Endless Summer/ ✔️

Runnin' (Daniel)

I knocked on the door three times before I pounced into the house. Maya was sitting outside, a blanket wrapped around her. "Maya?" I asked. She flinched when I put my hand on her shoulder. "Maya, look at me. Are you okay?" As I looked at her face, I felt my heart sink. There were bags forming under her eyes. Panicking, I picked her arms up and checked them, looking for puncture wounds. Suddenly, she jerked her arms away.

"Cut it out, Daniel! Stop looking for something you aren't gonna find!" She shouted. Maya stood and threw the blanket back onto the couch. Her face was red and steaming with anger.

"Did you sleep at all?"

"Did I sleep?" She laughed. "How could I sleep when I hurt Lauren and you and then Jonah came out here and kissed me when I didn't want to?" She was rambling now but I stopped listening when she mentioned Jonah. How did I know something would happen if he stayed here last night? Jonah, of all people would betray my trust. That's just how it is. "Why are you even here?" She asked.

This time, I noticed we were in the kitchen now and Maya was throwing things from boxes. "Can you relax? I just wanted to talk." She stopped abruptly before she turned towards me.

"You wanted to see if I shot up. The way you were checking my arms, gave me plenty of awareness," she snapped. My heart lurched because I knew that was partly true. After I left last night, I couldn't help but wonder if the dispute had set her back and led her to go out and find the drugs again. I wouldn't wish that upon anyone.

"That is true, but can you just-" I was cut off by the sound of shattering glass. Maya looked at me, face red and hair disheveled. "What the fuck?" I shouted.

"I hate you," she replied. Before I could say anything, she moved towards me. This time she was crying, her arms flailing and pounding against my chest. It took almost everything I had to get her arms in my grip and get her to get still. She fought against my body, trying to get loose until finally, she went limp and was only left with sounds of sobs. "I hate you."

"No you don't," I whispered. Maya latched onto my shirt and together, we sunk to the floor. "Tell me about it," I said as I kissed the top of her head. She hesitated before she cleared her throat.

"When I was sixteen, I went to this party right after my grandma passed and my dad was deployed," she began. "People were drunk, I got drunk and I was hanging out with Bryce. He offered me something that I assume now, was drugs. The next day, I woke up and Bryce had a needle sticking out of his arm and it all came rushing back to me. I had done it too." I froze in place as she went on to the worse part of the story.

"My mother yelled a lot when I got home that day and I was still coming down from the night before. I told her I fucking hated her, Daniel. What kind of daughter does that?" Maya cried. "I told her what I had done at the party and when she yelled some more, I stormed out of the house and went to find Bryce. That night, we got high again. There were so many things he pressured me to do and I did them."

"I was addicted after the first few weeks. Every night I would come home high and my mother would know as soon as I walked through the door. I kept going back to the drugs for the next few months and when I turned seventeen, my mom thought it would be wise to put me in rehab for the summer."

"You got better," I assured. We stayed on the floor for what seemed like hours until I heard Maya lightly snore. Slowly, I picked her up and carried her to her room, throwing a few blankets on top of her.

Just as I was closing the door, my began to ring. "Daniel? Where did you disappear to this morning?" Jack asked.

"I was coming to make sure Maya was alright after last night. She's just sleeping now. Is everything alright?" I asked, as I shut the car door.