Chapter 25
Instead of going to our morning breakfast meet-up before school, I tell the guys I’m going with Hailey this morning so we can track down Maria.
She’s ghosted me for days, and I’m starting to wonder if she’s mad at me or just upset about her break-up with Ryder.
I could see things weren’t good between them lately, but I’m her friend and would like to be there for her.
“Mom! Did you sign that permission slip for school yet?” Hailey yells from upstairs. I take a bite of my muffin.
I hear Mom mumble, “Oh, crap… Signing it right now, sweetheart. Lizzie, where’s a pen?”
I take one out of my bag from the floor at my feet and hand it to her. “Do you remember where I put the permission slip?”
“Table in the entryway.”
“Thanks, honey.” She runs out of the kitchen.
“Hales, we need to leave. Come on, slowpoke!”
“Coming, Geesh!” I hear her yell back, feet stomping down the stairs. She has a black hair band in her teeth and then loops it around her hair. I take a moment to mentally critique what she’s wearing. Long capri pants and a long-sleeved button-down shirt.
“You know, it’s still like eighty degrees outside. You may want to lose the top. You’ll be sweating buckets as soon as we walk out the door.
“Nah, I’m good.” She slides on her shoes and grabs a muffin. “Okay, I’m ready.”
Mom meets us at the door and hands Hailey her permission slip. “Thanks, Mom.”
“Be good girls,” Mom kisses both of us. “Hailey, are you picking Lizzie up from work today?”
“Jayson’s got me," I tell her. "See ya, Mom!”
I throw my bag into the back of our sedan as Hailey asks me, “So, how are we doing this? Ambush style or straight up gangsta?”
“I vote ambush style. Maria’s been avoiding me. She usually gets to school around seven and helps out in the main office. We should be able to corner her there and find out why she's been avoiding me.”
“You still don’t know why she hasn’t spoken to you? That’s not like her. You guys are almost as joined at the hip and you and Jayson.”
“I have a pretty good suspicion why.”
Hailey shovels the rest of her muffin in her mouth as she drives. “And?” she says when she is able to swallow. My sister is like a Hoover vacuum when it comes to food.
“She and Ryder broke up.”
“And what? You think she blames you? That’s nonsense.”
“Is it?”
“Yes. Look, I’m your sister and have had the pleasure of living with you my whole life.
That also means I have had the pleasure of growing up around Jayson, Julien, and Ryder.
I know the deal with you and the guys. But I also know that you and Ryder, and you and Julien, have not once crossed the line with each other since you and Jay hooked up.
” I grimace, and her eyes get big. “Or have you?”
“Technically, no. Lines have not been crossed, but they have come pretty close a couple of times with Ryder.”
“Close is not crossed.”
“I don’t know, Hales.”
“Exactly. You don’t know. So, let’s go find out.” We pull into the senior lot at school and I immediately see Maria’s car.
“Good. She’s here. Want to be Riggs to my Murtaugh?” I ask her, referring to the buddy-cop movie, Lethal Weapon
“I think we’re more Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne from Dumb and Dumber.”
We both laugh. “You’re saying I’m dumb but you’re dumber? I can handle that.”
Just as I thought, Maria is in the main office working the copier machine.
She started volunteering her time to help out at school this year, thinking it’ll look good on her high school transcript that colleges will see.
Our school requires we complete at least one hundred volunteer hours in order to graduate and get our diploma.
My time working at the library doesn’t count since I get paid, but twice a month the boys and I go out and help pick up litter and plant trees at local parks.
Periodically, I also sing and play music for the younger kids at the library on the weekend.
I take Dr. Seuss books and put them to music.
The kids are so freaking adorable because, of course, they know the words to every Dr. Seuss book and will jump around and sing the words with me.
Hailey waits outside the main office doors on a bench as I go inside. Mrs. Teasdale, the school receptionist, greets me with a smile.
“Good morning, Elizabeth. Did you need anything this morning?”
Maria turns to look at me, first with shock and then with what I think is a pissed-off expression on her face.
“Good morning, Mrs. Teasdale. No, ma’am. I actually came by to talk to Maria for a second if that’s alright.”
“Of course, dear. Maria, I can take over until you get back.” Maria doesn’t argue and warily walks around the counter toward me.
“Hey, Mar. Did you want to go outside or something, so we can talk?
She shrugs. “Fine.”
We walk out, and she sees Hailey at the bench.
“Great. You’re tag teaming.” She plops down on the bench, arms crossed, looking defensive.
“What’s going on? Why have you been avoiding me the past few days?”
