Hi everyone! I decided to update today because I was feeling motivated and to distract me from what's going on in the US capital at the moment. I'm going to try writing this chapter with no point of view just to spice it up. Also, I'm trying to make these chapters longer so there are fewer cliffhangers. Let me know what you think :) Fave follow review if you want more updates!

Song: When She Cries by Britt Nicole ( recommended by a reviewer Reaper girl-evaluation thanks sm :)

Soul picked up Maka's new phone and began driving back to the house. The ride gave him time to think about Maka and figure out his feelings. He had only known her for such a short time, yet he knew that she was something special. She was strong, regardless of her scars she kept fighting. He could tell she had a kind heart and it pained him to see how she was treated in the diner, like nothing more than a charity case. Soul cringed at the sound of that word. He wanted nothing more than to shut those two girls up right then and there, but cool guys know better than to make girls cry.

He arrived back at the house and remembered Maka's clothes on the bathroom floor. He knew better than to leave bloody clothes laying around so he went up to throw the clothes in the wash. Walking down to the laundry room he thought about how small Maka's clothes were compared to his. He threw the hoodie in the washer and checked the pockets of the jeans to make sure she didn't leave anything inside.

"What the hell?" Soul pulled his hand out of one pocket when he felt a stabbing pain in his finger. He held out his hand and watched as blood trickled down his finger. Confused, he shook the contents of her pocket onto the counter and was shocked to see shards of a broken glass tumbling out. This makes no sense, he thought. I was with her all day, when did she have time to find this...Then his mind flashed back to Deathwhich. She was so caring and compassionate to the young waitress when she dropped the plates. Did she only help her to get access to this glass? He shook his head in frustration. It disheartened Soul to know when they were together Maka was still thinking about hurting herself. He stood there motionless for some time, stunned by Maka's ability to mask her true feelings from him. Damn, this is so not cool Maka…

-X-

Maka was in the zone, she had served table after table quickly and accurately earning herself some decent tips in the process. She checked the time, 10 mins to 12, she was almost done. Her mind still lingered on Soul and his friendly kiss. Even though it was small and sweet it was special to her. It was her first kiss, after all, no other person had ever shown interest in her the way Soul had. It was strange to think anyone could like her when she struggled even loving herself. Maka had just rung up her last customer of the night and turned to the counter to start some side work when her boss, Giriko stormed out of the office.

"I just believe you're not going to cut me some slack here!" Giriko screamed into his cell phone. "My business is doing just fine, the problem here is you jacking up my rent! How the hell am I going to pay that every month?" He said through gritted teeth. "You're giving me until Friday? Oh how fuck generous, you shouldn't have!" With that he hung up and threw the cellphone on the counter, burying his head in his hands. Maka just stood there, processing what she had just heard. Was the diner really doing the bad? She asked herself. She had been there for almost 4 years and never had she seen Giriko that upset at the landlord.

"I imagine that wasn't good news?" Maka asked redundantly.

"Did that sound like good news to you?" He spat at her. He got up and pulled a bottle of whiskey out from behind the counter, taking a big swig off before sitting down at the counter across from Maka. "Landlord is jacking the rent up, I don't know how I'm going to afford it this time." He took another long drink from the bottle. Maka looked over at him with pity. Sure he wasn't the nicest person however he kept her employed from the day she turned 14 until now. She couldn't imagine the past 4 years of her life if she didn't have this job as an escape from the world. When she was waitressing she could play pretend like everything was alright. She would give anything to keep her job.

"Have you ever considered doing a charity event? Like an event for our regulars to attend and the proceeds could go to keeping this place open!" Maka said with excitement at her new idea. Giriko looked over at her confused and annoyed.

"Where the hell am I going to get the money for a concert or a carnival? Just the venue would cost a fortune!" He said, only slightly slurring.

"We could have it here at the diner!" she said enthusiastically. Her brain was already moving a mile a minute. "I could ask my friends that are in a band if they could play for you! They have a huge fan base. We could get this packed with fans and charge an entrance fee! We could even serve food and-"

"Hold up here," he interrupted her, this time fully slurring. "How do I know this band is even any good? How do I know this isn't a couple of high schools making noise in their parents' basement." He asked

"Well, they played death plaza a few days ago, a sold-out show. I can probably bring them by sometime tomorrow to play for you after the lunch rush?" She couldn't remember the last time she was this excited about something.

"Tomorrow at 3, if they suck we call the whole thing off."

"Deal!" She said and they shook on it.

