Hybrid

Things Less Forgotten

Maria decided I needed to go to classes and to force me to go she said she wanted to empty out her locker and say goodbye to some people. That meant we ended up moving down the hallway with everyone's eyes on us. Personally, I didn't find us that interesting.

Tiana stopped in front of us and demanded I leave so she could talk to Maria. Obviously I wasn't moving a muscle, so Tiana started to talk anyway.

"I heard you're dying," Tiana said bluntly.

"Seems so," Maria replied.

"I'm sorry that's happening."

"I am too."

Tiana stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to say next. Maria waiter patiently for her to find her words.

"I technically owe you one, for the torture and all," Tiana said.

Maria nodded, "That's fair."

Tiana walked off without saying another word.

"That was weird," I mumbled.

"Not really. We bonded I think."

I stopped in front of Maria's locker and she put in her combination.

"Hey can I have your keys? There's an errand I want to run while you're busy with classes," Maria asked.

"Sure. What errand?"

"It's a secret." Maria winked at me.

She started pulling her things from the locker and handing me things to hold while she organized items. I stood patiently as things piled into my arms and tried my best not to drop anything.

"This needs to go back to the library I think," Maria mumbled to herself.

"I can take it," I offered.

She nodded, distracted by her task. I gently set the pile down and made my way towards the library. I wait patiently for the librarian to appear and when she did she took the books into her shaky hands. I listened to the beeping of the scanner until I heard a noise that made my stomach flip.

I had been listening to Maria's heart more lately because I felt comfort in knowing she was still fine. At this moment, her heart was racing. I felt myself running blindly in her direction, her heartbeat racing in my ears. I turned the corner to see Joe leaning down with his hands on the armrests of Maria's chair.

I moved faster than I knew I was capable of, putting Joe within arms reach. I roughly pulled him away from her and shoved him into the lockers. He had to have been a shitty hunter because his heart beat erratically and his breathing sped up.

"You stay the fuck away from her," I growled.

Joe struggled against my hold, his hands clawing at mine to remove them from his shirt. I felt Maria beside me, creating a momentary distraction. She was standing on wobbly legs as she reached out to me, and I immediately dropped Joe to be by her side.

I wrapped her in my arms, "What happened?"

"Nothing. Let's just leave." Maria's eyes seemed to beg me.

"I wanted her to know that even though everyone felt bad for her, I didn't." Joe choked out, "The bitch brought this on herself."

I could feel Maria holding me back. I could feel rage crawling under my skin and I was doing everything in my power to swallow it back down.

"If she had just stayed with me, we never would've been in this mess," Joe spat.

I picked Maria up bridal style and dropped her in her chair a few feet away. I didn't need her to hear him acting this way, so I started pushing her out of the building. I handed her my keys when we were next to the car.