Chapter 9

Maya's POV

I got home and headed straight for my bedroom. I laid my backpack at the foot of my bed and fell, face first, into the mattress. Turning around, I gaped at the ceiling and thought about everything that had happened at school today. I recalled how frustrated Micah seemed as a result of my blatant refusal of his gifts. Everyday, my opposition of his advances continued to disorient him. It was such a delight, I could hardly contain the fit of giggles that escaped from my lips. I clutched my stomach and giggled some more.

If Micah was stressing over the errors of his ways, he hadn’t seen anything yet. I was going to make him pay for those times he bullied me and spoke to me condescendingly and made me feel small in front of the entire school. Just thinking about it now made my blood boil.

Again, I thought about the day I had thrown Micah’s flowers in his face and I burst into laughter. I laughed for a long time, finally finding the release I had been searching for.

I startled