By Victory Thru Tears
Charlie's POV"Taz? Taz…" My knuckles were starting to hurt from pounding on the door. I finally resorted to trying to open it.
I step into the room. Wow Charlie, that was easy.
I find Taz out cold in her bed, still fully clothed. She looks like a natural disaster in human form. I walk over to her, and shake her a few times, muttering her name. The smell of alcohol is strong, and I don't have to guess to know why Taz isn't answering. I walk into the bathroom and pour a cold glass of water, and come back to dump it on her face. This manages to wake her up, and she stares blankly at me before muttering in Irish.
"Go bpléasca na míolta crúbacha do bhall fearga." She turns over, hiding her face from me.
May the crab lice blow up your manly part. Thanks.
"Yes, Taz, well go mbrise an diabhal do chosa!" May the devil break your legs. She doesn't respond. How am I supposed to get her out of bed?
"Maya's mad." Maybe this will work.
"I know." I can only imagine what her headache is like.
"Come on, let's go talk to her."
"Ok."
I'm surprised that she agreed that quickly, but less than half an hour later we are out of the door. Taz is freshly showered, and has just taken a few Tylenol to ease her headache.
"Where are they?" she asks, still sounding groggy.
"The ice skating rink."
"What? Why?"
"She wanted to learn hockey."
"Hockey?" Taz mutters a curse in Irish that would ordinarily make me smile. At the moment, I'm too worried. We enter the rink and hear classical music coming from the speakers. Orion and Emily are skating. On the other end of the ice, Adam is sitting on the bench with a bundle that looks suspiciously like Maya in his arms. He gives me a surprised look and I see his gaze move to Taz.
Taz marches over to the couple.
"It's ok, Minx, come here…" She coos, attempting to take Maya from him.
Adam and I exchange a glance. Minx?
"Maya, come on Minx…"
Maya pushes her girlfriend away and buries her face into Adam's shoulder once more. Adam's clearly not used to being needed like this from her, and he tries to pass her to Taz. Maya makes a noise not unlike growling, and clings to Adam's shirt.
Taz starts cursing again, and I can make out the words "stealing" and "scumbag." I'm reminded of our first meeting in the detention room.
"Taz, calm down. Adam's not stealing anything from you." I tell her.
She turns to me, fire in her eyes. "Charles Conway, you stay out of this."
"Hey, don't call me Charles, Taryn!" I hate it when people use my full name.
"Never again, Charles. Never again." Before I can retort an answer, she turns her attention back to Maya. "Come on, Maya. Just talk to me."
"Just talk to you?" Maya looks up, her face streaked with tears. "Funny you should say that, Taz." She stands up, and I can see Adam shrink from next to her.
I thought Taz was scary when mad.
"Minx, come on, just listen a little."
"Oh, please. Enlighten me with whatever crap you've come up with now!"
"Crap? What do you mean, crap?"
I turn around to make sure that Orion is gone. He is. It's a good thing, too, with what Maya says next.
"Crap as in why you aren't telling me how you really got those bruises on your face. Crap like why you've been avoiding me for the past week. Crap like why you went out and got drunk with Fulton last night!"
"Do we really have to do this in public?" Taz looks as frightened as the rest of us.
"Why, you don't want to have to lie in front of these two? You have enough already, why are you worried about it?"
"I'm not lying about anything!"
"YOU DIDN'T FALL DOWN ANY STAIRS!" Her voice is so loud that Adam almost falls off of the bench.
Maya shakes her head, her eyes brimming with tears again. "I'm done."
She turns and leaves the rink, Taz close behind her, trying to get her to talk to her again. I sigh, and sit down next to Adam. We have practice later, and I figure I might as well just hang around until it's time.
"Never seen anything like that before." He remarks.
I nod.
"Let's not fight like that ever, ok?" He lean his head on my shoulder, and I smile, putting my arm around him.
"Sure, honey. Whatever you say."