****TRIGGER WARNING: for anyone who has a hard time with topics such as sexual assault, skim over this chapter or don't read it at all!!!!!*****
Wednesday, October 2nd, 4:50pm
I've been sitting outside of Dark Treasure for the past two hours trying to decide whether or not I should go and talk to Maggie.
It was obvious that something was going on with her today. I couldn't pinpoint what it was, but I knew something was off and the way she snapped at me just clarified my suspicion. She seemed to snap at me that time she was tutoring me for Science as well.
I sit at a table with my elbows resting atop the table and my two pointer fingers put together by my nose while the rest of my fingers as folded together. I stare forwards at the empty table.
I want to move, but my body is telling me to wait a bit longer.
Screw it.
I get up from the table and go to my car. I start the engine and stare at the wheel. Where would Maggie live, where would her house be.
I pull out of the parking lot and drive over to the poorer side of town. If I'm being honest I've never been on this side since I've lived in Misthill. I've never wanted to go over, but I'm pretty sure Maggie lives on this side.
I drive down the really twisted street and look in every driveway for a motorcycle. I slow down as I approach house number 16. There's a motorcycle sitting in a small driveway, it's clearly Maggie's bike.
I pull in front of her house. I step out onto the very tall brown grass. I clap my hands together and slowly look around while nodding my head up and down slightly.
Quickly I take in a deep breath before walking up to the front door.
The door is a very pale blue almost white. Some of the paint is chipped off showing an ugly brown colour. I quickly knock on the door and take a step back.
The door opens a crack before opening all the way.
Before Maggie says anything I notice how tired she looks. Her eyes are red and puffy, along with her nose. She looks smaller than normal and I can't tell if it's because she's wearing a baggy sweater or not.
"Why are you here?" Maggie sniffles.
"I'm not trying to be your boyfriend, I'm just trying to be a friend who is checking up on another friend to see how they are." I smile.
"Can I come in?"
"Uh... sure." Maggie nods and moves out of the way.
I step inside her house and take a quick look around. Right away I notice a couple of random beer bottles scattered around the floor.
"Don't mind the beer bottles they're my Dads." Maggie practically whispers.
Did she read my mind or something? "It's okay." I smile.
Maggie shuffles in front of me, "You can sit down if you want."
"It's okay, I'm good standing."
She turns around and looks at me, "Okay... um how did you find where I live?"
"I kind of just drove around till I saw your motorcycle." I explain.
"Makes sense. Uh do you want a drink?"
"No I'm okay, thanks."
Maggie nods before turning around, shuffling over to the sink where she fills up a cup of water.
"Okay I don't want to push you to tell me anything, but I can tell something is off. Hell I can tell you were crying, your eyes are really showing it. What's going on Maggie?" I ask.
Maggie freezes and drops her head before turning to face me.
"I can't say it."
"What?"
She shrugs, "I can't bring myself to say it out loud."
"Who am I going to tell."
"That's not the thing I don't care who knows anymore! I just can't say it out loud because I don't want to fall apart again!" Maggie yells.
I stare into the hopeless eyes of Maggie, the eyes that I thought were always filled with mystery. In this moment all the mystery is gone.
Maggie brings her hands up to her face and takes a deep breath.
"You can tell me, Maggie," I walk over and stand in front of her, "I won't judge if you fall apart, everyone has their low times, right?"
She moves her hand away from her face and looks up at me. Since I've meet Maggie she has always been tough, but in the moment she looks completely vulnerable.
"I can't do it. Even though I know nothing can happen again, I'm still scared."
"I wish I could agree with you, but I don't know what your talking about unless you tell me." I admit.
Maggie takes a deep breath and walks around me, I glance over my shoulder to see her walk into another room.
"Are you coming?" Maggie calls.
"Uh yeah."
I walk to where Maggie went, when I round the corner I see her sitting down onto a really old looking couch.
I walk over and sit down beside her immediately sinking down into the couch.
"You can take your time to tell me, but if you want to talk about it. It would make it easier if I knew what you were going through." I explain.
"I was sexually assaulted." She blurts out.
A sudden amount of anger runs through my body, "What?! When? By who?"
She stare blankly at the ground not bring her face up to meet mine, "Two years ago, by Kian at a party."
She looks up at me her eyes watery, "Kian. Dead Kian?"
"That's the one." Maggie nods.
"He sexually assaulted you?!"
