So here's chapter 9! I can't believe I'm already this far. I had this chapter typed and edited, and then my computer decided to CRASH! So I had to retype this entire chapter over again. But anyways, like I've said a million and one times, I have a lot of ideas for this story, but I would also like some recommendations from you guys! I read all of my private messages, and reply to all of them. If you have any, please feel free to PM me, even if your ideas are CRAAAAAZY. Anyway, let's get on to what you guys are here to read ;)
It had been a week since Maya and Zig had "made out". They have been getting more and more flirty with each other, sneaking kisses around her mother. They had only kissed a couple times, but every time got better.
The schedule was always the same. They would wake up and have breakfast together, go to school together, go to Rubber Room together, do homework together, eat dinner together, and usually watch TV or listen to music together. They did almost everything together.
Maya knew she wanted something more out of this "friendship" and she knew Zig did too. But she was still getting over Miles, and she needed some time to not be in a relationship. She knew Zig understood.
Zig had been being weird lately. He had been leaving at the most random times, just storming at the house. He always had his phone glued to him, everywhere he went. He was always texting, or on the phone, and Maya was starting to get curious.
They had been sitting on the couch one night. Maya was watching The Vampire Diaries and Zig was on his phone, as usual. He was frantically typing on his phone, texting someone. Maya couldn't take it anymore, she had to know what was going on.
"Who are you texting?" Maya casually asked. She didn't want to seem nosy. She understood that Zig could talk to anyone he wanted to, but she couldn't help wanting to know.
"Oh, no one." He quickly replied. "Just a friend asking for homework." That was a lie.
Maya tried to look over his shoulder to see who it was for herself. She had to be very careful, she didn't want him to know she was snooping. I mean snooping isn't that bad, right? She just wanted to know who it was.
"Zig, if you're texting a girl it's fine." She said, as she stared back at the TV screen.
"It's not a girl." He shot back.
"Well then who is it?" She asked again. She knew she sounded needy, but she really did want to know who it was. At that point she stopped looking at the TV screen and at him.
"Maya it's no one, don't worry about it." He shot back again, and with that he sat up from the couch and walked into his room.
*Zig's POV*
I hated snapping at Maya. Talking to her like that was hard, but I wasn't in the mood for questions. My mind was on so many things, and like usual the biggest was Vince.
I had lost the stuff Vince wanted me to sell, and I was supposed to give him the money two days ago. I begged him to give me an extension, I told him I needed more time, and thankfully he did. But there was only so much time he would give. He was definitely not a sympathetic guy.
I felt pressured. I no longer had a say in anything. I had to do what he wanted, I couldn't leave, I couldn't try to compromise. He was a man of his word, and he wanted what he wanted. If I didn't do what he wanted, I knew what would happen. Either I or Maya would get hurt, and I knew that couldn't happen.
I was basically trapped.
Ever since he found out I had been living at the Matlins, he has been calling and texting me more. He made me meet up with him more often, which unfortunatly Maya was starting to notice. He had a lot of questions, to which I didn't answer most of them. He had a lot of questions about Maya.
"So how pretty Blondie?" He would ask as he blew his cigarrette smoke right into my face.
"Don't call her that." I shot back, waving away the smoke coming into my face. I couldn't come back to the Matlins smelling like smoke.
"So have you fucked her yet?" He chuckled, throwing his cigarette on the ground. God, it took everything for me not to just punch the hell out of him.
"No, I have not fucked her yet. I respect her." I shot back again.
"You've been living with her, but you haven't fucked her yet?" He chuckled again. I shook my head. What a dick.
"You better get crackin' on that then, Novak. If you really like her," he started, walking closer to me. "Before I do."
"What the hell did you just say?" Anger was filling my body.
All he did was laugh. "Remember Ziggy," he started. "You have three days to get me that money." He whispered. And with that he walked away, over to a fence where Tiny had been. Tiny looked at me for afar and nodded.
I owed him the money in two days. I had no idea where the stuff was, it must've fallen. I practically tore my room apart looking for it.
But it was gone.
*MAYA'S POV*
It was Friday morning, and Zig and I would be leaving for school soon. Friday mornings were always laundry day, I would always get it started and my mom would always finish it. Zig had asked me to throw a pair of jeans in for him so he wouldn't have to do it, typical Zig.
I poked my head into the kitchen where Zig had been eating cereal at the kitchen table.
"Where are those jeans you wanted me to throw in?" I asked.
"Oh, they are in my room by my bed, just go in there and get them." And with that I was walking into his room.
