Caught Inside

Chapter Twenty-Three

"A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." – Proverbs 17:22

Maya slammed her locker closed before turning in the direction of the parking lot. She heaved a large sigh and swung her backpack over one shoulder. The school day was finally over. Now all that awaited her was a few hours' worth of homework and a long shift at Scottie's.

Maya's father, still recovering from his injuries, was proud of her for working so hard while also juggling good grades in school. But Mr. Mallory was concerned that Maya was too busy for a high school senior. Most students who were involved in a sport didn't work as many hours as Maya did. Plus, she barely had enough time to relax and enjoy herself during the week—it was always go, go, go.

Secretly, Maya knew the reason why she continued to work so hard and so often: it kept her mind off Jake. She knew the moment she had some downtime, her thoughts would turn to their fight—and there would be no containing her emotions when that happened. No matter how many times she told herself it didn't matter, the truth was it mattered immensely. Jake had left a raw hole in her heart, and she still cared for him, deep down.

But Maya's exterior hardened at the reminder. So what? Maybe the reason she was so soft when it came to Jake was because she still clung to the hope that their relationship could be saved. What if they called it quits? Tears suddenly stung her eyes, and she almost wished she hadn't thought like that. But the realistic side of her knew there was some logic to the argument. If they officially broke up, there would be no more need to apologize, to submit, to compromise. It would be a done deal.

And what would others think? Maya ran through the scenarios in her mind: "Oh my gosh, you and Jake broke up? But you were so cute together!" "Well, we couldn't agree on what colleges to apply for, so we had a big fight and called the whole thing off."

Yeah, no.

Maya sighed and pulled the dangling backpack strap onto her other shoulder. She looped her thumbs into the pockets of her jeans and continued walking towards the parking lot. There was so much more to her and Jake's fight than some petty argument over college apps, of course. They had come to the harsh realization that neither of them had thought much about the future. Without some degree of planning, they would never make it more than another year together.

Maya bit down and began chewing on her bottom lip. Don't cry, don't cry, she told herself. Up ahead, she spotted her mother's car, waiting to pick her up and take her to work. She knew, somewhere out there, Jake was heading home with Koa in his car. Their carpooling had been temporarily suspended during Jake and Maya's fight.

Despite Maya's best efforts, tears started trickling down her cheeks, and she wished her emotions would have waited just a few minutes longer before acting up. She quickened her pace and hoped no one was watching her meltdown. Finally, when she reached her mother's car, she yanked open the door and hopped inside.

"How was your day—oh, honey!" Mrs. Mallory instinctively reached out and wrapped her arms around her daughter. "What's wrong?"

Maya sniffled and wiped her nose. "It's nothing, Mom," she said quietly. "It's stupid."

Mrs. Mallory shushed her and planted a quick kiss on her forehead. Because there was a long line of vehicles behind her, she put the car into drive and headed out of the parking lot, stealing glances at her daughter all the while.

Maya soon stopped crying and resumed her cool, stoic composure. Her mother, who had been waiting patiently, quickly took control of the conversation. "Now, you and I both know that wasn't about something stupid," she said gently. "What's really going on?"