ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕋𝕨𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕪-𝕆𝕟𝕖

𝑴𝒂𝒚𝒂 𝑺𝒕. 𝑴𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒏

Kol drops me off at the restaurant my Mother sent me. It was some fancy-pancy restaurant, but did I expect anything less from Aureila St. Martin?

I walk into the restaurant and walk up to the host. "Reservation under St. Martin," I say. The host looks up from her phone and at and scans my outfit.

"The rest of your party is already here. Right this way," she says, her voice filled with judgment.

Okay, bitch.

The hostess walks me to my table and there I see my Mother. "Maya, so excellent for you to join us," she says.

Us? I turn and see my brother sitting across from my Mother. My mouth gapes open.

"Liam..." I haven't seen my brother since I was like 12.

I try to say something else, but words have failed me.

Liam rises out of his seat and sweeps me into his arms. My entire body relaxes in his firm grasp—my brother's hug. I haven't hugged my brother since the day he left for college.

Liam lets me go and guides me to the seat next to his. After I'm seated, he sits next to me. "It's so nice to see my kids together. If only Zoey could have been here," Mother says.

I see Liam's eye visibly twitch at Mother's words. Liam has always been protective of his sisters. Especially Zoey.

I was always able to shake off Mother's words. But, Zoey was sensitive. Mom would often say she was like our Dad.

For any conversations that were slightly offensive to Zoey, Liam would defend her. He was wrecked after Zoey was raped. He was out for blood. But, the rapist was long in jail.

I lightly drum my fingers on the table. "Maya, stop that. We're in public." I roll my eyes, let out a breath, and remove my hands from the table.

"So I hear you're in college now," Liam states. I look at him and nod. We get consumed in silence that's awkward and uncomfortable.

It's not at all like the silence I have with Kol.

Comfortable silence.

"What have you been up to...after you left?" I prompt. I hate awkwardness.

"I went to college planning to study to become an architect, but life had other plans," Liam says. Mother's eyebrows furrow in confusion.

"You didn't finish college?" Mother asks. "You sent me your degree and everything."

Liam shrugs. "I photoshopped it."

I glance at Mother and watch her face goes pale. "Then what have you been doing with the money I've sent you for your tuition each semester?"

I sit back in my seat and enjoy the shitshow about to go down. For the past 6 years, it's been nothing but; Maya this and Maya that, and now finally it'll be: What the hell is wrong with someone other than Maya?

"I've been...handling it," Liam says. Mother crosses her arms. She arches an eyebrow. "Handling it how?"

"Investing," Liam simply says. Mother let's out a controlled breath. A breath to help her calm down. Because Aureila St. Martin will never have a meltdown in public.

"Legal investments?" she asks.

I smile at Liam rolling his eyes. "Jesus, Mother. Of course, they're all legal. I'm not an idiot."

I snicker as Mother's eyes roll.

The rest of the lunch was awkward and stuffy. Mother tried her best to make small talk and move the conversation along, but neither Liam nor I had much to say.

I call Angela to come and pick me up. Mother leaves and Liam and I are standing on the curb.

"So, why did you really come here?" I ask Liam. "The tuition money run out?"

Liam shoves his hands in his pockets and shrugs. "I wanted to see you."

I roll my eyes. "After all this time?"

"You're 18. I thought it would be time that you would want to leave the conveyer belt," he responds.

"Please. I've been off the conveyer belt since you left. I was nothing but the Mother's disappointment ever since then," I breath out.

Liam looks down at me and he frowns. "Sorry, I left. After everything that happened Zoey, I just fucking lost it Maya."

Liam passes around behind me, cleary vexed. "Mother sent her away like she was on a drug bend and not pregnant with the child of a rapist."

Our Mom. She's a real piece of work. "I wanted to get you out of there, Maya. I hired a private investigator and found out you went to college in California. So, I came here to see you," Liam explains. "I was wandering around campus trying to find you when I ran into Mother."

I try to think about how that would've gone down. Mother, the world's biggest control freak who hasn't seen her only son in about 6 years. "Was she mad?" I ask.

"She was livid," Liam says and I laugh. "But, overall she was happy to see me after such a long time."

Mother would never let me get away with something like that. She always had a soft spot for Liam.

Angela's car pulls up against the curve and she rolls down the window. It looks like she's been crying. "Angela, what's wrong?" I ask.

I get in the passenger seat without saying goodbye to Liam and Angela drives off. She sits there silently as we drive.

"A, what's wrong? Talk to me, please," I beg. Angela let's out a controlled breath.

"I went to the restaurant where Leo and I were supposed to be having lunch and he didn't show up. I waited an entire hour. So, I went to look for him and he had some girl at his apartment," Angela cried out.

I'm beginning to see that Leo is not a good fucking person.

"Angela, pull over," I say. Angela immediately makes a left turn into a gas station parking lot and parks the car.

Angela sits there and wails like a baby. I hold her in my arms as she cries in my arms. We stay like that for another hour and I end up driving us both home.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I leave Angela in our dorm room and go to the store to get more paint.

I mean, Kol did ask for a painting.

My phone dings and I take out my phone. I was scrolling and then I bounce into someone. I was about to fall when strong arms grab one of mine.

"Thank yo..." My words fall short as I look up and see Leo.

"You're Maya, right? Angel's friend," he asks. I look him and up and down before rolling my eyes.

Cute. He calls her Angel.

There are two ways I could play this. I could act like the nice best friend or I could be the raging bitch that gives him a reality check.

Ever since Angela met Leo, she's complained every day about how hot and cold he is. He likes her one minute and distances himself the next.

She's been crying at night sometimes, too. She thinks that I don't hear. But, I do. He keeps hurting my friend. And I'm going to make him realize.

Option 2 is looking real good right now.

"Yeah, I am. And you're Leo, the tool who keeps playing my friend," I say. Leo's eyebrows furrow in confusion.

"P-Playing? I'm not playing anybody," he says. I roll my eyes.

"But, you are. You keep fucking with my best friend's head and it's pissing me off," I yell. "She's crying every time you guys hang out because of the way you treat her."

Leo's shoulders slack. "I make her...cry?"

I roll my eyes. Of course, he's fucking clueless that his consequences have actions. "So what...you think kissing her one day and then treating her like a piece of shit the next day is not going to make her cry? Wouldn't that make you fucking cry?"

Leo's face looks visibly stressed. Like this news was just dawning on him. "I never meant to hurt Angel...Angela. I never wanted to make her feel sad," he says.

He nods his head as he processes what I said. "You're right. What I'm doing is wrong. I'll work on it."

He smiles goodbye and leaves. I walk back to my dorm room feeling accomplished.

I help Angela with her Leo situation. It should be smooth sailing from now on.

End of Chapter Twenty-One

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I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!!!

I'm officially on summer vacation, so updates should be more frequent.

We may even finish this book during the summer.

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