Jake and Tatiana laughed behind her, enjoying her ham-fisted behavior.

“Thanks.” She gave the guy behind the counter a smile, taking the cone and hurrying to the picnic tables. He watched her go with the barest grin on his face, feeling horrible about what just happened, but he thought she was doing a fairly remarkable job at hiding her humiliation.

Maggie and Nick took the picnic table closest to the yogurt hut. Maven sat down beside Nick, her taste for orange yogurt non-existent at this point.

“Who's the guy in the hut?” Maggie asked no one in particular. This brought Maven’s attention back to the window. She took a long look at the guy with brown hair and equally brown eyes to match. He offered her a sympathetic smile.

“No clue. Never seen him before,” she offered. And she hadn’t.

Nick shrugged. “Me either. Maybe it’s just a summer job for the guy. They have to have someone run the yogurt hut.”

Maggie licked her fingers free of yogurt. “Sandra’s parents own the place. They make their kids run it. That girl is Sandra’s older sister.”

Nick smirked. He had been eyeing her since they got there. “Do you know her name?”

Maggie groaned. “Gross. I’m not doing your dirty work, creeper.”

Jake plopped down across from them at the picnic table. Tatiana sat on top of the table, her back facing Maven.

“So how’s it going guys?” Jake asked, taking a bite of his vanilla yogurt, letting his gaze rest on each of them.

Nick shifted in his seat. “It was going great until you showed up.”

Maggie smirked.

Jake made a sad face. “So hostile.”

Nick stiffened. “Why don’t you just get lost? Nobody wants you here. This place is big enough for you to steer clear of my sister.”

Maven got up from the picnic table. “That’s fine he can stay. I’m leaving.”

She tossed her yogurt in the trash on the way to back of the yogurt hut. Finally out of view, she pressed herself against the cool concrete.  She wondered if it ever got easier. Or if Jake would forever want to make her life miserable.

“Don’t cry,” she said aloud. But it wasn’t enough to stop the tears from escaping. She quickly wiped at them, but it didn’t matter, she was in full-on cry mode.

The back door of the yogurt hut opened. The brown-eyed guy came out. He tossed empty yogurt tubs into the trash cans at the side of the building, turning as he wiped his hands on the front of his black apron, he looked Maven over and saw she was crying.

He debated ignoring what he had just witnessed. It wasn’t his place to ask a girl hiding beside the trash cans of the yogurt hut why she was crying. But he did it anyways. “Are you okay?”

Maven’s head shot up, she was shocked to be caught in yet another embarrassing position. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

He nodded, waiting for her to look him in the eye so he could be certain. But when she didn’t, it made him feel worse, not better, about leaving her there alone. He bit at his lip, trying to come up with something to say to her. “Rough day?”

Maven finally looked at him, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “Always, it seems like.”

“Does it have to do with that guy with the wallet chain over there?” He grinned, trying to inject a little humor into such a sad moment.

Maven didn’t grin, but she nodded.

“I think your boyfriend scared him away.” He nodded, taking hold of the handle.

Maven shook her head. “No. That’s my brother. And the girl, that’s my sister.”

He noted this. “So does that mean Mr. Wallet Chain is your old boyfriend?”

Maven nodded, afraid to admit it. She didn’t want anyone to judge her based on the bad attitude that exuded from Jake nowadays.

 

WHAT AILS YOU?

MAVEN SAT ON THE PORCH of her parent’s summer home. She had had a horrible dream the night before. One where she was completely and totally helpless, her parents stood by laughing with a crowd of family and friends, all laughing as Jake made out with Tatiana for the world to see. Everyone pointing fingers at her, taunting her, but she couldn’t run. It was as if her feet were cemented in place and she was being forced to watch the one guy she ever had real feelings for, cram his tongue down someone else’s throat—it was torture.

She rocked a little faster on the old rocking chair she was sitting in. The arms of the willow trees melodiously fluttering as if they too were trying to get away from something, just like her. Maven wrestled her hair behind her ear ignoring the more than light breeze. She chewed her bottom lip, staring straight ahead, lost in the dark unbearable dream. How could Jake do what he did to her?

Some would call it betrayal.

Just then a newspaper dropped at her feet, echoing against the wooden porch. She came back to life. She bent over to pick up the paper, resting it in her lap.

“Have a good day.” The brown-eyed boy said—the same one from the yogurt hut. She felt a bit embarrassed seeing him again after nearly breaking her neck—and to make matters worse, crying about her ex-boyfriend behind the yogurt hut.

“You too,” She called out, watching him hitch the newspaper sack up on his shoulder and head to the next house. He looked back, shooting her a smile.

She stood, all the shame melting away unexpectedly. “You’re the boy from the yogurt hut.”

He nodded, pulling another paper from his sack. His dark eyes were dazzling when he smiled, “You’re the girl I found behind the yogurt hut.” He left out the part about her crying.

Maven’s cheeks flushed. But she didn’t bother denying it. He looked nice enough not to make her feel even worse. And judging from the way his mouth curled into a crooked grin she knew he meant no harm.

“I’m Maven.” She told him, coming all the way down the extensive porch steps. Now they were eye level. She nervously looked at the lush grass beneath her feet. Being just a few feet away from him, she was more tense than she expected.

He tucked the newspaper under his arm, coming toward her. “I’m Henri.” He offered his hand. This caught her off guard, it wasn’t the old days, and it had been a long time since she met a boy with manners.

“Nice to meet you, Henri.” Maven smiled. “How many jobs do you have?”

Henri dropped his head to one side, never losing the smile. This only made her smile even bigger at his sheepish ways. “Just a couple, anything to keep me busy.”

She could only wish she was as smart as Henri. Instead she spent her afternoon sitting on the porch reliving her nightmares.

“They’re not really jobs. I just help out when I can.” He tugged down the hat he was wearing. His eyes looked troubled all of a sudden. “I gotta go. Nice meeting you, Maven.”

And with a quick wave he started across the lawn to the neighbor’s house. She watched him toss the paper on the porch, wondering who Henri was exactly. She had never seen him before.

Henri worked quickly. Putting his mind back into the zone and away from the blonde-haired blue-eyed girl that always seemed sad, he had enough sad for the both of them. He knew deep down she was a happy person. But something was bothering her. And even he could see it was sucking the life out of her.

“Probably the boyfriend,” He muttered to himself. Just then his phone rang. The song Free Bird floating through the air, he listened for a moment before answering.

“I swear I am on my way.” He smirked, staring up at the old house in front of him, running a hand down the back of his neck. “Yes, I know it’s important.” He rolled his eyes, ending the call, even when he was being scolded like a child he still held the same unchanged grin.

Henri was nineteen. And he couldn’t remember the last time he had enjoyed anything. He would never admit that though. That’s the way he liked to keep it.