To be Maria (20 page)

            A chuckle escapes from Marissa's lips. "Why? He has nothing to do with her."

            "I also need to get my things."

            "You guys can live with us," Alex says.

            Maria stares at him, her eyebrows arched. She can’t believe that he has just made this offer. "But, you only have one room and one washroom. Where are we gonna sleep?"

            Alex and Marissa exchange looks. "We have a foamy. It's large enough for two people to sleep on. You can both sleep on that, and we have extra blankets," he says.

            Maria's gaze drifts back to the marijuana plants.
Should I or shouldn't I? I mean, they do have money. And lots of it. But they're also dangerous. I don't think we should live with them. I don't think we should even hang out with them. It's not a good idea.
But then, the memory of Sunday crosses her mind: the rotten smell, the stained furniture, Anya's ugly father and her brat of a sister. It could take her several months to save up enough money to rent an apartment suite and there is no way she is going to live in that filthy house for that predicted length of time. She then thinks about Anya in the hospital. She could pay for Anya's medical costs, but then she would have no money left over for herself. The prospect of having to face Carly alone is even more terrifying. She can't do it because it's three -- or more -- against one. Carly will just shoot her down, or worse, do to her what she just did to Anya. No, she needs one or two strong people on her side.

            When she turns to face Alex and Marissa, her fear evaporates, making her forget that she had been terrified of them only a few minutes ago. These people are incredibly hot, and they do know how to party. Alex also said that he would look after her and Anya.
I mean, that's what good friends do. I know that Alex is going to diminish Carly and her lame ass friends, so how can I say no to him? Oh, to hell with danger. I want their friendship. Besides, when isn't danger involved with life?

            "So, what do you say, Maria?" Alex says.     

            Maria studies his features.
I can't resist that smile. I just can't.
"Sure. We'll stay at your place. Thank you, Alex."

****

            Maria peers through the living room window of Anya's home: it is pitch black and there is no sound to be heard from behind those walls. She waits for a while, then tiptoes over to the door. She knocks. She listens. Still, the house remains stubbornly silent. Maria groans.
Great. I hope to God Anya's sister didn't steal any of my stuff. It's really expensive and I don't think that I'll ever be able to replace it.

            "What do you want?"

            A young girl's brusque voice makes Maria jump. It is Anya's younger sister. Even though it's night, the darkness can’t hide the bruises on her face.

            "I came to get my stuff, and I need to talk to your dad," Maria says.  

            The scowl deepens on Sophia's face. "My dad's not here and I don't want you here either, so piss off."

            "Hey," Maria yells. She holds her hand out to stop the door from being slammed in her face. "Don't you dare talk to me like that! You're dad isn't here to tell me to leave, so I have every right to be here."

            Sophia stares at her defiantly. "But I don't want you here."

            Maria glowers at her. "To bad, so sad. I'm gonna get my things whether you like it or not. And if I find out you touched my belongings, so help me God, I will hurt you worse than Anya hurt you."

            Sophia snickers. "Oh, don't worry, I didn't go near your belongings. I don't touch stuff that belongs to whores."

            Maria grabs her by the scruff of her neck. "Call me a whore one more time and I'll send you to the hospital. Got that?"

            Sophia, wide eyed, nods her head rapidly.

            "Good," Maria says, shoving Sophia aside. "God, you are one nasty little bitch. I'd be horrifically surprised if you told me you have friends." Maria then marches past her. At the door -- the one that leads into Anya's bedroom -- she turns to face Sophia once more. "Your sister is in the hospital. She was almost murdered this afternoon, so maybe from now on, you should consider how you treat her."

            Maria runs a pick through her curls. Today is going to be a busy day because she starts her new job. As excited as she is, it is overshadowed by the prospect of an unfinished business she must accomplish hours before she begins her shift. Alex and she have agreed to go to Peach Valley Senior High together to confront Carly. Ever since her terse chat with Sophia, Maria has felt this consistent pang of anxiety. It beats relentlessly against her chest. She has tossed and turned all night, unable to get much sleep because of it.

            Next, Maria traces olive toned concealer over the dark rings underneath her eyes. Maria is afraid to meet Carly because of what she is tempted to do to her, but also because of what Carly might do to her. On the other hand, Carly may be kind just so she can cover her ass.
Yeah right, Maria. Wishful thinking.
After applying enough of it to hide the dark circles, Maria fastens the lid on the bottle, then tucks it inside her reasonably sized makeup bag.

            Maria eventually finds herself sitting at the small kitchen table, sipping a cup of coffee --that Marissa had made before she left to run some errands -- and flips through an old edition of
Alive
Magazine. But she quickly turns her attention to last week's issue of
Peach Valley Times
. A photo of a little girl inhabits almost half of the front page. The little girl boasts a head full of brown ringlets. Her cheeks are rosy and her pretty face holds a wide smile, showing off a set of perfectly shaped, white teeth. Maria's eyes fall to the caption below. "Jessica Hunter, age 9, disappeared from outside of her father's house in Vernon last weekend. She was last seen wearing a pink ski jacket, blue jeans and pink boots. Her mother, Angela Brayden, suspects her ex-husband took Jessica and left town. The police have launched a search and investigation. They will pay an award of $10,000 to the person who finds Jessica," it reads.

