Toxic

Hard facts

"Who am I? Getting so many visitors today" Mariah commented as she saw Micah leaning against the door when she opened her eyes.

"Shut up your mouth. I wouldn't have pegged you for a fool Caiaphas but you surprised the hell out of me"

"Mr Micah" Mariah called sitting up
"Thank you for coming"

He scratched his head. Walking up to her bed and shifting the chair closer as he walked.

"Don't thank me." he said waving his hands, "like I said your stupidity amazes me."

Mariah stared at him in confusion.

"Please. Don't act surprised...  I knew you were scared of JJ. I've known for a while..."

"how?" Mariah asked

"Caiaphas do not insult me" Micah warned sternly "Recently you became happier. You cared less. You became more like a normal 16 year old.  It wasn't hard to see the reason for the sudden change in your behaviour was Harrisonvs appearance. I'm not your father...  But if you ask me,  I'll take happy, smiling you over fake, plastic you any day. Now tell me why in God's name would you allow JJ treat you like thrash?"

Mariah gulped. "How..." she began unsure of what to say

"No. Don't give me that over used line that you didn't know. That's a bloody lie. You laid there and let him beat you up. Why? " Micah demanded

"I wanted someone to find me. For once, I wanted someone to find me" Mariah muttered under her breath

She wasn't sure that Micah had heard her initially, but he suddenly stilled in his movements and stared at her for a whole minute.

Then he did something she never had thought would happen in her entire life.

He hugged her.

Micah hugged her.

Mariah would have screamed if she wasn't the one currently being hugged by the most stone hearted teacher in her school. Her best teacher nonetheless.

"Nobody deserves to feel alone.  nobody deserves to feel like that, Mariah. Trust me." he whispered against her hair. Mariah couldn't believe it, he called her by her first name.
"OK. I'm leaving now.  None of this sappy nonsense" He said finally releasing her and standing up.

"Mr Micah" Mariah called when he was almost at the door.

He spun around to face her humming

"You're my best teacher" she said.

He smiled, "You're the most intelligent student I've had in years,  Mariah Caiaphas "

Mariah gasped. "I have to record this moment. You actually said it. Oh my God...  Where is my phone.. "She squealed

"Oh shut up Caiaphas" he said and Mariah couldn't resist laughing.

"I heard you choked JJ... Didn't know you hid your muscles under the white shirts you wear daily"

"Your point is?"

"Thank you"

"My pleasure. I had fun doing it" he said and Mariah chuckled.
"No really. Been looking for a reason to punch the dumbass"
He said as he headed for the door.

"Also Abraham has been lurking around this corridor for two hours now. Take it easy on her she feels guilty enough. "

"What? Do you know everything now?" She joked

"Shut your smart-ass mouth, Mariah " he stated. One would have thought that he was annoyed. But the way he smiled when he said it,  Mariah knew he wasn't.

He headed out of the doors
"See you in school next week" Mariah called after him playfully. She'd be lucky if her parents let her out of her bed by the next week.

"I don't care" Micah called back and Mariah chuckled again.

Mariah shifted on her bed contemplating whether or not to talk to Kami. Finally giving in, she pressed the call button that was hanging beside her bed.

"Are you OK? " the nurse that came in asked her. It wasn't the nurse that had been assigned to her. So Mariah was surprised.
"I saw you press your call button and I assumed you needed help. I was just walking by."

That explained it.  Mariah mused, her own nurse would never walk that quickly to see her.

"Do you need to go to the bathroom?" she asked again, "I know I'm not assigned to you but I promise you... I work here. I wouldn't try to kidnap you or anything."

"It's okay. I just wanted someone to help me call this girl." Mariah said lifting up her phone so the nurse could see it. The picture of her and Kami as her screen saver. "She should be outside"

"Okay. Not a problem" the nurse nodded and left the room.

Moments later Mariah lifted up her head to see Kami standing at the doorway.

"Come and Sit. And close the door" Mariah said
Kami quietly did as she said.

"You been here for days now" Mariah stated.

"I'm sorry" Kami said quickly

"For what?"

"For saying all those things to Harrison. And for getting mad at you even when I had no reason to be. For not noticing that JJ was... You know?"

Mariah rolled her eyes "you didn't know or you didn't want to acknowledge it? Which is it?"

"I didn't know. Mariah there's no way I'd notice that and not do anything about it" Kami said

"You saw me cutting myself and did nothing about it" Mariah said more to herself than to Kami

"I'm sorry. Mariah. So sorry"

"That's not even what I'm mad at. You took something about me...  That I told you as my best friend and you used it against me."

"I was angry at you"

"That's the part I cannot even comprehend. I know things, Kami. I know things about you. But no matter how mad I am, I would never breathe a word of it to anyone. And it's not even because we're friends. It's about being a decent human being."

"I'm sorry. I was just angry"

"that's what scares me the most" Mariah said, "So the next time we get in a argument what will you tell?  Who would you tell?"

"Mariah, I swear I would never do it again"

"I don't believe you" Mariah said honestly

She felt bad when she saw Kami's face drop.

"Mariah" Kami called

"What do you want me to say?"

"That were still friends."

"You are still my friend Kami, but I can't say that I've forgiven you yet. I will. Eventually" Mariah said finally. She wasn't completely over what Kami did but she didn't want Kami to fell like she would never be forgiven.

Kami nodded. "Okay. I can live with that. Thank you"

It didn't matter how badly Mariah tried to hide it. Something was different. She wasn't sure if they'd ever be normal again and that was what scared her the most.

How do you like that chapter?. I'm many weeks late... I apologize. I'll try to be on time. This book is coming to an end and once it does just a little sugar will commence. I will be posting just a little sugar daily and The H.N.I.C weekly. Go over to my profile for the synopsis.
Love always
Mae