My Sister's Best Friend

26

This is all a bunch of bullshit. Complete and utter bullshit. I can feel the anxiety creeping in, and soon I won't be able to take it anymore. I've grown to know my body, and I know I'm about to have an attack. How could I not though? Everyone I know has been lying right to my face. I don't even know what's the truth anymore.

My eyes steadily follow my dad as he walks over to Maddie's bed and bends down to kiss her forehead. She's been asleep ever since she got here and got the pain meds. "I'm happy for you both," he says. "But Cameron, so help me god if you break my little girls heart I'm going to have to break your face. You hear me?"

"Yes, sir." He responds almost instantly.

I don't even realize what I've done, but my chair goes flying back for the second time — my fists clenched at my sides. My pulse is racing, my throat is dry, and it seems like the entire room is getting smaller. This has got to be a fucking nightmare. It has to be.

The panic attack is coming, and before my family sees, I need to get the hell out of here. If they can keep secrets from me, then I sure as hell can keep secrets from them.

"I'm fucking leaving." I seethe and throw open the curtain to head down the hallway. Not even two minutes later I hear Maya call out my name.

I keep walking though because I'm so mad, and I really don't want to take it out on her. I love her, and although she lied to me too, I know she loves me.

Come on, there has to be a bathroom somewhere.

Turning down another hallway, I pass by two patients in wheelchairs and get to a dead end, cursing when I realize I have nowhere to go.

"Ethan." Maya repeats, and before I even have the chance to respond, she wraps her arms around me and holds me tightly to her chest. She knows I'm about to have an attack, and for that, I know I won't take my anger out on her. "I'm so sorry for everything I did." She sniffles, and it's not until now that I realize she's crying. "You didn't deserve that. I should have told you, but Maddie is my best friend, and I-"

She's getting herself worked up even more than I am, and for whatever reason, that makes all the anger I was feeling almost completely evaporate.

"Maya." I pull away and wipe her tears away with my thumb. "I'm not mad at you, okay? I'm sorry that I said I was. I'm just frustrated, and my fucking anxiety is through the roof right now."

"I know." She says calmly. "I can tell. You're shaking."

Taking deep breaths, I sink down against the white walls of the hospital and sit on the floor, watching as Maya takes a seat beside me, tugging her knees up to her chest. She has dirt all over her from the hike, and the bags under her eyes lets me know how tired she is. It's been a long day.

"I just can't believe this." I sigh. "He's going to hurt her, Maya. You know Cameron."

"What if he doesn't, though? Since he's been with her, I've seen a different side to him, Ethan. He cares about her."

"That's literally all an act he puts on. How do you think he gets into girls pants in the first place? And what happens when he does break her heart? Have you thought about that? I'll lose my best friend."

Maya reaches up to run her fingers through my hair, and then she strokes my cheek with the pad of her thumb. "I think you don't need to worry about something until it happens. Your anxiety gets the best of you sometimes, and I'm not saying you don't have the right to be upset, because you definitely do, but is this really the worst thing? I mean, we're doing the exact same thing to them."

"No." I shake my head. "I'm different than Cameron."

"But they don't know that, do they? To them, it looks like you're doing exactly the same thing to me."

She has a point, it's not like I know she doesn't, but I'm not going to get over this anytime soon, nor do I think that Cameron just magically changed who he was, either. I want to do whatever will make Maya happy though because I can't stand seeing her cry.

"I'm not forgiving him yet." I warn.

"I don't think anyone's expecting you to." She replies softly. "For Maddie, I think we should just be civil right now, don't you?"

I inwardly groan.

"Pleassseeeee?" She whispers in the cutest voice she can find, and then she straddles me right here on the floor of the hospital, batting her eyelashes in a childish manner. "For me?"

"You make it impossible to say no to you. You know that, right?"

"I'm just trying to fix the situation." She huffs and sits back on my thighs, and damn if my dick doesn't get hard underneath her. I can't help it. The thought of her naked right now on me in this exact position is distracting me. "Plus, now that everyone's secrets are out, we can finally have some fun." And then she runs her hands down to my crotch and squeezes gently. "Tonight? We have one more night in the air bnb, and I don't plan to waste it."

Oh, good god.

How can I say no to that?

"Fine," I give in, and she seems satisfied. "But they better not do any PDA around me, okay? Because I swear I'll tackle him to the ground again."

"I will inform Maddie." She says and stands up from the ground to hold her hand out to me. "Can we go back in there now please?"

Not an ounce of me wants to see them again, but I'm doing this for her, so I allow her to drag me towards the room. As soon as that curtain opens again though I see Cameron leaning over Maddie's bed, his forehead pressed against hers.

In seconds my stomach twists up, my fists clench at my sides, and all I'm seeing is red.

"Christ." I seethe. "I can't, Maya. I physically can't."

And then I'm right back out in the hallway searching for the exit. I feel bad, because I don't even know what's wrong with Maddie's foot. I haven't even bothered to ask, but I can't be here. I can't watch that bullshit between them any longer.

"We'll work on it." Maya says and grabs onto my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "One day at a time."

A/N:

Ahhhh!!! I'm loving this story so much. I hope you are too!!

Are you???

Also, to all my bilingual queens out there, are any of my readers able to help me translate some sentences into Spanish? I am wanting to make sure I am writing them accurately :) please comment on this paragraph if you are willing to help me out so that I can DM you! FYI, this job will entail spoilers!

I decided to update at midnight because I have to go to work super early. Please comment and vote!

SEE YOU MONDAY :)

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