Maya Hart had a secret. It was one of those that you should be ashamed of, but Maya wasn't. The only reason she hid it was the fear of being forced to stop. Right now she sat in the bathtub, fiddling with her favorite razor blade. Her mom and Shawn were out at some romantic dinner so she could take all the time she wanted. Maya looked down at her scabbed and scarred thighs, her best masterpiece. The first time she had cut on her arms but it was simply too hard to hide. Sleeves rode up, and long sleeves were suspicious. But her thighs were easy to hide. It's not as if she was willing to walk around in shorts or a dress broadcasting her fat legs to the world. Maya took a deep breath and emptied her mind. The first cut represented how she could never be as good or as kind as Riley. The second cut represented how Lucas would never settle for a girl like her. A girl who was going to grow up to be a future mini mart employee. A girl who was three-fourths broken and one fourth broken. She looked down at the now darkish-reddish water.

Standing up and rubbing the excess water off with a black towel, to make sure when her mother was doing laundry she wouldn't see the blood stains. Maya opened the cabinet under the sink and pulled out the cloth bandages she had stashed behind the guest towels they weren't allowed to use, and wrapped her cuts before sweats and a baggy tee.

After Maya walked to the kitchen where her phone was charging. She clicked it on to see Riley's goodnight text, it read

Riley Matthews: Goodnight Peaches. Sleep good and have amazing dreams!

Maya smiled until the voice in the back of her mind reminded her that Riley was only friends with her because she pitied her and her crappy life, and because Riley had always loved to fix people. Maya cringed while typing her response,

Maya Hart: Goodnight Honey, and may you dream of Lucas!

Maya may have cringed at the message she had sent, but her heart dropped into her stomach at what she got in response,

Riley Matthews: You know I will

Maya put her phone down without responding, feeling the urge to get back in the bath.

" Baby Girl are you still up?" yelled Katy walking into the apartment.

" Well if I wasn't still up, I would be now."

Katy walked into the kitchen with Shawn at her heels, " So what have you been up to tonight?" Katy asked Maya.

Maya shrugged, " Nothing as exciting as what you have been up to," dodging the question cleverly. " How was the Pavilion?" Maya asked, saying the word pavilion all snooty.

Shawn walked up and kissed Maya's head, "As snooty as you'd expect," he said. Shawn walked over to the cabinet above the refrigerator, " Do we have any Frosted Flakes?"

"To the left." says Maya. " Well I'm going to bed. Love ya." She turns and walks to her room.

"Love you too." Shawn and Katy say in unison.