Chapter 15

"It's been 2 days. Are you still ignoring him?" Christy asked as I literally rammed my way out of the classrooms. I gave her a pointed look.

"It's not ignoring, it's avoiding." I said, turning my body to face Christy as I walked backwards. I felt a sharp pain in my back as I fell forward.

"Watch where you're going, Loser!" Bethany said. I felt my heart kick into full gear as it was speeding now. It was her, Bethany; she was the one who saw Dean cheating on me. She saw everything! And she didn't tell me anything. What she did do? She turned to Miranda.  

"I'm not a loser." I stated, gritting my teeth. She smirked as she stared at me. The eyes that used to be familiar brown are now a cold black.

"You seem like one, I mean- two guys cheating on you?" She said, making a hissing sound with her teeth. People were surrounding us now, but I didn't care.

"One guy, Bethany, it was one guy." I corrected her.

"So you had no feelings for the other one? What was his name? Simon? Cyrus!" She said.

"None at all." I said through gritted teeth.

"Then why aren't you guys talking?" She asked nosily. I saw Cyrus staring from the corner of the crowd.

"I don't think that's any of your business, Bethany." I stated.

 "It is, though; I want to make sure he's the right guy for Miranda." She said. I felt my body fill with anger as it pulsed through my veins.

"Yeah, well he is. They're both scumbags, a perfect match. A match made in Heaven, don't you think?" I said, gripping my bag so tight I was afraid it would rip.

"I do think. But, Maverly, why is it that you always go for the jerks?" She asked, grinning.

"I don't know, Bethany. Why do you always go for the one night stands?" I asked, tilting my head curiously. Everyone was deathly silent, definitely noticing the unspoken penetrated tension.

"It's better than walking in on the guy you like making out with the girl you hate!" She replied hastily.

"I told you. I don't like him." I spat, annoyed by the accusations.

"Oh quit lying, we all knew you liked him. Didn't we?" She asked, looking around at the unmoved crowd. They stayed silent, watching her.

"They knew or should I say know?" She assured with a swipe of her hand, her eyes growing mischievous. How was I best friends with her?

"I do not like Cyrus Angelo, at all. We aren't friends, never mind secret crushes, okay Bethany?" I seethed as she smirked.

"Doesn't this remind you of that time in grade 8, where you liked Blake and at Tessa Harkin's party, you found him kissing Helena Ryder after he refused to kiss you during spin the bottle?" She said, reminiscing in my pain.

"Doesn't this remind you of that time when I stood up for you when your mother forced you to take ballet and you froze in front of all those people?" I hissed. I saw the spark in her eye and realized what she was going to say before she even said it.

"Remember that time I called the police when I saw your father beating you?" She sneered. A group of 'ooo's' busted out, followed by whispers. She promised she'd never bring that up, no matter what happened with our friendships.

"I hate you Bethany." I spat before running off with Christy and Riley on my heels.

Cyrus's Point of View

I stood in the crowd, listening to them argue. It was a vicious argue and I wasn't intending on breaking it up, I shouldn't.

"Remember that time I called the police when I saw your father beating you?" Bethany hissed. I saw the pain inflict on Maverly's face before she even said it. I saw as people rushed up to Bethany asking her questions.

I shoved my way through the crowd until I came face to face with Bethany. She looked smug.

"What's wrong with you?" I spoke, my voice rising slowly.

"What's wrong with me?" She asked, questioningly.

"Yeah, what is wrong with you?" I asked, gritting my teeth and clenching my fists.

"Well, I have trust issues." She said, placing her hand on my arm.

"You're also disrespectful." I said, shoving her hand away.

"What do you mean?" She asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

"You don't go around sharing peoples business like The Huffington Post, that's her business. Not yours. You disgust me." I said storming off in the direction I'd seen Maverly run. This girl was making me a lot more social, and I hated it, but it was worth it.

Maverly's Point of View

I stood in the bathroom, staring at the scar on my upper arm, near my shoulder. I guess I owe you an explanation, huh? My father abused me as a child, until the age of 9. He even tried to kill me; hence the scar on my shoulder.

- Flashback -

I ran through the house as Lucas trailed behind me. We decided to play hide n' seek in my house now; Lucas's mom had to clean the living room.

"I have to go to the bathroom; you go hide." Lucas said as he ran into the small room.

My mom left so we could run in the house all we want, my daddy didn't care; he was in the office doing paperwork. I ran up to my mom and dad's room, hiding in the closet they used for our old Halloween costumes.

