Carly's face turns beet red. "I'm acting my part, Mr. Hawthorne."
The incessant giggling escalates into boisterous laughter. Anya, herself, cannot contain her laughter. It brings her much joy to see her enemy exposed to the very same treatment that she gives to others on a daily basis. Well, what do you think now, Carly? Karma's a bitch, isn't it. Those words tingle the edge of her tongue, begging to be spoken. If it's not for the menacing look that Carly gives her, Anya would unleash them. Instead, she swallows them and waits in anticipation for the next blow of humiliation to strike Carly.
"No, you're not. That’s not Maggie I'm seeing on stage. That’s Carly," Mr. Hawthorne says.
An even louder round of laughter rings throughout the entire theatre. Anya laughs so hard, she can't breathe. Tears trickle down her face. Who's the loser now, Carly?
"Carly, Maggie walks gracefully and she speaks to Miss Cunningham in a cheerful manner. But you just stormed on stage like some psychopath killer on a mission. This is a romance drama, not a bloody horror story. Get back stage and do this again."
This time, Anya is the one who smiles smugly at Carly. For the first time in her life, she knows what it's like to be Carly and it feels good.
On her second try, Carly perfects her character's disposition, except for eye contact. She glares fiercely at Anya, but Anya glares back at her, unafraid. You better watch yourself, Carly. I'm no longer the loser you thought I was. I have friends now and they’re the kind of people who aren't gonna take attitude from anyone.
"Carly! Anya! Stop!" Mr. Hawthorne’s booming voice echoes off every wall in the theatre.
Anya snaps her head in his direction. The expression on his face spells exasperation.
"Miss Cunningham and Maggie get along well together. But you two look like you're about to duel each other. Start from the top again. We are going to do this until you girls decide to put aside your personal differences and step inside your characters." His emphatic critique is followed by a chorus of frustrated sighs from the other students.
****
It takes more than two tries for Anya and Carly to perfect that one scene before the bell rings, giving Mr. Hawthorne no chance to provide them with feedback. Disgruntled, the other students shuffle out of the theatre. Anya, though, dashes over to her creative writing class before Carly has a chance to pounce on her. She is on cloud nine. I guess you're not as popular as you thought you were, Carly.
The last hour and a quarter of school flies by, leaving Anya feeling like she missed out on a good lesson on character profiling. Nonetheless, she is happy to cross another day of school off her calendar. The second the bell rings, she grabs her knapsack and scurries out of the school building. But half way across the field, she feels someone tugging hard on her knapsack. Stunned, Anya turns around to find Carly standing right there as well as Shondra and Kirsten. The three of them look at her as if to say, 'I'm going to kill you.'
Carly glares at Anya. "So, you think you can get away after what you did to me?”
This time, Anya does not tremble with fear. She can feel the anger bubble beneath the surface of her skin. "Did what, Carly? What did I do to you to make you so mad?"
"First, you rob me of two-hundred-and-fifty dollars; then, you ruin Jose's party, and today, you humiliate me in front of the entire acting class."
Anya balls her hands into fists. "Let's get one thing straight: you willingly chose to spend that money on me."
"Well, I'm sorry I did. I didn't know you would turn into a rotten bitch."
Anya's jaw drops. "Me? The bitch?"
"Yes! You! If you don't give me back that money--"
"Oh, screw you, Carly! That was all a part of your little plot to ruin my life. I'm not paying you back, so why don't you do everyone a favor and drop dead."
"Why don't you do us a favor and drop dead, loser," Shondra intervenes.
Anya gives her an even more menacing look. "I wasn't talking to you, Shondra, so shut the hell up."
Shondra's mouth gapes open. "Uh, excuse me?"
"You heard what I said, dumbass!"
"Don't talk to my friend that way, Anya," Carly says, giving her a hard shove.
