Maya Meets the Real World

Home

Mayas POV

I don't want to go home after school.

Home is scary. 

My home is different that Riley's. She has a fun room with colorful paintings and a kitchen with a big table for the family to sit at. She has a comfy couch with a tv to watch movies on Saturday night. She looks forward to going home after school to relax and see her brother Auggie.

I dread going home. Either I'm home alone, or all I can hear is my mother yelling.. or crying.

When I was younger, before my father left, my mom and him would fight all of the time. They would yell and yell. Mostly about money. Or paying the rent. I would lock myself in my room and think "did I cause this?" "Why do my mom and dad not love eachother?". I would cry for hours every night. I wouldn't get my homework done, and often I wouldn't eat dinner, because my parents were too busy fighting to feed me. I felt abandoned and lost. I remember always wishing I had a mom or dad I could talk to, or a shoulder to cry on when somebody picked on me at school. I got picked on a lot because my mom rarely bought anything for me. I got old thrift shop clothes, and always had to borrow the teachers school supplies because I didn't have any. 

Deep down, my mother loves me. She just has a hard time expressing feeling. I think. I hope.

I'm now on the school bus and I find a seat next to Riley. 

"Keep it together Maya." I tell myself.

"Hey Peaches, how was school?" Riley says setting her pack cal on the floor.

"It was great! Couldn't of been better!" I say almost too perky. I hope she doesn't suspect anything.

"Good. I'm glad your day went well. Mine was terrible," she rolls her eyes. "My teachers give me soooo much homework! Don't they know I have a life?"

"Yeah," I say. I start to think about how to ask Riley if I can come over to her house after school. I've already asked twice this week, so I don't want her to suspect anything.

"Maya? Are you even listening? Hellooooo? What are you thinking about?" She waves her hand in front of my face.

"Yeah," I say back. 

Whoops! Wrong answer!

"Maya!!" Riley exclaims.

"Oh sorry. I mean yeah. School. Sorry about your homework." I look down at my hands.

"Hey Riley. I was wondering if, if like, I could come over to your house after school today. Just wondering. We could work on homework or something."

"We should go to your house Maya! I've never been there. Plus, my mom and dad won't be home so I can't have a friend over anyway," says Riley. 

Crap. Now what? I need to get out of this. "Oh! Oh my gosh! I just realized I have..art class after school! Yeah." I say, hoping Riley would believe my lie.

"Art class? What art class?"

"See, well, um, it's this clas they're teaching at the library. I go there a lot after school. It's really fun." 

"Oh, that's cool! We'll have fun, I guess!" She replies.

"Yes! She believed me!" I say to myself.

"See you tomorrow morning Riley, bye." I say as we step off the bus.

She waves and starts to walk toward her house. I stay by the bus stop for a second.

I don't wanna go home. I hope my mom isn't there.

I slowly drag my feet up my front porch and put the house keys into the door. I step in and see my mom in the kitchen on the phone.

I sigh and close the door. Putting my backpack on the floor, I make too much noise and she sees me. 

My mom signals to be quiet.

Then she looks at me, covers  her phone with her hand and says "Maya, you may want to think about getting some bigger jeans. You must be eating too much! Geez!" 

She turns her back to me and continues with her call.

I am in shock. Did she really just call me..fat? Walking into my room, I close the door. I look into the mirror at my thighs. They will never be skinny. My body will never be pretty. Why does life have to be so unfair?

I sit down and bring my knees to my chest. I look at myself once more in the mirror, then I cry.

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*note: Maya is absolutely gorgeous in every single way. In this story, this is how Maya sees herself. Not in real life.*