Just Say Yes

Chapter Five ~Just A Gift

It took Mackenzie a long time to fall asleep after that, she was afraid of having another nightmare but at the same time afraid her mystery man might appear in her dreams again. She did not like the feeling of security and warmth he had given her. Those were things no one could give her but herself. To rely on someone else was to be disappointed. Mackenzie could never trust someone that much, not even Charlie.

After a few hours, she finally passed out from complete exhaustion and did not open her eyes again until she felt the sun warming her skin through the large window. She nearly screamed when she saw Charlie passed out beside her on the bed. She was still wearing the black dress she put on before she left for the club. Her make-up was smeared and staining the white pillow she was lying on. Mackenzie bit her lip and slowly tried to move off the bed, but Charlie let out a yawn and opened her eyes.

"You awake?" Charlie smiled sleepily and tried to sit up only to end up lying right back down "Oh, too fast."

"How much did you drink last night?" Mackenzie could already feel her skin crawling at the thought of a drunk person lying beside her. It was something that always happened with even the mention of alcohol—an involuntary response from her years of abuse at the hands of an alcoholic.

"None at all. I was just dancing a lot last night and my head is a little dizzy. I think I wore myself out. Perfect for our day at the spa!" She sat up slower this time and leaned back against the headboard. " When we came home I saw you were not in your bed, but the blankets had been thrown on the floor. I knew you probably had one of your dreams so I went to check on you. I found you here, but I was so tired I just laid down and passed out."

Mackenzie smiled softly, even though she could never rely on anyone else it was still nice to know someone was worried about her, for however long it lasted. She glanced toward the clock and saw it was nine in the morning. She knew Charlie had set the appointment for eleven so they had plenty of time to have breakfast before they went to the spa. She slid off the bed, but Charlie grabbed her shoulder gently to stop her.

"I heard what Sophia said to you..."

Mackenzie froze and turned to face Charlie, not exactly sure what to say. She was not used to dealing with other people and relationships could be complicated. She did not want to say anything to offend Charlie or speak badly of Sophia since she and Charlie had been friends since Pre-school. If Sophia was jealous, Mackenzie could kind of see why she lashed out. However, what she had said felt far from jealousy and more... malicious.

"I'm sorry if she was being bitchy, Sophia has always been a snob. Her dad went to prison for embezzlement when we were teenagers and her family has since fallen on hard times. Her mother had to move into a tiny apartment on the bad side of town and now that she graduated they are in debt up to their eyeballs. They never got over the shame of becoming outcasts, even though my parents never stopped being nice to them. She can get really possessive of me and I told her to cool it."

Mackenzie only nodded at the explanation. She knew some of this already from when Charlie told her about her childhood living in Pasadena, California. Sophia was her oldest friend and Marie and Emily were the first girls they had met when they both started college together. Since then, they all became good friends and it was not until later that Mackenzie came into the picture. Mackenzie was always on the outside of that little group, but it was not as if she wanted to be inside of it. The only person she cared to get close to was Charlie and their friendship was completely separate from the others.

Mackenzie often wondered why Charlie had chosen to move in with her instead of Sophia. She asked her once, but Charlie was very evasive about the whole situation. Mackenzie always thought that Sophia was jealous of her and could never understand why, but after hearing a little more information about her, her resentment was starting to make a little more sense. Mackenzie placed a reassuring hand on Charlie's shoulder and smiled. "Don't worry about it. I can handle her."

"Well, you won't have to because I told her that if she does not behave I will send her home. I don't want her messing up the promise you made to me. I felt last night that you wanted to possibly go with us, but the girls were changing your mind. Marie and Emily have always followed Sophia's lead."

Mackenzie stood up from the bed and walked to the other side to help Charlie to her feet. "I don't think they really changed my mind. I mean, I might have gone, but I also was exhausted. I have not forgotten the promise I made and today I intend to put it to good use at the spa!"

Charlie gave her a bright smile and practically jumped to her feet with Mackenzie's help, becoming bright and bubbly Charlie again. Mackenzie could not help but smile back over her sudden change in mood. She had gotten used to the Charlie whiplash over the years and was just happy that Charlie had put what they were talking about behind her. Mackenzie much preferred not to think about the other girls and their feelings about her since she did not really care, anyway. She was here for Charlie, not them.

They went to the kitchen to make some coffee and the other girls eventually came walking out of their room, looking half dead and grateful for the caffeine. Sophia glanced at Mackenzie and smiled at her as if she was happy to see her and to be honest, it freaked Mackenzie out a little bit. Mackenzie could tell the smile was not genuine, but at least Sophia was trying. Mackenzie above all else did not want Charlie to be upset. She returned the forced smile and handed her some coffee.

The other girls were not interested in a spa day. They were all more of the adventurous types and wanted to spend the day taking scuba lessons. Mackenzie looked over the brochure of the different things the resort offered. She knew scuba diving was not her thing. The idea of breathing from a tank of oxygen did not sound like fun to her. She did see something about swimming with the dolphins, though, so they decided they would meet up later to do that all together. The three girls rushed off to change into their bathing suits while Charlie and Mackenzie went to put on robes and head to the spa.

They were treated like Queens and Mackenzie absolutely loved it. She could not remember the last time anyone pampered her. She said yes to everything they offered and by the end of the day she was so relaxed, her body felt like it would melt into a puddle on the floor. One thing she liked about it was that she could get the physical contact her body was starved for and not have to get too intimate with the other person.

After the spa, they went to have a late lunch in the resort restaurant and then met up with the girls at the dolphin swimming area. It was all such an amazing experience that by the end of the day, Mackenzie had to put it down as one of the best days of her life.

"See what saying yes can get you?" Charlie whispered to her as they looked at the stars through the glass ceiling above their beds.

"Yes, I see now.." Mackenzie whispered back. It was then she realized what a precious gift her friend had given her by inviting her on this trip. She intended to make memories to last her a lifetime while she was here because the moment they returned to real life this promise would have to be broken.