What They've Done To Us

16 ➹ there's no time

"Because I'm not a huge fan of revenge. I think it's stupid that an eye is for an eye." She answers swiftly, like she has some experience with the topic.

"Then why did you agree at first?"

"I owe Saamiya."

"You scared of her?"

Maxi throws her head back and laughs, "please, she's the least scariest person I know when she's not angry and plus, I owe her."

"Why, what did she do to have three out of four cousins in debt?"

Maxi zips her lips and throws the key away. "All I'm saying is that out of everything you've told me today, with this girl, and you, and the messed-up shit between the two of you. I just think that getting revenge is going to complicate things further."

"But Caleb -"

"What about him?" She cuts off.

"You don't understand, this like...ruined him. He thought he could trust her, and I've never seen him like that ever." I mean, I deserved mine. Nads has always been better than me, so she could fuck me over and over again and I would deserve it. But dad and Reid didn't. Caleb doesn't deserve any of this either. Nor Atlas or Sage.

"Well don't you think that's on him?" She asks genuinely.

"I don't want to go against him." I don't want to betray him.

"You're not ratting him out or anything. You have the power to say no Luca. You know that, right?"

"Yeah." Sure. "What are you saying we do?"

Maxi leans back into the seat, covering the top of the chocolate box with its lid and placing it back where she found it. So, it is Rain's. Fuck, he's going to kill me for this later.

"Well, we're both in positions neither of us clearly want to be in, so let's make the most of it."

"How?"

"By lying, of course."

"You want me to lie to my best friends?"

Maxi shrugs. "You want to hurt her more?"

I don't say anything, and she grins.

"Fine."

"You're not going to thank me?"

"Don't push it." She raises her hands in surrender as her phone rings for the hundredth time today. "Boyfriend?" I tease.

"No, my mom, she won't stop bothering me. She thinks I've run off and died. God, she's annoying. Give me a sec." Maxi walks off in the corner and answers the phone, speaking in a different language.

After a while she switches to English. "Just call Marguax if you don't trust me!" There's some more yelling on the other side and Maxi huffs out in frustration, wrapping her hands around herself. "Fine. I don't care anymore, just call them." She hangs up, before turning to me. "I hate her. She never fucking listens."

"Yeah?"

She nods slowly. "You're looking at me like I've lost my mind, don't you ever hate your mom?" She asks, looking down at her phone the second a message comes through and typing away furiously with a scowl imprinted on her face.

"Oh. Right, my mom. She's actually uh..." Just say the word Luca, why are you struggling? I clear my throat. "Dead." Dead. It's been years, three and something. I should learn to live with it, learn to live without her. But every time, my heart constricts and I just...I just wish she wasn't gone.

There's an eerie silence as Maxi looks up from her phone. "Oh, shit I'm sorry." Her screen goes black, and she slips the phone into the pocket of her jeans, awkwardly.