"Lucas!" Yells Riley, hugging me as I enter Topanga's.
"Hey, nice to see you."
"Hey, freak face." Say's Farkle.
"Hey." I look over at the other friend. She's leaning against the chair, looking at me, but not moving. She had a knit off white sweater and shorts. She is made of bones.
"Oh my gosh, Maya!" I say, upset.
"Nice to see you too."
"Really, Maya. W-why." It all come back to me. "You. You've been doing this all summer, haven't you?"
"Doing what?"
"Starving."
"I'm not starving. It's a strict diet."
"Ya, water, gum, and rice cakes."
"I hate rice cakes."
"Okay, then rice."
"I eat more then that. Besides, I haven't changed that much."
"You look like one of those people we looked at in health."
"Do not. I'm not even close. That is disgusting."
"How much weight have you lost?" I say sternly.
"The numbers don't matter. I could have lost any amount but that doesn't mean that I look that way."
"Well, you look like you should have a feeding tube." A few people turn.
"I am not like them."
"You're right. You're not. But you look like them and you're saying stuff they would say."
"Because you asked me something that I don't want to answer." Theres a pause. She grabs her backpack.
"Welcome back." She deadpans before leaving. I sigh and sit.
"Missed you too, Maya." I mumble. Riley sits next to me.
"I was going to warn you, but I didn't want you to be stressed."
"I caused this. She did this to get back at me."
"Luc-"
"No! I clearly remember the tears in her eyes and I remember seeing her spit some of the pizza out and the look of disgust as she finished it because I had mentioned her weight." I looked up . "Punish me. Not her." I mumble.
"I mentioned it too. But there's more. There's always more. The Maya we thought we knew wouldn't have cared what we said."
"So we never knew her."
"Maybe this ties back to her parents. Or her dys- never mind."
"Dyslexia?"
"Don't tell her that you know. Please Lucas. She made me promise not to tell you." Why me? I look at Farkle.
"Did you know?" He nods. "But not until May and she was diagnosed in January."
"I can't believe she didn't tell me." I am angry.
"Because she was afraid you wouldn't like her." Says Riley.
"She said that?"
"No. But I know my best friend."
"No. None of us do. We pieced her together, and everything fit, but she didn't tell us about the missing pieces, so she fell apart."
"So you admit it's not your fault."
"I didn't say that. I never will."
