A whole week! That would be the longest that Maria and I hadn't seen each other for. Although there had been the odd family holiday that had kept us apart, but we had been in constant communication. A thought hit me, and I couldn't believe I had forgotten all about it. I grabbed my phone and messaged my go-to guy.
Mike: Hey, did you know Maria got suspended for a week?
Brett: Check Facebook. Check Twitter. Check everything.
I logged onto my Facebook feed and there it was. It even had it's own hash tag. #Twinwars. Almost all our friends had seen it or posted it. My feed was littered with pictures of Maria and Mckenzie in a full-blown bitch slap session. The photos were grainy and out of focus, the kind taken on cell phones in the heat of a moment. There was even a video. I clicked on it and watched, and my jaw dropped.
The video showed Maria and McKenzie going for it. Really, really going for it. There was hitting, slapping and hair pulling. Maria was screaming something at Mckenzie over and over again but the quality was so bad, and a teacher was screaming loudly over the fighting, that I couldn't hear what it was.
Was I really the cause of this?
I scrolled down and started to read the comments and my blood boiled. Rage filled every single part of my body.
Chase: Nothing like seeing two hot chicks fighting. #hottwinwars
I fucking hated him right now. And I was glad I whipped his stupid ass and smeared him across the tennis court earlier. I tossed my phone on my desk and felt totally lost. It had only been a few hours since I'd seen Maria, but somehow I felt like a ship without an anchor. Floating aimlessly. It made me realize just how dependent I was on her. And perhaps she on me. We'd been wrapped up in our own world for most of our lives. Without her.... well, I don't know.
I saw movement in her room and raced to the window. The curtains were closed but I could see a shadow. Two shadows. I wanted to throw a stone at the window, but feared that Mr.Glover would pop out from behind the curtain. What the hell was going on there? I was desperate to know.
I started tying a message to Maria and stared at it, unsure about whether I should send it or not. Surly it was okay, I mean, It wasn't anything hectic.
Mike: U ok?
My finger hovered over the send button for ages. I wondered what kind of punishment Mr. Glover was able to inflict if I contacted Maria? He was a man of means, he could probably hire a hit man at the snap of his executive finger.
I heard a loud noise and looked at their driveway as Maria's mothers car pulled out. And then Maria and McKenzie walked out dragging suitcases behind them. I watched as they loaded the suitcases into the back of the car. Maria's mother and father then followed suit, loading bags into the car and then climbing in.
Panic. Where were they all going?
I jumped up and ran from my room. Flew down the stairs tripping down a whole bunch as I went. I ran out the house and into the road just as the car pulled off and started driving down the street. I ran as fast as I could for as long as I could, but it was not enough. My lungs felt like they were going to explode and I could taste blood. As the car turned the corner Maria turned and looked at me. She was so far away, but I could still make out the tiny wave as she disappeared out of sight.
Mike
I stood in the middle of the street. I might as well have be standing in the middle of an empty desert. Nothing around me but sand in all directions, as far as the eye could see. No signs of life. Just a flat nothingness. That's how I felt. Totally alone and lost.
And what was killing me the most was that I didn't even know where she was going, or when she was coming back. Those suitcases had not been a good sign at all.
I pulled out my phone. Fuck, I didn't care what her dad did to me at this point, but I was phoning her. He could turn his big, shiny fancy car around and come and run me over for all I cared. At least i would get to see Maria again and find out where the hell they were all going. I started to dial her number. I didn't even need to look down at the keys as the muscle memory in my fingers took over. I had dialled this number so many times. I could probably dial it in my sleep. Probably comatose too.
Her phone started to ring and it was the cue for my heart to start pounding with anticipation. I was either going to hear her voice, or her dads voice. But after several rings, it went to voice mail. I rang again, and again and again as I walked back towards my house, passing Maria's on the way.
A strange, slight echoing sound make me stop and look in the direction of Maria's room. I could hear a phone ringing, but that would be impossible, Maria never went anywhere without her phone. Ever. I hung up and the echo stopped at exactlly the same time. I dialed her number again and the strange echo-ish ring started up again. I ran for the trellis and climbed into her bedroom, and there, on her bedside table, was her phone.
My heart sunk as the reality hit me... how was I meant to get