"Now get out of here, go home or something," He said, shooing her away with the hand that wasn't nursing the bottle. She nodded, removing her apron and walking out into the cold night. Soul was outside waiting for her, just like he promised he would be. She ran up to him still on an emotional high and excitedly told him about her conversation with Giriko.

"Oh my gosh Soul you'll never believe it! I need the biggest favor ever and if you accept I will owe you one for the rest of my life! My boss needs to hold a concert to make money so we don't have to close and I recommend Soul Beat because hello! MY favorite band! And my boss said if you guys play for him tomorrow at 3 he will-" Maka's rambling came to a stop when she realized Soul was completely disinterested in what she was saying. "Hey Soul, is everything okay?" She asked with concern in her voice. He signed looking up into the night sky. He ran a hand through his hair which seemed to glow under the moonlight.

"I don't know Maka," He turned to look her in the eyes. His red, pouring into her green. "Is it? Is everything okay? Because I thought it was but maybe I was just being blinded by facade like everyone else." He said.

"Soul where is this coming from what do you mean?" She asked in confusion. He reached into his pocket and threw the broken glass out in front of him. Maka recognized the glass immediately the feelings of guilt overwhelmed her. "Soul please let me explain."

"Explain what Maka? That you still plan on hurting yourself? Even after you promised me you would try your best to stay clean? I told you that you could come to me I just don't understand. I felt like we had such a nice day together, I really enjoyed myself and I thought the feeling was mutual but-"

"It is!" She said reaching for his hand. She gave it a squeeze and looked into his eyes, tears already forming. "I had the best day with you! I can't remember the last time I was this happy or excited about anything Soul really!"

"Then why did you steal the fucking glass Maka!" He said, raising his voice this time. He immediately regretted yelling at her when he saw a tear slip down her cheek.

"I don't know," she said with a sniffle. "I don't know why I did it! I didn't even think twice about it. You don't understand! Before you showed up my life wasn't all sunshine and rainbows Soul! I can't just turn off my impulsions with a switch you know! I've been dealing with my problems for years by hurting myself so I don't have to bother anyone else."

"Don't you get it Maka," He said. The anger in his voice was replaced by disappointment. "You're not just hurting yourself when you do that stuff. You're hurting everyone who cares about you. Tsubaki, Kid, Black Star, Liz, Patty, you're hurting all of us."

"I don't see what this has to do with any of them or you! In the end, it's on me! I'm only hurting myself." She said. Soul turned to face her, setting his hands down firmly onto her shoulders. He looked into her eyes with pain and frustration.

"By harming someone that I care about, you're hurting me, Maka." He picked up a strand of her hair and watched as he let it slip through his slender fingers. "I can't lose you like I lost her. I just can't." He said tears swelling in his eyes. It was at that moment Maka remembered Soul's past. She had caused him pain and fear he never experienced with Katie until it was too late. He had done so much for her, yet she never stopped to consider how her actions may affect others. How could she have calculated that? For as long as she could remember it was her all alone in this world. But things were changing and at the moment she had to make a choice. Did she want to stop hurting herself? Or did she want to continue being alone against the world?

"Soul," She breathed out. She reached out and placed her palm against his chest. "I wanna get better." Her hand turned to a fist, balling up Souls T-shirt within her hand. "I just don't know how." He gave her a gentle smile and placed a hand on top of her head.

"That's okay, you can start tomorrow morning with the help of Marie," He said. She nodded and they hopped on the bike and went home. That night, Soul kept true to his promise. They ate shitty take out in their PJ's and watched American horror story until they both fell asleep on the couch. Soul's arm draped around Maka.

-X-

Maka fidgeted with her hands as she sat across from Marie in her office. Although the session was over Maka still felt uneasy waiting to hear what Marie had to say. For the first time in her life, Maka told Marie everything, about her trama's, the cutting, even the incident with the glass from the day before. She was done faking and she was ready to get better. Still, the hour-long session talking about her feelings and her childhood left her feeling pretty uneasy. Marie looked up from the notepad she was writing on.

"Well Maka, after learning a little bit more about you I can tell you've experienced enough emotional pain to last a lifetime. What I want to do here in therapy is help you start feeling better. In order to do that I think we should be meeting at least once a week and more if needed. From the sounds of it, you are likely experiencing some form of post-traumatic stress disorder which could worsen symptoms of depression and anxiety as well. I want you to know Maka, you're not alone in this. We will work every week on healthy coping skills and ways to manage your new diagnosis. I know it's a lot to take in all at once but I hope you find comfort in knowing that it's more common than you think. 1 in 13 people develop PTSD at some point over their lifetime and those who take the time to work through their trauma, often go on to live happy healthy lives. Now for this week, I'm going to give you some homework. I want you to record a song about how you felt a year ago compared to today. You can ask the girls to help you. I know they are free this morning and would probably love the chance to make music with you." Marie said with a smile.

