Author's Note: Hello fellow readers. The ending for the last chapter was pretty um… intense you could say. And if you haven't noticed this story has a sad tone to it a lot of the times, if you don't like that kind of writing then I suggest you stop reading this because it's going to be like that for a while. But if you love it just as much as I do then you will keep reading and of course reviewing, which you should do for me please and thank you! (: Everyone is being so wonderful in their reviews and I appreciate it, it means the world to me. This may or may not be the last update of the night. If I have time I will write and post another chapter after this one. Keep reading!
Chapter 11
Maya's P.O.V.
I walked up to Tristan with a grim face. All the color had drained from my pale face long ago. "Hey." I said in a short voice that was no louder than a whisper. "Hey May- OH MY GOD WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR EYE!?" He was alone at his locker and was looking at me wide eyed. Reaching with his hand he gently touched my eye that was still throbbing. "Tristan, what are you doing? Don't touch my eye, it hurts." I said covering it so that it wouldn't come in contact with anyone else's hand. "Sorry, I just wanted to see how bad it was. Who gave you this?" I was dying to say Brook's name but she made it clear that if I told anyone she would literally kill me. "Nobody, I tripped over my cello in band practice." Lying right through my teeth I looked down at the ground to avoid any eye contact with him. "Uh huh… didn't you have practice this morning though? It wasn't there before lunch…?" He asked rather unsure. "No I did. I went back to practice during lunch. I have an audition coming up in a few weeks." Another lie; the part about the audition was true, I just didn't practice then. Not being able to even tell him was becoming unbearable. I was lost in thought and didn't pay much attention to what he was babbling about. "So do you want to go with us?" Looking at me expectantly I gave him a confused look. "Sorry what did you say? I was zoned out." Tristan eyed me suspiciously. "M, are you sure someone didn't do this to you? Because you are so out of it right now." I tried to sound as convincing as possible. "I'm positive. You would be the first to know if something like that happened." Letting it go for now he said, "Okay. But anyway would you want to go with me and Tori to the movies tomorrow? We have to go see Save Haven!" Nodding I said, "Yeah I've been dying to see that. I'll have to double check with Katie but I think I can go." Pleased with my response he said, "Fabulous. I will be over later to help you pick out something to wear." He winked at me and I couldn't help but smile. "Okay sounds good. How about 4 o'clock?" Scanning his mind for a minute he finally replied with, "That's a good time for me. I'm so excited for this!" and it was all he had been talking about for weeks. Of course I was excited as well to finally get away from school, Brook, and everything else. "I saw what you did in the bathroom." Looking past my shoulder I saw Luke Baker had whispered this into my ear and he met his gaze with me for a brief moment before he kept walking down the hallway. "What was that about?" Tristan asked.
Tristan's P.O.V.
"I don't know, just forget him. What were you saying before?" Maya told me. But I couldn't forget it. Luke Baker wouldn't just walk up to her and whisper something in her ear for no reason. Although I didn't hear every word he said I could still make out a few of them. It was just weird. And Maya's story about getting the black eye was not adding up either. I knew she was lying and protecting someone. Brook. Who else? If I were in her position I would be scared too. But seeing as she was not ready to talk about it I let it go for the time being and decided I would ask her in a more private place. When I went to her house that would be the perfect time to get some information out of her about what was going on. I would think about it more in depth if she weren't standing in front of me. Not wanting to get too caught in my thoughts I went back to our conversation. "Oh yeah, about the movies; Owen said he could give us a ride there. So be ready around 7 tomorrow." I really was happy that it would be the weekend. After a long week of tests and homework I needed a break from everything. And clearly Maya needed one too. "Sure. Do you guys want to sleepover after? My parents wouldn't mind it." Perfect. More opportunities to get the truth out of her, "I would love to. I'll ask Tori in math and let you know." Checking her watch Maya became fidgety. "Listen Tris, I would love to stay and talk but I have to go." She was cutting our conversation short. Barely having any time to reply I said, "But Maya-" Waving away my protest she began her walk down the hallway. "See you later Tris." There was still 10 minutes before class. Where in the world was she going? Leaning back against the lockers I sighed. Something is clearly up with her. Suddenly I got an idea in my head. Sure it would be risky, but well worth it. I made my way over to the sophomore lockers. Looking around for the one person I needed to talk to I finally found him hanging around with some of his team mates, including Owen. Walking up to them I said, "Nice win last night guys." In the last few weeks, the team had become friendlier with me. "Thanks Tris." They all echoed and I said to Campbell, "Do you think you have a minute to talk." Nodding his head we walked away from the others into a quieter corner. "Hey." Campbell said. Getting straight to the point I said, "Do you know what is going on with Maya? She hasn't been herself all day and I'm getting worried." And it was true, my patience was running low, I needed answers.
Cam's P.O.V.
