3. Maya #3
I liked these boys. Men? Men. But they were asking a lot of questions, and I didn’t think friends did this only a day after meeting.
Plus, biology told me Marco might like me, and that was a problem.
They were really nice and didn’t deserve to be deceived.
At the same time, I couldn’t exactly tell them how worthless I was.
If my mother were here, she would’ve done a much better job.
I knew there was only one solution, and it broke my heart.
I would have to give up my new friends. My mother was really violent, and I didn’t want them to get caught in the crosshairs.
I turned with determination. “We can’t be friends,” I announced. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Henry paled and looked to Marco.
The man blinked three times before shaking his head in shock. “I don’t know if I should be fucking pissed your life is that dangerous or amused that you think we could get hurt.”
I frowned, feeling frustrated. “Marco, I know all of you are massive giants, but there are a lot of big people out there, and while I’ll always cherish my first friendships…”
Marco chuckled and remarked, “Amused it is, then. Also, giants?”
I shrugged. “I’m pulling from the Bible and fairytales here. So either giants or dragons, you pick.”
Marco offered a wicked smile as Henry shook his head, answering, “Dragons.”
“Listen, Maya,” Henry said, his demeanor turning more serious, “you really don’t need to worry about us. I promise you, we won’t get hurt.”
I frowned. “But?—”
“Trust me?” Henry pleaded. His fingers slipped into mine, and I looked down at our hands. I nodded, because when it was just Henry and me, my body felt a bit like honey. Sweet and slow.
I didn’t trust him. Well, I did, but he clearly didn’t know what was good for himself.
“Fine.” I sighed. “I’ll just have to protect you all.”
Marco let out a booming chuckle while Henry smiled softly. “How about you protect us, and we will protect you as well? It’s what friends do.”
I pursed my lips, contemplating. “Okay, deal. Plus, I don’t know how to handle people like that Lorn guy.”
Marco snarled from the couch at my expression.
Henry frowned. “What happened with Lorn?”
“She accidentally bumped into him and he…was being difficult,” Ledger muttered, returning to the room with Sai and Anani.
Sai scooped me up into a soft hug and muttered, “Sorry.”
I patted his head before pulling back. “Thank you.”
No idea what he was apologizing for, but that was what you did when someone said ‘sorry.’
“Did he just apologize?” Anani hooted. “That’s amazing.”
“Shut it,” Sai growled.
Marco stood with a grunt. “Sai, come with me. You four should start some homework.”
That wasn’t a half-bad idea.
I frowned at Marco’s impending departure, but he walked over and pressed a kiss to my forehead. I preened under his affection like the starved woman I was. Sai hugged me lightly, careful to not press on any bruises before they went to the foyer.
“Where did they go?” I asked Henry with unabashed curiosity.
He looked away. “Um, an errand, I think.”
Now why didn’t that quite ring true?
I nodded and gripped his hand again. He blushed, but I didn’t care. We walked towards the kitchen, and I picked up the mug of tea and took a long sip. I hummed my approval at the taste, reminding me of berries that grew near the basement window, and mentioned it to the group.
“Why were you in a church basement?” Ledger asked after a moment.
I took another drink, hiding behind my mug as I answered, “It was near our house.”
That was even true, in a sense.
Anani narrowed his eyes. “I thought you never really left your house?”
“We lived in the church,” I muttered.
Henry squeezed my hand. “So why were you in the basement?”
“Can we not talk about this?” I forced out, feeling a bubble of panic. “Please? I’m really tired.”
I hopped onto the kitchen stool and pulled out my books, ignoring their glances. The books were secondhand, but smooth to the touch. I opened a fresh black notebook that was labeled ‘planner’ that had come in the package with my uniform and books.
Again, I wondered how Jed afforded to send me to school.
“Oh, what are those?” I pointed to Anani’s planner. He was dressed differently now; a black tank covered his muscular torso, and a pair of fitted jeans hung from his hips.
“Stickers.” He grinned. “Want some?”
“Absolutely,” I responded.
Anani opened a few drawers and pulled out several packs, and I sorted through them, finding one with flowers. I opened them with a delicate touch, then placed them in an even pattern that brightened up the surface. It was stunning.
“You’re sort of a girly girl,” Ledger teased.
“What’s that?”
Henry hummed. “It’s like a girl that loves pink and wears dresses, although I’ve only seen you in black. Plus, the concept of being a ‘girly girl’ is a grossly antiquated concept.”
“I’m not retracting my statement.” Ledger grinned.
“I only own some stuff we picked up at the store called Goodwill on the way out here,” I said in reference to his black clothing comment. Anani made a sound that had me looking up.
“What about your clothes before?” Ledger tilted his head, that frown line between his brows deepening.
I opened and closed my mouth. “Well, I only had two dresses at my old home.”
Henry whispered, “And now?”
“My uniform, one pair of PJs, two pairs of sweatpants, a hoodie, and the two dresses,” I said, listing my fast-growing collection of clothes.
Henry pressed his lips together. “Do you want more?”
I frowned. “I don’t think Mother would like that.
” In fact, I knew she wouldn’t because she had hated when Jed had bought anything for me at the store.
Honestly, I hadn’t liked the idea of him purchasing anything for me either, but he said something about me ‘standing out’ if I didn’t wear something other than my worn and dirty dress.
“What if you kept them here?” Ledger suggested.
“Maybe.” I sighed, distracted by my stickers. “But then I would need to purchase them somehow.”
“Give me your wallet,” Anani demanded. “We can put one of the cards?—”
I raised my brows. “Wallet?”
“Where do you keep your ID, honey?” Henry asked.
