Maya Hart was sitting on the floor of her bedroom, the window locked and her music blasting. But not the jazz or the pop she so often filled her head with. This was angry music, bitter music. It was full of drums that pounded like her heart did and screams that filled her head.
The blonde was lying on her floor, fingers gliding across the page as she smeared the chalky pastels. She had the tools to do it neatly but she wasn't feeling very neat at the moment. She was feeling dirty and gross and full of rage.
"Maya Hart!" there was a deep voice outside the window as fists slammed against the glass. "Maya we have been out here for hours!"
"Peaches!" Riley's voice pierced the air as Maya growled. Stomping over to her stereo she cranked the music louder before stomping over to the window. She grabbed each side of the curtains before narrowing her eyes.
"Leave. Me. Alone." The words were full of disgust as she snapped the curtain closed, leaving pastel fingerprints on the fading fabric. She sighed as she slipped down the wall, her fingers losing themselves in her long, blonde locks.
Her mother was on a date with Shawn tonight. Maya couldn't help but smile slightly about the fact of her mother.
"Maya!"
"GO AWAY!" she shrieked, slamming her hands to her ears. "GO AWAY! GO AWAY! GO AWAY!" the phrase began to repeat over and over and over again. Her body began to shake as her eyes squeezed shut.
I am fine. I am fine. I am fine.
The repetition made her lips go numb and her jaw to ache. But it began to be a reflex. She had to keep saying it and saying it as if the pain would stop.
I am fine. I am fine. I am fine.
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Lucas Friar banged on Maya's window for hours. Riley was on one side and Farkle on the other. Zay was at the front door, banging on it in hopes of getting in that way. But, one by one they all began to leave.
At 4:15, the group of three had began to take turns banging on the windows. Currently it was Farkle, who had taken his textbook and tapped it to the beat. Zay came waltzing under the fire escape, his dark hands tinted purple from banging.
"I gotta go," Zay's voice was nearly drowned out by the blaring music. "My mom wants me home! Call me if you guys get in?"
"Will do!" Riley called, her body tucked into a ball in the corner of the escape, eyes locked on the window. As if she could will the window to open.
At 6:50, Farkle needed to go. They had stopped banging on the window and were currently camping out under the window. Riley was repeatedly calling Maya's phone and sending text messages from Lucas's.
Lucas was sitting cross-legged with a pack of highlighters and a mismatch set of colored pens. He was currently writing messages and slipping them through the thin crack between the window's two pieces of glass. The messages fluttered to the ground. He could see them, piled on the floor, mere inches away from Maya-who's back was turned. They were filled with awful artwork, crappy poems, and every once and awhile, a cheesy memory. He tried not to beg for entrance but it was getting harder and harder as the paper from his notebook began to deplete. He was currently working on a crude version of the elephant they saw at the New York City zoo last year.
"I'm sorry guys," Farkle called as he packed up his surrounding homework. "My dad has this really important dinner that is at 7:30. I'm so sorry."
"But Farkle," Riley gestured to the window. "Maya."
"I know Riley," Farkle looked defeated. His beanie was gone from his head and his clothes were covered in the rust from the ladder and sweat. His eyes showed worry but his mouth was pulled in a thin line. "Riley, if she wants to talk, she'll talk. She won't bring it up if she doesn't want to."
"But-"
"No buts Riley," Farkle ran his fingers through his hair. "Maya obviously doesn't want to talk and we should understand that."
"Well fine," Riley's grip tightened around the phone. "You go."
And then there were two.
Lucas and Riley didn't say much. They simply sat in silence, listening to the blaring music. At 8:15 they broke the silence.
"That's it!" Lucas snapped, standing up. He stood up, slamming his hands against the glass.
"Maya Hart!" Lucas shouted. "Maya we have been out here for hours!"
"Peaches!" Riley's voice pierced the air as she joined Lucas by the window, her own fists against the glass.
They watched as the girl finally got up, stomping over to the stereo. The music was cranked up even louder before the blonde stomped to the window.
"Leave. Me. Alone." Maya face was smeared with an assortment of colors as her eyes were wild with rage. She gripped the curtains in her hands and snapped them shut.
"MAYA!" Lucas shouted as Riley screamed in defeat.
"I quit!" Riley shrieked against the glass, though she doubted Maya could hear her. "Talk to me when you're good and damn ready. I AM YOUR BEST FRIEND!"
Riley grabbed her back and slipped down the fire escape, not even seeing Lucas's shocked face. She grumbled the entire way, though Lucas could clearly see her shoulders shaking and knew the girl was crying.
Lucas sighed watching as Riley left. Then he leaned his head against the glass.
Why can't-
"GO AWAY! GO away! Go away!" he could hear the Maya's chanting faintly through the thrash of the music.
Deciding enough is enough, he slipped down the fire escape, ditching his backpack up on the landing. As fast as the boy's legs could carry him, he ran to Maya's door and began to kick it. After the tenth kick the door gave way. He ran inside, surprised that no one had bothered calling the cops...or maybe that's because no one was around.
