Insomnia

Alternative

I glared at the girl in the white coat as she slipped on her protective goggles. I could have laughed at how much the clothes she wore reflected her reputation, but I opted to keep up my silent anger instead. "I see no one showed up," I stated barely keeping the spite out of my voice.

Her eyes flicked from the chemicals she was handling to my face, smirk seemingly glued to her lips, "Doesn't take an army to bake a couple of brownies,"

I rolled my eyes at her metaphor before shifting my gaze to the door. I sighed at my being there, annoyed that Farkle wouldn't just take my warnings seriously instead of blindly walking in to 'breaking bad' teenager edition. I was mostly breathing the same air as the brunette, because Farkle insisted on joining her 'club', and I'll be damned if I wasn't going to keep an eye on my ingenious yet dense friend while he played with the rattle snake that is Isadora Smackle.

"Don't worry, I just sent him for more supplies," she stated noticing my frequent glances at the door.

"Supplies?" She rolled her eyes at my distrust and gently placed the beaker she was holding on the table in front of her.

"Relax will you, Farkle is smart and all but he had a moral compass and that would be a liability to me,"

I quirked an eyebrow at her and she continued. "I decided to wait out my exile here in silence, sweet blissful drug free silence,"

Gawking at her I almost missed when Farkle came through the door holding a box of various chemicals and test tubes. "Mr.Norton says we can borrow anything from the lab ad long as were not doing anything illegal,"

Smackle giggled at the joke taking the box from Farkle all the while I just stared at her shocked, too dumbfounded to laugh at the irony of the situation.

"Riley?"

I blinked up at Farkle who was slipping into his lab coat and shook the hundreds of questions I had for Smackle out of my head. "So what are we making?"

"Nothing until you put on your safety gear," Farkle point to the lab coat perched on the desk next to me a long with some goggles. I sighed begrudgingly and slipped on my coat.

"The things I do for you Minkus,"

He shot me a confused look at using his last name and I ignored it turning to Smackle. "So what's on the menu doc?"

Smackle grinned at that before handing me a pair of latex gloves.

"Certainly not brownies,"

_______________#_______________

"Of course I'll watch her,"

I smiled down at a beaming Ava holding onto to Maya's hand. I opened the door wider and she shot pass me once she spotted Auggie exiting his room. They immediately headed to the coach and turned the TV on. Maya smiled at her and stuffed her hands in her pocket seemingly contented with the child.

"She doing better?" I asked so only Maya could hear me.

"Well she ate her dinner before coming here, sometimes she gets- but for the most part yeah."

I looked at her again before, blonde hair tucked in a low pony tail, her eyes a little brighter than the last time I saw her. She was doing better, much better than before, but-

"It's only been a week," she said more to herself than me. Her voice trying to sedate any worry that might be brewing in our minds.

She ran her hand cross her nose and sniffed, putting on her tough girl bravado. I eyed her warily, not sure of the reason she brought Ava to me in the first place. I didn't mind of course seen as my best friend had single handedly took on the role that is a teenage mom, but she usually did this when she had to meet up with her merry band of idiots. "Where are your folks?" she mumbled hoping to switch to a lighter topic.

"They're at uncle Sean's for the weekend," I flinched at my mistake when I saw her eyes widened slightly. The expression went as soon as it came and I regretted my idiocy instantly.

"Its fine," she smiled at me assuring me that my blunder did little damage, "It's been a year,"

"May-"

"I really have to go though,"

I clamped my mouth shut knowing full well that she wasn't going to give me a word in after that. I nodded reluctantly letting her leave as she walked to where ever she was going. I looked at her retreating figure until it disappeared further down the hall and then locked the door.

"Be safe"

_______________#_______________

"You sure were late this morning," Smackle stated. I looked up at her from my pudding cup and shrugged. She eyed me a little more before fixing her hair in a high pony tail eyes never leaving me. When she was finished with her hair she eased back in her seat and continued watching me as I played with the food that was in front of me. I felt her eyes burn through me as I attempted to ignore her.

