The Truths Behind the Life of Maeve Sun Lively

59

I MOVED BACK TO MY home in LA ever since Mason came back. Cameron and him both offered to let me stay, since, even though they didn't say the reason out loud, Klarise was gone. It wasn't really about her at that point though, okay, maybe a little bit, but it was mainly Mason himself. Or rather, his mother.

She was coming to their place more often than necessary, from what I had heard, and I didn't want to be there. In fact, I actually haven't even met Mary Qiu yet, not even crossed paths. And whenever Mason tried to get me over, I always had an excuse stirred up.

Cameron, who was once on my side about Mary, wasn't anymore. It turns out, in his quotes, "She's wonderful, Maeve, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I wish she were my mother."

I couldn't take it, I just didn't like something about this woman. She comes in here, taking everything I shared with Mason. And now, Cameron. I knew people like her, they come, but at some point, they always go. They leave, at one point when you're the happiest and you think they'll be there for you until the very end. Then they just...I didn't want to finish it. In some ways, I guess what I was describing felt pretty familiar.

I was trying to find a new place in LA. The home I was in was still the apartment me and Mason first rented when we came here, and the memories of all of it, I wanted it gone. Parts of Klarise were here, and though she only stayed for a bit in this place, I felt like everything had her on it. I couldn't handle that, couldn't stand the memory of feeling her, having her once being mine, knowing and thinking that she'd stay—no, I needed a new place.

So I called Mason to inform him about it, and he said he would look into the houses for me—since he managed a lot of things for me. But of course, at the near end of our call, he brought up Mary and without really thinking, I hung up on him. And then, frustrated with myself for doing that to him for the first time, somehow feeling heart crushed over it, I cried.

The next few days he kept calling, and I kept ignoring. I went to parties, show commercials, posed for movie and show posters, and then I slept with models or people I barely knew, drinking away. It wasn't the right way to deal with things of course, but somehow, ever since Mason came back with—

"With that stupid mother of his!" I screamed, the echo bouncing back making me dunk a big gulp of vodka back down my throat, the sting of it made it feel right.

"What?"

Her voice surprises me. I looked around, and sure enough, there was some girl half naked next to me. In bed. I blinked, looking back down at the vodka bottle in my hand, and then back at this blonde girl's perfect shaped face. I didn't recognize this room, or her, or have any idea of how I got here. I blinked at her some more. Where was I?

She smiles, perfect rows of teeth aligning with a spark, which would have been great for commercials. She pulls the blankets draped over us down and crosses a leg over me, sitting on top of me, I just stared at her, trying to recall how in the world I got here and who she was and how we met. She leaned down, hands cupping my cheeks, and kissed me, her tongue swirling everywhere in my mouth. It was all too overwhelming.

I jerked away in panic, and it startled her so much she fell off of me, then the bed. It sounded painful. "Ow, what the fuck?"

She was rubbing her head still and I was already throwing on a shirt and some jeans, still trying to gain some understanding at what had happened.

"Hey, where are you going?" She asked me when I'm looking around this place while searching for my phone. When I found it under the bedsheets, I swatted a tired hand at her. My head felt out of place, probably from the alcohol.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know who you are, or I have not a single idea how I got here." She crosses her arms over her black bra top, thick lips pouting. "But name a price, or whatever you want, a call or something to help you gain the social ladder, since you look like you might be a model. Just anything, so you'll keep quiet."