The spring months passed quickly, and soon enough — it was summer. The final day of school was full of a drunken excitement that no teacher dared to cross with last assignment, and the final bell rang in harmony with cheers and screams. The stampede of students raced through the halls towards the exit, thankful and relived that for three months — they were free.
I followed with less vigor. Three months without waking up early, schoolwork, or worry over grades — it was heaven, and there was no doubt about it. But in a way, there had been a sort of safety in having to do those things every day. It kept me busy. It kept my mind occupied.
But now it was gone and I was left with nothing.
Conrad had it easier. He'd skipped the last day — and the two previous ones. He said he was visiting family up in Boston, but he didn't know for how long. He said we'd stay in contact, but it wasn't the same. It was never the same.
I didn't tell him that. He already had to deal with too many of my pessimistic insecurities. Friendships were about fairness. And it felt like he was always carrying the weight. I wanted to share it equally, but he said I had enough to worry about without divulging his own weight. I supposed that was true, but I knew how it felt to have to handle it yourself.
Alas, I boarded my bus, looking out the window the entire way home. Meanwhile, I thought of everything but home and the situation that still remained unresolved. Swimming in it with no distractions for three months — the other kids could only wonder why I wasn't ecstatic.
* * *
When I finally did reach home, I immediately went to my room and hopped into bed. I could at least start the summer with a few hours of nothing hanging over my head. I had hoped.
"Maya?" My mother knocked on the door, soon after the lights were out and I was under the covers. "Can I come in for a second?"
My heart dropped, and a loud sigh escaped me, "Sure," I muttered, hoping to God it wasn't something new to deal with.
She entered with care, and a soft smile formed on her face when she saw me in bed, "Didn't know that you were planning on going to sleep."
"Yeah, I'm pretty tired," I told her, keeping my emotions in check, "It's not like I have anything to do, anyway."
She regarded me, her genuine smile turning into a sad one. A guilty one. It pulled at my heartstrings, but I didn't know what else to say. I truly didn't have anything I could do, but sleep — and worry.
"You don't have any friends around that you can hang out with?" She asked sympathetically.
"No, they've all gone off on their own ways." I shifted my gaze to look up at the ceiling. I couldn't handle looking at her expression anymore.
"Oh," The guilt began to creep back into her voice, "I'm sorry, Maya."
"It's not your fault." I had the phrase memorized by heart now. It seemed to come in handy these days, much more often than I liked.
She came to sit down by the edge of my bed, "Look...I just want you to know that I'm doing everything in my power to fix this issue. I know that it's incredibly hard for you, and I'm proud of you for being so patient while I deal with this."
I closed my eyes, "They're going to kick us out, aren't they?"
The cold, hard truth of the situation. The one she'd tried so hard to hide from me — for months. That she hadn't succeeded in doing so.
In a way, I was sorry she hadn't succeeded in keeping me in the dark.
"No," She said forcefully and furiously, "We're not getting kicked out. I told you — I've talked to the lawyers, and they know that it's fake. But that information hasn't gotten out to everyone yet."
"What if we're wrong?" I asked her.
She sighed, standing up and kissing my forehead before looking me deep in the eye, "We're not wrong, Maya. We're not getting kicked out. Please, try not to worry while I finish getting everything sorted out. Everything will be just fine."
"Okay," I mumbled. She gave me a comforting smile before she left the room, closing the door gently behind her.
I didn't want to think about it.
I turned onto my side, squeezing my eyes tightly shut. Everything will be fine, I assured myself, tensing at each noise that came from the window.
Everything would be fine.
As I drifted off, my phone buzzed — signaling a text. But for once, I didn't have the heart to respond.
* * *
YOU ARE READING
Flicker Pain
Chick-Lit* * * Maya Smith is a girl living in a sea of trouble. She feels like there's nothing for her in this life, no way that she'll ever become normal again. Conrad Wilkins is a boy who's been bred from darkness and misfortune. He sees himself as one...
