To be Maria (4 page)

            Maria opens the door to the girls’ washroom, enters, then looks around. The room is empty and the silence is almost deafening. For some strange reason, she thought that Anya would be hiding in here, but now she is beginning to have second thoughts.  But just as she turns to leave, Maria hears a faint rustling sound behind the first stall. "Anya, are you here?" she calls in a soft voice. No one answers.

            Maria tip-toes over to the stall. She presses her hand against the door in attempt to open it, but it’s locked, so she knocks on it. Still, there is no answer.

            "Anya, if you're in there, please come out. I want to talk to you."

            Seconds later, she hears the person from behind fumble with the lock. Maria stands aside to let the door swing open. She is not surprised to find herself standing face to face with Anya. Only this time, Anya is not smiling. Her face is beet red and streaked with tears, and her eyes are narrowed into slits. If looks could kill, Maria would be a dead girl.

            "What do you want?" she says through clenched teeth.

            "I brought you a copy of yesterday's notes."

            Anya snatches them out of her hand. "You are one screwed up bitch, Maria!"

            Maria recoils. "Why do you say that?"

            "Oh, do I really have to explain why?"

            "Anya…"

            "You set Carly up to humiliate me in front of everyone in English class. And now, you decide to print me a copy of your notes. What are you really up to?"

            Maria's face turns a deep, crimson red.
She is right. I never did stick up for her, so why should she trust me?
"Anya, can you please let me explain?"

            Anya glowers at her. "Explain what? Give me one reason to believe you're not two-faced like everyone else in this school."

            Maria breathes out a heavy sigh. "Anya, I wouldn't have copied these notes for you if I didn't care. What Carly did to you was horrible and I'm really sorry I didn't say anything. But Mrs. Cummings took care of her. Carly isn't in her class anymore."

            Anya's jaw drops. "You mean, she kicked Carly out of her English Twelve class?"

            Maria nods her head. "Yes. I should get back to class now, or else Mrs. Cummings will give me the boot as well. Are you coming with me?"

            Anya looks away from her. "I can't, not after what happened. Can you give me a copy of today's notes as well?"

            "For sure. I'll give them to you in History."

            "Thanks," Anya says.

            Her voice is so low that Maria can hardly hear her.

****

            Anya waits inside the bathroom stall until she is completely sure that Maria is back in class. She inhales a huge gulp of air, then exhales it as she steps out of her comfort zone. Her eyes scan the entire room. It is still empty.
Wow, usually girls come and go during class hours. I guess they learnt how to control their bladders
. Anya chuckles at her inside joke. It is enough to ease her anxiety until she sets foot in the hallway. Anya scans the hall from one end to the other. No one is in sight. She breathes in and out slowly, but that does nothing to relieve her shattered nerves. Carly could be anywhere and the last thing Anya wants is to encounter her in this hallway, so she sprints over to the cafeteria where Patrick is spending his free time.

            She pushes open the double doors, interrupting Patrick from his daily, self-taught singing lesson. His handsome brow creases when he sees her.

            "Anya, what are you doing here?"

            "Mrs. Cummings got ill all a sudden, so she cancelled class. Anya knows she did a poor job of persuading Patrick to believe her lie when she sees a worried expression cloud his face.

            "Are you alright? You look upset. Can you tell me what happened?"

            Tears spring to her eyes. She should tell him everything: how badly her father treated her this morning, how degraded Carly made her feel in English, and how afraid she is to face her in Acting. She wants to hear his soothing words, but the right words don't come to mind. The last thing she wants to do is cry in front of him. She is much stronger than that, so instead, she plops herself into a chair across from him. She swallows the lump in the back of her throat and forces her tear ducts to dry up.

            "Play me your new song, 'Beauty With the Big Brown Eyes'. I've heard you play it so many times, but I've never heard you sing the words."

            Patrick's face lights up. "I have a friend in need of some cheer, so it's a good thing I'm almost done writing this song," he says while he strums on his guitar strings. He then hums to the tune of his song.

            Anya watches him, eager to hear his beautiful voice once more.

I once knew a girl,

she was a beauty, a beauty with the big brown eyes.

Every time she looked at me, she took my breath away.

And every time I saw her, I was simply so amazed.

And that girl, talking about the beauty with the big brown eyes,

she was the sweetest thing, my heart's desire.

What was she doing in a place like this, I inquired.

She is much too good to be here.

She is my one true friend, my bosom pal.

No matter where our future takes us,

she will always be my beauty,

the beauty with the big brown eyes.

            Anya smiles at him, blushing deeply. "Patrick, did you write that song for me?"

            He winks at her. "How did you figure it out?"

            "Because everything in that song describes me. It's a really good song. You should record it."

            He chuckles softly. "I'm still in the process of writing it."

            "I honestly think it's good as it is," she says, leaning closer to him.

            "Whatever you say, Madam Preschnikov. Are you feeling brave enough to return to your English class?"

"No, I’d rather stay here," Anya says, her voice more emphatic than intended. "Can you play me another song? I just love hearing you sing."

            "I most certainly can," he says, readjusting the guitar strap on his shoulder.

            Maria hopes that Mrs. Cummings would forgive her and act normal, like she had before this morning's drama. But the moment she sets foot in the classroom, those hopes are dashed. Mrs. Cummings glares at her. "I didn't expect you to take so long, Maria. I'm sending you to detention after school."

