Chasing Daylight

Chapter Thirty-Four

"Don't you think I was too young..."

-Taylor Swift

Mason

"Do you hear that?" I asked Max as we walked down the hall.

"Sounds like someone's crying," Max nodded.

"Is your door open?" I asked glancing to the end of the hall.

"Get off me!" I heard Maria's voice yell. It was like instinct; I started running down the hall. I felt my stomach churn at the sight in front of me when I reached the door. Some man had Maria pressed up against the wall with his hands up her shirt. She had tears tracing down her cheeks and fear clear in her eyes. I acted without a thought and ripped the man off Maria and threw him to the floor. As soon as he was off Maria, she was in my arms. She didn't say a single word as she wrapped her arms around me and sobbed into my chest. I turned to find Max delivering a hard punch to the man's face before throwing him on the couch.

"I'm calling the cops," he said pulling out his phone and standing in front of the man.

Not even a few minutes later the cops were at our door and Maria was still sobbing in my arms.

"Babe you have to talk to the cops," I said stroking her hair gently. Max and I had both already talked to the cops. Maria was sitting in my lap curled against my chest sniffling.

"Can you tell me what happened?" The man asked.

"I opened the door because I thought it was the pizza I had ordered, but it was Trent," she sniffed.

"You know him?" I asked surprised.

"He's Kailey's ex-boyfriend," she sniffed. "I don't know how he found me because I didn't tell anyone where I was."

"So he stalked you?" The man asked and Maria nodded.

"I tried to close the door on him, but he wouldn't let me. He pushed me against the wall and started kissing and touching me," she said her voice cracking. "Mason pulled him off me."

The man nodded jotting things down as Maria curled against me again. About twenty minutes later they left after arresting Trent. Maria would not let go of me. When the pizza came, Max had to get it because Maria wouldn't move from her spot on my lap. I didn't know what to do because she wouldn't move, she couldn't stop crying, and she refused to eat.

"Maria what can I do for you?" I asked holding her tightly. She didn't say anything she just shook in my arms.

Max placed a hand on her back and rubbed it lightly. "If it makes you feel better, he's in jail now and he can't hurt you ever again. We won't let anyone hurt you ever again," Max said, and Maria let out a shuttering sob.

"He already did it," she sobbed. "He did it to Kailey, that's why she killed herself."

It took me a few seconds to process Maria's words. "He hurt Kailey?" Max asked.

"He raped her. She wrote in her letter that he didn't listen when she said no. She said it hurt, that was her first time. I didn't know until after she died," Maria sobbed and all I wanted was to go beat the shit out of that asshole. "She didn't want me to tell anyone because he was a close part of our friend group and she didn't want to mess it up. That's why I had to leave. I couldn't spill her secret, but I couldn't be around the man that raped my sister."

"I'm so sorry you were in that position," I sighed rubbing her back. "It wasn't fair that you had to be stuck in the middle. It wasn't fair that he got away with it, but he's going to jail now. Karma's a bitch."

"He has to live with the fact that he's the reason Kailey is dead for the rest of his life," Max said. "Even if he isn't in jail forever, he has to live with that."

Maria was starting to calm down after a few minutes. Her breathing was returning to normal as her wet cheek rested against my chest. I held her tightly and Max rubbed her back gently. We ate some pizza as Maria sniffed and then all of a sudden she was sobbing again. The sobs broke my heart every time.

"Baby what's wrong?" I asked worriedly. "Love, you have to calm down."

"I was so scared and he didn't even rape me and that must have been what Kailey felt like. She didn't have anyone to help her or talk to her. I didn't do anything to help her..." Maria was rambling in between sobs now. I watched Max stand up his eyes full of anger.

"If I could kill that fucking asshole I would," he said slamming his fist on the table causing Maria to flinch slightly. Max instantly softened and sat down. "I'm sorry love, I just hate that that asshole hurt you and your sister. I hate that you're so upset."

"I think I need to take a shower," she said wiping her eyes and sitting up.

"Okay," I nodded letting go of her.

She stood up and wrapped her arms around herself tightly. "Could you maybe sit outside the door in case..." Her cheeks were turning red.

"Yeah of course," I nodded. Maria gave a nod and then locked herself in the bathroom. I moved to sit outside the door and Max followed. I could tell he was fuming.

"You alright?" I asked glancing over at him as he clenched and unclenched his fists. The water turned on and I just prayed that Maria was going to be okay.

"How are you not absolutely pissed like ready to go down to the station and just destroy that asshole?" Max asked his breathing ragged. "How are you so calm?"

"I'm not, trust me I'm not," I sighed running my hands over my face. "That isn't going to help Maria though. I can tell her mind is spiraling right now and it's not going to help if I freak out on her. She needs me to be the calm one and the one who is going to tell her that everything is going to be okay, even if I'm not entirely sure that's true. Maria won't feel any better if I go attack that asshole."

"I know you're right," Max sighed, "but it's just so hard to know that she's so upset and I couldn't do anything to keep her safe."

"How could we have kept her safe if she never told us how bad things were? We can't change the past, but we can help make sure this doesn't destroy her."

"You know I've never been good at the positive side of things," Max sighed.

"I know," I nodded. "You're just going to have to try a bit harder."