When Tristan approached me I knew something was off. He never came to talk to me, and now after Maya and I broke up… it was weird. Sure we were friends, but by the look on his face I knew he meant business. "Hey." I said but didn't even get that back from him. "Do you know what is going on with Maya?" it could honestly go both ways. Yes because I saw her in the bathroom during lunch. She had come in crying and a black eye too. Her lips were quivering and she took out a piece of glass she had in her backpack and cut herself. I watched back in horror but was frozen in my tracks. My feet were glued to the floor. This was like my dreams but much worse because it was reality. I watched helplessly when I could have actually done something this time, but no I was too chicken to say anything. 'How could you be so stupid Cam?! Who cares if you are broken up, you still should have helped her!' the words echoed in my mind. "Campbell?" Tristan asked questioningly trying to get my attention. "Oh sorry. Um what did you say?" I mentally face palmed myself for being such an idiot. "Man everyone seems to be zoning out today. Anyway, I was asking if you knew what was going on with Maya, I'm getting worried Campbell. And I know you two are broken up and all, but she needs you." his words really got to me. "I saw her cut in the bathroom today." I blurted out. The words came out before I could even register what I was saying to him. "What? You didn't tell me before?" Tristan hit my arm. Rubbing it I said, "Well, I just saw it happen during lunch. Not much time to tell you." I said. "Yeah I suppose you're right." Then I watched as his eyes widened in realization. "Oh my god how was I so stupid? That's what Luke meant earlier!" Luke? As in Baker…? "Luke Baker, what does he have to do with anything?" Not even bothering to answer my question Tristan began racing down the hallway. "I'll tell you later. I have to go right now, it's important." Bewildered I tried calling him back over here. "But Tristan you still haven't told me anything!" I ran after him only to be lost in the sea of students. Crap. I was so close to finding out something. I would directly go to Maya about this but she was avoiding me at all costs and I couldn't blame her. Still I was going to get my answers and soon. I had waited long enough for them anyway. Finally giving up on my search I went to class even if I was 7 minutes early.
Tristan's P.O.V.
It all made sense to me know. Luke Baker must know some of the answers I'm looking for. He might be able to tell me what is going on. Even if it's a snippet of information it would help. Although I felt bad for leaving Cam behind confused in the dust like that I kept going. He could wait until after school. Maybe I could actually have some answers for him. But really, he and Maya shouldn't have broken up; she needs him, big time. I ran past at least 200 people in the hallway until I spotted a hockey jacket. Bright red and black about to walk into Purino's history class. "Luke, Luke!" I yelled over the loud voices but it was no use he didn't hear me. Picking up the pace I managed to grab a hold of his arm right before he entered the classroom. "Luke, wait a minute." I said out of breath. He turned over to look at me and soon recognized who I was. "Breath kid, breath. What do you need?" once I caught my breath enough I said, "What you said earlier to Maya in the hallway… what were you talking about?" Racking his brains for the memory he finally said, "Oh that. I saw Maya running out of the guy's bathroom. She was crying and had blood running down her wrists. She left a trail of blood down the hall. I was worried about her so I was going to talk to her but you were there so I thought I might do it later." His words hit me like a brick. So Maya cut herself today, again. After Tori and I saw her yesterday morning taking glass out of her wrist. I thought it was a onetime thing. At a loss for words I muttered a simple, "Thanks." As I was about to walk away Luke called me back. "There was one more thing. The night of the party I saw her in the bathroom as she was cutting herself. The girl had glass in one hand and looked like she had passed out. I think she needs help, and you should help her Tristan." Nodding my head I was willing to do anything at this point. "Yeah sure. As long as she gets back to the old Maya we all know and love. Could you talk to her for me after this period?" Nodding he said, "I was going to do that anyway. And the other night she was at the game and was talking to Dallas. It seemed pretty serious; you might want to ask her about that too." At this bit of information I thanked Luke once more and said good-bye, making my way to class. Counting down the minutes until 4. Then I could go to Maya's and ask her about it all. Thank you Luke I said to myself.
Maya's P.O.V.
