Maya stood outside Lena's door, her heart heavy and her mind spinning after the confrontation. Lena's words echoed in her head, cutting deep. She couldn't blame Lena for being angry.
She had spoken the truth. But it didn't make the pain any easier. Maya's hands trembled as she fought back the tears threatening to spill over. She nearly broke down right there in the hallway, but she forced herself to hold it together.
Taking a shaky breath, Maya walked away.
Inside the room, Lena slumped in her bed, guilt weighing heavily on her chest. She could still see the look on Maya's face when she had screamed at her, the hurt in her friend's eyes.
Why did I say those things? Lena thought, closing her eyes as she let out a long sigh.
She turned her gaze toward the window, the orange hues of the setting sun casting shadows on the hospital walls. She tried not to think about it-about how her life had changed in an instant, about how she had lashed out at the one person who had been trying to help her.
Time passed slowly. The sky outside darkened as the sun dipped below the horizon. The first raindrops tapped against the window, soft at first, but soon growing louder as the storm rolled in. The hospital became quieter, more still, the air thick with unease. Maya reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a flashlight, her fingers tracing the smooth surface of the handle.
Just in case, she thought.
The Umbrella Man could be anywhere, and with the storm growing outside, she couldn't take any chances.
As she made her way to the elevator, the sound of rain pounding on the roof became almost deafening. The rhythmic beeping of hospital machines echoed faintly through the halls, creating an eerie backdrop to her thoughts.
Maya stepped into the elevator, her heart heavy with sadness. She stood there quietly, staring at the floor as her box braids fell over her face, obscuring her vision. She sniffled, wiping away the tears that had finally slipped free.
Why did things have to turn out like this? she thought, her mind replaying Lena's outburst over and over again.
Ding.
The elevator doors slid open with a soft chime, and Maya stepped out, her legs feeling like they were made of lead as she walked toward Lena's room. She didn't knock. She couldn't bring herself to. Instead, she pushed open the door quietly and entered. Lena didn't move from where she sat, still staring out the window, lost in thought. Maya's footsteps were soft as she crossed the room and placed the flashlight on the bed beside Lena.
"Here," she said quietly.
Without waiting for a response, Maya turned to leave, her body rigid with emotion, but before she could reach the door, Lena shifted in her bed, her voice barely more than a whisper.
"Maya, please... stop."
Maya froze mid-step, her back still facing Lena, her braid falling slightly in front of her eyes, blocking her vision.
Lena sat up slightly in bed, her voice soft but filled with regret. "Maya, I know what I said earlier was... harsh. I just want to say I'm sorry about my tone."
Maya paused, her hand resting on the door handle, her back still turned to Lena. She didn't look at her, didn't respond right away. For a moment, the room was filled only with the faint hum of hospital machinery and the steady beat of rain against the window.
"It's fine," Maya finally said, her voice low and distant. "No need to apologize."
Without turning back, she opened the door and began to walk out, her steps slow and heavy.
Lena's voice suddenly broke through the silence.
"Wait!" Lena shouted, her tone more desperate than she intended.
Maya stopped, her shoulders tensing, but she didn't turn around. Her face was visibly annoyed, her patience already worn thin. She let out a soft sigh before speaking, her voice edged with frustration. "What is it now, Lena?"
Lena hesitated, her heart pounding. "I... I want to know about you and Alex. He doesn't open up much to me, but he does with you."
Maya paused at the door, her fingers still gripping the handle. She glanced back at Lena, this time over her shoulder. She sighed deeply, then looked up at the ceiling, her eyes distant as she gathered her thoughts.
Maya turned slightly, her back still to the door, but her gaze focused on the floor as memories began to surface.
"Me and Alex... we've known each other since we were really young. Grade 1, actually," she said with a small, sad smile. "We both went to Pegasus Primary School. I remember the first day like it was yesterday."
"I was crying that day," Maya continued, her voice soft.
"My parents were dropping me off, and I didn't want them to leave. I felt so alone. But then, this little raccoon of a kid walked up to me and my parents." She smiled at the thought, her eyes briefly lighting up.
"He had this messy hair, and this little superhero backpack, and he just introduced himself, saying, 'Hey, I'm Alex Thompson! Why are you crying? You should be excited to start school!'"
Maya chuckled lightly, but there was a sadness in her laughter. "Of course, I cried even harder, because I didn't know what else to do. But then, Alex did something I'll never forget. He looked right at me, puffed out his tiny chest, and said with all the confidence in the world, 'Don't cry, I'm here to protect you because I'm a superhero. I'll protect you from bullies, 'cause my daddy says I'm strong.'"
Maya paused, letting the words hang in the air for a moment, the warmth of the memory filling the room. "And for some reason, that made me stop crying. He made me feel safe, like I had a sibling watching out for me. I'm an only child, so I didn't really know what that was like, but with Alex... it was different. From that day on, we were inseparable."
"We'd go to each other's houses all the time," Maya continued, her voice gaining strength as the memories poured out. "We'd watch movies, play basketball in the driveway. He was like my big brother, always looking out for me. I was part of his family, and he was part of mine. It just... clicked. Funny thing is, he kept that promise he made on the first day of school. He really did protect me from bullies."