Farkle wasn't there because of some meeting he had with his debate team and Maya well for obvious reasons was absent from school. So Smackle and I were the only ones there to awkwardly eat lunch together.

"Stop," I finally said after a few minutes of her staring started to grate on my nerves.

"What do you mean?"

"I said stop Isadora,"

We glared at each other for a while and she finally stopped rolling her eyes and turning her head away from me.

I sighed in relief relishing the quiet and less awkward atmosphere between us.

"You know you sure are bossy Mathews," she said after some time.

I groaned at her breaking the silence we just had and finally caved. "What- what do you want from me?"

"Just want to know why you were late today"

I blinked at her confused as to why she even cared. "Why?"

"Just curious,"

"I don't know I guess because I had to drop my brother off at school first," I shrugged again remembering the rough morning I had trying to get two ten year olds ready for school. Auggie was one thing, but Ava was just Ava. I barely made it out the front door with them

"So it had nothing to do with Maya?" She asked a hint of surprise in her voice. I immediately perked up at that.

"What did you hear," I asked getting to the point. I wasn't in the mood for her usual vagueness.

"She was hurt last night, had to stitch her up myself,"

"What!"

Her eyes widened at my outburst and she flashed a sheepish smile to the table next to us silently apologizing for the noise.

"Calm down-"

"Don't give me that s**t talk,"

She let out an exasperated breath, rolling her eyes before leaning closer to me from across the table. "You like mix martial arts Riley?"

Knitting my eye brows together I gripped at the edge of my chair trying my best to calm down, "Smackle-"

"You know Kira likes watching cage fights, it's a hobby of hers. So she hosts her own cage fights for all the gangs to watch together," she slowly sat back in her seat getting more comfortable as she adjusted her white turtle neck. "You know that's the only place I've ever seen kids from rival gangs come together peacefully,"

"What does any of this have to do with Maya?" My voice cracked already knowing where the story was headed. I clenched the chair I was holding onto tighter turning my knuckles white.

"Maya was Kira's favourite, you know until she lost yesterday. It was kind of weird to see her knocked out like that. Your bestie use to be undefeated,"

I felt the tears stream downy face as I attempted to grasp what was going on. Maya would never do that to herself right? "M-mathews hey stop crying," Smackle stuttered.

I looked at her tears blurring my vision and violently swiped at my cheeks with my sleeves. "Take me to her,"

"What?"

"You said you were the one that stitched her up, so take me to her,"

She stared at me shocked by the request, "you want to just leave now?"

"What do you think?"

_______________#_______________

We were walking silently toward Einstein Academy avoiding any and all conversation, or rather I was ignoring Smackle and any of her attempts at small talk. It was like this on the subway as well, but she got the message when I shot her a death glare after asking about my favorite colour.

"What's she doing at Einstein anyway?" I asked being the first to break the silence.

"The fights are kept on campus and my dorm is still vacant so it was convenient to drag her to my room rather than limp her all the way home,"

I shuddered a little when she said 'limp' and decided I had to steel my nerves if I wanted to see Maya. Based on what Smackle described she was- not good.

"How come she didn't tell you about the fights anyway, I mean you obviously know about kira and if you're an informant like you say you are I'm sure Maya's gang activity would be at the top of your radar,"

"She doesn't know that I know about her,"

At that Smackle stopped and turned to me and for the first time I saw worry etched on her face. "What's the point of that?"

"It's complicated," I continued walking and she did the same not questioning me further.

"Why did you decide to not set up shop at Quincy Adams?" I asked trying to shift the conversation somewhere else.

"One word- Farkle,"

I looked at her surprise at her honesty, she didn't even hesitate. "You like Farkle?"

"Always did," she answered easily not embarrassed in the slightest. "Ever since our first science competition in the second grade."

I knitted my eyebrows together remembering that time. It was the first time they met each other. Quincy and Einstein had a long history if competing with each other and it seemed both Smackle and Farkle became a part of the feud somehow. "It was the first time I lost to anyone, hell it was the first time I considered any one my equal,"

I rolled my eyes at the last part and allowed her to continue, "So yeah I liked him for years, but he liked you two idiots instead."

