Maya

I see all of them laughing at him with his pants stained and ruined. The group is like lions surrounding their prey. The kings and queens of the jungle able to take down anyone of their choosing. Graham and I make eye contact and in his eyes he asks for help. What do I do? Do I mess up the food chain by interjecting? Do I stop the predator from eating the prey? Do I risk one friendship over countless others? I don’t because if I interject I become prey instead of the predator.

I watch as he walks away from our territory. The pack cackling around me about the mockery of they made of the prey.

“Hey Maya,” I hear the king of the pack Brad speaking to me. “Do see that boy over there,” Brad points out his finger towards a boy sitting by himself. I think his name is Eli but I’m not really sure. I never see him hanging out with anyone and I don’t know if he has any friends. I’ve tried to say hi to before in the hall but he doesn’t look up to me when I say this. He keeps walking past me as he walks down the hall grasping a book in his arms.

“What we did to Graham was funny but what you’re going to do to him is going to be even funnier.” He hands over another one of his smoothies to me and take it. “Go over to him and pour the smoothie on him,” he laughs. I had been content with watching the predators attack their victims but I was hesitant to doing it myself.

“I feel uncomfortable doing that. I don’t have anything against Eli to pour something a smoothie on him.” I felt the eyes of everyone in the pack lock on to me.

“Do it,” Brad commanded. I knew I either had to do this or I would become prey. I got up stealthy making my way over to Eli. I saw his pine tree green eyes look at his juicy peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He took a bite and some jelly spilled onto his dungeons and dragons t shirt. I made my way behind him without being noticed. I jumped down behind a trash can feeling the frosty smoothie spill a little on my hand. I rose up from my hiding spot just as Eli saw me. He had seen what they had done to Graham so he started to scoot out of his seat. I threw the cup of smoothie at him directly hitting his electric blue jeans. He stared at me in shock not having a moment to react. What had I done? What have I become?

“I’m sorry,” I muttered out of my mouth. He started at me confused, his right eye twitched up looking at me like an animal. He scurried away down the roof downstairs.

“Awesome! I didn’t think you actually would do it but I was mistaken.” I looked up at Brad devilish face smiling at me. Anger started to bubble up in my skin and my face turned red. Brad had changed me and I hadn’t even realized.

“You, you, your an idiot! How could you do such mean stuff and think it’s funny.” I shot up and ran towards him beginning to claw at his chest. I felt people break me away from Brad and lay me to rest on a table. My face was drenched with tears of anger. I was all alone at the table.

I looked up and saw Brad and his pack sneering at me from a distance. Then I saw Graham and Eli walk back up the stair to the roof. They both had smiles on their faces looking cheerful. I glanced at them forming a smile. They looked right through me like I was no one.

Graham

Step by step I make my way down the stairs waddling like I peed my pants. People pass by me on the stairs looking disgusted. Their faces look blinded by me like they’re looking directly at the sun. Wrinkling their noses as if I had been sprayed a skunk. They alienate and isolate me from their presence. All I can do is scurry to the bathroom as I fast as I can waddle.

I hoard the paper towels clasping them in bunches. I begin wiping off the smoothie from my pants like a bloody wound. The smoothie a pink blood on my black three stripe Adidas pants. As soon as I think I’ve wiped it all up I find more that bleeds out. I press the paper towels against my pants trying to get rid of the stains I have to endure for the rest of the day.

I turn my body every angle making sure all of it is wiped up. I look at my face in the mirror seeing the pain I’ve gone through. What did I do wrong? I put my hands over my face thinking about what I’ve lost. All the energy spent building relationships gone down the drain. Is my friendship with Maya gone? I should feel angry at Brad because he was the one who made a mockery of me but I feel angrier at Maya. She could of at least said something, a word could of came out of her mouth. Was she too scared to speak because of me or something else. How will I ever know?

Just as I raise my head from my hands I hear the squeak of the door opening. My head turns away from the door not wanting to see anyone.

“Are you okay?” I don’t remember hearing this voice before. I can’t tell if it is boy or girl speaking. The tone of the voice is high in pitch and quiet in sound like a pianissimo piano.

“I’m fine.” I look up as I say this and see a boy covered in the same pink substance that was in. I look up and down seeing him splattered with a smoothie and start laughing at the sight of this.
“What did you do to them to deserve that?” I ask.