Anya stumbles over her feet, but fortunately regains her stability. She lunges at Carly, but Shondra, thinking swiftly, deals Anya a blow to her stomach with her foot. Anya feels as if all the air in her body has been sucked out by a vacuum cleaner. She falls on the cold, frost-laden grass, gasping for air and gripping her hurting stomach. She then feels the back of her neck crack as her head is jerked back ruthlessly by Carly tugging down on her long ponytail.
"Carly stop! Leave me alone," she wants to scream, but she is still too short of breath to do so. Her eyes widen when she sees Shondra and Kirsten tower over her, each holding onto a heavy weight, presumably Matt's weights. Anya tries to lift herself up off the ground, but she can't move. A severe pain shoots from the base of her neck to her temples. Her heart pounds so hard against her chest, it feels like it is about to explode. She opens her mouth to scream, but still no sound comes out. There has to be people nearby who can see this happening. Oh, please someone help me. She watches Shondra and Kirsten hand over the weights to Carly, who is the one pinning Anya to the ground. The next thing she knows, Carly is standing over her, smiling acidly down on her.
"Let's see how you get away from this, Anya. Ciao," she says. She quickly disappears out of Anya's eyesight. Their laughter fills the air. It sends cold chills up and down Anya's spine. She tries again to lift her head, but she is overwhelmed by the pain in her neck. She opens her mouth to scream, but all that comes out is a small, croaked sound. She reaches her arms behind her head, attempts to remove the weights from her hair, but they are too heavy. Terrified and helpless, she bursts into tears. "Someone, help me please," she says over again. But no one comes to her rescue.
In a matter of minutes, the cold from the surface of the ground seeps through her coat and jeans and penetrates her skin, sending deep chills throughout her body. Anya’s body becomes so cold, she is unable to move. She thinks she can hear someone calling her name, but it is off in the distance. She wants to call out to the person, but she is unable to. Her eyelids droop and she falls into a deep sleep.
CHAPTER 23
A bright light stings Anya's eyes when she opens them. She can see two people standing over her, but she can’t make out who they are.
"Anya. She's awake. Anya, are you okay?"
It's Maria. W-Where am I?" Her head swims with confusion.
"You're in the hospital. Anya, who did this to you?" Maria's voice is heavy with distress.
All of a sudden, she can hear the beep of a heart monitor beside the bed. She tries to lift herself up, but a sharp pain in the back of her neck prevents her from doing so. She also becomes aware of the thick, foam brace enclosed around her neck. Then, she remembers Carly's wicked smile, the weights and the frozen ground. Her lips tremble. "Carly, Shondra and Kirsten." She can easily recognize the look of horror that is exchanged between Maria and Alex.
"Why?" Maria says after a few painstaking moments of silence.
Cold chills shimmy up Anya's spine. "I…don't know." Her voice is hoarse and not much louder than a whisper.
A doctor walks into the room before Alex or Maria have a chance to respond. Anya fixes her eyes on him: he is tall, slim, and his razor-cut hair is the color of pepper. A thin pair of eye glasses sit perched on the bridge of his nose. His presence instantly eases her anxiety.
"Good afternoon, Anya," he says in a soft voice. He then turns to face Alex and Maria. "I would like to speak to Anya alone, so could you step outside for a few minutes?"
"Anything you have to say, you can say it in front of us, Dr. James," Alex says.
Anya's heart rate begins to speed up. The prognosis is bad, I know it. That's why he wants to speak to me alone. She can feel the warmth of Maria's hand pressing against the palm of her own hand.
"Anya, your neck isn’t broken, but it has sustained s
erious whip lash. You will need to wear this neck brace for at least three weeks."
Three weeks? How am I going to dress and how am I going to shower?
"I strongly advise that you bathe instead of showering. And wear your hair up, especially when it's wet. Any weight on your head will put a strain on your neck. I have prescribed Tylenol 3 and Naproxen for you to take. Tylenol 3 will ease the pain and Naproxen will decrease the swelling." He then approaches, holding two small, white forms.
"This is to show the pharmacist at Walter's Drug Mart," he says, handing her the first form. He then hands her the other one.
"In two weeks, you'll need to see a massage therapist."
