A beautiful storm

Chapter three: A wickedly painful game

Maya's POV

I hurried over to the empty table that we sat at in the morning. I had gotten to school super early so I had sometime to collect myself after last night. Josh was extra aggressive...violent...and Riley had somehow gotten Lucas to take her back. I threw my hoodie up. I was wearing the same clothes from yesterday, but no one pays attention to those things. I began to rush myself and got my makeup bag out that I had started to carry everywhere; I covered my bruises and did my makeup a little dramatic to take any attention away from them.

Zay plopped down in front of me after a few minutes since he and Lucas normally got here first.
"Good morning Ma- what the hell happened?!" He's asked his eyes widening as he looked at my face.

I quickly shushed him, he quieted down but his face remained alarmed.
"Maya!" He whispered his eyes big and scared.
"It's nothing, I fell down the stairs."
"Those covered bruises are not from a fall. Did Jos-"
"Lucas!" I called in an excited voice cutting him off.

Zay's eyes darkened as he confirmed he'd been right for months. He leaned forward in a tight closed up manner obviously upset. Lucas sat next to him.
"Morning, you're here early May- what's that?!" He asked squinting at my forehead.

I had covered most of the bruising, but there was a big dark one on my left temple which showed through, and the bags under my eyes were huge and dark.
"It's marker." I lied.

Zay looked up at me with an arched brow; neither of them bought it.
"Those are the same clothes as yesterday...where'd you get off too?" Lucas asked slowly.
"I went home."
"That's funny cause your mom called me asking if you were with me last night." Farkle cut in sitting hand in hand with Smakel.

"Maya?" Lucas asked.

Smakel studied me and opened her mouth to say something then shut it. I knew she had put it together awhile back but hoped she was wrong.

"I just went out ok? I'm fine." My voice shaking in frustration, anger, and a little bit of fear. But not with them.
"That doesn't mean you're ok." Farkle frowned.

Riley came over and sat besides me and said good morning to Lucas. She didn't pick up the conversation that we all had simultaneously dropped. And it stayed that way for awhile.

~•~°~•~

I was quiet all day. No one knew what to do. No knew for sure what was going on although Smakel and Zay had put it together, they didn't say anything.

I kept to myself all day and kept thinking about Josh.
How I used to be so giddy around him and would get so excited. How he seemed like a nice guy with edge. Riley's Uncle Boing. And I was completely wrong. I'd always hear these abusive relationship and rape stories, no matter how bad I felt and sad it was, there was always this stupid part of me that said all the signs were there, why did you put yourself in that position? Easy to say.

Over the few months I realized all the signs can be there and it either happens too fast to get out, you brush it off to being paranoid or there's none at all. Or for me, they appear slowly and you write them off as bad days. My phone buzzed during class which made me flinch. I teared up at the thought. If I was flinching in fear over my phone buzzing this had gone too far...it had gone too far long ago. Why was I still there? This isn't what I want or deserve.

I didn't care about the long game with Josh anymore. I'd lose no matter what because this won't get better, even if it did I'd never feel safe. I'd never trust him fully. There's always be this voice in my head doing what it did to Lucas the other day when he was upset. Causing paranoia and fear, making me doubt everyone. I didn't want that. I was done, I had been for three months now. I had been since the second week. That's all I knew. I'd have to figure out why I stayed though. All I knew was I was lost like I was when I didn't know who I was...but I was the same person now...I have a lot to figure out, but first things first.