Rupture and Repair (gmw/Lucaya)

Chapter fourteen

Riley was feeling awful on Friday night and couldn't get to sleep so Cory decided that he could go out to get some. He had to find one near by that was open at 2Am. That happened to be an old, beaten down, scary kinda place on the corner. He entered, cautiously and went immediately to the medicine, grabbing one in the back, not trusting the ones in the front. He heard a few dry coughs in the nearly silent room, other than the buzzing from the lights. He walked around to the register, finding out who the coughing girl was. She had a messy ponytail in with about a third of it having fallen out of the ponytail she had had in the morning, her sweater falling off of her shoulder, exposing a unhealthy prominent collarbone scaring him. She turned to him, looking surprised, lost, and helpless, all at once. The eyes that he knew too well, staring at him. He didn't know what to say or what to expect her to say.
"Is this all?"
"Are you going to pretend that you don't know me?"
"That would be five forty-nine, please." She said in almost a whisper.
"Maya!"
"What?"
"Listen to me. Why are you here?"
"That would be five forty-nine, please." She repeated, again in a whisper but even more clearly. He handed her the money.
"Why are you working here?"
"Look, I'm done in ten minutes, can you just leave it alone?"
"Then I will stay here for ten minutes." She handed him his change.
"Try not to get shot."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"There's been like six robberies here. Bound to happen again. I'm really not helping myself." She said the last part half to herself.
"No, your not, keep talking." She ignored it and went back to playing with the elastic on her wrist and occasionally coughing from the smoke lurking around the room. Finally, the other man showed up.
"Abbey didn't come?"
"Nope."
"Sorry kid, get some sleep."
"Kay, bye, Bill."
"Bye." They stepped out into the cold December night. Maya shivered immediately. Cory tried to take off his jacket.
"Don't." She said, barely looking at him. "I'll be fine."
"You look like you just fell through ice and into a pond." She shrugged her shoulders. He took it off anyways and put it on her shoupders like he did with Riley and Auggie."
"What are you doing out here at 2am anyways?"
"I had to get some medicine for Riley."
"Is she sick?"
"Ya."
"Then why did you stay here. You should be back with her."
"I wasn't going to leave you here, Maya."
"Well you should have." He led her back to his apartment in silence. When they got there, Riley was asleep so Maya fell asleep on the couch.