Complicated

Bully

Maya's POV

"Hart," I heard from across the school hallway. "How many guys did you do this weekend?" mocked Riley Matthews, a brunette girl at my school that likes to bully me.

"Huh, Hart?" She pushed me into the lockers.

I hit my elbow and recoiled in pain.

"Go away, Riley. I'm not in the mood," I turned away from her.

I had already had enough with my father this morning to now be bothered with this.

"Don't walk away from me," she warned grabbing my wrist and yanking me back.

I audibly grunted in pain and saw a look of concern flash in Riley's eyes. To my surprise, she let go. 

Riley's POV

I pulled Maya back by her wrist for trying to walk away from me. When I did that, she let out a small whimper of pain and her eyes darted to her wrist. I instinctively let go and Maya quickly walked away while I stood there in confusion.

But I needed to get back at Maya. No one turns away from me and gets off scot-free. I decided I'd humiliate her in front of the school by pouring juice on her at lunch. I did it and the rest of the cafeteria joined in at jeering at her as she ran into the girls' bathroom.

Maya's POV

Riley must've thought she had something to prove after that act of 'mercy' she showed me earlier because at lunch she decided to pour a cup of juice on me in front of the whole cafeteria.

I ran into the bathroom, not because I was humiliated but because I was panicking. I felt the makeup on my face start to come off so I quickly left. I couldn't afford for anyone to see the ugly marks the makeup was hiding.

I looked in the mirror and saw that my makeup luckily remained intact. But as I kept looking in the mirror, my thoughts started overwhelming me.

You're worthless. You're pathetic. No wonder your mom moved out. No wonder your dad beats you.

"Fuck!" I screamed punching the mirror, shattering it into a million pieces.

I started pacing in the bathroom, holding my fist that was now covered in blood. I was breathing heavily with rage at myself for being so stupid.

"Maya, stop being so melodramatic," a familiar voice said opening the bathroom door.

Riley's POV

I could hear Maya's erratic breathing.

"Go away, Riley. I mean it," She warned.

"I'll do what I want," I said walking toward the sinks.

I walked past the stalls and saw one of the mirrors above the sinks was shattered. I then saw Maya clutching her fist, red liquid covering both her hands and dripping onto the floor.

"Maya, you need to stop the bleeding," I said concerned.

She didn't move.

I grabbed a bunch of paper towels, but they were instantly soaked.

"They're not gonna be enough, take your sweatshirt off and wrap it around your hand," I told her.

She slowly shook her head.

"Maya, you have to, you're bleeding pretty badly."

She wasn't budging so I took off my shirt and wrapped her hand in it. The white of the tank top I was wearing quickly turned crimson red with blood.

"I have to get a teacher," I said. "Keep applying pressure."

Maya's POV

Riley told me to take off my sweatshirt to stop the bleeding but I needed it more to cover up the bruises that were all over my arms.

She gave me a look that said, "Don't be ridiculous, just take your sweatshirt off already," but I wasn't risking it.

Riley begrudgingly took her tank top off and put it around my fist. She saw my blood soaking through the shirt and went to get a teacher for help.

Riley ran out and came back with her dad. He looked around at the shattered mirror and then at me.

"We need to get you to the nurse, Miss Hart."

I walked with him through the halls to the nurse's office, ignoring the looks of shock, pity, and amusement on the faces of my peers as I walked by.

"Will you be okay here by yourself?" Mr. Matthews asked.

"I'll stay with her," Riley offered.

He nodded his head and left.

I looked down at my feet as we waited for the nurse, expecting to be pitied or made fun of if I looked up and met Riley's eyes.

"Is your hand okay?" Riley asked.

"What does it matter to you? It's not like you actually care," I responded.

"Seeing you in the bathroom with all that blood because of me, it made me realize how wrong I was to treat you like that," she said with remorse.

"Don't think so highly of yourself, I didn't do it because of the little prank you pulled on me," I told her.

Riley was standing in the nurse's office in her bra with blood all over her hands and pants because she was trying to help me stop the bleeding that I caused myself. And on top of that, I'm ruining her shirt and making her miss class.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled, regretting being so rude to her. "I've been having a bad day."

"Okay, Maya," the nurse said walking in. "What happened?"

"I punched a mirror in the bathroom, I just need you to bandage my hand," I said holding up my hand wrapped in Riley's blood-drenched tank top.

Riley's POV

The nurse cleaned Maya's hand and bandaged it within ten minutes. During that time, the vice principal came in to see Maya.

"I'm sending you home, Maya. You're suspended from school until Thursday," he said.

"No, you can't do that!" Maya fought back.

"You broke a mirror in the girls' bathroom. That's destruction of school property."

"But you can't send me home. Please, don't," she sounded extremely desperate.

"I'm sorry, please collect your belongings and leave the property," he said finally.

Maya Hart, desperately trying to keep herself from being suspended? Not wanting to get to go home? It didn't sound right to me. What is she hiding?