Chapter 42
Brian
My heart was in my throat as I reached out and rapped twice on the door. My stomach churned with a mixture of anger and nerves. My heart urged me to go after Maria when Sarah left my home, but I needed some answers first and I had a feeling Diane would be able to provide them.
The door swung open, and Diane's worry-lined face appeared. My shoulders relaxed when I saw it was just her. I half expected Sarah to pop up behind.
"Hi, Brian." Her mouth turned down in sadness. "C'mon in."
"Where's Sarah? I'm guessing she told you what happened."
"Yeah." She closed the door before indicating that I should proceed with her to the lounge.
"I regret that she found out who I was dating the way she did." Even though she did drop in unannounced, but I kept that comment to myself. "I had no idea about their connection, and I'm certain Maria didn't know either."
I was sure of it. Maria never indicated she knew who my sister-in-law was when I spoke about her. She simply listened without judgment, silently offering her support and a shoulder to lean on. "I'm not excusing Maria for what she did, but –"
"They were both in the wrong," Diane interrupted. She sank onto the sofa with a defeated sigh. "But I should've nipped Sarah's behavior in the bud a long time ago."
I figured out pretty quickly who Sarah was to Maria. After Maria left, I’d ushered Sarah into my lounge and pressed a tissue between her hands. I was at a loss for what to do. My loyalty was divided. I was upset at what Sarah had been through, yet my body was itching to run after Maria; to gather her into my arms and hear her side of things.
I knew in that moment that whatever had occurred between them, we would get through. It was so long ago, and Maria was not the same sixteen-year-old she had been. If push came to shove, Maria was who I would choose. The thought of losing Diane and Sarah—-my only connection left of Hannah—stung.
But being without Maria would crush my soul.
Still, I was sympathetic to what Sarah was feeling and the trauma she had to revisit. It didn't matter that she'd been a teen and most likely wouldn't have ended up with her high school boyfriend for life. It was still a painful scene to have experienced, especially when she ended up leaving her school and friends to escape her tormentors.
Maria.
My brain was still trying to wrap itself around that.
As my mind raked through the past, that feeling that I was missing something continued to nag at me. I rubbed Sarah's back as she sobbed into her tissue. She hadn't laid off on her ranting, lamenting how hurt she was over my perceived betrayal and retelling what happened from her point of view. It was thenthat it hit me. Maria's words as we stood outside my old high school, raking over our past.
"...I was a complete bitch, but only to those who deserved it. And believe me, she deserved it."
She deserved it.
Only to those who deserved it.
I'd pulled back from Sarah, seeing her in a new light.
She was still mopping at her eyes, her hand tightly clasped in mine. "Sarah," I started slowly as I detangled our hands. "What did you do to Maria?"
Having Diane confirm it sunk my stomach in disappointment and renewed anger. Sarah had vehemently denied any wrongdoing before storming out.
"I admit, it's disappointing as a parent to find out that your child is a bully. You're constantly thinking: "No, not my child. She'd never do that."" Diane shook her head. "Especially since Hannah had always been a kind child. Teachers used to rave about how well-behaved she was."
I smiled softly. That didn't surprise me at all. That was what attracted me the most to Hannah. She always had a happy smile on her face, always laughing, and always volunteering to show new people around campus. She would be the first to reach out if she knew someone was having a hard time. She even moved home to help care for her dad.
"Sarah was in sixth grade when I got called into the office," Diane continued. "Apparently, Maria had shoved Sarah into the mud. Sarah told a teacher and her friends corroborated her story that the attack was unprovoked."
My mouth tightened. Knowing what I knew now, I did not doubt that Maria's shove was in retaliation. She'd been pushed too far and snapped. I was firmly on Maria's side with this one, whether right or wrong.
"Sarah was upset, and I was enraged to think that someone put their hands on my baby. I pulled Frank out of work and stormed into the Principal's office." Her gaze lowered, mouth pursed in thought. "The first thing that caught me off guard was that Maria was alone. Sarah had a whole entourage with her, but Maria had no caregivers except a teacher."
I blinked back moisture as I thought of Maria as a child. All alone. No one to love and support her. She had to get herself up and ready for school by herself, only to face more harassment.
"Still, I demanded an apology, which Maria refused to give until the Principal threatened suspension. That was when that teacher who was with Maria intervened. She told us privately that Sarah had been bullying Maria for a long time. She didn't condone Maria's actions but suggested that some meetings with the school counselor could smooth things out between them."
