Split Pieces

Chapter 4: Something New

Maggie sat down in front of me, all while masking her face with her hands. For a few moments she wouldn't respond to me as I desperately attempted to get out of her what had done this to her. Maggie finally removed her palms from her face, her eyes now filled with tears again. "Nathan, I..." she muttered between sobs before stopping again to hide her face. Maggie, even as a child would beat up the little boys who would make fun of the way she walked. I being one of those boys knew that a girl like that must be tough.

"What Maggie?" I desperately asked her, "what happened?" She sat up, looked down, and then back up slowly before speaking softly to me. "Nate I'm moving" she said now staring into my eyes. "W-what?" I asked her in the brink of my shock. "I'm moving to New York" she said to me with a twitching lip on her face. Her eyes were barely able to dam the tears that begged to rain and pour like a gutter that just barely hangs to a roof. .

I was still overwhelmed in surprise when I asked her what we were going to do. How could one of us live in Nevada and the other in New York and still make things work. She leaned her head in to meet mine above the middle of the pastel yellow table. "I don't know Nathan" she said to me, and with a deep breath, "I don't know." I no longer had any appetite left in me and it was very clear to the few in that rusty building that Maggie didn't either. "Let's get out of here" I said to her as I tugged on that hoodie sleeve on the way up from my seat, "Let's go for a drive."

We quickly stumbled our way out the door to find it had began raining. Oh how life enjoys insulting injury. We quickly ran to my car and hopped in. I didn't take a moment to think about what I was doing or where I was going prior to turning the key and driving off. We spent several quiet minutes cruising aimlessly around Carlingtons curvy, boring roads until I finally gained the courage, or maybe it was energy to speak.

"Why are you leaving?" I asked her in the most submissive tone my voice had ever sunk to. "My dads company is closing down business in Nevada" she said to me with stumbled words, before closing her eyes to recover enough to speak again. "He was offered a placement at Dex's headquarters in Albany. It was such a great opportunity for him" she said to me in that cracky voice she gets when fighting every urge to fall apart.

"I've known you for nine years Maggie, and in those nine years we went from neighbors to friends to best friends to sweethearts to lovers and now it seems that it was all for nothing" I said angrily. She knew I wasn't upset with her or her dad but at life itself; I do this often when talking about things that bother me. "Don't say things like that Nathan Walton!" She exclaimed to me, "you know it wasn't for nothing," "you know we weren't for nothing."

"I'm going home Maggie" I said to her. "Let me come with you" she quaintly pleaded to me. I oftentimes deny her access to my home out of sheer embarrassment of the smells and sights it gives off but today I didn't care. I didn't say a word I just drove into my driveway and turned off my car, placing my forehead onto the steering wheel I began to cry. God, do I hate crying in front of her. Maggie hugged me from the side, placing her head on my shoulder. "It's gonna be alright" she whispered to me in that calm and comforting voice she gave off when she knew I needed it. The rain pounded on the roof of the car. "We're gonna be alright."