Chapter 5 Maya

If I had known Jason was going to show up at the arcade yesterday, I would have stayed home and dealt with whatever consequences Hayley had for me.

Because now, here I was, being dragged all over social media by Tiffany.

After our fallout, I'd done everything I could to stay away from her. The last thing I wanted was another dramatic explosion.

But Jason apparently thought the best way to deal with a breakup was to drag someone else down with him.

And he'd done it in front of Chad.

There went any chance I had of ever getting a shot with him.

I woke up the next morning determined to pretend none of it had happened.

That plan lasted about thirty seconds.

I opened Instagram to kill some time before heading to the arcade.

And there she was.

Jason's lunatic ex-girlfriend, shedding crocodile tears while telling hundreds of thousands of people that Jason had cheated on her.

Then she brought out the video evidence.

I immediately locked my phone.

"Nope."

I threw my bag over my shoulder, wheeled my bike out and headed to Hayley's.

The moment I walked through the door, Justin looked up.

"Bitch, you are trending."

"Thanks for reminding me."

I rolled my eyes and dropped my bag behind the counter.

"I didn't know you and Jason were secretly dating."

"Ha. Ha. Very funny."

I walked over to the vending machine and bought a soda.

"Has Hayley seen it?"

"She hasn't come yet, so I don't know."

Justin wiped the display glass.

"You need to fix this before she finds out."

He dropped the rag and rested both hands on the counter.

"You think I don't know that?"

I buried my face in my palms.

"I can't afford to lose this job. I'm barely making ends meet."

Justin grinned.

"Well, you've got a rich boyfriend now, don't you?"

I glared at him.

"You better not let me see you again."

He laughed and disappeared into the back room.

I turned toward the counter again.

My thoughts were already scrambled, and they only got worse when more videos from Tiffany started appearing on my feed.

I thought I'd blocked her.

How the hell was she still showing up?

Then the DMs started.

Slut.

Gold digger.

Loose bitch.

Pervert.

The messages kept coming.

My throat tightened.

Hot tears burned behind my eyes, but I couldn't cry at work. What if someone walked in and saw me?

I had the urge to turn on my camera and explain everything.

But what was the point?

Tiffany had over three hundred thousand followers.

Trying to defend myself against that kind of audience would be like pouring water into the ocean.

I didn't have the energy for it.

Minutes later, Hayley walked in.

The moment I saw her face, my stomach dropped.

She looked exhausted.

Angry.

Worried.

"I need you in my office. Now."

She walked away before I could answer.

I made the sign of the cross and followed her.

Hayley opened the door and motioned for me to sit.

"We have a big problem."

She placed her phone on the desk.

A video was already playing.

I hesitated before picking it up.

Tiffany appeared on the screen.

"So, Tiffany, I'll be dropping the name and picture of the girl Jason cheated on me with, and I need you guys to tell me if she's any better than me."

My picture appeared.

A horrible one.

Seriously?

I had better pictures than that.

If she was going to drag me publicly, she could have at least picked a cute one.

Then Tiffany continued.

"She works at Hayley's arcade. She's just a gold digger who has dirt on my boyfriend, and now she's tying him down so she can collect his money."

Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Funny how I used to know this creep years ago. We used to be best friends until she tried to assault me in the cleaners' closet of our high school."

I froze.

Even after all these years, she was still using that lie.

Hayley paused the video.

"Open the comments."

I swallowed and scrolled.

Every comment was worse than the last.

Mira_cake: Eww, what a pervert.

Bazzle2345: I can't believe you had to go through that with a creep.

Magret_who: Who knows what she did to Jason to tie him down?

Eliza789: Babes, that bitch should be arrested for physical assault.

User_563783991: She belongs in an asylum.

Then I saw one that made my eyes sting.

Toxic_Mf567829: I'm never going to Hayley's arcade anymore, not when that creep works there.

The comment had over a hundred thousand likes.

Hundreds of people had replied, agreeing.

My fingers went cold.

I dropped the phone onto the desk and wiped my eyes.

"You already know what this means, Maya."

Hayley took her phone back.

I looked at her.

"All of this doesn't matter. She's just an attention-seeking whore."

My voice shook with anger.

Hayley sighed.

"You saw the comments."

She looked down at her phone.

"This is bad for my business, Maya. If people stop coming here because they believe those accusations, I'll have to shut down."

She looked back at me.

"And I can't let that happen."

My heart sank.

"You'll have to leave."

I stared at her.

"What?"

"I'm sorry."

"I... I..."

My voice broke.

"You can't do this."

Tears spilled down my cheeks.

Hayley's expression softened.

"I'm sorry. I'll send you your salary for this month so you can take care of groceries."

She opened her drawer, pulled out an envelope and pushed it across the desk.

I stared at it.

"I can fix this."

My voice trembled.

"I will fix this."

"I know you want to."

Hayley stood.

"But until you do, you have to leave."

She walked out of the office.

I sat there for several seconds, staring at the envelope.

Then I broke down.

I picked it up and walked to my locker.

I didn't say goodbye to anyone.

I didn't know how.

I stuffed my things into my bag, trying not to cry again.

"I'm really sorry about this, Maya."

Justin stood beside me.

He gently patted my shoulder.

I picked up the last thing from my locker.

"Where do I even start from?"

The tears finally broke free.

I turned and hugged him.

Justin wrapped his arms around me, softly patting my head.

"I promise you'll be fine. This will blow over. Give it time."

He pressed a light kiss to my forehead before walking me toward the counter.

I stopped and looked around the arcade one last time.

This place had been more than a job.

It had been where I spent countless hours.

Where Hayley had taken care of me.

Where I had laughed with Justin.

Where I'd tried to survive.

I looked toward Hayley's office.

She was standing by the doorway, trying desperately not to cry.

I raised my hand and waved.

She waved back.

Then I walked out.

I packed my things onto my bike and wheeled it onto the street.

I started riding.

The tears wouldn't stop.

They blurred the road in front of me, forcing me to slow down.

I had no idea where I was going.

Then I changed my mind.

I wasn't going home.

I was going to the rink.

I was going to confront Jason myself.

I knew Chad usually went to the rink around four-thirty, and since Jason was his best friend, I knew they'd probably be together.

When I reached the rink, the doors were closed.

I knocked hard on the glass until an older security guard opened the door.

"Miss, the rink is reserved for private use. You can't come in."

He held an arm out when I tried to push past him.

"Jason!"

I screamed.

"I know you're in there. Come out and face me!"

The security guard tried to quiet me.

I didn't care.

I kept shouting until Chad finally came out.

"Hey, hey. Calm down."

He placed his hands on my shoulders.

But I wasn't interested in looking calm.

Not today.

"Where's your bastard friend?"

The security guard was still holding me back.

Chad looked toward the rink.

Then Jason appeared.

He looked confused.

I didn't give him time to ask why I was there.

I walked straight toward him.

And slapped him as hard as I could.