“What? Whose them?”

“By them I mean that satanic eyed snake up there.” I point up to ceiling motioning to the roof where Brad and his gang are.

“Oh. Do you mean Brad? He didn’t pour anything on me it was that girl sitting at the table over there by herself.” He is pointing to Maya sulking all by herself head down on a table. Looking at her angers me but I start to see her head carpeted in tears. Her upper lip trembling as if it’s a metronome keeping the beat to a musical piece. Her nose sniffling like a frantic bee buzzing. I wonder what has happened to her.

“Wow Maya did that to you?” I ask.

“Yup. But it was weird because she immediately regretted it and she got in fight the Brad guy you were talking about.”

“Hmm, weird.”

I exit the bathroom leaving Eli to clean himself up. I walk to the stairs but hold myself waiting for Eli since it seems like the right thing to do.

“You all right Graham?” I turn around and see my teacher Mr. Ranford look at me concerned.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m just having a bad day and some people did some mean stuff.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. Do you mind if I ask you who did those mean things.” I point towards Brad.

“Really? Brad did mean stuff to you. That really doesn’t sound like something he would do. Well if he does it again make sure to tell me so we can figure it out. Okay?” He starts to stroll away which leaves me speechless. He just did something mean to me so why can’t we figure it out now I think to myself.

“Hey.” I hear Eli walking to the stairs. “You didn’t have to wait for me.”

“I know I didn’t, it’s just that I felt it was the right thing to do.” He formed a big curved smile at me which made me feel valuable. We chit chatted up the stairs forming a bond between us.

We reached the top looking at the roof filled with laughter, conversations and students. There are multiple tables filled with each little clique to view and exhibit. I catch a sight of Maya sitting all alone disbanded from everyone. We make eye contact as she makes a crooked smile like a dog begging to be walked. Her smile is telling me to smile back but my anger overrides doing that. I shoot my gaze over her head and move on to a table with Eli.

Graham

The lights hit the stage and projector showing a slideshow of all the nostalgic memories I’ve had at this school. Pictures from kindergarten of playing with the blue foam toy blocks trying to make the biggest and coolest structures ever to the science experiments in Middle school of different substances carefully poured in to a test tube making enormous explosions. Each memory bitter and sweet but I’m glad to be finally graduating. Time slows down as I walk in my row up to the stage anxiously knowing this is the last time I’m with my grade and friends. I get on the stage and sit in my seat next to Eli. I see each diploma being handed out with care like a beautiful box of chocolates. 

“Maya Metz.” I see Maya walk up and receive her diploma. I hear the clicks and taps of the cameras and phones rapidly trying to take as many pictures as they can before their time is up. I watch Maya pace back to her seat running against time. She wants it to be over and I can tell. I listen to the last name be called out and we all stand up as a grade as parents roar with excitement. It’s over, I’m done I reflect to myself.

I grab a pig in a blanket from the mini buffet sprawled out in the reception room.

“Hi Graham.” It’s Maya standing in front of me. “I know you might be mad at me because I wan’t really there for you but I really am sorry.” She sounds genuine and guilty but she is not pleading. “And since it’s graduation I feel this is the right time to say this to you because we are moving on to new schools. I forgot that I really value our friendship and I want to rebuild it some how. I know you might not want to and I can understand that but I would.” I start to open my mouth but nothing comes out since I don’t what to say.

“I really appreciate your apology but I don’t know if I can trust you after what you let happen to me. Why didn’t you speak up?”

“I was a different person at that time honestly. I had a different mindset that didn’t include empathy for the people who I cared about and were there for me most. I just cared about  impressing people and being popular. I was like a, a jealous beast.” It was funny how she said she was a beast since her body language now reflected that she was a timid cat. “Do you know how many memories we’ve had together. How many really good ones. I don’t want to lose that.”
“Those memories were in the past though. We’re graduating, we’re moving on.”

“I know, I know. Well in the future if you need anything I’ll be there for you.” Just as she said that she started walking away out the exit to go home. Maya’s words made me think that time is precious. Those memories I had with Maya were great and it sucked to lose them but in life you never know what is going to happen. I start to step onto the dance floor hearing the music blasting and the bass bumping. I start dancing to the beat enjoying the moment, living in the moment.