I could sense my life getting better. When I closed my eyes, I could actually see a small light indicating the end of the tunnel, it was only a speck, but it meant so much. I still had a long way to go though. Maybe all this would be worth it one day.
I looked up to see my geometry teacher drawing a triangle on the board and sneaked a peek at Rachel who was sitting beside me again because the teacher decided her new seating arrangement worked out better. She wasn‘t paying any attention to me, instead she was twirling her hair and giving flirty looks at Jason. UGH ! She was really gross !
I decided to start taking notes of this class. I had nothing else to do and really did have to start concentrating on my studies. As I was taking out a pen from my bag and opening my notebook, someone knocked on the door causing the teacher to stop explaining the lesson and to go see who it was.
A few seconds passed and I could hear murmuring from the front of the class making its way towards me, at the back. People started looking at me like I had done something wrong and the stares made me blush. I suddenly started to panic and wondered what could be wrong. What had I done ?
« Maya, please pack your stuff and follow Principal Dranlaw to his office. » She said looking serious.
I started shaking as I put my pen and notebook back in my bag. Slowly, I got up and walked toward the door looking down at my feet. When I reached Principal Dranlaw, I looked up and searched for clues as to why I had to go to his office but found nothing.
« Follow me, » he says clearing his voice.
« What have I done ? » I asked.
« Nothing wrong. Far from that, in fact I‘m going to have to ask you a few questions concerning your father. The police will be here soon, just take a seat, » he said gesturing the chairs that were in front of his desk as he closed his office door behind him.
« I‘m going to start by explaining very briefly the situation while we wait. Of course the police are the ones who have the details so you‘ll know more when they come. » He took a deep breath to resume.
« Maya, your dad was found this morning at 4 A.M shouting in the city streets all alone with a bottle of Gin in hand. We found out that he is an alcoholic a well as a drug addict, and has been for a while. »
I took in a deep breath in surprise. What was I supposed to do now ?! Is their finding out good or bad ? My thoughts got interrupted by a knock on the door.
« Come in ! » shouted Principal Dranlaw.
I watched as the door opened revealing three police officers of whom one was a female and the other two male. One of the males stepped up and presented himself as Chief O‘Neil introducing the two sous-chiefs at his side.
« We are here to discuss the Graham family situation would you be Maya Grahams by any chance ? » he asked,addressing his speech to me.
I only managed to slightly nod while clearing my voice before he spoke up again.
« Well, i‘m sure principal Dranlaw here has explained quite briefly why you‘re here surrounded by three police officers. Not something that happens every day I would imagine. »
« Um, no. No this doesn‘t happen often sir, » I said automatically blushing.
« Right, well you must already know that your dad was found very early this morning making noise in the streets with a bottle in hand, right ? We found out that he‘s been taking drugs for quite some time now as well as being an alcoholic. You must have noticed this already, could you describe a few situations in you everyday life that might have to do with your dad taking drugs or being drunk ? » He asked.
I had no idea what to say. Should I lie and stay safe, or should I tell the truth and risk getting beaten to pure death by my dad ? Just before I could make my decision, the door slightly opened up and the person behind it asked to talk to me. I couldn‘t see who it was but I could definitely guess.
« Giovanni, we are currently discussing a very important matter here, could it not wait ? »
« No, I‘m sorry but this cannot wait. I really need to speak to Maya only just a few minutes. »
I had no idea what this was about but I really did want to get out of this room even just for a brief moment. I looked at the principal who seemed to be reluctant to Giovanni‘s request but decided to ask for the polices acceptance.
« Okay, you may take her for no more than five minutes, » Insisted Chief O‘Neil.
« Thank you sir. »
I looked up at the door to find Giovanni‘s head poking out of it’s side looking serious and in a hurry. Rapidly, I got out of my seat, grabbed my bag and followed him out of the office into the hallway where he spun around and faced me intensely.
« Maya, I need you to open up to me. I know something isn’t going well and I can see you feel lost. Talk to me Maya, this is very important, and do it fast, we only have 5 minutes. »
I looked away to hide my emotions of shock and cheerlessness.
« What do you want me to say ? » I asked feeling completely defeated.
« Whats wrong ? »
« Nothing ! »
« Maya ! talk to me ! Its not for no reason that you‘re in the principals office with three police men questioning you. »
« You already know, don‘t you ? »
« I’m not sure. I need you to confirm my suspicions. »
« What’s in it for you ? Why should I tell you and not just the police ? »
« Because I know for a fact you won‘t tell the police ! You‘re scared of what might happen next. If you tell me, you’ll have nothing to worry about, trust me Maya. »
« I hardly know you, how can I trust a stranger ? »
« Maya, I‘m no stranger to you. And deep down inside, you should know that too ! » He was shouting by then and had to take a deep breath to calm down before speaking up again.
« Remember that night, when you were with your best friend playing in his room while waiting for your mom to come pick you up only to find out that she had had an accident ?Remember his name ? »
My heart suddenly skipped a beat as I tried to remember that awful night and the boy who was at my side supporting me in the car and in the waiting room. I tried to remember the boys real name but could only come up with the name I gave him, Bob. I remember we used to love watching Bob the builder together, hence the reason I called him Bob.
« Wait, how do you know all those details of that night ? »
He sighed before revealing his secret. « Because I am that boy, Maya. I was your best friend who lost complete trace of you after your dad told my mom and I to leave. I never stopped thinking about you. My life was all about finding you again and finally, last Monday morning, I actually bumped into you on your way out of what looked like an abandoned house. But that detail meant nothing compared to finally seeing you again. It broke my heart to notice you didn't recognize me. » He finished, looking down.
I was utterly speechless. Simply shocked. My eyes wouldn‘tdetach from my long-lost best friend until he looked back up, and even then I couldn‘t stop staring. Looking for the first timetruly at this beautiful boy in front of me made me suddenly realise just how blind I had been this whole time. Even if my best friend had seriously changed, those eyes were unmistakably his.
« Okay, look, I can understand you may be in disbelief at the moment but our time is running out. You have to listen to me Maya. Tell the truth to the police ! Don’t be scared because either way they are here to help you. If you tell the truth you will have nothing to worry about, you hear me ? » He took hold of my shoulders and looked me deep in the eyes before finishing off with one last sentence. « No matter what happens Maya, I will be there for you. »
I just stood there, my eyes still on him. Half of what he just told me still wasn‘t registered in my brain because it was just too much to hold in but one thing was for sure, I had to go back into that office right now and tell the police everything.
YOU ARE READING
Beautiful misery
Teen Fiction~You have to suffer to be happy~ Maya is a 16 year old girl who is constantly abused by her dad. She has to find a way out but is scared of where she might end up. Little does she know that one punch too many will get the police involved and may jus...
