Chapter 9

Maya’s POV

I sat on the edge of the waiting chair outside the VP office. My fingers digging into the plush fabric of Chloe’s skirt. I looked down at my hands. The manicure was perfect, but the person underneath was a mess.

I had just stood in a hallway and screamed at Chloe, for something I had messed up. I had used her secrets as weapons. I had taken the one thing she cared about, her social standing, and set it on fire just because I was hurting.

The door to the inner office creaked open. Vice Principal Queencha stood there, her glasses perched on the end of her nose.

"Nakamura has already left for the bus," the VP said. "Do you have something you want to talk about, Chloe?"

I stood up abruptly, and we walked into her office. "Ma'am, I... I need to tell you the truth about the fight. I know I said things that were... I was the one who made her upset. But, Chloe doesn't deserve a full week of detention.

Queencha’s eyes looked disappointed. "Chloe?"

"I... I mean..." I stuttered.

"So," Queencha continued. "Chloe Whitmore, you think you do not deserve a week of detention, but Maya does? You try to lobby me in my office? Trying to sound like a victim"

"No! That's not what I meant—"

"Enough, Chloe," she snapped, pointing a finger toward the exit. "Your lack of character recently has been staggering. To try and throw her under the bus after she shielded you... it’s beneath even you. Go home, you have detention tomorrow. And I suggest you spend that time thinking about why you are so determined to leave everyone behind the moment things get difficult."

I stumbled out of the office, feeling worse. Now, I was the villain in everyone’s story. I made that stupid wish. Wait… the wish? The bathroom? Jess? No it couldn't be a device that wasn't working wouldn't have made my life a living hell.

The school was quiet. The lockers, usually a gauntlet of noise and fear, were just metal boxes now. I walked toward the main entrance, but I couldn't bring myself to leave. I sat on the floor in the hallway.

I sat on the brick planter outside the gym, watching the last yellow buses pull away. I watched the "normal" kids laughing as they moved into their cars.

I was alone. For the first time, I realized that being Chloe didn't mean I was loved. And right now, everyone hated what they were seeing.

Tears began to blur my vision.

"You're still here?"

I jumped, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. Mark was standing a few feet away, his car keys hooked around his finger. He wasn't looking at me with the disgust the cheerleaders had.

"Mark," I choked out, my voice cracking.

He walked over and sat down beside me, leaving a respectful distance. He sighed, looking out at the empty parking lot. "I saw what happened. The whole school did. I think you really went far today, Chlo."

"I ruined everything," I whispered. "I'm a horrible person."

"You're not horrible," Mark said. "You're just... lost. Look, I talked to Jaxon. He’s pissed, yeah. He’s telling everyone he’s done with the drama. But you know how he is. Give him a little space, and he’ll come around. He loves you, in his own twisted way. He just needs to cool off."

I looked at him, and the kindness in his eyes was the final breaking point. Mark didn't know he was comforting the girl he used to ignore. He thought he was saving his best friend’s girlfriend.

"Thanks, Mark," I said, a fresh wave of tears rolling down my cheeks.

To my surprise, Mark reached out. He just put a steady arm around my shoulders and let me lean into him.

"Come on," he said after a minute, standing up and offering me a hand. "You didn't drive today, did you? I didn't see your car in the parking lot. I’ll drive you home."

As he pulled into the long, circular driveway, the massive white pillars of Chloe’s house looked like the bars of a prison. I hated this place, Chloe's mom was always yelling and her dad was never around.

Mark put the car in park and looked at me. "You going to be okay?"

I looked at the house, then back at him. "Mark?" I said, my hand on the door handle.

"Yeah?"

"Don't go yet. Please. Come in? I... I really need to talk to someone. Just… can we talk?"

Mark hesitated, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. He knew Jaxon would lose his mind if he found out Mark was inside Chloe’s house while they were "broken up." But then he looked at my face.

"Okay," he whispered. "I'm coming in."

I walked towards the front door, stood, waiting for him to get down from his car.

I didn't know what I wanted to talk about. All I knew was that I couldn't be Chloe Whitmore for one more second without someone seeing the real me.