My stinky life didn't get better over the next week. At the house, my uncle seemed to stop trying to talk to me, while Emma kept trying and trying. School was horrible as usual. Cassandra wouldn't leave me alone, and she began to spread rumors about me because I took Nick on the tour of the school.

That brings me to another horrible part of my week; Nick stopped talking to me. In fact, I didn't see him during the whole week. As mad as I was, I kind of missed him. It's weird that I might actually enjoy someone, but I can't lie that he kind of amuses me and brings me a small amount of hope that things will get better.

When a few days went by without any appearance by him, I knew that something was wrong. Another day went by, and I found myself upset. Maybe I'm stupid, but I thought he would come back and talk to me like he did the last two times. Him not talking to me for the last week takes away some of the hope he makes me feel.

This explains why I'm standing in front of my mirror, examining the outfit I'm wearing with a critical eye. I stare at the ripped black jeans with the coral top. Not only is this outfit way different than my usual outfits, it shows that I might have actually put in a little effort to my outfit, and it's still comfortable.

"Maya, will you come down for a second?" Emma's voice calls.

I sigh and grab my phone from my bed. I turn my bedroom lights off and walk down the stairs. I walk into the kitchen and see Emma standing behind the kitchen island. I reluctantly walk over to her and sit down across from her.

"Yes?" I ask, trying to sound bored.

"I just want to tell you that I'm sorry for stepping into the whole thing with your uncle. I know it's not any of my business, so I'll try to take a step back," she tells me.

I sigh and give her a look. "What's going on?"

"What do you mean?"

"Something is up, and I want to know what. I'm not a charity case or little kid. I can take whatever you throw at me," I tell her.

She sighs. "Your uncle left for New York City this morning. He wanted to see you before you left, but he thought it wasn't a good idea. He even told me to not say anything to you, but I couldn't help myself. Maya, he cares, and I know he really wants this relationship with you."

I sigh again and stand up from my seat and walk toward the front door. "I'll be back before curfew," is all I say before walking out.

I hurry down the path and find myself looking around for Nick. I don't see him anywhere, so I just walk toward the general area where Alli told Nick her house was. I figure I can find the her house without a problem. I'm right.

As I get to her neighborhood, I see a few cars parked in front of one house, and the front door is wide open. I see a few people inside, but it's enough people to make me freak out. I slowly walk up the sidewalk and pause in front of the door.

All of a sudden, Alli runs up to me and gives me a very large smile. "You came! Oh my gosh, I thought you weren't going to show up when Nick got here, but you did!"

"Nick's here? And he told you who he is?" I ask her.

She just smiles and leads me inside. "Yes to your first question, and no for the second. It's pretty easy to tell that he's Nick Caldwell when his face is clearly visible. Oh, and don't worry, everyone here is really nice!"

I can only nod, but she doesn't seem to mind because she just keeps smiling and begins to introduce me to some of the people. Alli tells me they're all from school, but I don't remember seeing them. Then again, they're probably the smart kids who don't usually get involved in school matters.

"Maya?" a deep voice asks, interrupting my thoughts.

I turn around and see Nick staring at me. I manage to squeak out, "Hi."

He just stares at me for a few seconds. Then, he smiles at me. "Glad you could make it," he finally says.

I just nod before Alli grabs my hand and introduces me to more people. I try not to cringe as I meet all of them. Luckily, in just a few minutes, she has introduced me to everyone. I walk back over to where we left Nick, and I see him in a deep conversation with a girl. I just sit down on a sofa near them and try to eavesdrop.

"I'll try my best," I hear him say.

The girl giggles. "Thank you so much. I really appreciate it!"

"No problem, but remember that I might not be able to. Oh, will you excuse me? I think I heard someone calling my name," he tells her.

"Of course! I was so selfish to keep you to myself. I'm actually leaving soon, so I'll see you Monday!" she exclaims with a few more giggles.

"We'll see," he replies.

Before I know it, he's sitting next to me on the sofa. "Hi," I say.

"Why'd you come?" he immediately asks.

"Because I wanted to," I reply.

"Maya, look at me," he commands quietly.

I sigh and turn to look at him. His blue eyes are gazing at me piercingly as I ask, "What? Is it that hard to believe that I actually wanted to come?"

"Yes," is his small reply.

"Fine," I sigh, "you got me. I came because I figured you would be here, and I needed to talk to you because I know you're upset about something, and I wanted to hear about it."

He raises an eyebrow. "Tell me how you know I'm upset?"

I scoff. "You haven't been your usual annoying self."

He sighs and shakes his head. "If all you're going to do is insult me, I don't want to hear it."

He begins to get up, and I reach for his arm. "No, please. I'm sorry. Will you just sit down and hear me out?"

He gazes at me reluctantly before sitting back down and saying, "Fine. Shoot."

"What I meant was that I didn't see you around for the whole week, and I'm not an expert, but that usually means someone's irritated or hiding," I explain.

"You think you have it all figured out. You don't, Maya Walker, and I don't want to talk about this right now," he replies.

"Nick, what's wrong? You're not your usual joking self."

He sighs and runs his fingers through his brown hair. He turns to look at me and says, "You didn't want to talk to me, so I stayed away. I got really busy with the new record deal with your uncle, allowing me to forget about that whole thing that happened at the beach."

