"Well, Anya, you're more than welcome to hang with us," Alex says, smiling at her.
She smiles back at him. "Really?"
Both Alex and Maria nod their heads. "Yeah, really. You're a great person," he says.
Anya beams all over with excitement. She can’t believe what she has just heard. The cutest guy she's laid eyes on wants her to hang out with him, and possibly his friends. This night has just ended on a happy note. Now, all she has to do is win Marissa over as well. Hopefully, that won't be too hard of a challenge.
CHAPTER 19
The drive back to Anya's home is ridden in silence. Maria can tell that Anya is as speechless as she is. Anya's first night out in the real world went far better than her life in high school. Or did it? She cannot read her mind.
Alex and Marissa seem like really great people, way cooler than everyone at Peach Valley Senior High, and Alex took a shine to Anya even though he already has a girlfriend. It didn't take Maria long to notice Marissa's contempt towards Anya. She wonders how Marissa would think about the spark of chemistry between her boyfriend and Anya. Regardless, Maria plans to stay cool and collected. She likes both of them, but this time, she is going to keep her nose clean. Yet, Maria can’t help but worry about Anya. Now that she knows a large piece of her dismal past, she can understand why Anya is the way she is: shy, afraid and awkward. All Anya needs is a group of people who will embrace her. Maria has been received well by Marissa, so maybe once she gets to know her better, she can persuade her to accept Anya as well. This should be enough to boost Anya's confidence and to get her through the rest of the school year.
Maria forces herself away from her thoughts and guides her car onto a poorly lit street. "Is this Gerard Avenue?"
"Yes," Anya says, pointing her finger straight ahead. "But it looks like my dad's home, because that's his car on the sidewalk, so you'll have to find a parking space further down the street."
Maria slows her car almost to a halt, then parks it parallel to the sidewalk, about fifty feet away from the tiny white house Anya calls home. She gets Anya to help her carry the heavy duffle bag over to the front door. As soon as she opens it, a rush of warm air that smells of overcooked sausage envelops Maria. Her stomach churns so violently, she almost vomits. What the heck are you getting yourself into, Maria? This place is filthy, and it reeks. She has the urge to grab her bag and run, but she forces herself to follow Anya. Much to her surprise, Anya's room is clean. The small window beside the bed is opened a few inches, allowing the fresh, cold air to filter into the room, clearing it of the revolting smell.
Maria scans the room in search of a mattress or thick foam that she can sleep on. When she finally turns around, it appears as if Anya can read her mind. Anya tip-toes out of the room silently, leaving her alone. Maria shuts the door quietly, then walks over to her duffel bag. She unfastens the zipper, rummages through the wealth of clothes, makeup and jewelry until she finds her pink, cotton pajamas. She slips out of her dress and into her pajamas just before Anya enters, carrying two large, ugly brown couch pillows and an old blue blanket that looks more like an oversized rag. She wrinkles her nose at the items. "Am I supposed to sleep on that?"
Anya looks at her as if to ask, 'what did you expect coming here?' "Yes," is all she says.
Maria stands aside to let her set up the make-shift bed. "Where’s your dad?" She can hear the anger and frustration in Anya's sigh.
"Well, since his car is here, he's likely gone to bed drunk."
Maria's eyes sink to the floor. My dad is a complete jerk most of the time, but I'm so thankful that he's not an alcoholic. "That must really suck," she says, her voice barely louder than a whisper.
Anya's eyes meet with hers. Maria can see the tears glistening in those big brown eyes. "Yes it does, but now I have you and Alex, so it doesn't matter anymore."
Maria averts her eyes to the makeshift bed. "Goodnight, Anya."
"Goodnight, Maria," she says while she flicks off the light.
