Maya's pov
I stood there still in shock,the video gets played over and over and over....
"I... I can't....." I stammered, my voice barely a whisper
"Maya, wait...." Cole reached out, but I was already bolting out the door
I ran!!!
Down the hallway, through the lobby, past the whispers that turned into gasps
Phones were out,stares pierced through me like daggers
Slut , Desperate , Attention seeker
People didn't even whisper anymore,they just said it
I couldn't breathe
"Maya!" Cole's voice echoed behind me, but I didn't stop
My feet pounded the tiled floors like they were the only things keeping me from falling apart.
And then—
I collided into someone
My shoulder jerked back from the force, nearly knocking me over
"Well, well," Lisa's voice oozed out like venom
I froze
Of all people
Lisa crossed her arms with a smirk, flanked by her ever faithful shadows, Kate and Lily
"What's the rush, superstar?" Lisa asked, raising an arched brow
I clenched my jaw
"You really thought Adrian liked you?" Lisa scoffed "you're just his newest toy,he gets bored fast sweetheart,but don't worry now that he's done playing, he'll come back to where he belongs".
"Which is obviously Lisa," Lily chimed, lips twisted in a cruel smile
Kate snorted "God, look at you,you were never in his league".
"Actually," Lisa leaned in, voice dropping, "you were just a warm up".
My throat burned
I turned to walk away, blinking back the sting in my eyes,when a voice called behind them
"Maya!"
Cole, breathless, appearing at the far end of the hallway, scanning frantically
Lisa's smirk faltered "Ugh, here comes your little bodyguard".
I didn't wait, I ran across the courtyard, students parting as I went, some sneering, others snickering,then I ran past the school gate
I didn't know where I was going
But anywhere was better than here.
Later That Day–At my house
The house was quiet
I lay curled on my bed, damp with tears and shame,my room was dim, curtains drawn tight,shielding myself from the outside world
My phone buzzed constantly
I had thrown it somewhere across the room the moment I walked in, I didn't care where it landed
My mom wasn't home of course, she was at the hospital,so I was utterly alone
Until—
*Ding dong*
The doorbell echoed
I didn't move at first, I wasn't expecting anyone
Maybe if I ignored it...
*Ding dong*
I finally pushed myself off the bed,dragging my legs downstairs
When I opened the door…
"Cher..." my voice cracked
Without saying a word, Cherry pulled me into a tight, warm hug
Cherry just held me, smoothing her hand over my back, whispering gently "I've got you,I'm here now, okay?."
And I felt less alone.
Later in my room
The air in my room was a little warmer now, a soft playlist hummed in the background, and between us sat a half eaten bowl of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream and a second one that had just been cracked open
I sat cross legged in my hoodie, hair tied up messily, while Cherry lounged beside me,occasionally shoving another bite into her mouth
"God, I feel like we're going through a breakup," Cherry muttered
I dipped my spoon again, staring at the melting swirl of chocolate like it could explain the universe to me
"So... you wanna talk about the video?"
I sighed "I mean, what is there to talk about? Everyone already saw it,they've made up their minds,and Adrian hasn't called or text,nothing".
Cherry looked at me "he probably thinks you hate him".
"I don't even know what I feel right now," I said "Embarrassed?humiliated?stupid?".
"You're not stupid," Cherry said immediately. "Someone filmed you without your consent. That's not on you".
"I signed "
"Do you have any idea who it is?" Cherry asked
"the person who filmed it?"
"I have no idea,it was just us that night" I replied
Cherry leaned her head back against the wall, licking the spoon clean "By the way... about that weird text you got, are you going?"
The text had been pushed to the back of my mind with everything that happened today
I took another spoonful of ice cream, swallowed, then looked at Cherry
"I mean..." i said, setting the spoon down slowly, "could the day get any worse?"
Cherry raised her brows "So... yes?"
"Yes," I said with a breath "I'm going".
Later That Night – The Kitchen
The front door creaked open, followed by the soft sound of heels clicking against the floor
"Maya?"
"In the kitchen!" I called out
My mom appeared in the doorway, eyebrows shooting up in surprise when she saw me standing at the stove, stirring a pot
"You're cooking?" my mom said, "should I be worried?"
I smirked "Relax, it's just mac and cheese"
My mom dropped her bag on a nearby chair and walked over, peering into the pot
"wow....well that's not something I see everyday"
We both laughed, and for a minute, the day felt normal again
At the Table
We sat at our small kitchen table, bowls of creamy mac and cheese steaming in front of us
"So, how was the hospital?" I asked, twirling my fork
"Long....exhausting, I stitched up three kids with skateboard injuries and got yelled at by a mom who swore we gave her son the wrong lollipop".
I chuckled "The audacity"
"Exactly, like....I don't get paid enough for lollipop arguments".
We both laughed again, and I felt a twinge of guilt settle in my chest,my mom was trying so hard to keep things steady,to protect me and here I was... about to sneak out
Later – Upstairs
The hallway was dark and silent,my mom had gone to bed not long after dinner with a tired "Goodnight, baby," and a kiss to my forehead
Now I stood in my room, moving quietly
I pulled the covers back and arranged three pillows underneath,fluffing and shaping until they resembled the curve of a sleeping body
I stood back and nodded,from the door, it looked convincing enough,my mom was too tired to check anyway
I grabbed my hoodie and pulled it over my head, then laced up my sneakers, I grabbed my phone, a tiny flashlight, and tiptoed to the front door, easing it open with practiced silence
Click
I slipped outside and shut it behind me carefully,across the street, a car flashed its headlights once
Cherry's mom's old SUV
I jogged over and yanked the door open, sliding into the passenger seat
Cherry looked over with raised brows "You're really doing this?"
I buckled my seatbelt, heart racing, eyes on the road ahead
"I need to know".
And with that, Cherry stepped on the gas.
We drove off into the night.
The Destination
The car slowed to a stop
Cherry squinted through the windshield "This... is it?"
I leaned forward, eyeing the building in front of us
It was abandoned, massive, and quiet in a way that didn't feel right,the structure looked like it used to be a warehouse or some kind of storage facility,the kind of place people forgot existed.
The walls were worn down to the concrete, vines curling up the side like nature was trying to swallow it whole, couple of the windows was shattered,the sign out front had long since faded to a smear of rust and grime
Everything was still,too still
"I'm not loving this," Cherry muttered
I glanced at her, "me neither."
But we got out anyway
We approached slowly, our shoes crunching over gravel and glass,the air was thick and musty, like rot and memories.
We pulled out our phones and turned on the flashlight,the beam cut through the darkness as we stepped through the half open metal door, which groaned like it hadn't moved in years
Inside?
Even worse
The floor was covered in dust, old debris, and broken furniture,a few rusted filing cabinets stood against the far wall.
A crooked staircase led to an upper level that looked like it would collapse if you sneezed too hard.
Our footsteps echoed as we moved through the space "Is this some kind of joke?" I said
We checked the first few rooms, nothing,no one
No signs of life except for maybe the rats
Cherry sighed, "Let's just get out of here before we get haunted or murdered or even both"
I nodded, in agreement
As we walked towards the door
I paused....
I saw something.