everything, everthing

confrontation

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my whole life was a lie. every waking minute i spent thinking that i was sick, was a lie. i'm a perfectly healthy and normal eighteen year old with no health issues. my hands still gripped at the papers for dear life as i waited for mom to return home.

my body lay limp on the couch until i heard the familiar noise of the door opening and closing in the front of the house. i took a deep breath and glanced once more at the papers spread out before me.

"hi babygirl," mom's smile disappeared in an instant when she saw the files in front of me. "m-maya? what are you doing."

i looked up to face my mother, the woman i had adored my whole life. she was my rock and i was hers. we were supposed to be together forever.

"what are these mom," i said the word mom feeling alien in my tongue somehow. i grabbed the papers and read them out loud for her to hear. "patient 345, maya hart hunter, shows no traces of a severe combined immunodeficiency 'baby bubble disease' that the patient explained she has. rather, ms. hunter was experiencing a fever and flu symptoms from her sudden exposure to nature in the outside world."

"where did you get that," mom whispered. the color was drained from her face.

"the doctors in france called me today and notified me. they sent the documents over email," my hands felt shakey as i explained to my mother.

"the doctors there don't know what they're talking about. they don't know you like i do honey. i'm sorry if they gave you false hope. c'mon let's eat something i'm starving," she tried to put her hand on my shoulder but i stepped back.

"false hope? you're saying that i am sick? that if i go outside right now that i'll die? because news flash mom, i checked every stupid document and nothing said i was sick. nothing! god, and you tricked shawn didn't you. you told him i was sick! mom you lied to everyone in our lives about the way i live," i ran my fingers through my hair, frustrated about the situation.

mom kept her head down while speaking, "when your father left me, i didn't have anyone. i couldn't bear the thought of losing you sweetie. you were the only person i had left,"

"you thought i was going to leave you like him?" those words stung like a thousand needles shooting through my leg. "you didn't think for one minute that i loved you and wouldn't abandon you? mom, you were the only person i had left too! i wasn't going to go anywhere," tears brimmed my eyes as i finished.

then it hit me. farkle.

"y-you lied," i took another step back. "i-i thought i was sick. so i told farkle to forget about me. i told him we could never work out when i hoped that we would. i lost someone i love," i whispered slowly. i faced my mother again and cried. "i lost someone i love! i lost shawn too! riley and lucas couldn't visit this whole time but in reality i could walk there right now!"

i ran up the stairs of my home and slammed the door of my bedroom open. opening the closet door, i took out the same backpack i took to france with me and packed. i took the essentials like money and few clothing items, and packed everything i needed up. mom followed me crying while doing so.

"what are you doing, maya! please talk to me. i'm so sorry babygirl but i was scared,"

"i was scared too. scared that i could die from going outside and scared that i would die without having done anything with my life. i'm leaving mom. i'm eighteen and i can live on my own. i'll come by and pick up the rest of my things some other time when i'm all settled," mom cried even more. my heart felt heavy at the sight of her crying but i knew what i was doing was for the best. i couldn't live with someone who lied to me all these years. i still loved her, but i couldn't trust her. i gave mom one last hug before i stepped out of that part of my life.

i pushed through and walked towards the front door. my heart was beating a million times faster as i opened the door.

i was free and nothing was stopping me.

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