****
Anya opens her eyes slowly. The scarlet red light that reads the time on her alarm clock appears as a blur before her sleep-crusted eyes. She rubs them while she lifts herself out from underneath the blankets. She sits on the edge of her bed, staring blankly at the alarm clock. It reads 9:30 am. Anya then shifts her gaze over to Maria who is still fast asleep. They must have gone to bed near three am last night because it doesn't feel like she slept much. Exhaustion hangs off Anya’s shoulders like a heavy blanket, yet she can’t force herself to lie back down. Her mind is flooded with memories of last night, memories that seem only true to a dream. If Maria wasn't here, she would have to keep pinching her cheeks just to reassure herself of the reality of last night's events.
Anya plants both feet firmly on the carpeted floor, then makes her way over to the kitchen. The coffee pot sits on the center of the counter with the lid up, looking like someone had forgotten to pour water into the reservoir. Normally, Anya doesn't drink coffee first thing in the morning, but today she needs it. She peers inside. The porta-filter contains the same darn paper cone filter as it had yesterday. Anya growls as she throws the soggy filter into the trash bin beneath the sink. As she opens the cupboard above the counter, the phone rings. Anya stops in her tracks. Who could that be? The phone rings again. Anya's eyes bulge open. Work! Oh my God. The manager scheduled me for the nine to six-thirty shift today, and it's already past nine-thirty. How could I forget?
"Anya, the phone," Sophia yells from her room.
"Crap," Anya says through gritted teeth as she races toward her sister's room. All of the exhaustion is now drained from her body.
Sophia greets her in the door frame with an agitated scowl. She almost throws the phone at Anya.
"Hello?" Anya says into the receiver.
"Anya, you were supposed to be here thirty-five minutes ago. What are you doing?" Sally says.
The severe tone in her voice makes Anya's stomach flip flop. To make matters worse, Sophia leans against the door frame and looks at her with a gleeful smirk on her unwashed face. Anya inhales a huge gulp of air. Come on, Anya. Think of something to tell her. You're an actress, you can do it. "I'm really sorry, Sally, but I slept in and I woke up with a really bad head cold," she says, faking a nasal sound in her voice.
Sophia throws her head back, laughing loudly and uncontrollably. "God, you're pathetic, Anya." Her boisterous laughter and cruel statement must have wakened Maria, because not even a minute later, she appears in the doorway of Anya's room. Unfortunately, she is not the only person to hear Sophia's outburst of disrespect.
"Is this some kind of joke, Anya?" Sally says.
The sharp tone in her voice cuts right through Anya like a sword. Sally, the manager at Carbosa's Cafe, isn’t malicious like the tall, black-haired manager at Solas Night Club. But she’s not the nicest person either. She is the kind of person who favors only supervisors and workers who have worked full-time at Carbosa's Cafe for six months or longer. Anya was hired two weeks before Christmas and, since she works only two days a week, she does not qualify for a position in Sally's good books. She honestly believes that she never will.
Sally is also a perfectionist; she will punish someone for making even the littlest mistake. Anya has seen her reduce a girl to tears after that girl accidently spilt a customer's mug of coffee all over the floor. But this dilemma is much larger than a spilt mug of coffee.
"Uh…no," Anya says. She is painfully aware of the snickers on the tip of Sophia's lips and the blank look on Maria's face.
"I don't have time for games, Anya. There's a line of customers that extends to the washrooms, and we're short of staff because you failed to show up for work," Sally barks into the phone.
"I'm really sorry, Sally. I will make it up to you. I promise."
"Forget it. Don't bother coming in today."
Anya's jaw drops. She has expected a severe tongue lashing, but not this. "What?"
"You heard me, Anya."
"Sally, y
ou can't do this. I always come to work on time and I always please the customers. I've never been late, you know I haven't." The only response she gets is the click of the receiver on Sally's end. "Damn," Anya yells, shaking all over. She drops the phone on the carpeted floor, then lunges at her sister. She grabs a handful of Sophia's long hair before the girl has a chance to slam the door in her face. Sophia screams in pain, but that fuels Anya's anger. She tugs harder on Sophia's hair. She is not going to let Sophia get away with this one. Enough is enough! Anya balls her left hand into a fist and directs it into Sophia's stomach. Sophia falls to the floor, gasping for breath. Anya plunges down on her like a hawk about to attack its prey and punches Sophia in the face. The blow from her fist causes blood to spray out from Sophia’s nose. It leaves a crimson mark on the dirt-stained carpet, but Anya doesn’t care. She doesn't even care that Maria is standing less than five feet away, yelling at her to stop. She just keeps hitting Sophia. It takes the jerk of Maria's firm grip on Anya's wrist from behind to end her winning battle. But Anya leaves her sister curled up on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably and her face a mess of swelling bruises and blood.