“I don’t have one of those.” I frowned again. I really hated feeling like I had no idea what the heck was going on.
“Fuck,” Anani muttered with a groan. “Sort this out, please?”
Henry nodded and opened his laptop.
“I don’t need one; I can’t drive,” I explained.
“How have you lived this long without any of this? I mean, you would’ve had to be locked up your entire life.”
Anani’s words brought a flush to my cheeks. “Something like that,” I mumbled. Ledger hit him in the side while Henry offered me an alarmed look.
“What type of wallet do you want?” Anani asked while pulling up a site on my phone. He offered me an apologetic smile at his outburst.
Henry had very much caught what I’d mumbled, and I mentally cursed myself for revealing so much.
It was very difficult being around these men and keeping secrets.
There was this oddly instinctual part of me that begged me to trust them and to answer their questions truthfully.
Then there was the rational part of me that knew it could put them in harm’s way, or make them not want to be my friend.
“What is this?”
“Amazon,” he explained. “You can buy anything you want on it. You just have to know what you’re searching for.”
“I don’t have money.”
All three guys exchanged a look, but it was Henry who spoke. “Don’t worry about that; just use the card and address listed.”
“I don’t want to use your money.” I shook my head, catching on to what they meant—or what I assumed they meant.
Ledger smiled. “Not ours.”
“Whose is it?”
“Marco’s account. He won’t mind.”
I frowned because this didn’t seem right. “And you say I need this stuff?”
Anani nodded and confirmed, “You need a wallet. You already have a phone, and Henry will work on the ID for you.”
I flushed. “Um okay. So what type of wallets are there?”
For the next hour, the four of us looked through Amazon, and I picked out a beautiful pink wallet with daisies embroidered on the front of it.
I had thought it had been enough, but the boys added a few more things into the cart I’d admired as we browsed.
I smiled at the phone case and fuzzy slippers.
Both were pink, and the phone case featured a bow. I instantly loved it.
“This weekend, we’ll pick you up some new clothes,” Anani assured me.
“I need a job then.” Then I could purchase items on my own. I’d also be able to take care of any future kitten that I adopted—I refused to be a bad parent. If I adopted a kitten, I wanted to be able to fully take care of them.
Anani sighed. “No mate of ours is going to work.”
“Mate?”
“Like a friend,” Henry muttered. Anani grunted as Ledger hit him upside the head.
“Oh, a character from one of my books called his friend that!” I exclaimed.
“What books have you read?” Henry asked.
“Oh, a bunch of stuff. Let’s see, since we left, I’ve read some newspapers and magazines. Pastor Malcolm used to give me textbooks to read. Once he even brought me a big book of classic English literature. He called it my homeschool time.”
Henry sputtered, causing me to look up. “That was your homeschooling?”
I raised a brow. “Well, I didn’t have much to do besides reading and learning. Although, that calculus class goes way beyond the math I studied.”
“You taught yourself?” Ledger asked.
I offered him a puzzled expression. “How else would I learn?” Then the sad reality hit me that these boys had worked with teachers probably most of their lives. A slice of misplaced envy shot through me.
I looked outside when I heard thunder rumble, making me realize that it was getting fairly late. “Hey, I should really get home. I didn’t realize how bad it was out there.”
“Okay,” Ledger said after they exchanged a look. “Do you want dinner before you leave?”
I shook my head. “I’ll be okay.” I couldn’t have them thinking I didn’t eat supper either.
Ledger frowned, his dark curls brushing across his forehead, as Anani rounded the counter. He grabbed a set of keys, and I gently placed my backpack on my shoulders. I tried to ignore the pain, but Henry noticed my wince.
“Here, let me,” he offered with soft stormy eyes. I nodded as he slipped the bag onto his own shoulders, leading me through the house and to a black SUV that waited outside the back door.
“Do you have your phone?” Ledger asked with a tightness to his jaw.
I held up my phone, and Henry took it, pressing a button on the side that adjusted the ringtone to silent. Additionally, he dimmed the lighting. I offered him a sweet smile.
The roads were flooded with rain, and the dark sky rolled above us in anger. It reminded me of the stormy nights when the church’s power would go out. Those were the worst. No lights. No air conditioning. Not that the basement had much to begin with, but something was always better than nothing.
Anani turned around in a sharp movement and pleaded, “Don’t go home.”
“What? Why?” I totally didn’t want to.
Those diamond eyes glittered with anger, and I instinctively flinched back. He was looking at me, but it didn’t seem to be about anything I’d done.
Seeing my reaction, Anani’s eyes shone with guilt. “I would feel better if you weren’t in a damn trailer park.”
I blushed in embarrassment and stammered, “I mean, I know it’s not like your house…”
Ledger scoffed and hit his twin on the head. The two of them seemed to do that a lot. “Ignore him, Maya. This isn’t about where you live. He’s just worried about you and is shit at showing it.”
I frowned, twisting my hands in my lap and murmuring, “Really, I’m fine.”
Somehow the boys found their way to my trailer park. I bit my lip as I directed them down the road to a stone-colored trailer, the laminate sides drenched from the rain and the windows screaming with darkness. I knew Jed wasn’t home—the truck was gone—but that didn’t mean my mother wasn’t.
“We’ll pick you up tomorrow,” Ledger said gently but very confidently. I nodded because I didn’t want my new friends to be upset. I just hoped Mother or Jed wouldn’t notice.
I slid from the truck and paused. “Thanks for everything.” It was muttered, and my cheeks were bright pink. All three of them traded worried but soft smiles with me, and as I trudged up the wooden steps toward the rickety front door, I sent them a wave.
Taking a deep breath, I pushed open the door.