If You're Hurt They Bleed

Truth

I come too, dizzy and disoriented. I vaguely hear Molly's voice say something about me fainting. Grayson is directly above me, and as my vision clears, I can see tears in his eyes.

"Look, Maya. Olive was..." I shake my head slightly. Even that small movement hurts, but it makes him stop talking. I will never forget the look on his face. It held so much pain and sadness.

I turn to the side on my pillow, slowly, and see my dad with a grief-stricken expression covering his face. My mother is nowhere to be seen. Not at all surprising, but still oddly sad.

A nurse comes in with a sponge on a stick, full of water and gives it to me to suck on. I attempt a smile. After she leaves, stick in hand, I sit up.

"Where am I?" I ask groggily.

"The emergency room." Molly quickly explains.

"Oh. Do they know why I-"

"Low blood sugar. Did you eat breakfast?" The worry lines on Dad's face deepen.

"Umm..."

I woke up at my desk, drool on my notebook. I check the time. 7:43. My alarm is still beeping. I jump up, grabbing a sweatshirt and throwing my hair in a bun.

"I'm gonna be late!" I yell. Luckily, Mom's in the house.

I raced to the bathroom. Before I completely closed the stall door, I was already on my knees.

I'm sure everyone knows that throwing up sucks. It always does. But for some reason, this was worse.

"No. That must be the reason." I state, eyeing Molly before she can say anything about my trip to the bathroom.

"Okay. Well, I can take you home soon, and you can eat there. Do you want your friends to come with you?" He smiles at Grayson kindly.

"Molly, do you want to come over?" I ignore Grayson the best that I can.

"Sure!" She smiles widely. "We can watch old shows!" I laugh and nod happily. When I look over at where Grayson was, he seems to have snuck out the door. A thought sprang into my mind, singular and oddly cruel.

I hope he feels bad.

Why? Everyone has a soulmate. Why is he any different?

I tossed off my blanket, suddenly feeling a strong urge to leave.

"Can we go home?" I look to my father hopefully.

"Of course. Let me just find the doctor to sign you out." He walked out, leaving Molly and I alone.

"Grayson really wanted to talk to you." Molly pointed out.

"Okay." I stare straight ahead.

"He said he had something he needed to tell you about Olive."

"Whatever." I gulp, still not facing her.

"Why wouldn't you talk to him? It's just a girl." This makes me turn.

"It's not just a girl. I— he's the one person that makes me feel... important. Like even if I never get a lead role or never find my soulmate I still mean something to people." I sigh. Molly looks hurt.

"Didn't I do that?" Her face droops.

"Of course, but... this is why I didn't want to say anything. You are the star. Always wanted, needed, appreciated whether you know it or not. I can't say this stuff to you. I don't want you to feel bad. You have always been there for me, but with Grayson it's different." I know this didn't make it any better when I look back at her again. Molly's face has turned cold.

"You know, I'm kind of tired. I think I should go home." She turned on her heel and walked out.

Dad walked in again, watching Molly storm down the hall.

"What-?" I just looked down and he got the message. "You're free to head home, if you want." I nod, and he helps me to the car. I knew I shouldn't have told her. I knew she would take it the wrong way. But what was I supposed to do? If I kept keeping all these secrets, I was going to explode.

A/N: So... all I really have to say about this chapter is it includes some stuff I've wanted to say for a while. Have a good Easter lovelies (or if you don't celebrate Easter then just have a good weekend)!💜