I dreaded the task at hand. Still it had to be done. I would go ahead and do one of them before last period and do the other after my final class of the day. Finally deciding on the easier one I went into the hockey team's locker room and found Campbell's locker. Rummaging through it I found his stick in the back, in a protected case. It was in perfect condition and I stood there for a good two minutes admiring it. "Focus Maya." I said aloud to myself and quickly ran out of there. This time I made sure to avoid the video cameras by wearing a ski mask. Surely they couldn't recognize me now so I couldn't get blamed for it. And Brook wouldn't have the proof either. The question was now where to put it until the very end of the day without it being noticed. Suddenly the idea popped into my head and I bolted out of the deserted room. Once I got my cello case from the top shelf of instruments I opened it and placed the hockey stick in there. Okay that's a safe place for it. Putting it back on the shelf I checked my watch and ran to my class that was right across the hall. Sighing in relief I saw that I had 3 minutes to spare. The hour passed by and I was the first one out of the room after receiving the homework. My next task was a go. It would be trickier but safer after school. I had planned it out all day. Mr. Simpson leaves his office to get coffee at the Dot around 2:15. He would be gone for at least half an hour which was enough time to get the CD back. The rest of the staff in the office were gone by 2. So it was perfect. Securely placing the ski mask over my face I found the keys to his office sitting on a little tree where the teachers placed their extra room keys. Grabbing the right ones I got right to work and soon found my way in the spacious office. This was almost too easy. The CD was sitting in the corner of the room on a pile of files. I snatched it and ran out of there before getting caught. Locking the door I carefully placed the keys in their place and slipped the disk into my pocket. How was I so good at this? It horrified me. Back at my locker the mask was off and I was getting ready to go home. I had skipped my detention that day to get the things to Brook. All of a sudden Luke Baker was standing next to me. "Hey Matlin." He said. "Hi… how can I help you?" I asked unsure of what he wanted. "Listen I'm worried about you. I saw you run out of that bathroom as fast as lightning. You left a trail of blood behind you. And I think you need some help." His words rattled me. "You are serious?" I asked him. He nodded. "Yes. Cutting is not the way to solve your problems. Here is a card to a therapist. You should go see her; she could really help you open your eyes." Placing the little business card in my hands he looked at me. I met his gaze. "Thanks. I'll think about it." And I really was. What if she could help me? Maybe seeing a shrink wasn't such a bad idea. "And about the party the other night, your friend Tristan was asking me about it. He is concerned about you, and he really cares. You should talk to him and tell him what's going on." What? Tristan went and talked to Luke? It was rather sweet of him, it showed he really cared. "Really, what did he say?" Taking a minute to recollect his memories he said, "Basically he asked if I knew anything. And I told him about the party and what I saw today." I sighed in relief that he didn't find out about anything else, like the stuff I was doing for Brook. "Thank you again so much for the card. I will go see her next week." He waved away my thanks. "Sure. If you ever need to talk to anyone, I'm here." He said as he walked down the hall. "I'll keep that in mind." I said as I too began walking in the opposite direction towards the band room. I brought the case with me outside and found Brook waiting by the door. It was 2:35. Ten minutes early. "There you are. Wow early too, we are making progress here. If you keep this up then we won't have little incidents like today." She said as she looked at my throbbing eye. I looked at her broken nose and didn't say anything really. Once the disk in hand she asked, "Where is Cam's hockey stick? Don't tell me you forgot it?" she asked crossing her arms over her chest. "Calm down, don't get your panties in a twist." I said causing her to give me the weirdest face ever. On my knees I opened the case and handed it to her. "Good work. You will be rewarded tomorrow." Whatever that meant, I really didn't want to know. "Can I go?" Nodding she said, "Go. Bye." As I walked across I saw Damien pull up to the front of the school. Before Brook got in or took notice he winked at me and I just walked faster. When I got home Katie got off the couch. "Hey Maya. Let's talk." Questioningly I said, "About what?" setting my stuff down I grabbed a snack from the fridge and sat down on a stool. "You know… you're cutting." I looked up at her. "What?" I said with a mouthful of food. "Well I saw it the night of the party. What happened… are you depressed or something? Do I have to call mom and dad and tell them to come home tonight?" Shaking my head in disbelief I said, "No I'm not depressed! What kind of question is that? No don't call mom and dad that would be stupid. Don't tell them about this please." She didn't seem pleased with me. "I have to, this is dangerous." If she would stoop that low then so would I. "Fine two can play at this game. If you tell about this then I will tell about the party you threw with beer and everything." She narrowed her eyes at me. "Okay you win. But if I catch you ever again with so much as a drop of blood or a scratch anywhere on your arms I will tell mom and dad." Mocking her I said, "Same goes for you. I will tell mom and dad how you slept over Jake's all those times you said you were staying at Marisol's." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Ohhh I'm so scared." Her sarcastic tone was beginning to annoy me. I couldn't wait to leave the room. "Shut up Katie!" I yelled and took my things and began walking to my room. "MAYA WE ARE NOT DONE TALKING ABOUT THIS!" Katie screeched at me from the bottom of the stairs. "Whatever!" I yelled in reply as I put my stuff aside and jumped on my bed making sure to turn up the music as loud as it could go. I stayed in that position until 4 o'clock, the time Tristan was supposed to come over. I was so done with her, Brook, and school in general for the week. I had the movies to look forward to. Maybe a night out would be good for me?
Author's Note: Hello hello. I'm getting so much positive feedback for this story. I will definitely be writing this entire weekend. By Monday I should be up to 20 chapters, so the story will really be progressing. And don't worry; there will be a sequel to this story. I have most of the details worked out. If you want a short summary/preview PM me and I will gladly give you a little info on that. I have actually started writing the story itself but won't post anything just yet. This is my favorite story by far. Thank you guys for being so amazing. Goodnight! (:
P.S. Some of you were wondering how I spelled Brook's name. In some chapters I spelled it Brooke but it doesn't matter either one is correct.