Chapter 7 Maya

I stopped in my tracks trying to understand what I had just heard

The sheer nerve of Jason to ask me to be his girlfriend admist everything going on i slowly turned and looked at him walking back to meet him slowly

"what the fuck" i asked looking at him like he insulted me

"I mean think about it" he started trying to make sense

"Tiffany said we were dating and nobody has heard from our side of the story" he said trying to touch me

I moved back enough to prevent his hands from touching me

"So you think.... Going online and saying that you actually cheated on Tiffany with me is the best idea" I asked looking at him trying to understand if he was actually thinking or he was just trying to act on impulse again

"That's the thing....we aren't going to agree that I cheated....unlike her we are going to say the truth and let everyone know we are now official....it might calm the waters" he said trying to sound convincing

I laughed a bitter dry laugh as I walked up to him and touched his body slightly

"You are burning up.....you should go lay down and get some rest" I said before turning back to leave he held my hand and the anger that ran through my spine was maddening

I quickly withdraw my hands from his grip giving him a warning look

"Don't you ever" I said pointing my index finger at him

"Look Maya I know you are angry.....I dragged you into my mess-"

"Dragged?..... Jason you ruined my life.....I was fired from work..... I'm a social reject" I said trying to suppress my anger

"I'll pay you" he said opening his palms as a gesture

"You are insane Jason.....stay away from me" I said walking away

I had to wait ten minutes for a cab before going home because someone decided to deflate my tire on a Tuesday afternoon with a note glued to it

"Why don't you walk bitch"

Since then I either took the bus or ordered a ride and since I didn't have enough funds to throw around I walked to school in the morning and took a cab back home

I turned to my left and caught Tiffany and her friends laughing at me Tiffany giving me her middle finger before getting into her luxurious car and driving off

For years I have gone through memory lane a million times trying to understand where it all went wrong

We were inseparable as kids, we used to be neighbors and I remember my mum dropping both of us off at school when her dad couldn't afford gasoline

Her mum died during labor so it was her and her dad, her dad usually brought home different girls lavishing his funds heavily on them

Sometimes she'd come to my house crying that she was hungry and her dad had locked himself in his room with some girl and my mum would take her in and give her something to eat

We'd build pillow fort during sleep overs and when her dad was drunk and being vile she'll come into my through the window and I'll cuddle her to sleep

The way she switched up shocked me and since then I never really gave myself out to friendships

Mostly because Everytime I tried making friends they called me an assaulter and throw things at me

I remember sitting alone close to the dumpster after I was able to clear my name and keep my scholarship

Her and her friends would constantly make snarky remarks about me and throw things at me

But I couldn't tell the authorities because they'll always support her

I stood by the side of the road as tears tricked down my face as a car horn brought me out of my thoughts

"Let's go ma'am" the cab man said as I entered

I got to my house and threw my bag on the floor sitting on the floor to read letters that I initially picked from the mailbox before coming into the house

And there it was my eviction letter, my landlord had come over on Sunday to remind me about the rent and then tried to hit on me and when I refused he promised to evict me if I didn't pay my rent before the end of this week

Justin had brought food for me earlier in the morning, I had been cut off electricity so I ate the cold leftover before sitting down to map out tomorrow's expenses before sleep took the better of me

The next morning my alarm woke me up, I quickly had my bath and made little breakfast I ate before going to Hayley's

I wanted to meet Hayley and know if I could get a little loan from to front some of my impending bills

"I'm sorry Maya but business has been slow recently.... following the media backlash from Tiffany and her fans" she said nodding her head

"I really wish I could help I'm sorry.....but I could help you with some money for breakfast lunch and dinner" she said before reaching into her drawer and pulled out five hundred pounds squeezing it into my hands

"Please manage this.... it's all I can give" she said I nodded cleaning my eyes with the back of my hands before walking out

I went to the library to at least settle down and focus before going on with my day

I had managed to convince some of the seniors to give me their assignments so I can help them for a little token and they agreed

I was deep into doing my stuff when Jason walked in with a food box from Chick-fil-A in his hands

I groaned as he greeted me

"How did you even know I was here" I asked refusing to raise my head to look at him

"I was looking for you and I saw when you walked in and I decided to come meet you after I stopped over at Chick-fil-A" he said dropping the box on the table and the sweet aroma of fried chicken and fried filled my nose as I tried swallow the saliva forming in my mouth

"I'm not interested" I said pushing the box away facing my book again

He took a deep breath before pulling a chair and sitting close to me

"Have you thought about what I said" he asked looking at me

"What did you say" I asked turning my head from my book to look at him

"About you being my fake girlfriend" he said placing his hands under his chin to support his head weight

"You never said anything about fake girlfriend" I said scratching my head with my pen

"Come on Maya.... it's for the benefit of both of us" he said trying to sound convincing

"Look I know you don't want anything to do with me and you completely hate after everything but your life and my life are in shambles and only is can fix this" he said crossing his arms on his chest

"Besides I said I'll pay you.....I know you need the money" he said hitting me at my weak point

There was silence as I sat contemplating about the whole thing

I needed to pay my house rent and I needed to restock my fridge

I definitely needed the money but agreeing to be Jason's pretend girlfriend didn't sound like a good idea to me

But it seemed like the only way out

"Fine but on my terms" I said pointing my pen at him he raised his hands as gesture of surrender

"So you accept my gift" Jason asked pushing the food box to me again

I looked at the box one last time before taking it

School ended in a blur and as usual I stood outside to wait for the cab

Jason pulled over and offered to drop me off I told him I wasn't interested after much back and forth I agreed

As he was about driving off a car came in full speed crashing into his.