by Shealy James
I did read through all of Maggie’s notes and marked places where I wanted to ask her some questions. I read the textbook pages and found myself missing our study time together, so I was actually glad she was coming over the next day. If I would have allowed myself to acknowledge how I felt, I would even say that I missed her.
That afternoon Max stopped by for a short visit. He said he had been crazy busy working on a project and was headed back to the lab after hanging out with me. I had been busy too…busy killing people on the video game I borrowed from Preston’s room.
“How ya been feeling?”
“Pain meds help. Swelling has gone down a lot, so the brace isn’t as uncomfortable.”
“That’s good. You gonna be up for a party next weekend? It is Maggie’s twenty-first, and since she planned something for all of us for our birthdays, Sarah, Becca and I are going to try to surprise her. You in? We were thinking that you could get the band and maybe even play a few songs. We could have it at The Ale House.”
“Nah man. I’m not up for all that. I can hardly walk up and down the halls.”
“Really? You wouldn’t show up to a party for Maggie? You wouldn’t play with the band for Maggie? You can sit down to play the guitar you know.”
“Max, no. I’m not up for it.” I looked down at the game controller in my hand. I knew he was pissed, and I couldn’t look up at him.
“You know what? I would have never believed it. Maggie said you were sitting here feeling sorry for yourself, and she was going to do everything she could to get you to snap out of it, to cheer you up. She has been cooking for your dad and brother, and calling them every damn day to check on you. She researched your injury and talked to athletes who had experienced the same thing. She is coming over here tomorrow with her guns loaded, and you can’t get off your ass for one night to celebrate her birthday. You may be the most self-centered asshole I know.”
“What?” I didn’t realize the extent of what Maggie was doing.
“Yeah. She has been working her ass off for you. She stayed up all night typing those damn notes for you, and you probably didn’t even thank her, did you? And you know what? You don’t have to thank her. You can continue to act like a complete douchebag, and she will still bring you notes and dinner and your favorite desserts because that is the kind of person she is.”
“I get it Max. I get it. I’ll be there. I’ll make it up to Maggie.”
“You don’t have to make it up to her. What you need to do is quit stringing her along. Don’t hurt her because you can’t get your shit together.”
I couldn’t even look at him. He was right. She had done so much for me, and I gave her a hard time. I didn’t know everything she had done, but even making my family dinner was above the call of duty of a friend. She was taking care of everyone. It wasn’t clear what he meant by stringing her along though.
“Ok Max,” I said quietly, “I really do get it. I did study the notes that she gave me, and they were helpful. I also ate all of the brownies and a lot of the baklava that she brought. I guess I need to show her that I appreciate her.” I meant what I said. I planned to show Maggie how much I appreciated her.
“So you will play next weekend?”
“Yeah. I’ll be ready. Do me a favor. Get her iPod if you can without her noticing. She has an “All Time Faves” play list. I want to recreate it.”
“Awesome. I’ll get it. She’ll think she lost it.”
“Just text me the songs. No need to take it. I have a lot of them, but I don’t know the whole list.”
“Sounds good. All right. I gotta get out of here. This computer project is going to be really cool, but it is killing me.”
“Thanks for stopping by…and thanks. I needed some sense slapped into me.”
“Yes, yes you did,” he said jokingly. “See you soon man.”
“Bye Max.”
When Max left, I stood up off my bed and hobbled over to where my guitar had been sitting since Preston brought it back from Maggie’s house. I was supposed to use my crutches, but I walked the five or so steps to my guitar. I sat in the chair in the corner of my room, and situated the guitar on my right leg. I usually stand or lean on my left leg, but I had to keep my leg straight in the brace. It was awkward at first, but I figured a way to play comfortably. It was going to take work to master this position since I couldn’t stand, but I was going to do this. I was going to play those songs for Maggie on her birthday.
