Lacey

30

IT TAKES LACEY a long time to wake up and she scares me when she does.

like stef said, she doesn't wake up until the next morning, groaning and whining. she doesn't even open her eyes, just pulls her knees to chest, making herself as small as possible.

i don't say anything, i want her to wake up naturally. i don't know what kind of medication Stef gave her and i don't want to rush her. eventually, hours later, she opens her eyes and sits up. i'm at my desk, a few feet away, so i see her before she sees me. "Lacey." i speak up, hoping to draw her attention, when she looks over at me she immediately starts crying.

i get up from my desk and go sit next to her, expecting them to be tears of joy. i saved her. she should be happy, right?

instead she crawls into my lap and keeps sobbing, shaking her head. her entire body trembles against my chest. i don't really know what to do. i awkwardly pat her back a few times before pulling away a bit. i hold her cheeks in my hands and push her hair behind her ears, since her ponytail is falling out. "what happened lacey?" i ask her, she only cries harder. "o-oka-okay. shhh" she hugs me again but this time it's so tight it hurts. i don't pull away though, i let her cry because i remember Nisha telling me one time that girls need to just cry sometimes.

i let her cry for ten minutes before i try to pull away again to talk, but she doesn't stop crying. i stand up and she wraps her legs around my waist, her arms around my neck and lays on her head on my shoulder. she continues to sob. i walk with her down into the kitchen, scrabble some eggs and make some toast. "you wanna eat in bed?" she ask her, supporting her weight with one hand and her plate with the other. she nods and sniffles.

her sobs die down on our way back upstairs until she's just silently crying. i sit down on the bed with her plate, giving her the opportunity to go sit anywhere, but she just turns around so her back is to my front and stays in my lap. i hand her the plate, "you need to eat, you've gotten so skinny." i say, she nods. "do you need anything else? do you want to watch a movie while you eat?"

she turns her head to me and her eyes widen. she nods and i can't help but smile in response. i hand her the remote and she chooses a movie, some chick flick.

"you can't tell anyone i'm watching this." i whisper to her "it'll hurt my reputation." i joke, hoping to draw out that laugh she does where she kicks her feet, or at least a giggle or a smile. she just leans into me, her expression neutral.

҉

"It's worse." i tell Nisha as i lean my back onto my kitchen counter.

"how could it be any worse?" Micah questions.

since she's been back here, Lacey's state seems to be declining. i tried myself for a few days to get her to smile, then i just wanted her to speak. now i'm lucky if i get a reaction at all.

Out of desperation, i had Nisha and micah come see her. sometimes together sometimes alone. it hasn't helped.

the closest thing to any information at all out of her was the flash of emotions that crossed her otherwise neutral face whenever stefan was mentioned. she was like a robot, seemingly numb after the first cry she had. she walked around with a numb, broken look of her face, not acknowledging anyone or anything around her but when one of us brought up stefan, her whole body would go stiff and this look i can't quite place would cross her features.

That was enough to tell me this was his fault. Enough to explain why he's tied to a chair in the clubs basement. i just need to know how badly i should make him suffer before i inevitably end his life.

"she's shutting down." i sigh, running a hand over my face. "she won't eat, she doesn't sleep at night, she doesn't get out of bed at all anymore." i run a hand through my hair, it's disheveled but i don't care. "she won't let me leave her alone. i- i go to leave and she'll grab my hand, then look up at me like a fucking puppy."

"she's alone right now, isn't she?" Nisha's still being condescending with me. i know she's still mad but i have other, more important things to worry about.

"she's napping. i snuck out when she stopped holding onto me so tight. i think its the first time she's slept in days so she was sleeping hard."

micah sighs "maybe she should see a psychiatrist"

"yeah and tell him what?" Nisha scoffs "big foot over here," she motions to me, my nostrils flare. "saved maya from the house she was put into after we killed her father because he hired a hit man" she once again motions to me "to kill her because she killed her mother, and now she's depressed." she drawls the whole thing out sarcastically "great plan micah." she rolls her eyes.

"can you not be an asshole for five seconds?" Micah retorts.

"Sente-se e relaxe. Eu entendo que você está estressado e que você está chateado comigo, mas o garoto não fez nada de errado e nós não temos tempo para os nossos tantrums. Não vejo você oferecendo nenhuma solução. " i snap, tired of her attitude. "Se você não quer estar aqui vá para casa foda. ninguém está forçando você a estar aqui. "
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(translation: sit the fuck down and relax. i get that your stressed and that you're pissed at me, but the kid did nothing wrong and we don't have time for ur tantrums. i don't see you offering any solutions. | if you don't want to be here go the fuck home. no one is forcing you to stay. )

she glares at me. "sorry Micah." she mutters, sitting down on the stool. he smiles at her. "maybe it's a processing thing. maybe she just needs time." she suggests.

"she doesn't have time." micah sighs, "her tumour isn't being treated."

"so what do you suggest?" i ask him

"i suggest we get her treated, weather she's up for it or not." i says "obviously whatever she went through was fucking traumatic but dying from untreated cancer is gonna be traumatic too."

i nod. he's right. even if it'll hurt her right now, waiting until she's better might mean waiting until her tumour is untreatable and thats worse. "alright. book an appointment for next week then."

okay so this is taking longer than i planned to get through, shocker i know (not), but don't you worry guys, happy maya will be back in the next few chapters i swear!

i want you guys to vote though because i already have the scene that snaps her out of it written out and i originally had killian as the one to do it but then i realized we haven't heard much from micah lately... who do you guys want to snap her out of it, killian or micah? lmk!!