"Guys! C'mon, lighten up! This party is supposed to fun!" Alli exclaims as she walks over to us.

"Sorry Alli, I've got to get going, but I'll see you around," Nick tells her before he gets up and leaves.

I stare after him, and Alli sits down beside me and nudges me. "Don't just sit here. Go and talk to him."

I look at her, and she smiles at me. I just nod and say a quick goodbye before jogging out the door. I spot Nick walking slowly to his car. I jog down the sidewalk and catch up with him. I tap him on the shoulder as he puts his keys in the lock on his car door.

He turns around and sighs. "What?"

"What exactly happened on that beach that made you so upset?" I demand.

He sighs and leans against his car. "Why do you care? You've never cared before. Why the change?"

"What're you talking about?"

"You don't get it. That night, you pushed all my buttons. I try to help you, and you just throw my words back at me like I'm the mean one. If you can get so defensive about my words, then, I can get defensive about your words," he tells me with exasperation.

I freeze in my spot at his words. They shouldn't get to me, but they do. Maybe they get to me because they're true. Maybe they get to me because that's not what I mean to do. Maybe it's because that's the way I've been living for the past four years, and I have never realized it.

"Maya? Are you alright?" Nick asks me worriedly.

I give him a fake smile and reply, "You're right about me throwing your words back at you. I'm sorry."

"What's wrong?" Nick pushes.

"N-nothing. I have to go. I'll see you around," I say before running away from him, not wanting him to see the tears that are beginning to form in my eyes.

I run past buildings blindly and down the path to the house. I run inside and upstairs. I lock my door as soon as I get inside, and I walk out to my balcony. I collapse in my chair and start to let the tears fall.

I hate letting people see me cry or see any kind of emotion from me that doesn't display strength. Crying is something I do in secret. I continue to cry as it gets darker outside. By the time I can't cry anymore, I feel exhausted.

I lean back in my chair and close my eyes, going back to a day I'll never forget.

~•••••~

"What did you say?" he yells as he throws a book at me.

"N-nothing," I stammer as the book hits my shoulder.

"Answer me, girl!" he yells even louder.

He throws something hard at me that hits my shoulder, and I feel tears forming in my eyes. He growls at me and walks over to me. He yanks me up from my spot on the floor and throws me back onto the floor.

"Please!" I cry.

He throws me against the floor again and shouts, "I've given you a roof over your head and clothes. This is how you repay me? If you ever say I've done nothing for you or that I'm cruel, you won't be able to move or speak for days. I could've thrown you out on the streets, but I didn't you ungrateful brat. Go to your room!"

He kicks me, and I get up as quickly as I can. I stumble to my room and collapse on the cot I call my bed. It's then when I allow myself to cry. My body is already beginning to ache, and I don't know how much longer I can survive this.

"Where is Maya?" I hear my mother ask my father as she walks inside the house.

My father sent her on a deal, leaving me alone with him. She didn't want to go because she knew nothing good would come out of it if she left, but she was forced out of the house. I was left alone with the horrible man.

"How much did you get?" he demands, ignoring his question.

She tells him the amount, and I hear the crinkling of bills as she hands the money to him. She asks again, "Where is Maya?"

"In her room until the next deal. Now, get out of my way," he tells her somewhat calmly.

My mother demands, "What did you do to her?"

I hear a slap and a thud on the floor, along with a whimper. My father yells at her, "Shut up, woman. She doesn't concern you because she's under my care."

"What did you do?" my mother asks him more forcefully.

I hear her scream as he does something to her and yells. "I told you to shut up. Now you'll pay for your stupidity!"

I don't know what happened after that, but I know he must've done something horrible because the next day, I walk out of my room to my mother where she has way more bruises than the day before. She tried to cover them up, but many of them are clearly visible.

I'll never forget that morning. My father wasn't awake, so we were alone. She cooked me something special because my father would only allow me to eat a couple of pancakes every morning. I remember her thin smile and the way she sat down carefully. But, it was her words that have really stayed with me.

"Maya," she whispered, "I've let you down again. I promise I'll find a way to get out of here. I promise." Then, she kissed me on the head, a loving gesture I'll never forget.

~•••••~

I slowly open my eyes. I remember that night as clear as day. It was one of the worst nights, but it, unfortunately, wasn't the worst. I sigh and lean forward in my chair. Suddenly, a knock comes at my door, and I jump at the sound.

I stand up and go inside to my bedroom. I unlock the door and open it to Emma. She's standing with a worried look on her face.

"Thank goodness you're okay! Nick told us you disappeared, and we were frantic," she says.

I sigh. "Yes, I'm fine."

She looks at me carefully. "You're pale. What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

She raises an eyebrow. "May I come in?"

She doesn't give me time to respond as she pushes past me and walks inside. I stare at her with shock for just a few seconds before closing the door behind me. She is walking around the room, and I see her ring sparkle in the light.

I bite my lip and sit down on my desk chair. "What do you want?" I ask.

"What's wrong, Maya? Don't say nothing because I know something's wrong," she replies as she sits down on the chest in front of my bed.

"I don't want to talk about it," I say firmly.

She nods. "Then what do you want to talk about? I'm open to anything."

I hesitate before asking, "What's with the ring? Last time I checked, housekeepers aren't usually married or engaged."

She laughs. "It's complicated."

"I'm all ears."

"Well, okay."