I played until Pops yelled at me to “stop the racket.” I felt like I was comfortable with the new position, and I had a few of her favorites down already. Max sent me a list of a few songs that I needed to learn, so I downloaded those to listen to them over and over until I could learn them.
I was just finishing downloading songs when my phone buzzed with a text from Maggie.
Maggie: I hope you studied those notes.
Me: I did. Thanks for the organization. I can’t even imagine all the work.
Maggie: No big deal.
Me: Yes it was. So was the dinner. You’re amazing.
Maggie: True. You’re lucky to have a friend like me. ;)
Me: I’m lucky to have you.
Maggie: Quit being such a girl.
Maggie: I’ll see you tomorrow. Does your dad eat broccoli?
Me: Pops eats anything you put in front of him. Why?
Maggie: Just checking.
Me: What are you up to?
Maggie: Making stuff for lunch.
Me: You don’t have to do that.
Maggie: Shut up. See you tomorrow.
Me: Looking forward to it.
Maggie: Is that an attitude change I hear?
Me: Just learning to appreciate the good things.
Maggie: Would you appreciate red velvet cupcakes or strawberry shortcake?
Me: Red velvet cupcakes. I would appreciate those for days.
Maggie: okay then. Quit bugging me so I can bake.
Me: Yes Ma’am! Night Mags.
Maggie: Sweet dreams Parker :)
I definitely missed Maggie. Maybe if I could master the stairs this week, I could stay back at Maggie’s house after her party. I was going to class on Monday, so Pops was unlikely to complain too much. He would complain about Maggie not bringing him food but not about me living elsewhere.
When Maggie showed up, I was sitting out on the back porch with my guitar. She smiled brightly when she found me.
“You act like you haven’t seen me in years.”
She blushed. “I’m not smiling at seeing you. I’m smiling at seeing you with your guitar in your lap.” She turned around before I could respond. “Preston, will you come help get food out of the car?”
When Maggie and Preston came back outside, they were carrying bags and platters. She set a plastic carrying tray with a plastic cover in front of me. I looked up at her and saw the sly grin on her face. I ripped the top off and found a dozen red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing smiling back at me. I immediately took one and bit into it. It was delicious.
“Parker, can you at least wait until we eat lunch? You aren’t exercising right now, so you need to watch what you eat if you want to keep your girlish figure.” Pops said as he walked out on the porch with the hamburgers. I responded by shoving the rest of the cupcake in my mouth and pulling up my shirt to show my six-pack. I smiled when I saw Maggie’s eyes widen followed by her tell tale blush.
Preston had unpacked all of the bags, and Maggie had brought potato salad, broccoli salad, fruit salad, sliced tomatoes, sliced onions (three types including my favorite, Vidalia), and lettuce for the burgers.
“That bag is for later. Let me take it and put it in the fridge. Dr. Pryce, I have a chicken casserole and a green bean casserole for you to heat up for dinner. The directions are written and taped on the top.”
“Thanks Maggie. You’re an angel.”
“No problem at all. I’m having fun.” She said as she walked inside to the kitchen like she had been here a thous
and times. I love that she felt at home here, and I know that Pops and Preston were grateful for her.
I went to grab another cupcake, and a hand slapped mine. Maggie took the top and covered the cupcakes and winked at me. “Try and eat something healthy. Rehab isn’t going to help your six-pack, and just so you know, girls love a six-pack.” She said then laughed out loud. I didn’t know where this confident and outgoing version of Maggie came from, but I liked her. I liked her a lot.
Pops set the burgers on the table, and we all made plates. The food was really good, all of it. I told her so in between bites of each dish. Preston and Pops were moaning to show their appreciation making Maggie laugh and shake her head at them.
Chapter 15
Maggie
The guys were fun at lunch. I have never felt so appreciated for cooking a meal in my life. Parker had read through the notes and read the pages in the book, so we had good conversations. Our professors would be pleased with his hard work.
He came to class on Monday. His dad drove him since his car was at our house. He would be allowed to drive now that he was off his pain meds, but there was no need as long as his dad and I were around.
