Sanctuary

Taryn yawned, burying her head in her hands and rubbing her temples. She sat on the side of a half-pipe with Danielle at the local skatepark, watching Shae and his friends skate around and attempt various tricks. It was Monday afternoon, a lazy sunny day with barely any clouds in sky. Taryn's sunglasses shaded her eyes from the harsh light and any potential irritants to her already annoying headache.

Shae skated by, nodding his head at the two of them. Danielle waved back. His black and blue plaid shirt billowed behind him as he flew by, expertly navigating the skate park.

Taryn had been surprised when Danielle had invited her along to the skatepark with her and Shae. After witnessing their canoodling at Parker's on Saturday, she wasn't too excited about feeling like a third-wheel. She glanced over at Danielle, her beautiful profile shining in the sunlight. She, too, was wearing sunglasses, and her hair was tied back in a messy bun. She must've felt Taryn looking at her, because she turned her head. After a slight pause, she opened her mouth.

"You know I was telling the truth, right? About me and Shae?"

Although she was taken aback, Taryn was ultimately that Danielle didn't try and beat around the bush with her. She was totally up-front, like a quieter version of Maggie. She pursed her lips.

"Honestly. There's nothing there, I promise. We used to hook up sometimes, but that ended a long time ago and now...I don't know. When I go out and he's around, he's just...a comfort, I guess," she rambled. "I promise. Saturday didn't mean anything. I'm sure you'll see eventually that that happens a lot with us. But that's as far as it goes. He's a nice kid. Not really into drunk hookups or anything." Taryn nodded, wondering why Danielle had decided to come clean all of a sudden. She really was concerned with what Taryn thought of her and Shae. But she hadn't a clue as to why.

"It's fine. Seriously. I was too preoccupied to think anything of it." And with that, Shae skated up the ramp, landing with ease and dropping himself down on Danielle's other side. He slid his board behind him and leaned over so that he could see the both of them.

"Think anything of what?" he said in greeting.

"How did you even hear that?" Danielle laughed.

"I don't know. Sound sort of echoes around here," he said, shrugging.

"She was just saying how she doesn't think anything of Kyle."

"Right. Kyle," Shae said, winking at Taryn.

"Yeah, I haven't talked to him since. Or seen him," Taryn said, brushing off his jab and playing along. "Same with Shane. Where was he today?" He hadn't been in class, and Taryn hadn't seen him around campus anywhere.

Shae and Danielle looked at each, and with that, the atmosphere seemed to change. An awkward tension ensued, and Taryn felt as if they wanted to say something more.

"No idea," Shae said, simply. Taryn blinked, looking back at him and biting her tongue. He was lying to her. She wasn't stupid. She knew that he and Danielle knew what was going on with Taryn and Shane, but for some reason, they were keeping their mouths shut. Hm. And she had thought Danielle was up-front.

"We're heading to the student union for some food if you guys want to come," Shae said, motioning to his friends. They were moving towards the entrance to the skate park, boards in hand and grabbing their backpacks. He turned around, grabbing his own board and hopping off the edge of the ramp. He jogged down, quickly followed by Danielle and Taryn. Taryn tried as hard as she could to push the conversation - or lack thereof - from her mind. She really liked hanging out with the two of them, but she wasn't quite sure she could trust them until they spoke their minds. She didn't want to guess anymore.

***

"So your brother got these tickets?" Matt asked Taryn, walking alongside her as they approached a local coffeehouse. He held up a few small slips of colored paper.

"Sort of. His friend's band is playing an open mic night. And he gave us those just in case the place is so packed they start kicking people out." And sure enough, as they approached the coffeehouse, a line was already forming out the door. A makeshift bouncer was standing outside the door, keeping a head-count of how many were being let into the building. Taryn and her friends approached the building, handing the guy their slips of paper and sliding inside the door.

