Secrets She Keeps

You Can't Tell

They ended up watching Zombies Eat Your Brains 3: The Movie. When the movie had ended, Zay cleaned up their drinks and popcorn before realizing that Maya had fallen asleep.

She was lying on the couch, curled into a ball. She moved a little to rest her head on her arm, causing her sleeve to shift slightly.

Zay saw the tip of something red poking out from under her sleeve. He thought about what it might be, hoping he was wrong.

He slowly lifted her sleeve and saw the erratic lines.

"Why would you do this to yourself, Maya?" he sadly whispered.

"Everything became too much," she softly answered.

"You're awake," he said as he gently traced his fingers over the red lines and felt their jaggedness.

"You can't tell," she quickly said, eyes wide in desperation.

"But you're hurting yourself."

"If you tell, I will never forgive you," she was stern.

"Damn it, Maya," Zay shook his head. "You're always helping everyone else, why can't you let someone help you for once?"

"Because I don't need help," she told him. "You can't fix me, Zay. I can't be fixed."

"I'm not trying to fix you. I'm just trying to help you be happy."

"Why would you waste your time on me? I'm a lost cause," she started tearing up.

"Because everyone deserves to be happy, including you."

"Not everyone seems to think that," she mumbled to herself.

"What?"

"It's just that, some people have made it very clear that happiness isn't deserved by everyone."

"Who are you talking about?" Zay asked.

"I'm not gonna say. It's just some dumb people at school," she responded, an obvious lie.

Zay was growing more impatient and more concerned.

"Who the hell are you talking about, Maya?"

"Missy and Hannah, and Farkle."

"And Farkle?" Zay's raised his voice in anger. "Farkle's a dead man."

"No, Zay, don't bother with him," she begged.

"Why are you protecting him?"

"I'm not. He's just a jerk and it's not worth it."

Zay seemed to respect Maya's wishes for now.

"What can I do to help you?" Zay asked, more clear-headed.

"Can you just be there for me?"