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> Chapter Thirteen <
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I have been texting Maya for the past five minutes, and so far it's been a one sided conversation. I may as well be talking to Clay, who is curled on the couch beside me.
She answers me, but it's definitely vague. I ask how she is, she says 'good'. I ask what she's up to, she says 'nothing much'. Something isn't right. She isn't the teasing, quirky Maya Todd that I know.
I finally decide to just stop texting.
Blaine: okay, well i have chores. ttyl?
Maya: sure
Sure? That's it? Nothing else? Wow. I feel kind of disappointed knowing she didn't put effort into saying bye.
I stare across the room at my dress, laying across the arm rest of a chair. It's pink, soft fabric seems to stare back, taunting me to say something. The one thing I know will break me to hold in, but that refuses to come out.
My father shifts in his seat, reaching for the television remote with one hand and taking a sip of his tea in the other. My mother is beside him, reading a novel. David has the night shift and won't be home until ten, so we're left alone in the house- besides Vesper, who decided to stay over another night and is currently showering.
"Hey, if Vesper comes down, let her know I'm taking Clay out." I stand up and slide my phone into my back pocket, nudging Clay. He lifts his head and Dad nods.
"Sure thing."
I make my way to the door and Clay jumps off the couch, trotting behind home with his thick plume of a tail wagging slowly behind him. His eyes rest on me as I take his leash off the wooden peg against the wall. He sits down automatically, having been trained to be a polite dog.
"Good boy." I murmur, clipping his leash on. I step into a pair of my mothers boots, hardly caring that they're one size too big for my feet. I set the leash on the floor and then pull my winter jacket from the closet. It hasn't snowed yet, so it won't be as cold as I'm anticipating, but it's late December, so if it snows tomorrow I won't be surprised.
Finally, I pick up Clay's leash and he lifts his haunches from the tile floor, his tail wagging still as I open the door and let him out. The cold air immediately chills my nose and fingers as I wander into the darkness. The thin puffs of air that come from me and Clay's breath turn to clouds before disappearing entirely, becoming one with the night.
Clay leads me halfway down the driveway before he finally squats down. As he's doing his business, I think about Maya.
It's strange for her to be so... quiet. She seemed held back, for whatever reason, and I didn't like it. Everyone has sides to them that aren't pretty or enjoyable, and that must've been a peek at what Maya can be like. I have to accept it, but it's still incredibly strange.
Maybe she just had a bad night?
I can't be sure. Asking about it might not help her, but giving her space might make her think I don't want to talk. I do- heck, I really do, but I'm now torn between how to assist her in whatever she's going through.
