Fantasy World

"I knew you'd be here."

Maci ignored the familiar voice that typically made her smile. He slowly sank into the sand next to her. They were quiet for several minutes. She didn't even spare him a glance.

Steven ducked his head and held her cell phone out to her. "Your college called after you left," he mumbled.

She took the phone, looking at the missed call on the screen. It was the financial aid office. She let out a sigh and called them back, figuring the office would still be open. Steven watched her as she spoke to someone on the other end. He watched her face fall considerably before she hung up the phone. Her face buried into her knees.

"You okay?" he asked carefully.

She groaned. "My financial aid stuff was looked over. I'm not getting a single dime for next year..." she mumbled.

He chewed on his lip, unsure of what to say. "God damn it!" she exclaimed suddenly as she looked up. Her hand propped her head up as she stared at the ocean. "First Stephanie and now this..."

Steven frowned as the guilt consumed him all over again. "I'm so sorry, Mace-"

"Just... don't..." she muttered in frustration. He looked down. "Why would you even say that to her? Honestly?" she demanded. "Why would you tell your sister you fucked me? Could you find no better words for that?"

He looked back up at her, her eyes begging for something. He couldn't find his words, though. The emotions built up inside him rendered him speechless.

She let out a sigh, shaking her head as she looked back at the water. Her hand ran over her nearly cut hair. In that moment, she hated her decision to cut it. She wanted her long hair back so she could tug at it in frustration.

Maci toyed with her phone for a few moments. "I didn't mean to say that... I can't tell you how sorry I am," he mumbled. "I'm sorry I didn't tell her the best way, too. I know we could've done that better..."

She didn't respond right away. "No way to go back now..." she commented. He nodded his head a little.

"Any chance you can forgive me?"

The question heavy in the air. She frowned as she looked over at him. He looked like she was about to tell him to never speak to her again. That wasn't at all what she wanted. She just wanted a little space. She wanted things to be different that they were. She didn't want Stephanie to be quite as pissed as she was.

He gave her a hopeless look. His blue eyes looked too sad for her liking. She leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. Her lips linger against his skin. "I'm not leaving, Steven. I'm just... I'm just ticked off," she told him as she pulled away.

He gave her a sad smile. "I'll make it up to you," he promised.

She shrugged her thin shoulders as she looked back at the water. He followed her gaze. He was determined to do something to make up for what he'd done. As he watched two little girls ran away crying from a boy that looked slightly older than them, he sighed. Her head rested on his shoulder. He pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head.

-----

"Mom!"

"Stephanie, stop it right now," her mother scolded. Lesely Stamkos frowned at her daughter's behavior.

"Mother, he slept with my best friend! She slept with my brother!" Stephanie exclaimed angrily. "How am I supposed to react?"

Lesely sighed as she sat down on her couch. "Be mad for awhile, but there's a point when you need to calm down a bit and think about things-"

"I have been thinking about things! Like how my best friend betrayed me by-"

"Stephanie Elizabeth Stamkos, I did not raise you to act this way." The blonde grew quiet. "Like I said, there's a point when you need to think about things. Have you even considered how they feel about it?"

Stephanie didn't respond.

"Have you taken a moment to watch how happy they make each other? How she makes him think a little more before he does something stupid or how he drags her out of her shell?" her mother questioned. "Have you maybe thought to stop and wonder if maybe, by some chance, they might honestly love each other?"

Stephanie glared at her toes. "Mom, this breaks so many of the sibling and best friend rules..."

Lesely sighed heavily. "Honey, those rules aren't even real. There's nothing to break," she pointed out.

"What do you think about it?" she mumbled.

"I think that they're good together. They balance each other out. They've got a lot of chemistry; they make each other so happy. And I don't mean to jump ahead of everyone, but they look like a couple that would make it in the long run."

Stephanie frowned even more. "I don't want to hear that! Come on..."

Lesely smiled to herself, knowing her daughter was slowly giving in. "Hon, I think it's time you gave in and realized what's in front of you."

The young woman groaned as she laid back on her bed. She didn't want to accept their relationship. It was wrong to her. And they'd been keeping it all from her from the very beginning months ago. "I'll talk to them..."