The Truths Behind the Life of Maeve Sun Lively

48

I DIDN'T ANSWER ANY OF my calls, nor my texts. Instead, I stayed huddled up in a blanket on my sofa—or Cameron's—and passed time by watching TV and eating snacks. Life suddenly felt depressing, things felt black and white, and I felt tired, for maybe the first time after zooming from one place to another. I didn't want to do anything.

I shut my phone off, because when I did open it it was all about my outburst at the Award show. But when I did open it the day before my birthday, seeing my screen filled with texts from a lot of people, I didn't care at first. Not until I saw Klarise's name of course, and I finally decided to call her.

"Where the hell have you been?" Was the first thing she said. I didn't realize just how much I missed her voice, and hearing it just made everything in me start to spill out.

I told her about the awards, about Mr. Wang, and about what happened. Tears pouring out throughout it all. She probably already heard about my outburst, and I was waiting for her to tell me how childish that had been.

"Maeve..." I waited. But instead, it doesn't come with what I was expecting. "I'm just so glad you're okay, because if something happened, I don't know, I don't know..." Her voice trailed off, and as it did I could almost hear the fear she had through the emptiness of the phone. "You know what? Let's not talk about this anymore. Tomorrow is your birthday, I was thinking we can throw you a virtual birthday party through group FaceTime."

I cried even harder at that.

"Quit crying and get yourself together, I can particularly already feel how messy you look through the phone even without the camera. And I don't think Mason would like the idea of seeing you all groomed up like this."

I laughed a little at that. "Yeah, he definitely wouldn't."

We talked a little longer, and I learned that she had an album coming along, maybe a few months later it'll come out. As she talked about it, she sounded so happy, so, well, in a way when she talked about music, just like how I talked about my film projects, it was all or so the same thing. Something we found so passionate about other than our love for each other was our career. Sometimes I even think her career was more important than me though...(long pause) I don't want to get there now.

It was at least around midnight over there, but she didn't end the call until as I talked eventually, there was only the small sounds of her slight snoring. I wished so badly to see her, wrap my arms around her, whisper under the sheets together, share our days with each other.

"Well, I'll just call you and the others tomorrow. I miss you." And I dumbly kissed my phone screen as if that was her and ended the call.

I told myself to clean myself up, and so I did. I started to clean the place with all the garbage and food packaging that has piled up. Then I went to the bathroom, took a shower which I hadn't done in a while, and when all was done I suddenly felt tired. A few minutes later, while I tried to read, I fell asleep on the sofa, dreaming of being with Klarise, Cameron, and Mason.

I WOKE UP FROM the sound of a text, and I received it with a big grin, which was from Klarise.

We ordered a cake for you, it should come at your doorway around tonight, be sure to stay home around then. Now get yourself cleaned up, birthday girl <3.

I went to the balcony, breathed in the sun, and I felt so much better. So so much better that I decided to actually go out and do something.

There was a gym in the building of Cameron's apartment, and it was early morning, while even that was the case, no one usually went there. I stepped out of the apartment door for the first time in days, got in my workout gears, and spent about my whole morning there, working out. It actually made me feel better, both about myself and maybe even the world.