"I have lyrics already I've been writing! I just need to add music to them. The only thing I worry about is sharing those words with the other girls...I just don't want them to see me differently after finding out about my past." Maka said, tearing up. She had finally made friends and she was terrified she would scare them away with her problems.

"I understand where you're coming from, it can be very scary to open up to others about our inner struggles. However, it can also be very healing and allow you to move past traumas in your life. As for your fear of judgment, don't worry. These girls will understand and respect your feelings because they all have sat in that same chair," Marie said gesturing to the seat Maka was in. "telling me about their struggles, we all have our baggage. In this house, we respect one another's experiences and help each other work through hard times. Does that make sense?" Marie asked. Maka nodded. Although she was anxious she was excited to finally record her own song.

-X-

It was late morning when Soul had gotten a text from Maka to meet her at the studio as soon as possible. He took his bike and arrived in less than 15 minutes, walking into the studio he was greeted by the sight of Maka, holding an acoustic guitar, Tsubaki with an electric, Patty with a violin, and Liz standing by at the drum machine. He was so confused. Is this an impromptu jam session? He asked himself. Maka turned to look at him, she smiled gently.

"Oh hey, I'm glad you could make it so quickly." She said walking over to him. "I had my session with Marie this morning."

"How did it go?" He asked curiously. He was thrilled that she went through with the appointment.

"Good, my homework this week was to write a song about my, um, experiences up until now I guess. And I just wanted to share it with you first before Marie because…"

"Because of why Maka?" He stepped towards her in an effort to break the distance between them. She took a step back.

"I'm just going to play for you, are we ready girls?" Maka looked back at them and they nodded. The song started out interestingly just Tsubaki playing a simple chord progression over Maka's vocals.

Maka:Bold

Little girl terrified

She'd leave her room if only bruises would heal

A home is no place to hide

Her heart is breaking from the pain that she feels

Tsubaki harmonized with Makas ever so slightly. Then it was just Maka and her guitar.

Every day's the same, she fights to find her way

She hurts, she breaks, she hides, and tries to pray

She wonders why

Does anyone ever hear her when she cries?

Liz then came in with the drum machine and Tsubaki rejoined as Maka poured her pain into her lyrics.

Today she's turning sixteen

Everyone's singing but she can't seem to smile

They never get past arm's length

How could they act like everything is alright?

Patty joined playing the sweetest harmonies on her violin.

Pulling down her long sleeves

To cover up the memories the scars leave

She says, Maybe making me bleed

Would be the answer that could wash the slate clean

Soul could feel tears welling up in his eyes as he listened to the story of her life in awe.

Every day's the same, she fights to find her way

She hurts, she breaks, she hides, and tries to pray

She wonders why

Does anyone ever hear her when she cries?

This is the dark before the dawn, the storm before the peace

Don't be afraid, 'cause seasons change

And God is watching over you

He hears you

Then again, just like before. It was Maka and her guitar alone singing so softly.

Every day's the same, she fights to find her way

She hurts, she breaks, she hides, and tries to pray

She was joined quickly by Liz, Patty and Tsubaki and she poured her heart out into the last times of the song.

She'll be just fine

'Cause I know he hears her when she cries

Tsubaki harmonized with Maka and Patty. Soul was blown away by how beautiful the sound was. At this point he left the tear roll down his cheek. Even cool guys have to cry sometimes after all.

Everyday's the same, she fights to find her way

She hurts, she breaks, she hides, and tries to pray

She'll be just fine

'Cause I know he hears her when she cries

She'll be just fine

'Cause I know he hears her when she cries

When the song ended Maka put down the guitar and walked over to Soul. The other three girls put down their instruments quickly and walked out of the room, giving Maka privacy with Soul.

"I wanted to share this song with you first because I know you're here for me. When I cry, when I fall, when I don't even know I need help myself." She touched his cheek to wipe away the stray tear. "You gave me hope." she smiled at him. He was fighting every urge inside himself to kiss her there on the spot. He restrained himself and settled for pulling her close against his chest, one arm snaked around her waist, the over against her back and neck to pull her as close as physically possible. He wanted to stay like that forever, his face buried in her hair.

"Thank you Maka," he said with a smile. "I'm so proud of you."