Bring Me Back To 5SOS {Book 2}

3- Isabella

Maya's POV

I woke up the next morning with a huge headache. I groaned and rolled out of bed. I got dressed into a pair of jeans and a hoodie and stumbled out of my room to the kitchen.

"Do you have anything for headaches?" I asked as I sat down at the kitchen table.

Rebecca gave me a pill and a glass of water. She set a plate of food in front of me, but I pushed it away. I wasn't in the mood for eating. I was still processing my situation and filling myself up with food was not how I was going to handle it.

"I'm not hungry," I said quietly.

"Try to eat something. Please. It's not good if you don't eat," Rebecca said and sat down across from me.

"I'm not hungry," I said, more forceful.

"Please! Just eat something, Isabella," she pleaded.

Isabella, I thought to myself. The name from the stars on my ceiling?

Matthew and Noah dropped their forks. They had looks of disbelief on their faces, as if what Rebecca said was unimaginable.

"What?" She asked.

"Honey, you just called her Isabella," Matthew told her.

"No, I didn't," she insisted.

"Mom, yes you did," Noah said.

She started getting tears in her eyes when she realized that they were right.

"I'm so sorry, Maya. I didn't-I-" Rebecca started to say before standing up and walking out. Matthew went after her.

"See what you did?" Noah sneered and slapped me across the face.

Before I could even register the shock and the pain of what he did, I jumped up and ran out of the building. The cold winter wind stung my skin, but I kept going. People glared and yelled at me as I brushed past them. It made me run faster.

I stopped when I got to a park. I collapsed onto a bench. As I sat there catching my breath, I started to cry. I didn't cry because Noah hit me or because I missed being with Dad. I just cried.

Two girls came up to me as I broke down. Great. More people got to see me like this.

"Hi. We're fans of 5SOS. Are you Maya Clifford?" One girl asked.

"I was," I told them.

"Why aren't you in Australia?"

"You guys are fans. You should know," I snapped.

"Well, we just wanted to hear it from you. You didn't have to be rude," she said and walked away with her friend.

My phone started ringing. I sigh when I saw that it was Matthew. I picked up on the last ring.

"Hello?"

"Where are you?" Matthew asked.

"I'm at some park," I answered.

"Come home. We're worried."

"I'm just going to make Rebecca upset again," I said.

"That wasn't your fault. Come back. We want to talk to you," he pleaded.

"Fine."

I hung up and headed back in the direction I came from. I studied my surroundings as I walked. I hated it here. There was no fresh air. That's what I missed about Australia. You weren't breathing in car fumes.

America seemed so much better before I had to live there.

*~*

I soon got back to the apartment, thankful I ran straight earlier to keep from getting lost.

Rebecca and Matthew were sitting at the kitchen table. She abandoned her tea and ran over to hug me when I walked in. I slightly flinched under her touch. She put her hands on my shoulders and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear.

"I'm sorry for how I reacted. It was nothing you did," she said.

She looked at Matthew. They had a conversation with their eyes before looking back at me.

"We had a daughter named Isabella. She died of brain cancer when she was around your age. Noah was only eight when she got sick. We wanted to have another daughter, but I couldn't have any more children. It's just a habit for me to say what I said. Isabella refused to eat. The chemo made her get sick a lot," Rebecca said.

"So, you're not mad that I ran off?" I asked.

"No. We understand why you did," Matthew said.

No, they didn't understand. They didn't know that Noah hit me. They didn't know that I was scared he would hurt me again. They didn't know how much I was hurting inside.

"We just got a little worried. Now that that's settled, we have other matters to discuss," Rebecca said.

"Like what?"

"School. You start tomorrow."

"Do I have to?" I asked, surprised that they didn't give me more time to adjust.

"Yes. We think you should start right away," Rebecca said.

"Fine. Do we have to go shopping for supplies?"

"No. We already have everything you need," Matthew said.

"Okay. Can I go back to the park now?"

Rebecca sighed. "I guess you can."

I jumped and grabbed my coat before running out of the apartment.

*~*

No one was at the park, which was good. I needed to be alone. At least for a while.

I thought about Isabella. She must've been special to them. But if she was, why would they want another child? Especially one who was about her age when she died? Wouldn't that remind them of her?

Noah was so young when she died. Was that why he was like this? Was that why he hated me? Did he think I was replacing her?

I walked around for a while before going back to the apartment. The three of them were all sitting in the living room watching sports. I went into my room before any of them noticed me.

I sat on my bed and started reading The Hunger Games. My door opened, and Noah stood there smirking.

"So, I hear you have to go school," he remarked.

"So what? It's not like you care. The only good thing is that I'll be away from you," I said without looking at him.

He grabbed me by the hair and pushed me against the wall. I stared into his cold eyes, my gaze unwavering. I refused to show fear. That's what he wanted. 

"Don't speak to me like that. Do I need to remind you this isn't your home?" He growled.

"We're also not related, so you can't treat me like I'm your sister!" I retorted.

"No, you're not. And for the record, this is not how I'd treat my sister," he sneered.

"You couldn't either way," I muttered in an attempt to make him let go.

His grip loosened as his eyes widened. I almost felt bad for what I said. Almost.

"They told you about Isabella, didn't they?" Noah asked, his voice lower than before.

I nodded. He just walked out and slammed the door behind him.