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CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: JUDGE, JURY, EXECUTIONER
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THE DAYS THAT FOLLOWED were nothing short of awkward. Mae did her best to avoid the group, even going as far as to run in the opposite direction whenever she inevitably crossed paths with them. It crushed Embry's heart, so much that it pained Maggie to witness. She knew why he stood her up, and she couldn't blame him for it, but Embry refused to let Mae in completely, no matter how much it hurt.
In the end, it cost him, the choice made for him.
Maggie had decided to spend the day with Kim while Paul and Jared were stuck patrolling the area. A girl's day, Kim had eagerly declared, and so they spent their morning and most of the afternoon out shopping. First in town, then once they'd exhausted Forks' bookstores and boutiques, vintage stores and florists, Kim drove them out to Port Angeles. They watched a movie before they ate, then had a late lunch in a cute little diner on the outskirts of town. It was nice. Maggie couldn't remember the last time she had a good, non-supernatural day out with a friend. Maybe with Hayden, or even before that, with Carson...
The sun had only just started to set when they decided to head back to Forks. They were driving with the windows down, Bowie blasting from the radio, the cool wind biting against their skin. Before leaving that morning, Maggie had stolen one of Everett's jackets from the hook by the front door, and as the breeze began to get unbearably cold, she wrapped the faded denim tight around her shoulders, merely grinning when Kim began to tease her about being 'cold-blooded.'
"We should stop and check on Mae," the Conweller girl suggested upon recognising the streets of Mae's neighbourhood. She frowned at the hesitant look that suddenly crossed Maggie's face. "Unless you don't want to..."
"No, I do," Maggie insisted, sighing when Kim's expression didn't change. "I just don't think Mae is too happy with me right now."
At first, Kim's only response was a nod, brief and noncommittal before she pulled up beside the curb in front of a small ice cream parlour. "What?" she shrugged. "The way to someone's heart is through ice cream. Everyone knows that."
Maggie chuckled, "Well, I can't argue with that logic."
Five minutes later, they returned to Kim's car with the largest tub of mint ice cream the parlour had to offer. Maggie sat with the canvas bag on her lap, some of the ice bleeding through the pink material and onto her jeans. By the time they pulled up outside the Cooper-Song house, the sky had darkened into a deep shade of purple.
Mae greeted them at the front door with a tired, somewhat frustrated grimace. "Guys, this isn't the best time..."
"We figured as much," Kim cut in before Maggie had the chance to say anything. She held up the ice cream, grinning when Mae's eyes darted to the bag thoughtfully. "So, are you going to let us in?"