She scoffs at me. “Like you don’t already know.”
“No, I really don’t. That’s why we’re here. You're my best friend, Mar. Please talk to me.
She scoffs again, then huffs, crosses her legs one way, then another. “Okay. Fine. Ryder broke up with me.”
“He told me. I’m so sorry.”
“Of course he told you,” she snaps at me. "You were probably the first person he ran to share the good news."
Hailey jumps in. “Hey. Cut it out. Why are you mad at Lizzie? She didn’t do anything.”
Now Maria snaps at Hailey. “Are you kidding me right now, Hailey? It’s always been about her. She's dating Jay, and Ryder’s still in love with her. He still wants her. I never stood a chance.”
“Mar,” I say, wanting to both defend myself and be an understanding friend.
She turns her anger on me again. “Don’t Mar me. Do you know how it feels to want someone who doesn’t want you back because he’s still in love with someone else? Do you know how that feels, Liz?”
Several students walking by slow down to watch our scene unfold.
“You chose Jayson. The day Ryder asked me out, I was like, finally, he saw me. He saw me, not you. I have bent over backwards trying to make him happy. To make him want me. I was an idiot. He never wanted me. I was just a distraction for him while he continued to pine away for you!”
“That’s not fair! I’m not responsible for your relationship problems.”
“You’ll never understand. You have those three boys wrapped around your finger. Their princess. Isn’t that right? You’re a selfish bitch who keeps stringing Ryder along. You want everything and have to give up nothing.”
Her verbal knives hit their target. Have I really been doing what she’s accusing me of?
“That’s enough, Maria.” Hailey grabs her arm. “You don’t know anything. Ryder, Julien, Jayson, and Lizzie have been best friends since they were little.”
“Jesus, not this again. You forget, Hailey, that I’ve been around too since the third grade. I know all about their ‘special bond,’” she replies sarcastically, using finger quotes.
“Yes, they do have a special bond. Something that existed way before you and Lizzie started hanging out and became friends. It’s unique and special, and I would give anything if I could find something like that.
But am I jealous of my sister because she has something that I would love to have too?
Absolutely not! You’re the one being a petty, selfish bitch.
Not her. I can guarantee you that nothing has ever happened between her and Ryder.
So if Ryder wants to dump you, that’s on him, not her.
And if you believe otherwise, you don’t deserve her friendship. ”
Wow. Hailey’s passionate speech in defense of me takes me by surprise. Not as surprising as what comes out of Maria’s mouth next.
“That’s fine with me." She turns to me. "We’re no longer friends, Liz."
She storms back into the main office. I can see Mrs. Teasdale looking between the both of us, concern on her face, but she says nothing to Maria when she stalks back over to the copier machine.
“What just happened?” I ask Hailey, and then I burst into tears. Hailey pulls me up off the bench and tells me we’re going to the girl’s restroom to wash my face. I look through the office window at Maria, but she won’t look at me.
Hailey notices a few of the onlookers have their cell phones out. “Enjoy the show?” she snarls at them.
Wonderful. I’m sure this will be posted online before the first bell rings and I’ll have to put up with snickers and nasty comments all day. Jayson and Ryder are going to be livid.
We go inside the restroom and thankfully, it’s empty. Hailey tears off a paper towel, wets it, and hands it to me.
“Thanks.”
I rub underneath my eyes to get the mascara smears off. I don’t wear a lot of makeup, so once I no longer have raccoon eyes, I apply some lip gloss and wash my hands.
“Screw her, Lizzie. Just screw her. That was the biggest pile of denial bull crap I have ever heard.”
“She’s my best friend, Hales. I didn’t know she was so angry with me.
Why didn’t she come talk to me? Talk to me?
If I knew my friendship with Ryder was bothering her that much, I would have.
..” Backed off? Stepped aside? Told Ryder we couldn’t hang out anymore?
Fabulous. More tears. I rip another paper towel off and dab the corners of my eyes.
“Real friends don’t treat each other that way. Could you imagine what you would do if Brea did that to me?”
“I’d kick her butt, even if she is Ryder’s sister.”
“Exactly. Be lucky I didn’t do just that.”
“Hopefully she’ll come around,” I say.
“Maybe. But if she doesn’t, it’s not on you. I know how you love to shoulder the blame. This is not one of those times. You did nothing wrong.”
My phone rings, and I see Jayson’s name. My voice is throaty from crying when I answer. “Hey.”
“Are you at school right now?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m with the guys at Ruby’s. You’re on speaker. Please tell me what we just saw did not happen.”