Zig had always been a very clean person, but for some reason his room was dirty. I walked over to his bed, rummaging through clothes and cords for his jeans. What I saw next was not what I expected to see.
It was a bag of weed.
"What the hell?" I whispered to myself, picking up the bag. I turned the baggy around to see a note taped on it.
"Have fun. -Vince" The note read. Zig was doing drugs? Then it all started to make sense. Zig had been leaving frequently, at random times. He had to have been getting this, or doing drugs. I couldn't believe it, Zig would never do drugs. How did he even get this?
I didn't want to embarrass him, and I certainly wasn't going to go confront him with my mother in the kitchen. I stared at the small baggy, wondering what to do.
I knew I had to get it out of there, before my mom saw it. I knew what I had to do, to protect him.
I flushed it.
I walked into the Rubber Room that morning to find Grace sitting by herself, writing frantically. I walked over to her to see her doing her homework for this class, typical.
"Sup Blondie." She said, she didn't have to look up to know Maya was there.
"Grace, can I talk to you?" I asked, sitting down. She didn't break her focus from her paper. I knew I had to talk to someone about this, and she knew Grace and Zig had been close friends, so maybe she knew something about this.
"Shoot." She continued to write frantically.
"So I uh-" I stuttered. "I found drugs in Zig's room." That got her attention, I knew because she dropped her pencil and looked at me.
"You went in Zig's room?" She asked, eyeing Maya. Grace had known Zig was living with me, but she still looked shocked.
"Well I had permission to, and I found it." I reached into my bag to get the note that was attached to the package, and handed it to Grace. "On the back was this note, it was taped on it."
She noticed Grace widen her eyes even more as she read the scrunched up note she held in her hands.
"Oh god, Zig is working for him again?" Grace whispered to herself. I looked at her.
"Working for who?" I asked. "What are you talking about?" Grace stayed silent for a moment, before looking up at Maya.
"Where is it?" She asked.
"Where is what?"
"The drugs attached to this?" She whispered.
"I flushed it." After I said it, Grace hit my arm.
"What the hell were you thinking, Maya?" She was now yelling, but not too loud.
"What?" I yelled back. "If my mom were to find that, he wouldn't been killed."
"Well that might happen now!" She replied to me. I was so confused.
"What are you talking about?" I asked, and she grabbed my arm and walked me to the corner of the room.
"Vince," she started, looking around to make sure no one was around. "Vince isn't a good guy. Zig started working for him back in the summer, selling drugs."
Oh my god.
"Why?" I asked, confused. Zig couldn't be selling, he couldn't be.
"It's a long story, but Vince won't leave Zig alone. Zig is a part of his gang, and those guys are tough, they are really bad guys."
I could feel tears begin to form. How did I not know this? How did I not see this happening?
Then I remembered. The guys we saw when we were walking home from the drug store, that had to be Vince. And Tiny had been a part of it too.
"Basically, if Zig doesn't continue to sell and get money for Vince, Vince will do something to him, something bad." She whispered.
"Oh my god." I replied.
"Yeah, oh my god. Maya now that he has nothing to sell, Vince is going to get super pissed. Zig already owes him like a bunch of money."
"That's why he's been leaving so often." I whispered to myself. I looked up at Grace.
"Where does this all even take place?" I asked.
"They are a very down low gang, they have secret places. Alley ways, woods."
Then I remembered. They alley way Zig had brought me to when I was upset over Miles, when we ditched. I couldn't believe I was going to do this, but I was going to ditch again.
I had to. I had to fix this. I had to talk to this Vince guy, I had to for Zig. I started to walk away from the corner.
"Maya where the hell are you going?" I heard Grace say.
"I have to fix this, Grace." I turned around to look at her, and continued to walk out.
"Maya, no!" I heard Grace yelled. "You can't get involved!"
And with that I was out of the Rubber Room, out the school doors, and headed to the fence.
*MAYA'S POV*
I didn't even know what I was doing, what I was thinking. I was going to go talk to a gang member, maybe even a whole gang, by myself. I began running to the alleyway Zig had brought me to. I knew this was stupid, I knew I shouldn't be doing this, but I needed to talk to Vince. I needed to help Zig.
Maybe I am making too big of a deal out of this, I thought as I ran. Maybe I should just talk to Zig first. But I was already there, at the alleyway.
I began walking, and the familiar smell of cigarette smoke approached. Trash was covered on the ground, the same graffiti written on the walls. I started to regret coming here, I knew I would be in trouble. Deep trouble. I don't even know what I was thinking.
I began to turn around. Being here was scary, especially alone. And then I saw him.
