Heartbreaker {Coming Soon}

02 | The Porch Steps

The first day of Summer break had come and gone when Ariel finally pulled up in her Red Volkswagen bug, her hair a tangled red mess.  Macey had been sitting on the steps of her porch with her headphones in.  Her feet, laced into black acid-washed converse, tapped to the beat of If You Ever Come Back by The Script as it blasted through her ears.  The thick California air practically stuck to her permanently tan skin.  Her toned arms and shoulders stuck out of her plain black muscle tee.

“Sorry I’m late,” Ariel said as she sat down next to her cousin.  Macey’s foot continued tapping against the distressed wood, filling the silence between them.  Ariel shifted her gaze to face the street.  

“What did you say?” Macey finally replied, finally removing her headphones from her ears.  She gathered her long hair into a messy bun, strands tangling in every direction, and retied her red bandana.  Ariel sighed with dismay at her cousin just before repeating herself.

“Sorry Ari, it was my favorite song and as much as I love you, I wasn’t pausing that for anyone,” she said jokingly although they both knew what she said was true.  There was nothing Macey loved more than music.  Ariel laughed, breaking the slight tension between the two.  Since that awful day, since the funeral, since Macey had changed, nothing had really been the same between them.  

“I’ve missed you Maze,” Ariel muttered, leaning her head on Macey’s shoulder.  A painful silence settled between them.  She’d said what they had both been thinking.  Macey tried to hide the sound of her breath catching.  She missed her cousin, too.  It was devastating to lose her mother and best friend at the same time, but she knew it was her own fault.  She’d thrown the cigarette, she’d pushed Ariel away, she even pushed her father away.  She had been alone.

“So, about this guy,” Macey started, changing the subject for more then one reason.  Of course she didn’t want to talk about her mother.  

Of course she didn’t want to talk about how both Ariel and herself had changed.  She didn’t want to talk about how they’d become complete opposites of their old selves.  Macey was the goody two shoes, Ariel was the risk-taker.  It was remarkable how one day could change both of their lives so much.  After that, Macey had rebelled against everything she knew, becoming stubborn and carefree.  Ariel dove into her schoolwork, hurt that her Aunt had died and her best friend refused to speak to her.  

The other reason, was simple.  She was actually interested in what Ariel had to say.

“Right, Caleb,” the redhead began.  “Well, we started dating a little after the accident.  He was so sweet to me all the time, brought me flowers, took me out.  He was probably the best guy I’ve ever known.  We cared about each other, we were in love.  Out of nowhere, a little after our one year anniversary, he was acting a little different.  Nothing majorly noticeable, just less romantic I guess.  A few days after, we were outside of the movie theater in town and you know I don’t like to kiss and tell,” she joked, causing Macey to burst into laughter at the known lie “but it was pretty passionate.  When we pulled back he smiled, but the second he looked into my eyes his face dropped.  Then he said ‘I’m sorry Ariel, I can’t do this anymore.’  That was it, he broke up with me.  I was heartbroken for the longest time and he just seemed fine.  I still don’t understand.  That’s where you come in,” she finished.

“So, basically you want me to make your ex-boyfriend fall in love with me and then break his heart?” Macey questioned, recalling their short phone conversation from last week.  Ariel nodded, completely serious.  Macey knew how to ruin anything.  Anger from that dreadful afternoon had been welling up inside her and she needed an outlet for it anyway.  She was the perfect fit for the job.  She’d pass on the heartbreak to someone new, someone who deserved it.  “I’m going to have so much fun with this.”