With a few hours to spare until the fireworks, Archie announced he was exhausted from work and retreated to the cabin for a nap. Sarah and Mitchel gravitated to the head of the boat, flirting as they watched the horizon, leaving Mya, alone at the stern.
She paced the deck, bored and restless. She reasoned that she could get some work done; everyone was occupied, and she hadn't brought anything else to pass the time. She just had to sneak into the cabin to grab her plein air bag without waking Archie.
Though she fully expects an earful about it from Sarah. She could already hear her lecture: "Leave your schoolwork in Montauk, Mya! Kick up your feet for once!" Mya hesitated at the door, wondering if she should listen to her inner Sarah and just sunbathe instead. But the lure of the sketchpad was too strong; she couldn't pass up an uninterrupted moment to draw.
As she reached for the handle, a muffled sound drifted through the door.
"Yeah—yes, I will. Love you, too."
Mya swings the door open, her hand instinctively flying to her chest as if to keep her heart from slipping out. Archie was already hanging up, his back to her as he unzipped his coat.
"Oh, hey babe." He greets her with a tired, practiced smile.
"H-hey... um, Archie?" He acted as if he hadn't heard the tremor in her voice, continuing to smooth the blankets for his nap. "Archie, who was that on the phone?"
"My mom. I had a couple of bars still, somehow, so I gave her a call. You know how she worries."
Mya let out a long, shaky breath. Of course. His mother had been timid about this trip, so far out and all.
"That's great, honey. I was just grabbing my bag. Enjoy your nap!" She rushed out, hugging the bag to her chest like a shield. She found a bench built into the side of the ship and sat, waiting for her pulse to slow.
"What was I thinking?" she whispered. She felt foolish. For a second, she had imagined—no, she couldn't even let the thought form. She rubbed her face and exhaled the tension away.
She settled in, unpacking her sketchbook and a handful of pencils. The blank page waited patiently while she took in the view. The waves were like hands, gently shoving the boat forward. The deep sea all around her was writhing with life, hidden and silent just below the surface. When a dolphin emerged int the distance, Mya felt a pang of kinship. Lately she had felt more like a crab tangled in a net than a joyous creature of the sea. Too much time spent on the land and confined in buildings made her itch like mad.
Ever since she was a girl, she knew she belonged somewhere far out across the water. She had forgotten this truth many times as she grew and had to battle 'reality', yet her feet always found a way to lead her back to the shores.
Sarah finds her as the sun begins to dip and bruise the sky with purples and blues. She started with the expected chastising about working on vacation, but her tone softened as she looked at the sketches. She offered praise, admitting her own skills were elementary in comparison.
"The fireworks are starting soon, ladies!" Mitchel called out. Archie followed behind him, awkwardly searching for something in his pockets.
They gathered at the railing where Mitchel promised the best view. The final rays of light abandon them; the ocean grew eerily calm as if also in anticipation of some event. Archie wrapped his arm around Mya's shoulders to shield her from the rising breeze.
A single white streak shot into the air, exploding into a thousand shivering points of light. They cheered, raising their arms like they were at a concert. Two more followed, illuminating the distant shoreline for only a moment.
"Oh, I forgot!" Mya pulled out of Archie's grip.
"What, babe? You're gonna miss it!" He reached for her, trying to keep her close.
"I'll be quick, promise! I just want to grab my camera!" She waved him off as she sprinted to their cabin.
Inside, she searches frantically. The camera wasn't in the bag she had thought. She rummages through a bag in the closet and one on the bed. She dropped to her knees, thinking it may have fallen under the bed. She yanked up the hanging quilt to peer into the dark space.
As she flung the sheet up, she caught the corner of something, sending it flying across the room. It landed with a heavy thud behind her.
Mya stared. It was Archie's phone, face-up and unlocked.
Outside, the crackles and booms of the fireworks echoed through the hull. An especially violent explosion rattled the floorboards, snapping Mya out of her trance. She snatched up the device.
The contact's name at the top of the screen says "Work" but the message threads are a mosaic of colored hearts and kissy faces. Her blood turns to ice. Her guts twist into knots as she scrolls, revealing images of a half-naked woman, followed by Archie's flirty, eager replies. She felt a wave of nausea so strong she nearly gagged.
Another boom reminds her of the world outside. Without thinking, she bursts through the cabin door, phone in hand, the camera completely forgotten.
"There you are babe! What took you so long? We-" Archie cut himself off. The color drained from his face as he met Mya's cold, trembling stare. When he saw the glowing screen in her hand, he lunged forward, trying to step in front of her to block the others' view.
"That wasn't your mom earlier," Mya wailed, the sound raw and jagged.
"He grabs her by the shoulders, trying to lead her back toward the cabin. She tried to push away from him, but when he gripped her arm tighter and tried to steer her away from her friends, she screamed for him to let her go.
Sarah and Mitchel gasp, the celebration abruptly died. Mitchel's brow furrowed; he stomped over and pulled the couple apart. He caught a glimpse of the screen—the unmistakable nude photo—his head snapped toward Archie.
The fury hit Mya like a tidal wave. She stormed toward the edge of the boat, nearly walking right off the side before she heaved the phone into the sea with the strength of a woman possessed.
Archie screams obscenities, rushing to the railings as if he could have dived in and saved it. He pulled his hair, eyes bulging and manic, until Mitchel silenced him with a sharp crack of a slap across the face.
A moment of suffocating silences stretches out between the men.
"Who the hell is that man! What did you do!" Mitchel impatiently breaks the silence. He pokes Archie in the chest, his voice rising with every word. The party on the shore may be able to hear him.
Archie puts his hands up, insisting that it somehow was not what it looked like.
"Do you think that woman is stupid? Do you think we are all stupid?" Mitchel screams. Sarah defends her friend, standing almost in front of her the way an animal might protect their cub.
They watched Archie flounder for an excuse that would never come. From the shore, the faint echo of laughter drifted over the water, accompanied by a final, massive volley of fireworks that painted the sky in mocking, vibrant colors.
The four friends stood in silence so hollow you could almost hear the sound of Mya's heart splintering into the dark.