A tall, black man stood about a foot away from me. He wore a white hoodie with the hood up, with a cigarette in his mouth. His arms were covered over his chest, eyeing me.
"Um, hi." I stuttered. I put my arms over my chest. I all the sudden felt very small. I don't think I have ever been more scared before.
"Maya Matlin," The man smiled, coming closer.
"Vince?"
"The one and only," he chuckled, pointing to himself. "What could I do for you?" he asked. We were now inches away from each other.
"How much does he owe you?" I said quietly, looking down at my shoes. Looking at him scared the living shit out of me.
"Zigmund?" He asked. I nodded my head, still looking down at my shoes.
"Well, Zig owes me quiet a lot, sweetheart."
"What you gave him the other night, how much?"
"About a hundred." He said. Then I felt his hand on my chin, and he lifted my chin so I was looking at him right in the eyes. His hand moved from my chin to my neck, strocking my hair.
"I um-" I started, moving his hand. "I have money in my purse." I started rummaging through it, for my wallet. I had put all of my birthday money in my purse, I was planning on going shopping with Tristan after school. I looked in the envelope, at all the money I had earned the past year, all of the birthday money and work money. I had to do this. I took the money out of the envelope and handed it to him.
"Damn, who did you rob?" He chuckled, taking the money and putting it in his pocket.
"That's three hundred right there." I said, lowly. I crossed my arms. "Zig is out."
All he did was laugh. Dude, I just gave you three hundred dollars, and you laugh?
"Okay?" I asked. I began getting aggravated.
"Okay, cutie." He put his hands out again, and started touching my sides. "Only because you came to talk to me." He whispered.
Oh god, you fucking creep.
I stepped away, out of his grasp. I backed up.
"I'm going to leave now." I began to pick up my purse. "Don't talk to Zig again, okay?"
"I won't, but why don't you stay?" he asked, grabbing my arm. "We could talk."
"I um - I have to get back to school." His grasp got tighter. I began shaking, this wasn't happening. I needed to get out of there.
"No you don't, not now." He began to talk sternly. I could feel tears in my eyes.
I guess you could compare how I was feeling to that moment before you go into a haunted house.
"Don't cry, baby." He said, carressing my arm. "I ain't going to hurt you."
I shoved my arm away. "Don't touch me." I grabbed my purse and began to run away, but I felt his arm over my chest, stopping me.
"Stop it!" I yelled, pushing his arm away with all of my might. That only got him angry.
I felt my body connect with the concrete wall. He had pushed me, hard. My vision became wet with tears.
"I don't want to hurt you, cutie." He whispered to me. "Don't give me a reason to." I looked at him with wet eyes. It took everything for me not to kick him right in the you know where.
"Please just let me leave." I cried to him. "I gave you what Zig owed, I gave you what you wanted."
He just looked at me. He let go of me, and with that I ran.
I never ran faster.
I ran back in Degrassi. I had only missed first period, which was unfortunetly the Rubber Room. I knew I would get a detention for it, but in some way it was worth it. I made the mess, I needed to clean it up.
Hopefully it was over.
I couldn't stop shaking. For a second back in the alley way I thought I would die, I thought he would kill me.
The feeling I got when I saw Zig standing at my locker was compared to a little kid seeing Santa Clause at the mall. I ran over to him and hugged him. He hesitated at first, shocked at the movement, and then hugged me back. I was safe.
I looked up at him and planted a quick kiss on his lips, which shocked him even more.
"Well hello," Zig smiled. His smile soon faded. "Where were you today? You skipped Rubber Room?"
Crap. I totally forgot he was in the Rubber Room too.
"Uh, yeah-" I started, thinking of any excuse I could use. If Zig knew I knew, if he knew I met up with Vince, he would be furious. "I forgot to do my chem homework, so I skipped."
Zig chuckled. "You do know Mrs. Grell is going to give you a detention, right?"
I nodded, frowning. I then felt him touch my neck.
"Your neck was bleeding-" he started, looking at it. "What happened?"
I felt the back of my neck to feel a small bruise. I must have hit my neck when Vince pushed me.
"Oh - I hit my neck on my dresser this morning." I lied. "I'm such a klutz."
Luckily, Zig was gullible. Lying to him was hard, but I had to.
At least I knew he was safe.
For now.
I know this chapter was long, and it had very little Zaya interaction. Don't worry, more is coming. Like I said in the beginning, send me some PM's! Also, make sure to review. I didn't get many last chapter, and I just want to make sure people are still viewing and enjoying this story.
xoxo.