Anya holds the second form in front of her face and frowns at it. "What's this for?"
"For your treatment at Schuler's Massage Therapy. This form states that you are medically required to receive massage treatments two times a week. You must present this form to the receptionist or they won't give you your sixty percent discount. And before your treatment begins, you must see me so I can call and remind Mrs. Shuler of your appointments."
A small smile appears on her face. "Thank you, Doctor James. How many therapy sessions will I have to go to?"
"That depends on how quickly your neck heals."
Her smile vanishes. "But, how am I gonna cover the rest of the cost? I don't have a job anymore."
His brow snaps up. "That's what I've been meaning to ask you. How old are you, Anya?"
"Seventeen."
"Well, since you're not old enough to cover your own medical costs, I assume you're under your parents' medical plan."
Anya's face crumples. "My mom isn’t around anymore and I don't know if my dad has a medical plan."
He casts her an inquisitive look, but one that is laden with concern.
"Doctor James," Maria says, "her family is very poor and she doesn't have a close relationship with her dad."
"Well, then that brings me to my next point," he says. The look on his face becomes grim.
Anya's heart skips a beat.
"Anya, your friends told me that they found you pinned down on the school field by heavy weights."
Carly's face flashes before her eyes. "Yes."
"Can you tell me who did this to you?"
Her eyes fill up with tears. "A few girls in my school."
"What are their names, and what school do you go to?"
Her body trembles uncontrollably. "I…go to…Peach Valley Senior Secondary."
"Okay. What are these girls' names?"
Anya opens her mouth to speak, but the words get stuck in her throat.
"Anya, this is very serious. If you would have entered the emergency room a second later, you wouldn't have made it. I need to know the names of these girls so we can go with you to the police to press charges against them," he says.
"Screw the police," Alex says.
"Alex, I don't think you realize how serious this case is. These girls almost murdered Anya," Doctor James says with an exasperated shake of his head.
"Yes I do actually. I've seen innocent people murdered in cold blood and I've seen people beaten almost to death. And when their friends and family reported the crime, the cops did nothing to protect them. Slap the criminals on the wrist and give them only two or three years behind bars. That's all they did."
Alex is so passionate that it almost frightens Anya. She can’t tell if his passion is a result of anger, or if he is trying to hide something from Doctor James.
"And, what do you propose to do?"
"I've got my own way of dealing with these kinds of people."
"You're not going to kill them?" Doctor James says, his voice escalating.
"No," Anya says, surprised by the crispness in her own voice. "I don't want to do to them what they almost did to me." Now, can we please let it go? I don't want to talk about it anymore.
"Anya, these girls need to be punished. Please tell me their names," Doctor James says. His voice is unbearably soft.
She swallows hard. "Carly Newman, Shondra Kreviak and Kirsten Brandt. They're all the same age as me and they're also in my grad class."
"I can help you," he says, laying his hand on top of hers. His skin feels hot against her clammy skin.
Anya keeps her eyes focused on the thin, white blankets. "How can you help me?"
"I have friends who are members of the Peach Valley RCMP. I can be your witness and, I promise, they will listen."
Yeah, and what will Carly and them do to me then? And, will Maria still be my friend if I decide to press charges against the three of them? She can almost feel Maria's intense stare. She doesn't know if Maria wants her to say 'yes, I will press charges against them' or if she wants her to refuse his offer. Regardless, she can’t take the risk. "No. I…can't do this."
"Anya, why not?" His voice is full of dismay.
Maria and Alex's looks are unflinching.
She swallows hard. "Alex said that he'll deal with them. Besides, I want them to feel the pain that they put me through."
"They certainly will behind bars."
"Oh, you don't know Carly. She never takes the blame for anything. That's why I'm here in the first place." She winces at the heavy sigh in his voice. He is trying to help her, but she is pushing him away. Yet, there is no way she could face Carly, Shondra and Kirsten in a court room. She would have to hire a lawyer to fight for her and that will cost tens of thousands of dollars, money she doesn't have. In the end, they would get what they deserve, but the costs would be heavy. No. Anya would far rather let Alex deal with her. She knows, with him on her side, she will pull through this battle and still have friends.