Maggie just keeps nodding, "Why the fuck-"
"I've asked myself that millions of times, I- I still can't find... the answer. But- But I hadn't thought about any of it for... for two years until last night with those- those two guys when they brought up the way Kian talked about it, everything- everything just came rushing back." Maggie explains.
"Is this why you left town?" I ask.
"He made me, he said he didn't want- he didn't want to see me around town anymore."
"Why didn't you tell anyone?"
"He had power... he could- he could twist anything, and anyone would believe him. He said that he would tell everyone that I was asking for it, he said he would ruin everything between Conner, Ace and I. No one would question him." Maggie explains.
I think back to all the conversations Maggie and I had before, almost everything she said to me when she was at my house was hinting to Kian controlling her life and her decisions.
"At my house, you were saying all of this, with out, saying it."
"I do do that a lot."
"How long was he controlling you, even if that."
"Two months maybe, then it was like a switch went off and he was done playing games with me and just wanted me gone and I let it happen."
Maggie repositions her body, I can tell she's trying so hard to not fall apart, "When- When you asked why I joined the gang, he's why. He said I had no one to protect me so- so I joined the gang for protection... I changed myself, put up with front so I wouldn't get hurt. Soon it kind of turn into who I was, but still."
"All because of Kian," I mumble, "Why did you come back if you were... free of him?"
"He made me come back, but he was missing when I got here. He still had a fucking hold over my life that I came all the way back here." Maggie grumbles.
She makes eye contact with me, "What if he did it to someone else, but they were stronger so they killed him?"
"First of all, that is a possibility and second of all, you're pretty strong Maggie."
"I'm not, it's all fake."
"You call punching Conner in the face and kicking him in the gut fake strength?" I ask.
"Not that type of strength. Mental strength. I couldn't handle him I couldn't stand up to him because I was so scared that he would do something, that- that he would hurt me, maybe someone had the strength and had enough of his bullshit," Maggie pauses, "And when I found him in the woods I was sent back to the scariest place in my life."
Maggie takes a deep breath and looks down. I watch as a tear lands on her leg and soaking into her jeans.
"If it means anything, if he was still alive right now I would go and beat him up." I admit.
"No you wouldn't, because things- things would be- be different. I would probably be back with my Mom by now." Maggie says as she looks up at me her eyes red.
Without missing a beat, I pull her into a hug. I can tell she's startled by it because she didn't move for a second. But then she hugs me back and lets herself go, she starts crying so much I can feel her whole body shake in my arms.
Maggie pulls away and whips under her eyes, "Sorry." She mumbles as she looks away.
"It's okay."
"If you can't tell I don't like showing my emotions that much."
"Yeah. I can tell." I smile.
Maggie lightly pushes me.
"I still have the ring pop that Oscar said you could have earlier, if you want it."
Maggie looks over to me, "I could go for a ring pop." She nods.
I pull the ring pop out from my pocket and pass it over to Maggie, "Thanks."
"You know, what I like to do when having a rough day is watch a movie." I smile.
"I don't even know if this TV works."
"It's worth a try, a nice happy movie to try and get your mind off things or you can just talk about it again and show your true emotions...?"
"I'll turn on the TV." Maggie says.
Maggie scrolls though the channels for a little while before landing on some random 2012 movie about a blue lagoon.
"Why this movie?" I ask.
"Seems stupid, watching stupid movies makes me laugh." Maggie explains with no emotion coming out of her voice.
She already seems to be back to her stone faced self, it's weird how fast she can flick it like a switch. I guess she's gotten used to doing that.
......
I stare at the TV wondering when it would be a good time to leave.
The couch shifts in weight. I look to my right to see Maggie circling up in a ball beside me with her eyes closed.
I look back over to the tv when I feel weight get pushed down on my shoulder. I glance over to my shoulder to see Maggie fast asleep.
Guess all the crying can really tire a person out.
I tap my two pointer fingers together and look around her house. I don't really want to move because then Maggie falls over and I also don't want to leave her in her house alone when she seems to need someone right now even if she doesn't realize it.
Before I talk about this chapter I would just like to let everyone know that my dms on instagram (iindgio) are always open if anyone ever need to talk
Another thing I tried my best to potray how someone would feel in this situation, but everyones situation with things is different and I want everyone to remeber that since this isn't a light topic.
But I do hope you liked this chapter and the two other before it.
I would love your opinion on how to make this chapter more "real" when going through and editing the book again later.
Other than that please give this chapter and vote and there will be another chapter in a couple of days and remember that I love everyone who reads these books and I'm beyond greatful!