I See Why He Didn't Say No (Marliza)

You're That Girl Liza Likes!

TRIGGER WARNING: SELF-HATE, VIOLENCE, DOMESTIC ABUSE

Hey I also wanna say that Maria has dark thoughts about herself, but those are for sure her thoughts and not mine. Since this is written in third person it can get kinda confusing.

Maria slammed the door in Eliza's face and collapsed on the ground, sobbing. Why couldn't she just be happy for once in her life? She could feel herself falling for Eliza and yet... she could not be with her. If she even thought of leaving James he would find her and kill her. Not that she cared much at that point. But if he knew that Eliza had played even a minuscule role in it he would hurt her. Maria couldn't have that.

She was worthless scum. She came from a poor family in the ghetto and was raised in poverty and drug-use and abuse. She had managed to get out. To get a job, go to college and where had it gotten her? She was back in her childhood. Back with drug abuse and domestic abuse and every other type of abuse a person could think of. How could she have let herself fall back into that? It was all her fault. She was worth nothing and she meant nothing and her life was nothing. If she was hurt or killed it wouldn't matter. 

But Eliza... Eliza was perfect. She was kind and loving and courageous. She was sweet, but she stood up for herself. Everyone who met her loved her. If something happened to her there would be billions of mourners. One for every handful of people that didn't care about Maria. Nothing could happen to Eliza.

She heard keys jingling in the lock and quickly picked herself off the floor, running into the kitchen to start dinner, to look busy so that maybe he would leave her alone tonight.

"Maria?" James's gruff voice called throughout the apartment. It was too calm. That was never a good sign, Maria knew.

"Y-Yes?" She wiped the tears away from her face quickly and turned the stove on. 

He walked into the kitchen, a look on his face that she knew all too well.

"James, whatever I did, I'm sor-" She was cut off by an unbearable pain in her head and a ringing in her left ear. He had punched her.

She began to back away slowly. "James. I swear, I didn't mean to do anything wrong. I- AH!" She was cut off yet again as he kicked her legs out from under her, making her fall to the ground. She flung her hands out in front of herself to stop her head from hitting the floor.

"Why the FUCK did Alexander write that letter!?" He kicked Maria in the side and she screamed. "Why the FUCK can't I blackmail him anymore?! WHAT DID YOU DO, YOU WHORE?!"

"N-Nothing!" Maria cried. "I promise! J-Jefferson found out somehow and he-AH!" James kicked her again.

"Don't lie to me!" He kicked her side again and then he stopped, finally. "I won't be back tonight." And he left. Again.

Maria slowly picked her aching body up off the floor and dragged herself to bed.

The next morning Maria arrived at work, glad to be out of the house before James came back. She was a waitress at a small diner on campus that a lot of students ate at. She pinned her shiny name tag onto her shirt and tied the ugly red apron around her waist.

Maria walked to her first table, notepad and pen in hand. A young girl sat by herself in the booth. She looked to be about fourteen or fifteen and had gorgeous curly hair, tan skin and braces. She wore a cute yellow sundress. She reminded Maria a lot of herself when she was that age, though she was probably much more innocent.

"Hi and welcome to 1776. I'm Maria Lewis and I'll be serving you this morning. May I take your order?" She recited.

"Maria Lewis?" The young girl questioned.