Just a lil prompt I was sent via tumblr(now mayahauntdefensesquad), so as always leave reviews and read my other stuff and all that shameless self promotion

After moving to New York, you liked to think of yourself as a changed man. You liked to think that you took higher roads, safer roads to draw your problems to a solution, and you prided yourself in this. You worked constantly to become a better person, and there were only a few things after five years of living in the city that could lure your old Texan temper out at the drop of a dime.

You just never would've thought that Isaiah Babineaux would be one of them.

It started roughly three weeks ago when Zay passed Maya a note in APUSH. She rolled her eyes and scribbled down a response before tossing it back at him, and you figured it was Zay being Zay. He had a lame joke or pick up line or he wanted answers and Maya was blowing him off.

Right?

Wrong.

Because instead of ending the note like they normally would, it kept going. That note seemed endless. You watched them fill four separate notebook sheets with words that he couldn't make out. On top of it, when the note finally ended, Zay had this triumphant smile on his face and Maya wouldn't tell you a single detail at the end of class. She just shrugged it off with a casual, "Can it, Huckleberry, I'm allowed to pass notes in class. You're not my supervisor."

And then, two days after that, Maya started spending secret time with Zay after school. They were always together. It was insane. When your entire group met at Topanga's like you typically do on Wednesdays? They walked in together. At lunch for the next week? They strolled right on in, late with their arms linked and laughing about something you're sure you could've said. On that Monday, Wednesday, and Friday when Zay typically had dance class? Maya was suddenly occupied. The entire week after that, they skipped lunch altogether. Three days after them missing lunch, you swear that you saw Maya talking to one of the dancers at your school- and not just any dancer. No. A ballerina. Maya has been terrified of ballerinas since before you met her, and it showed when she forced herself into a conversation with one. It was something that she'd never do on her own which made zero sense until Zay popped up from around the corner and started talking to her.

When you asked about it, Maya still seemed anxious. Her leg bounced and she stuttered like she always did when scared, meaning that whatever Zay was doing to her was scaring her. She wouldn't give any details, but she was still scared, and so you had to find Zay, that was the obvious answer.

And when you found him, you had to slam him up against the lockers.

Again, obvious answer.

"What are you doing to her?"

His eyes went wide as he tried to loosen your grip on his shirt. "Ooh, Lucas smash!" he laughed. His tone grew more serious when you didn't let up. "Uh, buddy? What are you doing?"

"Why is she scared?" You only found yourself getting angrier because he didn't even find the decency to own up to it, he just wore that stupid confused expression while you resisted actually taking a punch. It wasn't that you didn't love Zay because you did. He was as much of a brother to you as anyone. It was just the definite fact that you loved Maya in a different way, in a greater way that Zay was well aware of before he started manipulating her.

"Huckleberry!" You almost smirked because she was probably running up to thank you. You were saving her from the wrath of your evil best friend's talons, so she would obviously have been sprinting towards you because she was... angry? She looked angry. She looked very angry. "What the fuck are you doing?" She ripped your arms from his shirt before shoving him to run, which he did. "Why did you have him like that, you asshole?"

Your empty fists trembled at her swift swing to your bicep. "I was... protecting you..?"

"From what? Zay? You were protecting me from being friends with Zay?" She smacked you again, and suddenly your conscience filled your gut with guilt. You explained to her the situation, your concern. You told her about how you didn't know what was going on and she just seemed so worried and her laugh the rang through your ears almost made you feel ridiculous.

"Wow, Billy Bob, you sure are fucking dim sometimes. He was helping me out with his dance friends. He was trying to get me over my fear of ballerinas, so I've been going with him to classes and I've been hanging out with all of them so that I can see that they won't stab me when I'm not looking."

Oh. That made a lot of sense.

"I've even learned a few moves and stuff. Zay has been really cool about this whole irrational fear thing."

Oh shit, did you have some explaining to do.

"I appreciate the concern, though." She gave you a small kiss on the cheek before she directed your body towards the front doors. "Now go find your best friend and apologize, dumbass."