"What's going on out here," Her father yells from across the house.
Anya -- forgetting momentarily about Sophia -- rushes out of the room, her heart racing. Her father, visibly hung over, stands in the frame of his bedroom door, clad in the same red, flannel shirt and jeans he wore six days ago. His thick, brown hair hangs in greasy strings below his ears and his eyes are red. Anya can detect a strong hint of annoyance in his eyes.
"What's going on, Anya? Why is your sister screaming?"
Anya's face flushes red. "It's a good thing my friend stopped me in time or else I would have killed Sophia. She just cost me my job," she says through clenched teeth.
"It's not true," Sophia says between sobs.
Anya grabs her by the scruff of her collar, but this time, Sophia decides to fight back. Anya takes a blow to her jaw, but it's not hard enough to cause much pain. She lunges at her sister with force and manages to pin Sophia against the wall before she is able to strike again.
"Stop it! Both of you," he yells.
Sophia's face crumples. "But dad--"
"Get out! Both of you!"
"Anya punched me in the stomach and broke my nose," she says through her tears.
"I said get out," he shouts. He turns, then stumbles back into his room, muttering under his breath words that Anya can’t hear. She’s thankful she can't hear them. He doesn't slam his door shut; it comes to a rest against the hinge on the frame.
Anya glowers at Sophia. "Maybe you should have thought about that before you opened your big trap and got me fired from my job. And maybe from now on, you should think before you speak." She then marches back into her bedroom, Maria following close behind. She stomps over to her closet, yanks her old, grey hoodie with such force that it causes the hanger to fly off the rack. Both girls change in silence.
CHAPTER 20
Maria can’t describe one emotion she is feeling right now: she is stunned, horrified, angry and sad. She can’t direct any of these emotions at Anya, Anya is not to blame for any of this. She was just acting on her emotions and her sister deserved everything she got. That young girl is another Carly. But now that this has happened, where will Maria go? She can't go back to Shondra's home, not after the way she lied to her mother. She doesn't want to move back home with her parents and she certainly does not want to live in this household.
She throws her pajamas into her bag and closes the zipper. That is when she becomes aware of the wary look that Anya gives her.
"What are you doing, Maria?"
Maria lifts her head until her eyes meet with those of Anya's. "I'm leaving. I mean, we're both leaving. For now. But I'm not coming back here with you, Anya."
The severe look Anya gives her takes her by surprise.
"Don't be ridiculous, Maria. Where are you going to stay? You can't go back to Shondra's place."
Maria breathes out a heavy sigh. She wishes that she could go back to the way things were before. She enjoyed living with the Kreviak family. They treated her like she was one of their own. So what if Carly's a bitch. Maria could have forced herself to tolerate her, just like everyone else has to. She wants more than anything to turn back the hands of time one full week. She would have done things differently. Very differently.
"You could move back in with your parents, but you don't want to make up with them," Anya says. Her voice is filled with accusation.
Maria's jaw becomes tense. Normally she’s able to come up with a strong retort, but this time she can’t find one. Besides, she doesn't want to add to Anya's pain. It would be like putting hot tar on her open wounds. "I can't stay here, Anya."
"Well then, tell me where you're going to stay."
Maria chews on her lower lip. Usually she is in control of her situations, but this time she is not. The mistake she made has left her lost, confused and out of control.
"Thought so," Anya says. "You have nowhere else to go. You can't live in your car and you can't keep running away from problems. You have to face them sooner or later, so you may as well start now."
