Chapter 84 The mask drops
Chapter 84: The Mask Drops (Elena’s POV)
The car ride was supposed to be the part where I finally felt safe. Liam’s kiss was still warm on my lips, and for a few minutes, I actually believed that the nightmare was over. But then, a pair of headlights blinded us from behind.
Liam cursed under his breath as a red car swerved in front of us, forcing him to slam on the brakes. I recognized that car instantly. It was Maya.
She hopped out before her car had even stopped shaking. She wasn't wearing that fake, "sweet best friend" smile anymore. Her face was twisted with something that looked like pure hatred.
"Get out of the car, Elena!" she screamed, pounding on my window.
Liam reached over me to lock the door. "Don't move, El. I’ve got this."
He stepped out of the car to confront her. "Maya, get out of here. You’ve done enough for one day."
"I’ve done enough?" Maya laughed, and the sound was chilling. She pushed past him and kicked my door. "Open the door, you pathetic little thief! Open it!"
I didn't want to be a coward anymore. I unbuckled my seatbelt and pushed the door open. I stood up, leaning heavily against the car frame because my knee was still screaming in pain.
"What do you want, Maya?" I asked.
"What do I want?" Maya stepped into my personal space, her eyes bloodshot. "I want you to stay away from him. I want you to go back to whatever hole you crawled out of and leave Liam alone."
"You were just pretending, weren't you?" I asked, the realization finally sinking in. "Everything at the house. The makeover. The brunch. It was all a lie."
"Of course it was a lie!" Maya snapped. She turned to Liam, her voice changing to a desperate whine. "Liam, look at her. She’s nothing. She’s a charity case who brought nothing but drama into your life. I did everything for you! I’ve liked you since freshman year, and then she shows up and suddenly the Ice King has a heart? I couldn't let that happen."
I stared at her. "You used Julian. You told him to kick me out."
"I didn't have to tell him much," Maya smirked, turning back to me. "Julian is insecure. All I had to do was whisper that you and Liam were having secret late-night talks in the basement. I knew he’d lose his mind. I used him to make sure you stayed as far away from Liam as possible. I wanted you broken so you’d be too busy crying to notice how much Liam actually cared."
"You're sick," Liam said, disgust written all over his face.
"No, I’m smart!" Maya yelled. "I played the part of the perfect friend. I let you cry on my shoulder while I was the one feeding Julian the information he needed to ruin you. I thought if I could get you back into Julian’s arms, or at least under my roof where I could control you, Liam would finally move on."
She looked at me, her lip curling in a snarl. "But you just won't go away. No matter how much we humiliate you, you just keep coming back. Why can't you just take the hint? You don't belong in our world, Elena. You're just the tutor. You're the help."
"I'm a human being," I said, my voice shaking but firm. "And you're right. I don't belong in your world. Because your world is full of people who hate themselves so much they have to destroy everyone else just to feel powerful."
Maya stepped forward and raised her hand like she was going to slap me, but Liam caught her wrist mid-air.
"Don't touch her," Liam said, his voice deadly quiet. "If you ever come near her again, I don't care who your father is or what group chat you control. I will make sure everyone in Northview knows exactly what kind of person you are. I’ll show them the texts, Maya. I’ll show them everything."
Maya tried to pull her arm away, her face turning red with embarrassment. "You wouldn't. Your reputation would be ruined too."
"My reputation died the second I let you take her away tonight," Liam said. "I have nothing left to lose. But you? You love being the 'sweet' one. Let's see how that works out when I post the recording of this little confession."
He held up his phone. He had been recording the whole thing.
Maya’s jaw dropped. She looked like she wanted to scream, but no sound came out. She looked at me, then at Liam, and realized she had lost. She snatched her arm back, stomped to her car, and peeled out, the smell of burning rubber filling the air.
I sank back into the passenger seat, my head spinning. "She did all of that... just because she liked you?"
"People like Maya don't know how to like someone, Elena," Liam said, getting back into the driver’s seat. "They just know how to own things. I'm so sorry. I should have seen through her a long time ago."
I closed my eyes. The high school drama felt so small compared to the reality of my life. My mom was still in the hospital, and I was still effectively homeless.
"What now?" I asked.
Liam didn't answer. He was staring at his phone, which had just lit up with a new message.
"Liam?"
He looked at me, and for the first time tonight, he looked genuinely terrified. "It’s a message from the hospital, Elena."
My heart stopped. "Is it my mom? Did something happen?"
"No," Liam whispered, his grip tightening on the phone. "It’s from the administration office. They’re saying the payment for the private wing was just cancelled. My father... he just pulled the funding."
I felt the air leave my lungs. "What? Why?"
Liam looked at the screen, his voice breaking. "He sent me a text right after. He said if I’m going to throw away my hockey career and my captaincy for 'a girl like you,' then I can figure out how to pay for your life on my own. He said he won't spend a cent on someone who 'ruined his son.'"
I stared out the window at the dark street. Maya had tried to break me with words and shoes, but Liam’s father was doing it with the one thing that actually mattered: my mother’s life.
"I have to go back to Julian," I whispered.
"No," Liam said, turning to me. "We aren't going back to anyone. We're going to find another way."
"There is no other way, Liam! That surgery costs thousands. I don't have it. You don't have it."