breaking the silence

three

Maya didn't come out of her room all weekend. Yesterday was a disaster. Firstly, she had woken up with the worst migraine ever, thanks to the amount of alcohol she had chosen to consume the previous night. And just when Maya thought that things couldn't get any worse, she and Riley fought. The biggest fight they had ever encountered in their friendship. And that was the absolute worst.

When she had crawled through the bay window that morning, Maya was hoping to fix things, but they only misunderstood each other. There was shouting, both half wanting to just get their point across, and the other half just wanting to hug and make up. So Maya left, and now she was laying in bed all day. Her mother was in and out, dropping off meals and snacks.

Maya wasn't used to being separated from Riley for so long. What if she didn't want to be her best friend anymore? What if Riley finally realized that she wasn't worth it, and found someone else? Someone more like her?

The what if's were driving Maya to insanity and she cried. She cried all night and all day until her face was numb.

"You have to come out sometime." Katy was leaning against her doorway, watching her for god knows how long. Maya was much too lost in her mind to notice her surroundings. "Try talking to Riley again." She encouraged.

Maya sniffled, her bottom lip trembling slightly. "Yelling at Riley is the most terrible feeling, mom. And her yelling at me was even more awful."

Katy clicked her tongue. She approached her daughter and placed a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. Maya glanced up at her mother, just pleading for some wise advice. "Well, you'll see each other tomorrow at school. Maybe you can work it out then. Either way, this is all going to blow over, trust me." Katy grinned reassuringly down at her. "You guys are best friends. And you wouldn't be if you didn't fight sometimes."

Her mother was right. Her words were so simple, yet Maya needed it. She was overwhelmed by all of her emotions and it was easy for her judgement to get clouded. "Yeah," Maya nodded, leaning further into Katy's hand.

"Are you gonna come out for dinner now?" Katy asked gently. She tilted her head, studying Maya's countenance.

"I'll come out." Maya nodded. She kicked off her covers and sat up slowly, regaining orientation. Her feet touched the floor. "Not for dinner, though. I think I'll just take a little walk."

"Oh, okay." Katy rubbed down her back before giving her a light pat. "Just don't stay out too long."

.

.

.

Maya didn't have the slightest idea of how her feet had ended up taking her to his doorstep. She wasn't exactly thinking too much about her destination, but this was where she found herself.

Lucas' front porch.

And it was crazy. She hadn't been to his house in a very long time. The last times were purely circumstantial. Because of a school project, because of their friends. Maya and Lucas had never actually hung out one-on-one.

So why was she standing there?

Without really a thought, Maya raised her fist. Her body was on autopilot. She knocked twice. She stood there for thirty seconds, shifting her weight to her other foot. Slowly, Maya backed away from the door.

And then, it swung open, revealing a lady. Her hair was up in a bun, so disheveled it looked like it would fall apart in a second. She also had an apron tied around her waist. Lucas' mother.