Hey guys! This chapter is a bit short but it ends on a cliffhanger so I'll be sure to quickly. Please please please leave me a review so I can know your thoughts and comments!
"Has she woken up at all?"
Josh asks and looks at me with a guilty expression, I simply shove my hands into my pockets and shrug.
"Yeah, but she was drowsy even when conscious. She needs to keep sleeping." I answer him, trying to stay within friendly boundaries. Stepping over near the window, I adjust the curtains and open them swiftly, allowing sunlight to pour into the dreary hospital room. The added light lets me examine Josh closer, as he is dressed rather strangely. With black leather gloves still on his hands, he wears layers of jackets and his jeans appeared to be dusted lightly with a peculiar white powder.
He's probably on crack. Cocaine for sure. Spilled some on his jeans while sitting in some crusty uptown club. Good Lord.
My judgemental thoughts run rampant inside my mind, I can't help but smirk at the notion. Realizing I'm staring out the window and chuckling to myself, Josh rises up from Maya's bedside and walks over next to me.
"So, Friar. What are you laughing at?" He asks, crossing his leather-garbed arms and staring at me cynically. I feel my breath hitch in my chest, not because I'm afraid of him- simply because any form of awkward encounter or small talk sent me into crippling anxiety.
"I just, uh, I was thinking about a meme."
"A meme?" Josh asks, seemingly irritated at my mere existence.
"Yep. A meme. You know, like, the internet." I continue staring out the window, watching the cars passing by on the street far below. Scoffing as if I offended his honor, Josh turns away and walks back to Maya's bedside. My eyes follow him as I turn from the scenery, he sits down and begins stroking her cheek. I feel a burning jealousy rise up inside my stomach, closing my eyes for a second and looking at the floor.
"You should probably leave now. Maya and I have some talking to do." Josh rises his head up for a moment as he speaks, only looking at me once he's finished his sentence. Almost as if he's waiting to see my reaction, I decide not to entertain him with any sort of conflict.
"Alright. But remember she still needs to sleep, that's what the nurse said." I begin walking towards the exit, pausing and muttering something under by breath. "Which you would have known if you-"
"What was that?"
Control. Control yourself.
I turn back towards him and smile, shrugging and shaking my head. "Nothing, it was nothing of consequence." Exiting promptly, I feel myself growing angry with his lack of attendance. What could have caused him to take so long to get here? Why did he skip town in the first place? Questions flooding my mind, I decide to head home and get some needed rest.
One week later.
Riley walks beside me with her hands swinging at her sides, Farkle dragging his feet upon the pavement not far behind. Together the three of us weave through the New York streets, making our way from the subway to Maya's small studio apartment. She had been out of the hospital for a few days now, but was houseridden by doctor's orders. Her lungs couldn't handle the harsh and polluted city air quite yet, so she rested at home with air-purifiers scattered throughout.
"Any updates on the investigation?" Riley turns her head, looking at Farkle who has fallen behind with his nose buried in his smartphone. Farkle furrows his brow and squints his eyes, reading details and absorbing information.
"The full report is up. It says here that it was the result of faulty wiring somewhere in his apartment..."
"That's total crap-"
"Wait Lucas, we can't make any hasty assumptions. I know Josh seems suspicious, but he wasn't even there when the fire started." Riley scolds me, looking down at the sidewalk and sighing.
"Yeah but, the person who started that car fire on Trent wasn't present at the scene either. He could have easily placed some sort of fire-starting mechanism somewhere, just like before!" I continue to rant and point fingers, knowing somewhere inside me that it all stemmed from a need to keep Maya safe. Farkle then catches up with us, speed walking beside me.
"I agree with Lucas. What doesn't make sense though is why would he start his own apartment on fire? He has to live in a hostel now until there is another place available. It just seems like too much of an inconvenience."
Riley suddenly stops in her tracks, upon hearing Farkle's questioning her eyes grow wide. Farkle and I stop and stare at her, standing a few steps ahead in confusion.
"...what if...it was an accident? What if he didn't intentionally start the fire?" She pauses and keeps walking. "Think about it. These devices that start fires can surely malfunction, right? What if Josh had one in his apartment and it just happened to have faulty wiring?"