He shut the door quietly before creeping towards Maya's room. He could feel the beat of the drum the closer he got.
Pushing open the door, he saw a wreck. From his view from outside, he couldn't see the wreck of the room. But from the doorway, nothing was hidden. The bed was stipped and the sheets sat in a pile in the center. Nothing was hung in her closet, everything was ripped down and piled on the floor below. Pictures were ripped from the wall and were either in piles on the floor or some of the remaining scraps stayed up with yellowing tape.
The girl herself was tucked under the window, her fingers digging to her scalped and her body was shaking. Her eyes were squeezed tightly as she repeated "go away" over and over again.
"Maya? Maya!" he ran over, yanking the plug from the outlet. The room was oddly quiet except for the shaking girl.
He went over and slowly tugged on Maya's wrists.
"Maya, Maya you gotta breathe."
"NO!" the scream left her lips as she pulled herself tighter. "Please no. Take me home! Please no."
"Shh, Maya," Lucas loosened his grip even more as he brought his head to her ear, his mind cataloging the name. "Maya you're okay. You're okay."
"No! Please no!" a sob left Maya's lip as she tightened her grip.
"Maya," Lucas cooed. "Maya you gotta come back."
She trashed again, her mind lost within a memory.
"Maya you remember that time we went to the zoo? And I bought you watercolors as a surprise because you've never been to the zoo and I wanted to see what you could create? We got there right at open on that Sunday. And, the lord only knows that it was a perfect day. The sky was so blue...umm cerulean? Topaz? Ummm...it was a blue. Anyway, we walked around til close. And you sat on benches for hours...just painting. And not just the animals but the people too. There was that lady with the big yellow hat and the bright pink suit. Or the man with the long beard and curled mustache? The one that read that sex book in a public place with a bright orange balloon on his wrist?"
Maya's body wasn't shaking as badly as before as Lucas slowly pulled the girl onto his lap.
"And we saw penguins and you cried? It was the first time I've seen you outwardly cry. And you wanna know why you cried? Because the penguins were so cute and you'd never seen one before. It was so...cute. And remember how we saw the lions and I sang you the opening number for the Lion King? And you refused to join because you thought it was lame? But it was really cool, you just didn't want to admit it. And we got ice cream and churros and salted pretzels. And we were going to get chicken nuggets but you thought they were made of the actual chickens at the zoo."
Maya's fingers began to loosen as Lucas began to rock.
"Remember how the zoo wanted you to make prints of your paintings? And how we came back to your house after the zoo closed and told your mom and Shawn? And your mom cried and cooed over your paintings and Shawn said he wanted to get prints then even though it was ten. And we stayed in your room watching Friends on your laptop? And you told me you were so incredibly happy? Do you remember?"
Maya nodded, her body relaxing in Lucas's grip. But her breathing was still uneven as she placed her head on her shoulder.
"And how we pretended that we didn't have class the next day and we ditched? And remember how you wanted to go back to the zoo again? And I told you if we went too many times it wouldn't mean as much. And you said that you needed to go back because you needed that baby penguin? You named him Pablo and told me that he was your kindred spirit."
"Because he was." Her voice sounded raw. "And you told me no because you hate me."
"I could never hate you," Lucas said.
Maya rolled her eyes and Lucas pretended not to notice her bloodshot eyes.
Maya turned her gaze to the stack of lined paper by the window.
"What are these?"
"Things I drew you," Lucas shrugged as Maya reached for the paper. "I mean, after you decided to play little miss Rapunzel."
"I needed space," Maya's voice was slightly tense as she focused her attention on the papers in her hand.
"I don't think that's what you need, Shortstack."
"I don't want to talk about it, you heehaw." Maya tried to force a smile but her face was too pale and her mascara was dripping down her face, leaving watery marks.
"You don't have to talk if you don't want to," Lucas said. "But I'm here."
"I know."
"And you know what will make you happy?"
"What?" Maya looked annoyed as her eyes narrowed. "What will make me happy?"
"Watching Friends and eating buttery popcorn and huddling under fuzzy blankets."
Maya cracked a smile as she wiped her face. "We have class tomorrow."
"No we don't."
"Yes we do," Maya insisted.
"Nope. No school. We are going to barricade ourselves in this room and never leave...except for pizza."
Maya laughed, walking to her bathroom.
"Fine, I'm going to take a shower...okay?"
"Okay. And I'll make popcorn." Lucas kept the grin on his face til the girl was out of his sight. She yanked out her phone and sent a quick text to Mr. Matthews, saying that he and Maya wouldn't be there tomorrow as well as telling his mother that it was a "Code Green" which was his way of saying he wasn't coming back tonight. Mr. Matthews sent a warning that if he could Lucas should try to get Maya over tomorrow at some point and to keep him update. His mother responded with a "don't do any funny business" and a "love you."
Lucas tossed his phone aside as he began making Maya's bed. In hopes that the blonde beauty would open up and let him in.
So sorry this took so long. My laptop had a little accident and I was without a way to update. Hope you like this chapter!