I heard voices so I cracked open the door enough to see out of it. It must be Lucas trying to find me or Daddy coming to get more papers. I can't let them see me! I heard a woman's voice. Was mommy home early? I hoped so; maybe she can make me and Lucas cupcakes again.

The voices entered the room and I saw my daddy carrying a blond woman. My mommy didn't have blond hair. She giggled as she kissed him on the mouth. Mommy was the only woman supposed to kiss him on the mouth.

I opened the door, stepping out as my daddy's and the woman's eyes darted to me. My daddy's eyes were angry and the lady seemed annoyed with me.

"What are you doing, Daddy?" I said, staring at him with a frown on my mouth.

"You didn't tell me your kid was going to be here, Frank." The blond lady said. She quickly fixed her top as she smiled at me. I knew the smile was fake. It was the one my mommy does when she argues with daddy.

"You aren't my mommy." I said, crossing my arms. No matter how nice the lady tried to act, they just did something bad. I was telling mommy when she gets home.

"I'll just be going." She said, grabbing her purse and running out of the room.

"Payton! Wait!" My father called to the lady.

"Daddy, why were you kissing her? Aren't you only supposed to kiss mommy?"' I said, furrowing my eyebrows. My father did the unexpected. He reached his hand back and smacked me across the arm. I felt my arm sting and turn red as I stumbled backwards.

"You're in big trouble, go to your room. Now, tell Lucas he needs to leave."' My father demanded as I cowered out of the room. I walked to the bathroom, standing outside patiently. Lucas walked out and smiled.

"You need to leave Lukey." I said, looking at the floor.

"What? We didn't even get to finish our game of Hide N' Seek." He frowned.

"I know, tomorrow, okay Lukey?" I asked, trying to smile. I walked him to the front door as he raced next door to his mom. I looked at my arm and winced; it was red and had purple outlines starting already.

I walked to my room, calmed when I lied on my bed. I looked out my window to see the vacant house next door. My door swung open and my father walked in with a belt. He whipped my legs repeatedly until I promised not to tell mommy what I saw and what he'd done. I cried myself to sleep, the first night of many.

- Flashback End -

That was the first time he'd beaten me, but not the last. I was only 6 that time. The time when Bethany saw was when I was 9 years old.

- Flashback -

She moved in next door and I was happy to see she had the room across from mine. Sometimes we'd even talk across the windows.

We'd leave them open until night time because bugs would get inside. I smiled at her as she excused herself for dinner. I already had dinner, only with mommy though. Daddy was at the office.

After 10 minutes passed, I heard the downstairs door open and my mom and dad's exchange as she left for work and my father just arrived back from it.

"Maverly is upstairs, babe." My mom said, probably smiling.

"I'll go make sure she's okay." My dad said. No he wouldn't, he'd make sure I'm not okay. Each time he'd beat me, the belt found its way up closer and closer to my face. Sometimes he'd even use mommy's high heels to hit me close up.

I sat on my bed, waiting for the arrival of my father. I heard my father's footsteps after 10 minutes. I sat nervously on my bed. I hope Bethany doesn't get here. I looked at the window, it was open!

I needed to close it before Bethany saw my secret. I walked to the window just when my father walked in.

"Trying to escape, rat?" He said, bellowing as I shook my head no. He grabbed me, standing me right in front of the window.

He pulled back his hand as it clobbered against my stomach and he repeated it until he punched every inch of my stomach. He smacked my back repeatedly with the belt. I felt the welts rising already as I felt tears roll down my face.

Oh, no! My father would hit me even more if he saw me crying. I wiped the tears but I was too late.

"Are you crying, rat?"' He asked, snaking his hand around the soul of my mother's high heel. It was the red one, with the pointed tip. He slashed it across my shoulder, instantly drawing blood.

"I'm sick and tired of you." He said as he reached out for my neck. Sirens blared from outside of the house as men in police uniforms entered the house, tackling my father to the ground. A man gently brought me outside of the house, speaking quietly to me.

"You're going to be alright." He repeated. Bethany stood on her lawn in her over-sized tee shirt and smiled at me as I was carried away in an ambulance.

- Flashback End -

I felt my eyes burn as tears brimmed them. I'd lost Christy in the hallways when I ran across the school's courtyard. This bathroom was on the secluded side of school and there was no way I'd be found. I can cry here in peace.