I made him come watch practice on Wednesday. He fought me on it, but I told him that he needed to show that he was committed to the team if he wanted them to save a position for him. I didn’t really mean it, but it got him to agree. After practice we went to the Tavern for dinner with Max, Becca, and Sarah, and I introduced him to a friend that I made, Brent, who was a senior on the basketball team. He had the same injury as Parker as a sophomore, and he had the best season of his life this past season.
Parker seemed annoyed at first, but Brent started asking about what the doctors had told Parker, and they talked the rest of the dinner pretty much. They were laughing and joking, and I was glad that it didn’t seem that he was mad at me.
Sarah seemed distracted by her phone throughout dinner. She was smiling at it every time it went off. “Ok. Who is it and what is going on?” I asked after the fifth message.
“No one.” I gave her a look that made her roll her eyes and admit, “Ok, I’ve been seeing someone a little.”
“A little?” Max said incredulously.
“Ok. I have been seeing someone a lot. I’m waiting to see if anything comes of it before I tell anyone anything. You sort of know him.”
“Who?” I asked.
“I’ll tell you when and if we become something.” I narrowed my eyes at her causing her to roll hers and say, “And not a minute before, so don’t ask.”
After dinner, we said good-bye to Brent. I hugged him and thanked him, and he told me that he had fun. Thank goodness!
On the way back to Parker’s dad’s house, he said, “Thanks for introducing me to Brent. It was cool to hear someone else’s story, especially when it turned out so well.”
“So you aren’t mad?”
“I was annoyed at first, but I needed to hear it. Thank you for doing that.”
I grinned happily. “So…when do you think you will come back home?”
“Why? You thinking about renting out my room?”
“No,” I said quickly then tried to recover. “I was just wondering. I noticed that you were able to crutch your way up and down the stairs, so I figured you would rather live with us than your dad and brother. We are super fun.”
“I don’t know. I would really miss Pops yelling at me to ‘quit that racket’ or Preston leaving crap everywhere. He makes it really easy for someone on crutches to walk through the house.”
“Well, your room is ready whenever you are. I did clean up and wash your sheets when Max and I packed your bag. I thought you would prefer a clean room.”
“Maggie, thank you for everything you have done. This is too much though.”
“I don’t mind.”
“I know, but I do. I can wash my own sheets, and Pops can cook his own meals. You aren’t my mother or wife or girlfriend. You don’t see any of my other friends washing my clothes or cooking for my family, do you? I don’t need you to do all of this for me. I don’t need your help.”
Ouch! “Ok. I’m sorry.” That was all I could say. Everything he said was true, but it was more than hurtful. After everything I had done for him, I was the one that was apologizing? It didn’t seem right. I knew he wanted to get back on his feet, but I didn’t see what harm there was in helping him. I wanted him to feel better, to know someone was there for him, to know I was there for him. I guess he didn’t want that though. I decided to just stay away from him from then on. I didn’t know what else to do.
The rest of the car ride was silent. I dropped him off and he said he would see me tomorrow in class. I didn’t hear from Parker other than in class the whole week, and I didn’t stop by on Sunday to study. Dr. Pryce called me on Monday to see if I wanted to come by for dinner. He was grilling steaks. I told him I had to write a paper this week and couldn’t. He wasn’t fazed by my excuse. He just said he would see me soon and to make sure Parker studied. I didn’t tell him that I hadn’t seen or heard from Parker.
It was my birthday Saturday, so I got up early to go work out. I went on a long run and then lifted weights at the gym. My legs felt like jell-o by the time I was done. After I had showered and dressed, Max and I went for our annual birthday breakfast at IHOP, a place where my mother would never take me growing up even though I loved it.
Sarah, Becca, Rachel, and I went to get manicures and pedicures, and then went shopping for new outfits to wear out that night. We were going to the bar, so nothing big, but we wanted to have something new and cute to wear.