"So what, you don't want him finding out his precious rival is a drug dealer?"

"I prefer entrepreneur, and no I'd rather him not thinking any less of me for something as trivial as this," she gestured to herself. Her white turtle neck matching her white hair clip and sandals. I knew what she meant, and I could relate.

"You don't want him to feel like you were lying to him about who you were the entire time," I stated. She nodded afraid to admit it out loud.

"When I found out Kira arranged for the exchange program, I was so angry. It's like she knew she couldn't stop me from continuing to sell by force, but she knew," she stopped walking and quickly swiped at her eyes, "she knew how I felt about him and she knew I couldn't be like that in front of him and it just pisses me off that she can manipulate me like that,"

I nodded understanding full well what she meant. My mind instantly flashed to a scared, but determined Maya trying to protect everyone- trying to protect me.

"It pisses me off too,"

_______________#_______________

"What's she doing here?" her voice was low and leaking with betrayal. She glared at Smackle who simply shrugged and left me standing wide eye at the door. Slowly I walked toward the blonde who was bruised all over. She raised up slightly from the bed she was laying on and flinched not strong enough to support her own weight as yet. Sucking in a breath I steeled my nerve and sat at the edge of the bed. I was confused, worried annoyed. "When did you start fighting?"

Her shocked eyes met mine before she turned away stubbornly. "I told Smackle I was fine, don't know why she got you involved,"

Her words felt like a slap to my face, but I kept my temper at bay. There was no need to start a fight.

"You're suppose to call me peaches," I mumbled. She knitted her eyebrows together before sighing and making another attempt to sit up. A look of discomfort took over her face and I placed a hand on her shoulder hinting that she should stay put. Determined she pushed my hand away and finally succeeded in leaning back against the head board of the bed.

"I'm fine," she gritted out. Her hands clenched and unclenched as her body struggled to support her own weight and watched helpless as her bravado remained, fighting to keep me out of her true thoughts.

"Peaches," my voice was soft, but pained.

She glared at me, "you should pick up Ava and Auggie from school."

I was taken off guard by the sudden change in conversation, but played along, "I brought them back home before coming here,"

"Then you should go home,"

"So should you,"

We were two stubborn mules refusing to back down, one trying to keep the other away and the other desperately trying to make things right. "Maya you promised me," I said after some time. I tried my best to keep the tears out if my voice and I shot her a challenging look, a look demanded that she remembered, a look telling her that even though I was a hypocrite she should at least keep her promise.

__________________#_________________

3 months earlier

"We need to call the police," I stated as soon as Ava left the room.

"We can't do that,"

"Why-"

"Because it sounds like Ava's parents are mixed up with something even the police can't - no won't handle,"

"What?"

She let out a heavy breath before getting up and walking to door only to lock it and sit back down on the bed next to me. I eyed her warily preparing myself for her explanation. "Remember how I use to be in a gang in middle school?"

Nodding slowly I tried to make the connection between petty child hood delinquency and our current problem with Ava. "Well it wasn't just about destruction to property and stealing from demolition,"

Giving her a look I urged her to continue. "It was just- I didn't know how messed up it all was. It started off fun I guess being a typical bully. Stealing, messing with people then it just turned in to something more-," she trailed off and then looked away from me. "Look the gang I was in turned out to be much bigger than I actually thought it was and it was hell getting out, so trust me when I say calling the cops will basically be poking a bear with a stick,"

I nodded hesitantly not really sure where to go from there. "So what did you do back then, you know besides stealing and stuff?"

She bit her lip and continued her silence for a while, "I- I don't want to talk about it,"

I felt that's where the secrets started.

"Just promise me one thing,"

She looked up at me, nervous about something I couldn't quite put my finger on. She nodded in agreement and I exhaled a heavy breath. "Maya who you were back then, I don't care. Just stay away,"

Quirking a confused brow she slowly blinked her question, "What-"

"you got out, so stay out,"