A poet was reciting his latest work up at the mic as Taryn, Parker, Matt, Jocelyn, Hallie, and Audrey found their seats. They clapped politely as he finished, scanning the lengthy coffee menu.

"Hey, it's Dan!" Taryn exclaimed. Dan, her brother's high school friend, was taking the stage with his keyboard, plugging in various wires and testing the microphones. "Check, one, two," his deep voice boomed through the small speakers. A barista arrived with a round of coffees for their table.

After his equipment was set up, Dan took his seat behind the keyboard and adjusted the height of the microphone appropriately. "Hey, guys," he greeted the crowd. "My name's Dan, and this is a cover of a song called 'Caves'." He cleared his throat, positioning his fingers over the keys and launching into the Jack's Mannequin piano ballad. Within seconds, the audience was near silent, captivated by the ease of Dan's voice. A melancholy tone settled over the room as he performed the song. As he struck the last note, the audience erupted and Taryn's brother bounded on to the stage to help Dan dismantle his equipment.

"That was amazing," Audrey gushed. "Almost as good as Andrew McMahon. Almost."

"So is this like a regular event? I'm really digging this place," Jocelyn said, glancing around the room. "We should make this a thing."

"I don't know. I can talk to my brother. I'm sure they have shows all the time, though," Taryn said, looking around for any advertisements taped on the walls.

"Alright, guys," the MC said, taking the stage. "That was the last of our scheduled performers. Now we open the floor for the open-mic performers. If you want to share something, feel free. All I ask is that you be courteous and don't hog the mic." With a nod, he backed away from the mic and exited the stage. Taryn and her friends watched as a few hesitant poets and singers took the stage, performing their pieces with shaky voices and sweaty palms. A few seasoned performers stood out, but over the next few hours, the various acoustic songs and poems began to sound pretty similar.

Matt nudged Parker's shoulder, glancing across the room. "Dude, look who's here." Parker turned his head.

"Man, you got to do it now," Matt urged with a smirk. Parker smoothed down his hair, watching Theresa talk with her friends against the opposite wall of the room.

"Do what?" Hallie asked.

"Serenade Theresa," Matt laughed. "No place better than an open-mic night."

Hallie pursed her lips, not noticed by anyone but Taryn. Parker rubbed his palms together, clearly working up the courage.

"I didn't know you sang," Taryn said supportively.

"Recreationally," Jocelyn spoke up. "He only performs on occasion."

"I'd call this an occasion," Matt said, patting his shoulder again. Parker stood up, making his way through the room towards the side of the stage. Taryn patted Hallie's hand underneath the table.

"It'll be okay," she whispered, hoping Hallie wouldn't take this too hard.

Hallie stared straight ahead, her eyes on Parker as he grabbed the guitar sitting on the stage. He adjusted the straps and pulled it on over his head, grabbing the mic and adjusting its height.

"Hey. Um, my name's Parker. And this goes out to my good friend Theresa. This is 'Getting Into You' by a band called Relient K."

Taryn watched as Theresa's eyebrows raised in interest. Her friends pushed her closer to the stage, giggling the entire way. Parker began singing, his eyes flicking back and forth from Theresa to the crowd. Taryn glanced over at Hallie, fidgeting in her seat and wanting nothing more than to save Hallie from witnessing this. She tried to think of ways to distract her, but Hallie's eyes were already fogged over with tears. Luckily, nobody else seemed to notice. Taryn's heart broke for her roommate and, mind racing, she suddenly grabbed her hand.

"I have to pee. Come with me?" she said, tugging on Hallie's hand. She stood up, pulling her towards the bathroom, in the opposite direction of the stage. Hallie followed close behind, bowing her head to keep from making eye contact with anyone. Taryn pushed through the door, throwing her arms around Hallie's shoulders. The small space was miraculously empty, and Hallie collapsed into Taryn's arms.

"It's okay," Taryn said, smoothing the back of Hallie's hair. "It'll be okay."