Broken

Chapter 2 Alex's POV: All Day Work

All day I have been exhausted and now I have to work on this stupid project with that girl Maria. As I am waiting for Maria, I see Bianca walking by with a smug look on her face. Fifteen minutes later, I am still waiting for Maria so I start checking the school to look for her. When I stop by the nurse's office, I ask Mrs. Lepolt if she has seen Maria because I know they are close.

"Hey Mrs. Lepolt! Have you seen Maria since this morning? We are supposed to be doing a project together at my house but I can't seem to find her." I ask in a monotone voice.

"I saw her leaving the school this afternoon probably to head home, the poor girl." She says sadly.

"Why do you say it like that?" I began to question suspiciously.

"No reason!" Mrs. Lepolt answers quickly, too quickly might I add. I leave it at that because I know that Mrs. Lepolt isn't going to tell me anymore information about Maria. I rush out to my car and start driving around trying to find Maria. Finally, I see Maria walking along the side of the road so I abruptly come to a stop on the roadside.

"Did you forget about the project?" I ask when she turns towards me.

"Yes, I'm sorry I didn't mean to I swear! I was just really exhausted from today, and... and it just completely slipped my mind after school." She says while fumbling over her words.

"Whatever, just hurry up and get in the car so we can start working on it." I say irritably. When I look back I see her off in her own little world and start to get angry with her.

"Maria! Are you getting in the car or not?" I say, knocking her out of her little world. When she finally gets in the car, I quickly pull off the roadside and start driving towards my house. "What is your address so we can go get the shit you need for this project?" I ask a bit harshly. In my peripheral vision I see Maria flinch while shrinking in fear.

"Let's just go to your house and start working on other parts of the project today, since it is already so late." She says shakily.

"Whatever...," I respond. "So what kind of cake do you have in mind for the project?" I ask her.

"Um, I was thinking we could make a sponge cake, red velvet cake, and tres leche. We can do 5 trials for each of the cakes and then add something new to each new trial and compare the cakes with the other trials and the other types of cake trials, I guess." She rambles.

"That's fine." I say, "Let's just get this over with. We have to find recipes that will work for all the cakes and it has to be good." I demand.

"Actually, I know a recipe for one of the cakes. My mother used to make the best sponge cake in the world." She explained. I listened and saw her give a hint of a smile while talking with teary eyes.

"Why doesn't she make it anymore?" I ask harshly. I know I need to work on how I speak to people, but this is hard to fix whenever you have to keep up such a tough reputation.

"Um, my mom passed away 5 years ago." She says in a mere whisper, while shrinking into her seat. When she says this, I feel a sense of understanding wash over me and I quickly look away from Maria.

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that." I firmly state. I do understand how that feels because I also lost someone close to me. My hands tighten on the wheel just thinking about what happened to my twin sister. In the corner of my eye, I see Maria silently staring straight ahead with a hint of fear in her eyes. When I look forward again I see a man walking towards the pub that is up the street getting closer to passing my car.

"Can we go to your house please? I changed my mind, I don't want to go to my house anymore." She says weakly.

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