"I'll tell the whole school!"

Maya just wanted to go to the bathroom. She didn't expect to walk in on an angry Bianca, and she certainly did not expect to see Campbell. But all was forgotten when she caught a glimpse of his face.

"Cam?"

He looked like he had a hard time breathing.

"You followed me in here!" Bianca went on.

Campbell opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out.

"Leave him alone!"

Maya moved to stand in between the two of them, one hand outstretched behind her, towards Campbell, and the other towards Bianca. "I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding."

"He's a pervert."

"He's having an anxiety attack."

Maya grabbed Campbell's shaky hand and pulled him past Bianca. She didn't know where she was going, nor did she have the time to care. The two of them ran outside of the bathroom and she led him out the doors of Degrassi. They ended up in a small area behind the school.

Maya watched as Campbell pressed his back against the wall and slid down, burying his head in between his knees. She didn't know what to do. It scared her to see him like this. She was surprised to find herself crouching down beside him and taking him into her arms, with one hand holding his, and the other stroking his hair. She tried to comfort him, repeating things like "It's okay." "You're alright." "Everything will be fine."

They stayed in this position for awhile. He calmed down eventually, his hands grew as stable as hers and his breathing went back to normal.

"Want some water?" Maya asked.

Campbell nodded.

Maya reached into her bag for a water bottle. When she handed it to him, he took a big gulp and set the bottle down. Struggling to find more to say, she cut to the chase. "What happened back there?"

Campbell fiddled with his hands for a bit, seeming to be thinking about how to piece it all together.

"The team... they pressured me into hitting on that girl at the mall. She turned me down, and the whole team laughed at me. They were making fun of me at lunch until I couldn't take it and ran into the girls washroom by mistake. Then the same girl walked in and thought I was some perverted stalker... and I freaked."

He held her gaze, until something peculiar happened.

"Why are you laughing?"

"I'm sorry." Maya giggled. "I just... I can't imagine you as some perverted stalked."

Campbell shot her a weird look until he soon, too, emitted a giggle. Then he started laughing, chuckling at first, but building up louder and louder, until Maya thought he might laugh his head off.

When he stopped, he looked over at her. "Thanks, Maya."

"You're welcome."

And she meant it.