Saved By A Bad Boy

[12]. The Girl Who Couldn't Dream...

"Okay: From the deepest recesses of my heart-"

"You're cruel, cold, blackened heart," I interrupted, correcting Maya as we walked through the buzzing hallways. She rolled her eyes at me just as we came to her locker, throwing it open and tossing some textbooks inside.

"Fine," she huffed, beginning her apology speech again. "From the deepest recesses of my cruel, cold, blackened heart, I solemnly and sincerely apologize for abandoning my dear friend in a time of necessary moral support and assistance. I am evil and wicked, and don't deserve to stand in the face of such a suffering victim like yourself, a kind veteran who survived the harsh and unforgiving conditions of presenting a history assignment in front of your judgmental peers. Happy now?" I grinned.

"I'd like to commend you on that. It sounded very convincing," I said with a smile.

"Yeah, well, I didn't understand half of the words I threw in there," she grumbled. "And it was, like, a week ago. Would you let it go?"

"I would, but should I remind you that you've been out 'sick' for the past week? You haven't gotten the chance to apologize yet, so I needed to make sure you did. And maybe I should make you do another apology speech for skipping school all those days, too," I said.

"I was sick!" Maya responded defensively.

"Really?"

"I am being a million percent honest."

"Then tell me when you got those new sandals," I demanded, gesturing to the recently purchased footwear that now adorned her feet. Maya hesitated.

"I got them...Friday," she finally admitted, looking down.

"Friday? You mean last Friday, when you were allegedly sick?" I confirmed, even though I already knew the answer.

"Well, they were having a sale."

"And what about the other days?"

"I was...busy."

"With what?"

"Sickness."

"You were not."

"Okay, so I was sleeping until noon, and then I was watching Pretty Little Liars. But who cares? You have plenty of other people to keep you company," Maya said with a flourish of her hand. I glared at her, because she knew well enough that I didn't have anyone to keep me company. 

Plus, I was already in a sour mood. It was the second of October, and I still hadn't found any more clues. 

That couldn't be good.

School was odd now. Jax and I both went about our normal routines, but sometimes I caught myself looking at him in the halls, and then he'd look at me, and our eyes would meet, and then we'd both hastily look away. Yup, that's pretty much the way it was going.

"So, who are you tutoring this semester?" Maya asked, slipping a coat of mascara onto her eyelashes, even though they were already dressed in eye makeup.

"Liam Mullins," I informed her. She raised a perfectly shaded in eyebrow.

"Liam Mullins? The guy who was all madly in love with you?"

"He was not madly in love with me at all."

"Uh, he stood up to Anthony freaking Meyers for you. Anyone willing to stand up to Anthony freaking Meyers for you is freaking in love," Maya stated, as if it were an obvious conclusion to draw. I thought about how Jax stood up to Anthony freaking Meyers for me, and I knew then that love simply had nothing to do with it. Liam didn't love me, and Jax definitely didn't love me.