembled, caught between anger and gratitude. “I get that. But you can’t keep treating me like a little kid. I know what I feel.”
Silence lingered for a moment, heavy but not hostile.
Clara finally broke it with a small smile. “For what it’s worth, I believe you. I’ve never seen you like this before. And… well, I did see you two at Lightwood Café.”
Monica blinked. “Wait…you saw us?”
Clara chuckled. “Not on purpose. But you looked happy. Really happy.”
Annalise sighed, her tone gentler now. “Maybe he is different. Just… promise me you’ll be careful?”
Monica nodded slowly. “I promise.”
Clara nudged her shoulder playfully, lightening the mood. “Besides, if he hurts you, Annalise and I will team up and throw him into Oceania.”
That finally drew a laugh from Monica.
It was then that a shadow fell over them. Monica turned and froze.
“Hey, girls,” Maxwell greeted, his familiar smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
Monica’s heart skipped. “Maxwell! Hey.” She scrambled up from the bench, her voice a little too bright. “Um…these are my best friends. Clara and Annalise.”
Maxwell nodded politely. “Nice to meet you both. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Clara grinned. “All good things, I hope.”
“Of course,” Maxwell said with a soft laugh.
Annalise, still guarded, gave him a long look before muttering, “Hi.”
Monica, catching the tension, quickly linked her arm through his. “And this is Maxwell,” she told her friends, a little defiantly. “The guy I’ve been telling you about.”
Annalise’s expression softened instantly. “Ah. So this is the Maxwell.”
Monica blushed. “Yeah… this is him.”
Maxwell glanced between the three of them. “I just came to say congratulations. I heard you all got into the University of Antares.”
“Thank you,” the girls chorused.
He shifted his weight, then smiled at Monica. “I was hoping I could steal you away for a bit, if that’s okay.”
Monica turned to her friends, nervous but excited. “Is that… okay?”
Clara smirked. “Go on. We’ll survive without you for a while.”
Annalise hesitated, then gave a small nod. “Just don’t stay out too long.”
Relief washed over Monica. She squeezed both their hands before turning to Maxwell. “Let’s go.”
The two walked off together, their laughter carrying back on the breeze.
Clara watched them, her lips curving into a thoughtful smile. “She wasn’t exaggerating. They really do look good together.”
Annalise crossed her arms, her voice softer than usual. “Yeah. They do.”
Monica and Maxwell drifted into the crowd, her laughter trailing after them. Clara and Annalise lingered by the fountain, the space around them suddenly quieter without Monica’s bright energy.
Clara nudged her friend lightly. “You know, you don’t have to look so tense every time she’s with him.”
Annalise folded her arms. “I’m not tense. I just don’t trust boys.”
“Not all boys,” Clara countered softly. “Maxwell seems different.”
“Seems,” Annalise repeated, her tone clipped. “That doesn’t mean much.”
Clara studied her for a moment. “You sound like someone who’s been burned.”
Annalise’s jaw tightened. “Maybe I have.”
Silence stretched between them, heavy enough that Clara hesitated before speaking again. When she did, her voice was careful. “You don’t have to hide it from me. I know you still think about him.”
Annalise’s eyes flicked away. “Clara…”
“Skye,” Clara said gently, almost like she was saying it for Annalise instead of herself. “You loved him once. That doesn’t just disappear.”
A shadow crossed Annalise’s face, but she didn’t argue.
Clara reached for her hand, squeezing it. “You’ve always carried our pain, mine, Monica’s, like it was your own. But when it comes to yours, you bury it. That’s not fair to you.”
Annalise’s voice was low, almost breaking. “I can’t… go through that again.”
Clara smiled faintly, her eyes kind. “I get it. But don’t tell yourself love isn’t real just because it hurt once. If you didn’t have love in you, Monica and I wouldn’t still be here.”
Annalise blinked, her lashes damp, and gave the smallest nod. Enough for now.
After a pause, Annalise stood. “We should head home.”
Clara rose beside her. “Yeah.”
They walked together through the dimming park, the laughter of strangers fading behind them. At the corner, Annalise reminded softly, “Don’t forget tomorrow morning. You promised.”
Clara smiled. “I won’t forget.”
They parted ways.
Clara was only a few steps from home when a soft meow rose from a nearby fence. She turned instinctively, just as a boy passed on the sidewalk.
He glanced back once, caught her eyes, and smiled.
Her breath caught in her throat.
By the time she blinked, he had gone into the night.
The cat leapt down and vanished into the shadows, but Clara barely noticed. Her heart raced, her thoughts tangled in that fleeting moment.
What just happened?
- Writer