            Maria studies the smiling girl in the photo.
Would the press have given Anya this much coverage if she had died before she reached the hospital? She is such an underdog in this city that it really makes me wonder.
She pushes the newspaper away and tries to focus all of her attention on the coffee in the mug. She crumples her face after sipping the bitter liquid.
Ugh, this doesn't taste nearly as good as it did when it was hot.
Maria walks over to the coffee maker. It is already half empty, but she doesn't care. She is going to need a lot more energy for today's duties. She pours more coffee into the mug.

            "Aren't you going to save me some coffee?" Alex says from behind.

            Maria spins around, her hand still gripping the handle of the coffee pot. "Oh, I'm sorry, Alex, you can have the rest."

            His mouth forms into a perfectly round ‘o’ when he sees her. "Wow, you look stunning. Absolutely sexy."

            Maria glances down at black dress she is wearing. The style is the same as the navy blue dress she wore yesterday, only the neckline is wider and even more low-cut than the other dress. Small ruffles adorn the hemline of the plunging neckline, the black bra she is wearing underneath blends in so well with her dress that it is not noticeable. She smiles at him. "Thanks. It's my new work dress."

            Alex grins at her. "Well, if you go to work looking like that every day, it won't take you long to work your way up the ladder."

            Maria blushes deeply. "Well, I'll see what Jeremy has to say about my taste in fashion."

            Alex arches one eyebrow. "Now, who's this Jeremy?"

            Maria twists a lock of hair around her left index finger. "He's my boss. Well, actually, he's the manager, an incredibly hot manager."

            The delighted smile on his face fades. "Oh come on, this Jeremy isn't hotter than me. Right?"

            Now it's her turn to feel awkward. She stares at him momentarily, her stomach performing flip flops. His hair is clean and it falls like a tidy blanket to his shoulders. The tattoos on his muscular arms does make him look quite appealing, but he is already with another woman and there's no way Maria is going to intervene. She can sense that Marissa has a very dark side to her personality and she does not want to experience that side. "Well, I'd say you're as hot as him."
Don't lead him on, Maria.

            "Uh…did you know that a nine-year-old girl by the name of Jessica Hunter went missing last weekend?" she says.

            "Yeah, I read the article. Sad story. Her mom suspects that her ex-husband abducted her. I wouldn't doubt it if he did. The guy is a total waste of human creation."

            Maria's jaw drops. "You know Jessica's father?"

            "No, I don't know the guy personally, but his ex-wife sure slimed him; how he used to beat her. I mean, why would the woman even allow her daughter to visit the jerk? Obviously, she, herself, has shit for brains."

            "But maybe she didn't send her daughter over to her father's place. Maybe Jessica left without her mother knowing. Or maybe she happened to walk past her father's place when on a walk," Maria says.

            "Either way, I hope the guy gets killed."

            Maria's gaze sinks to the tile floor. The thought of that woman being beaten relentlessly by her husband and then having her only child abducted by him is far too painful to bear. Her hardship makes Anya's struggles seem minute. "What a sad world we live in. And it's about to get even more depressing because I have to deal with Carly."

            "You'll be fine, Maria. I'll be with you. No teenage girl is gonna get away with shit when I'm around."

            Maria sighs heavily. "You don't know Carly. She's a violent bitch."

            "Oh babe, you haven't seen violence until you've seen a man shot dead between the eyes and then buried in the bushes where no one can find his body."

            The harshness in those words makes her heart skip a beat. "Pinning someone to the ground by her hair with weights is worse than shooting someone between the eyes. It is torture."

            "You worry way too much, Maria. When I'm done with this bitch, she won't be bothering Anya anymore." Alex squints his left eye. He forms his hand into a pistol, then points it at her, pretending to shoot.

            Maria's eyes bulge open. "Alex, you're not going to shoot her, are you?"

            He chuckles. "Of course not. I'm just gonna threaten her."

            She suddenly feels his hand on her shoulder.

            "Maria, look at me."

            She looks into those dark brown eyes, not knowing whether to feel comforted or afraid.

            "Everything is going to be alright. Come one 'o' clock, you won't have to worry about Carly anymore."
            She nods her head. "Yes," is all she can say.

            "Okay then, let's go."

            "But, I haven't eaten anything yet."

            "We'll stop at McDonald's or Tim Horton's; wherever you like, as long as it's a fast food joint because we have only an hour and fifteen until twelve."

            "I'll settle for a McDonald's egg McMuffin and another coffee, and a smoke for desert," she says while she slips her feet into her boots.

****

            Alex and Maria sneak out of the truck as soon as the school bell rings, its high-pitched sound heard clearly one block away from where Alex has parked his vehicle. They walk down the sidewalk, then round the corner onto the school property, acting like they are regular students.

            The moment Maria steps through the entrance doors, memories of her short time at this school flood her mind. Carly's welcoming smile is the first image that appears in her mind. She shakes her head vigorously.
Focus, Maria. Focus. Get her out of your mind. She's not your friend.
Out of the corner of her right eye, she sees Patrick walking alone, his guitar slung over his shoulders.
Geez, that kid is such a loner.
"Hey, Patrick," Maria yells.

            Patrick jerks his head in her direction. For a moment, he stands there speechless, staring at her with a befuddled look on his face.

           
Yeah, I know why you're giving me that look. You're surprised that someone is actually talking to you.

           
Then, the expression on his face darkens. "What do you want?"

            Maria can feel the bitter edge in his voice, but it is too dull to hurt. "Do you know where Carly is?"

            He frowns at her. "How would I know? I never talk to her."

            Alex, who has been silent this entire time, approaches him, blocking his path. He removes his shades so that Patrick can get a good look at him. "We need to know where she is. This is important."