Maya smiled faintly, her gaze distant. "Alex has twin sisters-Tina and Nina. Adorable, but so much trouble. They'd follow us around everywhere, causing mischief. His family was like a second home to me."
But then her expression darkened, the warmth fading from her face. "Everything was perfect, at least for a while. We were just kids, having fun... until one day, everything changed."
Lena spoke again, her voice bitter and sharp. "So, you know him so well," Lena said, her eyes narrowing. "I guess that's why he feels safe crying in front of you."
Maya stopped, her hand gripping the door handle tightly. She didn't turn around this time. Her voice, when she spoke, was cold, distant. "Yes," she replied, her words clipped. "That's my big brother. That's my best friend."
Maya paused for a moment at the door, but something pulled her back. She let out a long breath, and without turning to face Lena, she continued speaking, her voice softer now.
"We both left Pegasus Primary School and went to Blackhorn High," she said quietly. "I joined the art and craft club, and Alex... well, he joined the basketball team. We thought it'd be like old times, hanging out together, keeping our bond strong. But that year... that year changed everything for him."
Maya sniffled, tears welling up in her eyes, making them look glassy under the dim hospital lights. She paused, trying to hold herself together, but the memories were too powerful, too raw.
"We were in grade 8," Maya began, her voice trembling slightly. "It was the final basketball match of the season. Alex was the best player on his team... his dad used to call him 'Amazing Alex'-that was his superhero name. In primary school, Alex's parents, and even my parents, would attend every single one of his games. Back then, it felt like we were all one big family."
She took a shaky breath, her hands trembling slightly as she continued. "But in high school, things changed. His parents weren't there like they used to be. My parents and I would still go to every game, cheering him on, trying to fill that gap. And I could see it... I could feel that something wasn't right with Alex. He appreciated our support, but it wasn't enough. It wasn't the same without his parents."
Maya's voice cracked as she pushed forward. "There was one game... one game they came to. It was the final. The biggest game of the season. We had kept courtside seats for Alex's family, right up front where he could see them."
Maya paused, a tear slipping down her cheek as she remembered that day. She quickly wiped it away, her chest tightening with the weight of the story she was about to tell.
"Alex lost that final," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "He was heartbroken. He blamed himself, even though it wasn't his fault. We were all trying to console him after the game, and I remember my dad stepping away to take a phone call. It was strange because my dad never usually took calls like that. But when he came back... something was wrong."
Her breath hitched as the memory surfaced in full force. "My dad's whole body language had changed. His shoulders were slumped, and his eyes... they were glassy, like he was holding back something terrible. He walked over to my mom first, whispered something to her. And she... she couldn't hold it together. She broke down crying right there on the court."
Maya's hands trembled as she wiped her eyes again, tears freely falling now. She looked down, unable to meet Lena's eyes as the weight of the next words pressed down on her chest.
"I was confused. I didn't know what was happening," Maya continued, her voice barely holding together. "But then my dad came over to me... and to Alex. He took a deep breath, and then... he told us that Alex's parents and his sisters, Tina and Nina... they had all died in a car accident. On their way to the game."
Maya's voice trembled as she continued, the weight of the memories pressing down on her.
"When my dad told Alex the news, his face went completely pale. It was like the life had been sucked out of him in an instant. He just... dropped to his knees right there on the basketball court, staring into nothing. No tears, no words-just this blank, empty stare, like his entire world had shattered around him."
Maya wiped her eyes again, her heart breaking as she remembered the look on Alex's face that day. "His whole world crumbled in that moment. He wasn't the same after that... not for a long time."
She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself, but her voice wavered as she pushed on. "Alex didn't even attend the funeral. He couldn't. He shut down completely, pulled himself away from everyone-me, my family... everyone. It was like he just couldn't handle the idea of saying goodbye. He went into this shell, and no matter what we did, we couldn't reach him."
Maya swallowed hard, her chest tight with the memory. "After the funeral, he went to live with his grandparents. My parents, they offered to adopt him, you know? They loved him like their own son, and they didn't want him to feel alone. But his grandparents refused. They felt it was their responsibility to take care of him, and they were his family... so, that's where he went."
Maya's voice grew quieter, her mind lost in the memories. "Alex didn't come back to school for a month. And when he finally did... he wasn't the same. He looked different, talked different. It was like the old Alex had disappeared, replaced by someone who carried the weight of the world on his shoulders."
She glanced at the floor, her fingers trembling slightly as she spoke. "He started overanalyzing everything, making sure everything was perfect. He wasn't that confident, carefree kid anymore. He was still incredible at basketball, though. Even after everything... it still made him happy. It was like the one piece of him that hadn't completely broken."
Maya paused, her voice faltering as she was about to reveal something deeper, something she had held close for a long time. But then, she stopped. She swallowed the rest of her story, her tone shifting, colder now.
"Yeah, that's me and Alex's history," Maya said abruptly, her voice flattening. "I hope it satisfies your curiosity."
She turned toward the door, her expression unreadable but her frustration clear. "But I've got to go. I need to give Ethan a flashlight."
Without waiting for a response, Maya walked out of the room, her posture stiff with annoyance. The door clicked shut behind her, leaving Lena in stunned silence.
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