****
Maria's head spins with anger and disbelief. I know Carly is aggressive, but this aggressive? How could she do this and then walk away with a smile on her face? Maybe it's all just a cover-up to deal with her guilt and her deep insecurities. She sighs. With Carly, you never know.
"What are you thinking about, Maria?"
Maria snaps her head in Anya's direction. "Carly." The distraught look on Anya's face makes her stomach churn with nausea.
"Maria, did I do the right thing?"
"Yes you did, Anya," Alex says.
His response takes the edge off Maria's anxiety. Luckily for her, she doesn't have to answer Anya's question.
"What are you going to do to her?" Anya says.
Kill her. Tell her that Satan has a space reserved for her in hell. I really don't know. "Alex and I will think of something, right Alex?" She says, turning to face him.
"Yes we will," he says with a vigorous nod of his head. "Marissa is getting off work soon, so Maria, we have to go."
"Guys, when will I be able to leave this place?" Anya says. The look on her white face pleads them not to leave.
Maria really wants to stay by her side, but what choice does she have? She could take the bus over to the apartment complex where Alex and Marissa live, but she doesn't know what bus to take or where the nearest bus stop is on the street where they live. She could ask her mother for a ride, but she doesn't work in one spot, so trying to find her in this large building would be the equivalent of searching for a needle in a stack of hay. Besides, Maria is not ready to face her, let alone spend a few minutes sitting next to her in a car.
"You'll be out of here soon, Anya, hopefully by tomorrow afternoon. Just try to get some rest."
"I don't have money to cover my medical costs," Anya says, looking like she is about to cry.
"Don't worry, I'll pay for it," Alex says.
The grateful smile that spreads across her face eases Maria's tumultuous emotions. "I'll be back in the morning," she says.
As Maria walks through the foyer, she hears an all-too familiar voice call her name. She whirls around to find her mother standing in front of the reception desk. She can see the creases on her mother's smooth brow.
"Maria, what are you doing here?"
"I'm with him," she says, pointing at Alex.
&nbs
p; Teresa shoots him a dubious look. "Maria, what are you doing here? What happened?"
Maria's face flushes red. "My friend got beat up really bad after school and we found her on the school field and—“
"Is that Anya?"
Maria's eyes bulge open. "How do you know?"
"She called last week, wanting to speak with you. Where have you been, Maria? Your father and I have been worried sick."
Then, why didn't you look for me? You could have come to my school to find me. But no. Your stupid jobs are way more important. "Oh."
"Maria, I really want to talk to you. Can we meet at Starbuck's tomorrow at four-thirty?"
What do you want to talk to me about? "Can't. I start my new job at four."
Maria can detect the look of disappointment in her mother's eyes. It makes her feel even more awkward than what she is already feeling.
"Doesn't school end around that time?"
"Actually, school in this country ends at three," she says.
Her mother stares at her, visibly put off by her rude response. "Alright, then what time works well for you?"
Maria rolls her eyes to the ceiling. "My schedule is full for the next two weeks."
"With what?"
"I started a new job at Highland Grill."
"Highland Grill?"
The disapproving look on her mother's face infuriates Maria. She wants to yell at her, yet she forces herself to remain calm. "Yes, Madre, it's a high-end restaurant. I'm going to be a server."
Teresa folds her arms across her chest. "I thought you were going to focus on your studies."
Maria sighs. Here we go again. "Look, Madre, we have to go. Alex has to pick his girlfriend up from work. Can we talk more over coffee, say two weeks Saturday?"
"Oh, alright."
Maria can’t help but notice the contemptuous look that her mother gives Alex. Yet, she ignores it and walks out of the building beside him.
Once they are on the road, Alex asks, "so that's your mom," acting like he hadn't heard the entire conversation.
Obviously. Where were you? On the moon? "Yes."
"That felt a little awkward for you, I could tell," he says after a few moments of silence.
To be Maria Page 12
