After: a Maxerica Story

Part 5

I haven't written in weeks. I'm so sorry!

Well in real life I just got 2 kittens! Well, one is my sister's, but still. So currently I'm watching them play with a stuffed fish and wrestle with eachother. Good times.

I named mine Max- I didn't realize this but that could be short for Maxon. Hehehe.

Alright I'll stop boring you and hope you enjoy!

-

I walk down the hallway with my hands in my pockets. I still haven't gotten over the fact that my three favorites all hate me. Brooke, Sadie, Breanne. I don't know why I still like Breanne. I mean, she's a fake. The one thing I liked about her was her realness that I felt around her. And her looks, of course, but still.

"HEY!" I spin around toward the yell I hear. Sounds like a girl's voice. But... there's no one in the hall.

I gasp. The women's room.

Now in a full sprint, I race down to the women's room. Yep. The scream definitley came from there.

I open the door quickly and everyone freezes. All the girls are here. Every one of them. Some of them are in the corners crying, others are trying to comfort them, and then there are a group of people in the middle of the room. Fighting?

There's one girl sitting on the couch, but I can't see her clearly because of the group of girls surrounding her. I don't process who all of them are, but I don't care.

"What the hell is going on here?" I ask angrily.

No one moves. Or speaks. I start to get more angry and push by all the girls surrounding the couch. And who am I facing?

Breanne.

Of all people.

"Breanne?" I murmur. Her dress is torn and pieces are all over the floor. Her high heels are snapped and her hear is in knots. "What happened to you?"

"N-Nothing happened to me." She looks at me with a cold, hard expression. "I'm fine." She gets up and walks back to her room.

I take in a deep breath. I'll deal with her later. Turning to face the crowd, I scowl. But before I can say anything my eyes settle on a girl. Sadie. So many things are going through my head- how could Breanne let this happen- she's stronger than them, right? Why is Sadie in this crowd of jerks? 

But I choose not to speak for a second. I make eye contact with every girl, one by one. Some of them look away or down, and the bold ones look me straight in the eyes,

"Someone speak. What were you doing to Breanne?"

Once again, no one answers.

"SPEAK!" I yell. When no one says anything, I pull Sadie forward. "Miss Sadie. Answer me now."

"We... we were... um, tearing her dress apart?"

"Why?"

"Because she wasn't cooperating."

"With what?"

"Us."

I sigh an pull someone else forward. 

"Tell me what you were really doing."

Well, as you can tell, this process took forever.

-

I knock on Breanne's door. "Breanne? It's me. Gerad."

"Go away."

"Please, Breanne. I want to talk."

She sighs, barely audible. But I let myself in. Her room is tidy. Not what I would expect. Sitting on the edge of her bed in which she's laying, I smile at her.

"I'm sorry about what happened today."

She shrugs.

"Why did they do it?"

She puts down her book. "I don't know, Gerad," she says irritably. "They attacked me. At least half of 'em. I..."

"Breanne, you're stronger than they are. I know that. Why didn't you... stop them?"

She starts to cry. Wait- cry?

"Gerad," she says between sniffs. "Y-You know, the stutter is real."

I've never been more confused in my life. Didn't she says herself that the stutters weren't real?

"But-"

"Listen. Just hear me out, okay? And then you can kick me out."

I nod my head.

"I..." she wipes her eyes. "There are these people from school, and all they do is beat up on me. One time I tried to fight back, and I got suspended. So I didn't fight back anymore. Well, they came to my house the day after I was Selected to beat me up again. They said the Selection would change me into a bitch. I had to impress you, and I had to win. That's all they  said to me, over and over again. And, well... I lied about all these bruises." She pulls up her sleeves to show nasty bruises. I gasp. "They're not from fighting practice or whatever crap I told you. They're from them." She takes a deep breath. "I'm weak. I always have been, always will be. So I decided to change that. To take control of my life."

I nod, a little less confused now.

"I don't know what I was thinking. I'm such an idiot. I thought lying would get me the crown and make those people stop hating me. Now I realize the hole I've pushed myself into."

I shake my head. "No- Breanne-"

"Shh. I'm sorry. Please send me home. I don't deserve to be here- you deserve someone better- I'll pack up-"

"Shut UP!" I yell. "Breanne, you need to stop. If these people treat you like this I will not send you home anytime soon." I sigh. "You don't need to put on an act anymore. It's okay. I understand." I kiss her, despite everything.

She pulls away. "There's something I need to tell you."

"Yeah?"

"There were a couple drunk guards that I saw in the hall oneday by my room... one of them was the person who stays outside my door and they..."

"They...?" I fear the worst.

"Nothing. No, nevermind."

"What did they do to you, Breanne?"

Fresh tears stream down her face, and the next thing I know I'm storming out of her room and to my father's office.

-

I'm going to start a new story. I'm not going to tell you what it's about, though. Hehe. 

You'll find out. So make sure you read it when I post the first chapter.

-Eve