Farewell : Until We Meet Again

17/ cubicle talks.

I was currently walking through the deserted hallway, the majority of the upper grades probably enjoying lunch in the cafeteria right now. I was late because Mr. Miller, the young Biology teacher many girls gush about, wanted to talk to me about my lacking grades after class.

I was thankful that Mr. Miller postponed my arrival on the lunch table because the awkwardness between Sofía and I was becoming unbearable even with Nash and Maliah around in the same class room. Between them the atmosphere was just as tense but even them, who have had an ugly fight over Maliah's love life in front of the whole school, sensed that something was off between my step sister and I.

During the unusual silent Biology lesson between us four, Mae and her equally obnoxious friends were not so subtly gossiping about the whole party incident as they stared at us, giggling and whispering. It not only ticked me off because Maliah looked like she wanted to rip their heads off all at once. The bell saved us from a merciless atrocity though.

I was surprised as Mr. Miller called me over before I had a chance to leave the classroom. He had said that he understood that I missed a lot of the important topics because of my long hospital stay. Mr. Miller stressed that it was better if I got a tutor though or to catch up on my own because I needed the credits to graduate.

I nodded my head to him, already feeling the pressure on my shoulders weighing me down. Before I got enrolled in Sofía's school, David made it clear to me that it was best if I repeated junior year. I threw a tantrum because I was a good student; I could easily catch up to only two months missed school material. I didn't know that moving, meeting new people and doing tons of homework wouldn't leave enough room for me to sort out the stuff I missed.

Nevertheless, I knew that I could manage. Not to prove it to him...but to me.

After leaving the classroom, totally deflated, I made my way to the bathroom quickly. I opened the door and was met with the face of a broken looking girl with only the dimmed shadow of a light of her once bright eyes remaining. I washed my clammy hands and released a long sigh.

When was I going to stop feeling like this? When was I ever going to look in the mirror and see the brightness that once shone in my eyes with a smile glued to my lips ever again?

In moments like these, I wished that there was someone, anyone standing right next to me, to tell me that I mattered, that I was not alone.

I closed my eyes, taking deep breaths. I had to remind myself that these thoughts were destructive, blinding because they were concealing the other side of the mirror.

My eyes opened sharply as I heard muffled sobs and hard breathing. The heart-wrenching sounds were so loud compared to the peaceful silence in this room, that I asked myself how I couldn't have heard them sooner.

I walked to the last cubicle that looked clearly locked. I quietly debated in front of the door to knock or not, when a familiar voice read my thoughts.

"I know that- whoever the hell you are- is standing right in front of this door. A, because of your loud ass footsteps slamming the door open. And B, because I can see your damn shoes. If you excuse me, I would like to peacefully remain in this room...alone."

Maliah's angry words didn't sound as tough as she probably wanted them to be. Her raspy voice cracked at the end, stabbing knives into my heart.

"Maliah, it's me. Livia, "I said quietly. I heard how she took in a sharp breath. "Can I come in please?"

She didn't answer but a few seconds later, I heard how the door-lock clicked. I opened it slowly and took in Maliah's puffy eyes, runny mascara and tears still running down her face. She wouldn't meet my gaze though; her eyes remained glued to the floor.