Forever and Always His

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

                Maria came back from her father’s house the following school day. When I noticed her in my History class, I was taken aback at how worn out she looked. Her usual glowing skin was drained from all color, and her eyes were dull and dark to the point where they looked black. Maria and I haven’t spoken throughout the weekend, so I couldn’t have found out what was going on with her.

                I nibbled on my bottom lip, settling on the fact that I was going to talk to Maria after class- when we both had lunch together. The clock ticked slowly, and my teacher’s constant monotonous voice wasn’t speeding up the class, either. Every so often, I would glance back over to check up on Maria, but not once did she ever look up from her desk.

                “Maria?” Mr. Anthony raised an eyebrow towards the back of the room. “What’s your answer?”

                I turned around, facing Maria with concerned eyes. I noticed her tilting her head up just slightly, before she shrugged. “I don’t know.” She muttered quietly, making the entire class go silent.

               Mr. Anthony shook his head in disappointment, before he crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re a bright student, Maria.” He said loudly. “I don’t want to see you keep this attitude up.”

                The bell rang shortly after that, and I gathered my belongings to wait for Maria outside of the classroom. After the late bell rang, I still noticed that she hasn’t gotten out of the class yet. I pushed myself off against the wall, peering over the door to spot for Maria. I noticed that she was getting a lecture from Mr. Anthony, who didn’t look too pleased by her effort in class today.

                Sighing, I ran a hand through my hair, before pressing my back against the wall, once again, to wait for her. “What are you doing out here?” a voice suddenly came from the other end of the hall, surprising me. My eyes snapped towards my left, as Everett approached me with his eyebrows raised. “Class ended five minutes ago.”

                I chuckled bitterly, before gesturing to the door that was beside me. “I’m waiting for your to-be step sister.”

                Everett smiled just slightly, as he glanced over towards the door, which was now opening. Maria was revealed by the doorway, as her eyes widened to see the both of us waiting for her. “Wow.” Were the first words to come out of her mouth. “You two are together and not killing each other? What is this?”

                I choked on my own saliva, as my cheeks turned scarlet red. I turned over to my side, so that my blush was concealed by my curtain of hair. Everett rolled his eyes, letting out a sigh. He ignored Maria’s comment, as he shook his head at her. “Staying after class, Maria? Are you getting into trouble?”

                Maria glared at Everett, pushing his shoulder with her fingers. “Mind your own business, Everett.” She gave him a sarcastic smile. “You aren’t my brother, yet.”

                Everett held Maria’s gaze, as the two to-be siblings gave each other a death glare. “I have things to do right now.” He grit through his teeth, clenching his jaw. Everett gave me a glance, before turning his back towards the two of us. “I’ll see you later, Riley.”

                “Bye.” I faintly said, not sure if he heard me or not.

                Maria rolled her eyes, shaking her head. “My God, everyone is just pissing me off today.” She groaned. “Are you going to lunch? Because I think I’m going to skip today.”