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"You should have punched her!" Celeste said, her spoon of ice cream laying limp on one hand as she sat on her bed, a messy bun in her hair, a stained sweater, and a very unimpressed facial expression. More like frustration that took over her face at Mae's story. Mae chewed on her lip, closing her tub of ice cream and grabbing the ice pack that was almost melted. She pressed it to her arm, wincing at the soreness.
"I mean really I can't believe she got no further punishment! She was totally in the wrong!" Celeste grabbed another spoonful as she ranted about how unfair the situation was with Sarah. Sarah had picked on Mae since they were little girls wearing Dora the explorer backpacks and messed up pigtails in their hair.
Celeste was furious the principal didn't do more about the situation. She liked Mae, everyone did. Mae was a likable girl- especially with academics.
Mae knew it probably had something to do with Sarah's father who was rich. He always managed to pull her out of problems she creates, including fights over things that doesn't belong to her. If Sarah had all that money, why did she want Mae's money and earrings?
"Mae you need to stand up for yourself.." Celeste continued on, "if I was there..oh boy she would be in for real treat." She laughed, jabbing her pint of ice cream with her spoon. Mae watched as Celeste took out her frustration with the ice cream tub. Droplets of the cold cream splattered on the comforter every so often and Mae watched with her mouth slightly agape.
"Right, well I better get home. It's getting dark." Mae murmured, grabbing her book bag off the floor. She held the ice pack with one hand as she climbed off Celeste's bed. Celeste waved bye, knowing a hug would risk getting Mae sick. She wished she could walk Mae home but she hasn't been aloud to leave her room in days. Her mother was paranoid.
Mae waved bye to Celeste's mother as she exited the home.
The sun was setting over the mountains and rolling hill tops creating an orange and purple burst of smoothed colors over the sky. It set a orange glow over Mae's face as she turned the corner and approached her home. She felt comforted as she approached it. With the weekend coming up maybe some time to herself would be needed especially after the fight at school. It would give her many injuries some time to heal.
Sighing, Mae opened her door and leaned against it, throwing her book bag somewhere near the wall of the foyer. She trudged to the kitchen, grabbing a banana and pulling back it's peel before taking a bite. She chewed on it, making her cheeks go big as she leaned on the counter and pondered her thoughts.
The house was quiet. There were many times where she felt alone. Celeste was her only real friend but with her being sick she had no one. Other than the handsome man with penetrating green eyes of course. Despite their scandalous events together, she saw the man as a true friend. He cared about her, she felt.
A knock at the door pulled Mae out of her thoughts, making her eyes shift to the door.
Speak of the devil.
Putting down her banana, she walked over to the door after muttering a 'coming!'. She peeped through her peep hole to see the brown locks of curls she adored so much. She felt butterflies rise up through her stomach, a feeling she was no stranger too with Harry. She quickly adjusted her hair and her school outfit, bending over to pull up her stockings so they weren't uneven.
She opened the door just as Harry was going to knock again, greeting him with a smile. Harry stepped inside Mae's home after giving her a quick kiss on her forehead. His nose picked up the smell of strawberry's which always seemed to follow Mae. Maybe it was her shampoo or some kind of body mist she wore.
"Hi Harry," Mae said, shutting the door. She went back to the kitchen and grabbed her half earn banana again, sitting on the couch as she peeled back the last layer on her banana.
"Hi beautiful, how are you?" Harry asked.
"I'm alright, I'm just a little hungry." She giggled, her cheeks filled with her snack. She kicked her feet slightly as she continued to eat. Harry looked around her living room seeing nothing else changed. The house was always clean. It lead him to wonder if Mae had a maid...or maybe some parental figure that cleaned. His gaze diverted back to Mae and noticed she was in school uniform.
There was something off about it though. Her skirt was wrinkled and he noticed some scuffs on her knees. She had on a dark blue sweater that also seemed wrinkled.
It was only then as Mae's hair was flipped back that he noticed several scratches littering her neck.
"Mae what happened?" He asked, stepping closer to the girl. His eyes were fixated on the injuries and in the most vital place too. He hoped it was her cat or else he may not be able to keep his cool, he could already feel a bubbling rage growing. Like fire flaming up through his chest.
He pinched the bridge of his nose as his eyes shut tightly. Mae sat on the couch still, putting her hair back in place and silently regretting moving it in the first place. Harry was breathing hard as he regained his composure so he wouldn't frighten the young girl. Mae twiddled her thumbs.
"Mae, sweetheart," he breathed, "you need to tell me who did that." He opened his eyes again, seeing Mae's nervous form. She squeezed her thighs together and diverted her gaze to the floor, the legs of the coffee table, and her own shoes in an attempt to not look at the angry man in front of her.
She wasn't budging.
Harry grabbed his coat before leaving the house abruptly, slamming the door behind him.
