54. Macie

Chapter fifty-four

Macie

E mployee appreciation night—one of my favorite nights of the year at Bluegrass Mountain. The park closes early to allow the employees to enjoy the park to themselves. With food flowing, Relic, Demarius, Lev, Melanie and I sat at a picnic table cracking up at a story Lev and Melanie were split-attempting to tell. What was hysterical was how they kept interrupting each other or how they would start laughing so hard we couldn't understand what they were saying, and we laughed along with them because their happiness was contagious.

Were all our problems solved? No.

Demarius' parents were still working to be approved as a foster family, so Relic and Camila were still living with Lev, Isaiah, and Rachel. They didn't mind it, but Relic was worried about having Camila settling in there and then having to be uprooted again, especially since we were about to start the new school year.

Lev's parents were fighting to regain custody of Lev, but Lev didn't want to return home. The court ordered that his parents take classes on parenting and anger management, but Lev didn't believe any class could make his parents change. For now, he had forced visitation with them twice a week, but he seemed happy living with Isaiah and Rachel.

Demarius struggled with whether he wanted to play football again. Part of him longed to. Another piece of him was absolutely terrified. I still had no idea which way he was going to lean.

Melanie had opened up more about her struggles in therapy. While she had begun to set healthier barriers with her in-theory "friends" (who I believed still treated her like crap), Melanie was worried about what would happen when school started. How would life be when she was confronted with them day after day?

And me? I still had nightmares. The win was that I could now talk about the carjacking. And I had, several times, with the police. I could also drive by myself now. When stuck at a stoplight or a stop sign, I still experienced a ton of panic, but I could drive. Day by day, I was slowly taking back control of my life. While the road to mental recovery was long, I had fantastic friends to help me along the way.

A familiar melody played over the speakers, and Lev grinned like a Cheshire Cat as he jumped up and moved his hips to the music. "Come on, dance. This is my favorite song."

"Every song is your favorite song," Demarius countered.

Lev moved his arms in a wavy, come-hither motion. "But this is my favorite, favorite song. You all miss out too much on life! Let's dance."

I didn't need much convincing. I joined Lev. Melanie did, too, and then Demarius was on his feet, showing off his moves. As I turned, I winked at Relic, who still sat at the table watching us, legs kicked out. I wiggled my fingers for him to join us. Like I knew he would, he gave an amused quirk of his lips and shook his head. I wiggled my fingers again, and this time, surprising me, he stood.

I glided through the growing crowd of other employees who loved the chance for an impromptu dance party. When I slid close enough, Relic hooked his fingers into the belt loops of my jeans and drew me flush to him. I moved my hips side to side with the music while he stood still. "Dancing requires moving," I teased. "Try it with me."

The wicked glint in his eyes made me feel all sorts of happiness and excitement. "You realize this is a boy band song."

I laughed, as he still detested all that was boy bands. "And it is the best boy band song in the world. Dance with me, Relic. I promise you'll never regret it."

He gazed down at me in awe. "What are you doing to me, Mazie Hutchinson?"

"I hope making you want to kiss me."

"Always," he murmured, and like I hoped, Relic Aslanov, the one person who showed me how to live, kissed my lips, and danced with me.

The End