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𝑴𝒂𝒚𝒂
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NOISE FROM THE mixer barely affects my hearing. I'm lying on the couch with my eyes on the ceiling while Aunt Abby makes me a strawberry smoothie. It's to bandage up my wounded heart, which is throbbing with pain.
When she saw me bolt through the door with tears in my eyes, she left whatever was keeping her busy to hear me out. She encased me in an enormous bear hug, and we sat like that for a while until she got up to make me a smoothie.
"Do you need anything else, hon?" she inquires, settling the glass of strawberry smoothie on the coffee table.
"Thank you, Aunt Abby, but I'd like some alone time if that's okay,"
"Of course," she plants a kiss on my forehead. "I will be in my room if you need anything,"
I take my time slurping the smoothie while I walk back and forth in our small living room. Once I'm finished, I wash the glass and head upstairs to shower. Playing 90s pop music to distract my mind, I dig my fingers into my hair to ensure that all the dirt gets out. The strawberry-scented foam allows me to forget the events of today for just a moment.
The breeze coming from my bedroom window sends goosebumps down my body as I dry off in my room. The salt-scented air relieves my body of the negative energy and makes getting dressed easier. I put on my locket and head outside for more of that salt-scented fresh air.
When I return, Aunt Abby has left a bowl of tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich. While staring into space, I eat the scrumptious meal. My bed is a safe haven after dinner, but before I jump into it, I light a scented candle to relax. Once I'm in bed, I lay my head on my pillow and play with my locket. Not soon after, sleep overtakes me.
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𝑹𝒊𝒄𝒌
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It's dinnertime, and I haven't joined the table, so he'll come knocking at my door soon. Having to sit at the table and listen to Dad's rant about what I'm doing wrong is the last thing I want to do. So I sit at my desk and try to distract my mind with homework.
My argument with Maya has left me in disarray, especially with how my voice came out. She was already upset, and I had to make it worse. She hasn't answered any of my texts, and it's causing turmoil in my mind. Should I even be caring this much about how she's feeling?
The knock comes as expected, and I announce to Noah that I won't join them for dinner today.
"You know, Dad might be hard on you, but he cares. That's why he does it. You're letting your anger get in the way,"
"Honestly, Noah, I don't want to argue about this. I would just like to be left alone,"
"Rick, listen,"
"Finally, you're getting my name right,"
"We've been...I've made some..."
"Is that it? You can leave me alone now,"
Everything goes quiet, and I'm waiting with a berated breath for something more, perhaps even an apology. But it never comes. Instead, I hear his footsteps as he walks away from my door.
𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟
I want to say that I expected it to make me feel better, but I didn't. Rather, I'm taken aback by the fact that Maya won't talk to me.
After getting my stuff from my locker, I went on a hunt to find her. I looked everywhere for her and came to find she was in homeroom the entire time. She won't greet me, and neither will she look at me.
Something like this would've pissed me off in the beginning, and it would've been the least of my worries. Now, for some reason, her ignorance makes my heart sink into my roiling stomach.
When people walk into class after the bell rings they whisper among themselves while striking glares at Maya. The thing is, she doesn't notice because she's reading something to distract her mind. Meanwhile, I roll my eyes, thinking that they're probably just staring cause they can't get over the fact that I'm dating her.
Mark walks with a mask of worry on his face and glances at Maya as he takes his seat in front of her. "Dude, did you check the web?"
"No. Why?"
"I think you're gonna want to," he indicates to me to check my phone with his eyes so that Maya doesn't take a hint. I snag it from my pocket, opening the school web, and what my eyes set on makes my heart sink even deeper. There is an article defaming Maya and blaming her for Jenna's dilemma. I go to the comments under the article and they're not good. No wonder these buffoons were staring daggers at her. They now despise her for humiliating Ella, as the article mentions, and for ruining Jenna's reputation. I curse under my breath.
I quickly text Mark that Maya can't know or it'll destroy her. He's got to find some way to distract her while I find a way to deal with the matter. Ruby sashays into class with an air of confidence, giggling about something to a girl beside her. My hand bawls into a fist, and I get up and head straight for her.
Resting my hand on her arm, I beckon her to follow me outside. Of course, she refuses, and while I don't like having to drag her out of the class, I do it anyway. "You don't want Connor hearing about you touching me like I'm some animal," she hisses, brushing imaginary dust off of herself.
"Matter of a fact, I don't care. Remove that article off the web right now,"
She chortles, flips her auburn hair and folds her arms, "Why are you asking me that? Nobody knows who controls the web,"
"Any idiot who goes to this school knows that it's you," I stand closer to her, grinding my molars. "The only people who know about Jenna's drama are myself and Maya. The other person being your dad, and who knows, maybe he might've spilt the beans because you're his darling daughter. And now, because Maya stood up to you a little, you decided it wasn't over with Elle, so you shared this too, "
"That's quite the story you've got there, Rick, but you've gone way over your head. Besides you think I waste my time thinking about some nobody?"
"Ruby, if you don't—"
"Don't touch me!" she snatches her hand from my grasp. "If you want to keep your pitiful excuse for a position in the football team, you won't threaten me. Stay away from me, Burman, if you know what's good for you," she saunters back into class, and I punch the wall, which sends an explosion of pain shooting down my hand.
I walk back into class to meet Mark's hopeful eyes and I shake my head feeling useless. The glower that Cara sends to Ruby as I take my seat doesn't go unnoticed, but it doesn't help the situation either.
Mark stays with Maya the whole day, making sure that she doesn't check her phone. I stay two steps behind, keeping my distance and watching her every move. The whole time, she looks nothing but distraught instead of the bright sunshine that she is. She doesn't even go to the cafeteria this time, and I hear her cry when I wait for her outside the girls' bathroom.
Later, I see her getting a hug from Lana, who comforts her. This comes as a surprise. I don't think I've ever seen the two together except for their first day here. An arm wraps around my shoulder, "She's in good hands," Mark grins. "I asked Lana to make sure she doesn't open the web. So you don't have to worry about her anymore,"
Boulders fall from my shoulders, and I can finally catch a breath, "Thank you,"
"Don't take too long to talk to her, okay?"
"I know, but she can be so frustrating sometimes. Why is it so hard for her to understand that not everyone is like her?"
"I guess when you're different sometimes, it's a challenge to put yourself in someone else's shoes. Don't forget she's also frustrated at you for keeping things to yourself all the time. I mean, she's your girlfriend,"
"She has too much going on inside of her, maybe that's why,"
"She might frustrate you, but you still care about her. Just ask her to give you time. I'm sure she'll understand,"
I throw a playful punch at him, "You smart mouth. You always know just how to make me feel better,"
"I just know how to read people," he shrugs as we walk together.