Skank

Chapter 4

Maria's POV

An d there I was, standing in front of a hospital bed, watching the line on the screen go up and down, up and down, to flat. And then he was gone. Just like that. The one person who mattered was snatched from me. I wanted to cry, I really did, but I couldn't.

Is it bad I felt a sense of closure? Relief? Is it bad I almost felt like I could exhale for the first time in an eternity? The nurses put a sheet over him and asked me to leave the room.

I could almost feel him put his hand on my shoulder.

"You can breathe now." I heard him whisper in my ear as he disappeared. I finally began to cry.

It was the end of an era.

Third Person POV

Eliza fell back onto her bed and squealed like a kindergartner with a crush.

"Pleasant." She repeated to herself over and over again. "Today was pleasant. This life is pleasant. Maria is pleasant."

"Elizaaaaaaaaa!" Her mom screamed up the stairs. "I SAID it's time for dinner!!"

"Coming!" Eliza yelled back, trying to disguise the cheery undertone to her voice.

She skipped down the stairs to be greeted with her favorite meal! Today was looking up after all.

She finished her food and quickly ran back to her room, grabbing her sketchpad and sitting down with it. She flipped to an empty page and opened up instagram on her phone. She had a new muse to sketch, and her name started with an 'm'.

As Eliza started her drawing, Maria was at the hospital giving every cent she had to pay for the hospital bill, leaving little money for a gravestone she now had to buy. Her poor father will not be getting the funeral he deserved. Not at all.

Eliza's POV

I scrolled through all her photos. She was even more beautiful than I remembered. I wanted to comment something, possibly leave a subtle flirt or an anything but empty compliment, but for some odd reason the comments on her posts were turned off.

The further I scrolled, the more authentic her smile seemed. That somehow made me both happy and sad at the same time. I began to scroll back up, the life slowly draining out of her eyes the more I scroll towards the present. I didn't notice that originally. Hm. What a twisted poem her eyes showed. An unsolvable puzzle. How sad.

I started with her smile. Drawing her plump red lips, the perfect curvature at the top nearly forming a heart.

I moved on to her nose. Sort of stubby in the middle, yet still beautiful. She had a tall bridge that creased slightly at the top. A nearly unnoticeable detail to the unobservant eye.

Then, her cheekbones, they were over emphasized by makeup, so I decided to dial it back a bit in my illustration. I'm more than positive she's beautiful without makeup, why must she suffocate herself in it?

Then, her eyes, it was sad to see the dull, dying spark that was once something beautiful. I decided to base her eyes off of one of her old pictures. Her mocha brown eyes radiated with so much potential, so much love to give the world, I had to wonder what happened.

I continue to her forehead, it was on the shorter side, but perfectly symmetric with the rest of her face.

And of course, her long wavy black hair. Not a single knot on her whole head. You could nearly smell the product she used for her hair through the picture. I wondered what it would feel like to run my hands through her hair. I bet it's so soft.

I finished her ears. They were nothing special, but beautiful all the same.

I colored her coffee-toned skin, fading it slightly around her mouth to emphasize her beautiful cherry red lips. I hoped one day I'd have the courage to give this drawing to her.

As of now, though, I'll keep it to myself.

Maria's POV

Pathetic. My dear dad doesn't deserve such a cheap gravestone, I truly am worthless. He was the only piece of me left, now he's gone forever. Just earlier today I hugged him, I wish I had done it for longer. Now, I will never get to do it again.

I feel life as I know it crumble in front of my eyes. What will I do with my life now? No more strange men, no more bruises, no more tears. Is it bad that I crave pain?

Should I feel guilty for being relieved I don't have to sell myself anymore? Is it terrible that is the back of my mind I wished for this to happen? Now that the moment is here, I'm paralyzed. What should I do now that I've been given this restart button?

Drop out of school? Change my name? I have no one to stop me. But I can't do that. I can't handle any more change. I'm broken.