I felt my fists clench as I remembered Bethany's eyes when she said it, cold and vacant. I stared at the cut on my shoulder, 3 inches across two inches wide. I'd measured it when I was younger. It was probably bigger now since I'd grown. I still remember the look on my mother's face when she'd seen the scars my father inflicted on me.

- Flashback -

"Ma'am, you can't go in there." The doctor ordered as my mother pushed and shoved against him. I laid there watching, I couldn't move. I was hooked up to weird tubes.

"That's my daughter!" My mother yelled, breaking past the man who stood there and watched her with a sad expression on his face.

My mom's eyes widened when she saw the sight of my arms and legs, raw and bruised. She gasped when she saw my stomach, purple and black bruises everywhere. She sobbed loudly as she walked over to me and kissed my face all over.

She sobbed even more, apologizing repeatedly for allowing my father to do this and that he was going to pay. They'd even wanted to question my mother for child abuse; but ended up not doing it after seeing her reaction to me and after I continuously told them that my mommy was a nice lady.

- Flashback End -

I sunk down onto the floor, my stomach clenching at the horrendous memories of how it was when he was drunk. He'd beat me so much until he was passed out onto the floor and my arms and legs burned. He'd force me to take ice baths to bring down the swelling of the welts. I remember the day of my father sentencing.

- Flashback -

"Franklin Arthur Perkins, you are sentenced to 8 years in jail." The judge continued but everything sounded like muffled conversation to me as I breathed heavily. My mother hugged me tightly so I knew we wouldn't be seeing much of my father from then on. I felt tears brim my eyes, but I felt so unemotional. I knew I had to see a counselor now. They'd force me, my mother and the hospital.

- Flashback End –

That's when my life took a turn for the worst. I was no longer known as the outgoing and talkative girl in school, I was quieter and only talked to Lucas and Bethany.

I stopped doing things I'd usually do, like joining the kids when they played outside. They knew me as a freak because I was always being dragged off to counseling.

I even remember the first session. It was quiet and unnerving. I didn't know what to do or what to say, so when he'd ask me questions I just replied with blank emotions and he seemed to notice this.

- Flashback -

"How long had he been abusing you?" He asked me. I just sat there, staring at him.

"3 years." I answered. He scribbled it down.

"Was it physical? Mental? Emotional?" He questioned.

"All of the above." I answered, staring at him. He nodded, writing down the answer.

"Why was he doing it?" He asked me.

"Because I caught him cheating on my mother when I was 6." I answered, bluntly. He was surprised by this but wrote down the answer, nevertheless.

"What did you do the first time he hit you?' He asked.

"The only thing a six year old could do, cower in fear and do what he said." I answered. I could tell he was shocked by my extended vocabulary, but school was where I spent most of my time, why not make it the best that I could?

"Are you bullied at school?" He asked.

"Yes." Was my simple answer. It was the truth.

"And why is that?" He furthered.

"For several different reasons, I'm a nerd, I enjoy reading, and I don't have many friends." I listed off. He kept writing what I was saying.

"Thank you, I'll see you next week." He ended, just like that.

- Flashback ended -

I sat there with my eyes red and tearless when I heard the door open.

"Maverly?" A voice asked.

"Leave me alone." I hissed loudly.

"I just want to talk." He spoke.

"What makes you think I want to talk to you? I hate you." I spat.

 "You don't mean that." He started.

"I do mean it." I seethed.

"Well, I just wish it wasn't like that." He said.

"Well it is, Cyrus." I spat harshly.

"I still don't think you mean it." He furthered.

"You think wrong, stupid." I said, childish I know.

"I just want to talk to you; can I at least have that?" He asked.

"Can't I have a little time alone? When people aren't intruding in my space?" I replied angrily.

"Yeah... I guess, just don't do anything irrational." He warned.

"I'm not suicidal." I retorted, my annoyance growing.

"I know, I know. Just... please. I care about you." He spoke.

"Stop lying to me and just leave." I said, annoyed.

"I'm not lying." He assured me.

"You are, Cyrus." I replied, growing tired of this back and forth argument.

"Maverly, I'm not lying."  He guaranteed.

"Liars meet Satan, Cyrus." I replied.

"I'm not meeting Satan anytime soon." He said.

"Because you are him." I replied.

"I care about you." He repeated in a quieter voice.

"Tell someone who cares." I spat.

"I think that's what I'll do. I'll give you what you want, now. I'll see you later." He said.

"Bye, Satan." I replied hastily. I heard the door click shut and I sighed into my knees.

Cyrus's Point of View

I have a plan; I know what I'll do to make this all better.