Ever After . . .

Chapter 8

~Maxon~

I know I'm the last person in the world she wants to look at let alone talk to. I'm going to wait till she finishes the song before doing anything.

I applaud her and she turns around and gives me a look of surprise. Neither one of us says anything for a while. So we sit staring at each other, until I break the silence by saying, "Hi."

Seventeen years since I've talked to America, and the only thing I can think of is "Hi"?

"Um. Hi. I um, wasn't expecting to see you here. Are you here with Kriss?" America says, with just the tiniest bit of venom behind her voice when she said Kriss's name.

"Actually yes. I'm here with the whole family," I say.

"You better not see your father in here with me. You know he hates me."

"They left. I told them I was going to do another once over of the school."

"And did they buy it?"

"Yes actually."

America stands up, and walks over to her desk. I go and stand on the other side of it.

"So I see being a three is treating you well," I say.

"Don't even start Maxon," she says sitting down.

"What?"

"You're going to start a conversation like all is well with the world. When it really isn't."

Ouch. That stung.

"America, I just wanted to talk to you."

"About what? There is nothing to talk about. You made your choice. I made mine. The past can't be changed. Goodbye Maxon," she says standing to leave.

She's almost out of the door when I stop her. "What happened with you and the guard?" I ask her.

She stops dead in her tracks and turns around.

"What guard?" she asks with her voice deep, and dark with venom like a coiled cobra ready to strike.

"The guard that was stationed outside your bedroom door a lot while you were in the Selection. Are those his kids?"

"No. They're not his kids. He wanted me out of the Selection when he became a guard. He ended up falling for a maid once he found out my love for you was real. Then once I was out of the Selection did he come to comfort me? No. He ran off with the maid because he knew he was the reason I was out of the Selection," America says.

"What?"

"I was talking to the guard because he was my ex. He still wanted to be with me. So when you proposed to me, and went to go get Kriss, I was talking to him saying that I chose you, and that you chose me. But then you came, and then saw us talking. You took it the wrong way. I was hurt Maxon. It took me almost a year before I let love back in my heart."

"Oh. Why didn't you come to the wedding? All of the Selected should've gotten an invitation."

"I didn't. I couldn't even bear to watch it on TV. It stung to know that I wasn't invited. But it was probably better for me not to be there."

"Why is that?"

"Because you would've seen me. Done something stupid that you would regret for the rest of your life."

She's right. I probably would. "So who did you marry? Whose kids are those?" I ask still wondering.

"I married another Three. He loved me for who I was. Mistakes and all. We had Marissa and Lucas a year after we were married. Then there was a fire. He went back to save Marissa who was still in the house. He saved her, but he couldn't save himself."

She turned around to hide her tears. Whoever it was it was obvious that she loved him a lot. But did she love him more then me?

"Maxon, I really have to go. You're going to get into trouble if you stay here any longer."

No. She can't leave. There was still so much I wanted to talk to her about. But I couldn't. I was blank minded.

"America. Please don't shut me out. I want to talk to you. I want to catch up with you."

"You were the one to shut me out. You broke my heart into millions of tiny pieces when you chose Kriss. It took longer then it should've to pick up the pieces of my heart. I truly loved you Maxon. I thought you felt the same about me. I guess I was just too young, and dumb to see that you didn't feel the same."

"America wait-"

"Goodbye Maxon. Have a good life with Kriss. And without me."

She turned on her heel and walked out of the room. Tears threatening to fall out of her eyes. I had just lost her again. And there was a chance that she wouldn't come back.