Maria looks at her with one eyebrow sharply raised. She could give Anya a piece of her mind, especially since she stuck up for her at Jose's party. It was because of Anya that Maria lied to Shondra's mother. Or was it because she wanted to protect Anya from Carly? She can’t, in good faith, be angry at Anya because she's not to blame for any of this. Maria realizes that she has made some very poor choices and decided to bring Anya along for the ride. Besides, Anya's right: she can't keep fleeing from the consequences of her actions because she can only run so far before she gets too tired to walk. And once that happens, it will be sooner than later that they catch up to her. Then she will have no one to turn to.
"Fine, I'll stay, but let's get out of here for now," she says.
****
Anya is so overwhelmed that she can’t find the right words to describe how she is feeling. She may have hated her job, but it provided her with a measure of security and independence. And now it's gone. She can't ask her father for money because he has none to give her, and she won’t ask Maria because Maria also has no job. And there is no other family member or relative living in the same area who can help her. They all live in Russia and are complete strangers. The last time Anya has seen any of them was when she was a little girl. She can't remember their names or even what they look like.
Her sister caused her to lose her job and without thinking about the consequences that loss of income would cause this family. Sophia also fails to realize that Anya is the only real family member she has, and it pains Anya beyond words to know that her little sister hates her. Yet Anya can't believe that she hurt her. Never before has she inflicted any physical injury on anyone. Until now, she did not even know she had the strength to beat up on someone. As nasty as Sophia is, Anya regrets what she had done to her. If Maria had not been here, she would have beat Sophia to death and that realization sends chills up and down her spine. Anya also regrets that Maria had to witness this vile display of behavior. She wants to apologize to her, but she gets the feeling that Maria has withdrawn from her. The moment Anya needs her support, Maria decides to pack up her bag and announce that she is leaving.
Anya's mouth becomes taut around the edges. Boy, it's a good thing I said those things to her, because if I hadn't, she'd have left and I'd probably never see her again. Worse, I would be all alone with no job, no family and no friends. My life would be a hopeless mess. She refuses to make eye contact with Maria. I honestly don't think she's trustworthy, but do I really want to end the friendship?
Carly lays on her bed, reading the latest edition of Elle when the phone on her nightstand rings. She sighs while she throws the magazine down beside her. Ugh, I hate being interrupted when I'm reading a good article. The phone rings again, its shrill sound echoing off the walls in her large room. Geez, couldn't it wait? Carly finally
snatches the phone off its base. "Hello?"
"Carly, it’s Shondra."
"Oh, hi Shondra, I was expecting you to be Maria."
"That's just the reason I'm calling,"
Shondra’s voice sounds far too dismal for Carly's liking.
"You're calling because of Maria?"
There is a small pause on the other end of the receiver. "Yes," she says at last.
Carly can feel her jaw tighten around the edges of her mouth. "What about her?"
"Carly, Maria left."
"So?"
"Maria's mom is really sick. My mom told me last night."
Carly bursts into a fit of laughter. "Oh, get real, Shondra. Do you really believe that?"
There is a long pause on the other end of the line, so long that Carly starts to think that Shondra has hung up on her. "Are you still there?"
"Yeah. Why do you ask that all of a sudden?"
Carly's face becomes inflamed. "Because Maria is a filthy liar. Her mom is not sick. She's just too chicken to face me. Anyway, why would you want to have anything to do with her after what she did last night? She ruined the party when she ditched us for Anya."
"You're right," Shondra says with a heavy sigh in her voice. But her response is not the kind of response Carly wants to hear.
"You're not seriously gonna take her side, are you, Shondra?"
"No."
A sly smile spreads across Carly's face. "Good. As for Anya; when I see her, I'm gonna kick her sorry ass."
Shondra chuckles. "I'll help you. She thinks that she can just waltz into our group and expect us all to bow down to her. Who does she think she is?"
"God's gift to humanity. I don't think so, and you want me to let you in on a little secret?"
"What?"
"She's not that great of an actress."
"Ha! That's no secret to me. I've seen her act several times before and she isn't any good. It's just too bad Mr. Hawthorne doesn't see it that way."
To be Maria Page 10
