As requested by justanotherfluorescentadolescent on Tumblr

Joshua Matthews was stressed.

Between college applications, not so great SAT scores, and homecoming dates, he just needed to crash.

Maybe he could ditch homecoming. It wasn't like he had girlfriend anyway. Or maybe he could take a break for a year before college and actually study for the SAT. Was that a viable option?

Crunch. Crunch. The deep orange leaves beneath his feet seemed to match his current mood— crushing with stress and fear and hopelessness. At this point, he didn't feel like he had a future anymore.

He passed through an ice cream parlor, significant to him because Maya's apartment complex was right behind it. Who knew? Fate could've been leading him to talk to Maya.

Because he had done this multiple times in the past, Josh knew how to climb up to Maya's bedroom window. In minutes, he peered through the open window, marveling at the sight before him.

Maya Hart was painting. And she was so fucking good.

It was the image of a girl, clothed in a fine dress and hands resting on a piano. The canvas was covered with pink and purple strokes and a black piano, fading into the distance.

Blonde hair fell, obscuring her face. He knew it was wrong to be stalking girls in their bedrooms, but how could he turn away when her creation was so captivating? Josh knew that she painted during her free time, but shit, he would've never imagined her to be this magnificent.

"God, how does she do that?" he whispered.

Fuck.

In shock, Maya threw her paintbrush, which stained the wooden floor deep purple. "Oh shit! What the hell are you doing here?"

"Wait, Maya, I can explain."

"What the hell is there to explain? It was fucking obvious! You were invading my privacy by watching me in my room." Her nose crinkled in an angry manner.

Josh sighed. "Hey, I'm really sorry. It's just… I just was going to talk to you about something going on when I climbed up here. It's nothing. I'll leave you to your painting now."

"Josh," Maya called, making him turn back. "I"m sorry for exploding at you like that."

They stared at each other for what seemed like hours.

"So… what do you need to talk about?"

He climbed into her room, with a tight feeling in his throat and a queasy stomach.

Holding both her hands, he asked,"Will you be my homecoming date?"

So... I don't know if I'm gonna turn this into a series of one shots, or if this is gonna fly solo. Thanks for reading!