            Maria clenches her fists while she walks over to her seat. She ignores the inquisitive looks that everyone gives her. Mrs. Cummings resumes her lesson, but Maria cannot focus on the lesson. How dare Mrs. Cummings punish her for doing the right thing! The thought of sitting in an empty classroom with no friends and no smokes is daunting. To make matters worse, what will her parents say when they find out about her detention? It's not fair.

            The shrill ring of the bell instantly relieves the troubled thoughts from her mind. She jumps out of her seat. "Finally," she says under her breath.

            But today, she cannot escape the watchful eye of Mrs. Cummings. Once again, she hears her name called by her teacher's clipped voice. Maria grunts. She has the sudden urge to tell Mrs. Cummings where to go and how to get there, but is afraid that if she does, she will be the second person to be expelled from this class. And then she would have to spend another semester at this school. God knows what her parents would do to her: worse, no graduation means she would have to live with them for another year. That is not an option, so Maria shuffles over to the desk where Mrs. Cummings is seated, braving her stern look.

            "I want you to be here at ten past three on the dot! Show up late and your detention will increase by ten minutes. Do you understand?"

            Maria purses her lips. "Yes," is all she can say.
Dang, this witch isn't much older than me and she makes me feel like a child
.

            Thankfully, once she exits the classroom, Carly's boisterous voice causes her to forget about her ornery teacher. Maria glances over her right shoulder to find Carly approach with her boyfriend, Matt DeVries and her two best friends, Shondra and Kirsten. Matt, Shondra and Kirsten are in her History and Geology class, and they all sit together. In the few weeks Maria has known them, she has become good friends with all of them. Shondra and Kirsten are just like Carly: tall, slender and gorgeous. Shondra boasts a head full of wavy brown hair that falls almost to her waist, whereas Kirsten wears her fine, strawberry blond hair cropped short, a half an inch below her chin. And Matt: he's the captain of the Peach Valley Senior basketball team. That explains his super toned body. His brown eyes and thick, dark locks make him all the more handsome and sexy.

           
Carly is so lucky to have him. If Matt was my boyfriend, we'd have fun every night.
Maria shakes her head.
Oh, get your head out of the gutter, Maria. Don't you ever think of your friend's boyfriend like that. That is so wrong!

            "Maria, is there something wrong?" Carly says.

            "No, I'm fine…except for the fact that Mrs. Cummings gave me an afterschool detention." The thought of Mrs. Cummings makes her furious.

            Matt gasps. "Wow, that's harsh, girl!"

            "Yeah, gee whiz. Why would she punish you when you did nothing wrong," Shondra echoes.

            Carly, though, eyes Maria skeptically. "Why
would
Mrs. Cummings give you an after school detention?"

            "I gave Anya my notes and then I talked to her for a few minutes," she says with a small shrug of her shoulders. The looks she receives from her friends are not the looks she wants to receive, especially after a hard morning.

            "Maria, why would you even consider giving her the time of day," Carly says.

            "Yeah, that girl is such a loser," Matt says, his face formed into a smirk.

            "Big deal, guys! I talked to her for a few minutes. Why do you have to make a federal case out of this?" Maria says, raising her voice.        

            Carly's face flushes crimson red. "Because Anya has no social skills."

           
Man, you guys are so damn complicated
, she wants to say. But she forces herself to swallow those words. "Okay, I admit, Anya is a little weird. But what did she do to make you guys hate her?"

            Carly, Matt, Shondra and Kirsten all exchange blank looks.

            Maria raises her left eyebrow. "So, you have no good reason to hate her?"

            Carly furrows her brow. "Why are you talking like this, Maria?"

            Maria rolls her eyes to the ceiling.
You guys are impossible!
"What you fail to realize is that Anya has the potential to be like us: she's really pretty and she had the guts to stand up to me, so she definitely has what it takes to be popular. But you guys never gave her a chance to prove herself."

            Shondra wrinkles her nose. "So, you're suggesting that we befriend her?"

            "Yes! I just wish for once you guys would listen to me. Honestly, this could work. With a little help and a little time, we could transform Anya. Trust me on this: I know what I'm talking about."

            "Well…I guess this isn't a bad idea," Matt says.

            Maria, though, cannot help but notice the dubious look on his face.

            The bell rings, bringing the ten minute break to an end. Maria breathes out a sigh of relief. She can only hope that, from this moment on, the day will get better. But then she peers down at her English books.
Oh crap! I have to run over to my locker to get my History book and by the time I'm done doing that, I'll be late for class. Looks like I'll be in another teacher's bad graces. I may as well kiss this day goodbye
.

            "Okay then, if you really like Anya that much, we will put her to a test," Carly says, smiling smugly at her.

            Maria crumples her brow. "What are you talking about?"

            "Turns out that Mr. Hawthorne has planned for us to do a little group project tomorrow afternoon. This will give Matt and I the chance to give Anya the opportunity of her life," Carly says, nodding at him.  

            Matt shoots Carly a devious grin.

            "Anya blows this test and she remains a loner."

            Maria doesn’t know whether to smile or to run away. Her head is spinning and she

doesn’t know how to confront Carly. She doesn't want to put Anya through any kind of