Setting: Hamilton High School in Los Angeles, California
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Mae sat at a table in the cafeteria by herself. She hadn't talked to anyone all day and it was almost 1 in the afternoon. Typically, her only friend at school was Adeya, and they would talk nonstop. Even when the teacher threatened to give them lunch detention because they were so loud. Now she had nobody. She walked around the school with her AirPod's in so she didn't look like a complete loner, but she felt like one.
She never responded to Adeya's text. She didn't want to talk to her yet. She didn't want to face the truth. She left her on delivered for almost three days now, which was something that she never did. She still hadn't thought of an excuse to tell Adeya if she asked. She wasn't very good at lying, everyone knew that.
Mae opened her lunch revealing Linda's famous chicken quesadillas with a side of rice and beans. Mae loved how Linda always shared her culture with them and incorporated it in her meals, it was probably why her favorite food was Mexican food. Mae didn't hesitate and began eating her lunch while scrolling through Instagram.
"Wow, look who's actually eating." Mae's heart stopped as she heard the voice she knew all too well. Looking up from her phone, she was met with Adeya hovering over her. "So what? All of a sudden you don't know how to text back?" Adeya remarked. It was those simple little comments that made Mae want to go home.
"I just didn't want to talk to you" Mae quietly responded as she set her food down and wiped her hands on the napkin. Mae shrunk down in her seat as she felt her ex-best friends energy radiating onto her. Adeya was angry, the one thing she hated was being left on delivered.
"And you didn't think you should text me that?" Mae didn't respond, she knew that her best bet would be to stay quiet. "Here's the thing Mae, this relationship isn't only about you. Your opinion isn't the only one that matters right now."
Mae rolled her eyes at Adeya. If Mae didn't want to do something, she didn't have to. That was something Demi always taught her. Why would that be any different right now?
"Did you come here to talk or just to yell at me?" Mae asked as she grew annoyed with the conversation.
"I came here to talk, no need to be such a bitch." Mae rolled her eyes and went back to eating her quesadilla. One thing she wasn't going to do was let Adeya get to her, not anymore. All she wanted was to have one good day and so far it was pretty good, she wasn't going to let her ruin that.
"Whatever, Adeya. This is exactly why I didn't text you back." Mae mumbled. It was more to herself than to Adeya, but she still heard it.
"Oh, so I'm the bad guy now?"
"I never fucking said that—" Mae was interrupted as Maceo sat next to her. He was completely oblivious to Mae and Adeya's current relationship. Mae and Adeya stared him down as he interrupted their conversation.
"Umm were you guys in the middle of something?" Maceo asked, seeing the angry teenagers staring at him.
"No, Adeya was just leaving." Mae said, praying that Adeya would take the hint and leave. Thankfully, she does. Adeya swings her backpack over her shoulder and walks away with a huff.
"What was that all about?" Maceo asks, obviously confused by the two's currents relationship.
"Nothing, she's just a bitch." Mae said. She didn't want to talk about it anymore or she would cry. Whether that was angry or sad tears, she didn't want to. Maceo stayed with her for the rest of their lunch. The siblings laughed and talked about anything, taking Mae's mind off of Adeya.
At first, Mae thought she wanted to rekindle her relationship with Adeya. Nobody wants to loose their childhood best friend. The person she was with 24/7, her other half. Mae didn't want to say goodbye. Mae felt like she couldn't live without Adeya and that's why she needed to let her go. The problem was, Mae has never been alone. Her entire life she's depended on other people for her own happiness. Whether that was her mother, Adeya, or anyone else, Mae didn't know how to be alone.
"Did mom and dad tell you?" Maceo asked, taking Mae away from her thoughts. Mae thought about his question. Trying to recall any new information regarding Maceo that she had been told but she found nothing.
"No, what happened?" Mae questioned. She couldn't think of anything. The only thing she knew about Maceo was that he's grounded for a very, very long time.
"They're sending me to New York to live with my mom." Mae's mouth dropped. "It's a punishment. They said that they don't know what to do with me anymore and since I'm not going to college, I need to spend time with Aryn."
It didn't make sense. Maceo's relationship with his mother wasn't the best. It was so bad that he didn't even call her mom anymore. Demi was his mom. Demi was the one that stepped in and took her spot when she was incapable of being the mom that he deserved.
After Jesse took full custody of Maceo and Sadie when they were younger, Maceo stopped talking to her. Aryn became an unstable mother. Her psychotic episodes became more frequent and it was unsafe for her to take care of the kids. It became Maceo's choice to not talk to her though. Aryn reminded him of all the bad times in his childhood. The worst part was, Aryn refused to own up to her mistakes. She would deny them and say they never happened, making Maceo feel crazy. Last time he had an actual conversation with her was years ago.
"B-but that's not fair!" Mae stuttered. She was at a lost for words. Yes, Maceo hasn't been on his best behavior for the past few months but that should mean they send him across the country.
"Yeah but there's nothing I can do about it." Maceo shrugged and dropped his head. "I leave in a couple months, I just wanted you to know."
There was no way this was happening. Mae lost her best friend, she was transferring schools, and now she'll be loosing her brother. So much change was happening at once and she couldn't handle it. Mae wasn't good with change. She wanted to put a pause on life because way too many things were happening right now. In the back of her mind, Mae heard her mother telling her that this would be a good thing and she was entering a new chapter in her life. But what if she didn't want a new chapter. Her life was spinning out of control and she couldn't stop it.
this chapter is shorter than normal but you guys deserved an update. sorry if this chapter isn't very good :( my problem with this story rn is i know what i want to write but i can't put it into words. i have a bit of writers block but the next chapter will be better, pls forgive me. vote and comment!
