The Girl That Care Forgot ✓

21 • Two Different Hells

    “Yes, Ma’am!” and with that, Maite scurried away like a terrified little mouse towards the bleachers much to Eva’s dismay.

    “Wow, she’s a hard one, isn’t she?” Maite let out a huge breath from her mouth as she plopped down right next to Eva.

    “Because she’s a PE teacher,” Eva found herself saying to the girl next to her, “her muscles must be more defined. I think that’s why she’s a hard one.”

     Maite suddenly erupted into wild laughter. “Oh my —holy —oh my god!” She was still laughing, wiping a tear that had escaped her left eye. “You’re very literal, aren’t you?”

     Eva just stared back, mildly offended but mostly confused.

    Maite smiled before beginning to explain, “When I called her a hard one, I wasn’t talking about her body structure. I meant that she’s a tough person. You know, strict. A no-nonsense-will-be-put-up-with kind of person.”

    “So why didn’t you just put it like that? Calling her a strict woman would have made me understand perfectly.” Honestly, this Maite girl was proving to be madder by the second and Eva couldn’t have been wearier.

     “Yes but we don’t really speak in literal terms,” Maite shrugged.

    “We?”

    “Yeah; we. Us. Teenagers. This generation. Wouldn’t you have noticed when you talk —wait a minute, don’t tell me you don’t speak to anyone in school? You’ve got to have at least one friend!” The bewilderment on Maite’s face made Eva feel uncomfortable, as if it implied that Eva was doing something wrong with choosing to be by herself.

    “Oh wow,” Maite let out a low whistle, apparently understanding Eva’s lack of response. “B-but that’s okay!” She had an excited gleam in her brown eyes, “you have me now —”

    “No.” The word had left Eva’s mouth before she could realise that she was speaking. Her tone was decisive and a small part of her felt almost alarmed at how unhesitant her response was. She shook off the feeling, stamping down on that part of her that had always led her right into trouble.

    “Yes,” Maite nodded reassuringly, “yes, you do have me. I am your friend, Eva.”

    Eva frowned, feeling something ache in her chest but she didn’t know why. “No, you aren’t my friend. You can’t be.” She was shaking her head fast, but she also couldn’t help but wonder why that dull, faded tugging-at-her-chest feeling was there. Did she want the company of someone? Even if that someone was Maite?

    Where were all these questions coming from?

    She heard a scoff from beside her. “Why don’t you try saying that like you mean it?” Maite asked, a daring look in her eyes as she stared at Eva.

     “I don’t want friends,” Eva bit out, word by word in a deliberate tone. “And —” Eva came to an abrupt stop as she heard a familiar high-pitched squeal come from the group of girls playing netball. She turned towards them and her eyes zeroed in on the same eyes that she’d accidentally made contact with earlier this morning.

    Jessalyn.

    Something flashed across Jessalyn’s eyes before she broke the stare by looking away and there was a mixture of emotions that swept through Eva but they were gone as soon as they had appeared; Eva had long since learnt to peel away anything she didn’t want attached to her —to crush to dust anything that brought up the part of her that Logan hated and punished her for.