My parents came up and took the girls, Max and I to a restaurant on the top of a hotel where you could see the entire view of the city. I had thought Parker would come, but I hadn’t heard from him all week, so I wasn’t able invite him. I could have called him, but he obviously wanted to be left alone.
During dessert, they sang to me, which was embarrassing. Afterwards Mother and Daddy gave me a small robin’s egg blue box with a white ribbon tied around it. I opened the very familiar box, and found a diamond pendant inside.
“Happy birthday darlin’ girl,” Daddy said.
“Thank you!” It was beautiful and extravagant like my parents.
“Your mother picked it out. She wouldn’t budge on that one. She thought it was perfect for you.” That surprised me, but of course, she wouldn’t have her daughter wear anything she didn’t approve of first.
“Thank you! I love it.”
Sarah helped me put the necklace on and then told me that I looked perfect for the night. I was wearing a black V-neck silky tank top, dark skinny jeans, and black heels. The necklace worked with the outfit, and I felt pretty. I was excited about going out that night.
My parents were staying in Atlanta for the night, but they weren’t going out with us. They had gotten us a limo so we wouldn’t even consider drinking and driving, which we all really enjoyed. We rode from the restaurant to The Ale House in a brand new black stretch limo. We all piled out and walked up to Tripp at the door. He took one look at my real ID and said, “So you’re really from Savannah. Who knew?” I laughed and knew that tonight was going to be a night to remember.
Parker
When Maggie walked in and almost everyone yelled, “Surprise!” My mouth opened to say it, but nothing came out. When I saw her, my throat closed up, and for a second I couldn’t breathe. She looked gorgeous…and happy. She wasn’t happy to see me. I fucked that up by being an asshole. I freaked out because she was getting too close. She was too much like my mom, and I panicked. Now all of these people were here for her, her soccer team, my soccer team, our friends, Brent, and some people from our classes all came to wish her happy birthday. We had a cake set up on the bar, and the band was ready to start their set as soon as she was in the door. She was excited and pleased to see everyone but me.
Everyone was hugging her and handing her shots and drinks, and she looked really happy. I headed back stage to
get the band ready. I wanted to go tell her happy birthday, but she was surrounded by people, and I didn’t know how she would act considering the last conversation I had with her didn’t go well and I hadn’t spoken to her since then.
We walked out on stage, and Grady welcomed everybody to Maggie’s party. Everyone cheered, and I could see that she was embarrassed by the attention. Sarah lit the sparkler candles on Maggie’s cake and brought it around front. We all sang to her, and she blew out the candles in one breath, no surprise considering how much she runs. Vinny took the cake back behind the bar to cut it, and the Billy signaled the band to start playing.
I sat out on a stool with an electric guitar. It felt forced since I couldn’t really move around like I normally did. In the back of my mind, I kept reminding myself that tonight was for Maggie.
We played her favorite songs, and I could tell she was having a blast. She danced with Sarah, Becca, Rachel, and some of the girls from her team the entire time we played. People kept handing her drinks, and she kept drinking them, which was making me nervous. I didn’t know how many she’d had, and there was no telling what was in some of those shots.
The band took a break, and I passed the guitar off to Nick, their regular guitarist. During the break, I hobbled over to the bar on my crutches and grabbed a bottle of water and took it to Maggie.
I hobbled up behind her and leaned into her ear and spoke quietly, “Drink this.”
She turned around and looked up at me. Her smile fell instantly. “No thanks,” she said and turned back around to the people she was talking to.
“Maggie. You’re going to feel terrible later. Drink some water.”
She turned around and glared at me. “Since when do you care if I feel terrible?” She stood there waiting for a second. When I didn’t answer, she walked away. Even if I had wanted to, I wouldn’t have been able to go after her. She was walking quickly through the crowd, and I wasn’t able to maneuver through them fast enough to keep up with her. It didn’t matter though. I wouldn’t even know what to say once I caught up with her. Instead I gave the water to Max and told him to give it to her.