Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi
Maya took one last look in the mirror and smiled at her reflection. She headed for the mud room off the kitchen and quietly slipped on her coat and shoes. After she was finished, she slowly opened the back door. When it creaked, she froze. She stood in the dark, biting her lip, for what felt like hours before determining that her parents had not woken up and that the coast was clear. She pulled the door the rest of the way open, grabbed her cello, and exited the house. Once outside, she propped her instrument against the wall and carefully eased the door shut behind her. It softly clicked shut, and grinning triumphantly, she picked up her cello and made her way down the front walk and in the direction of the nearest bus stop. She glanced around her into the night and quickened her pace. She couldn't miss this bus.
Maya continued walking and five minutes later she reached her destination. She approached the stop and was relieved to see that she was alone. She sat down on the bench and leaned her instrument next to her. She sat back against the bench and dug into her pocket to pull out the ad she had clipped from the newspaper earlier during band class. She had gone to the media immersion lab during her spare to look up the band and also the venue that they were set to play that night. She found a website dedicated to them and also several Youtube videos that let Maya know they were the real deal. Reading over the ad now, Maya couldn't help but get that nervous twist in her stomach. The band was looking for individuals who played any and all string instruments and they were holding open auditions after their show that night. It was just the challenge that Maya was looking for.
Suddenly, a car horn blaring pulled her out of her thoughts. She dropped the clipping and let out a small shriek as she looked up to see who was now parked in front of the bus stop. She squinted as the passenger rolled down the window.
"Adam? Drew?"
"Hey, Maya!" Drew yelled from the passenger seat.
"What are you doing?" Adam questioned, leaning out of the car window slightly.
"I'm waiting for a bus."
"I know. You're sitting at a bus stop after all. But where are you going? It's late and kind of cold."
"I have an audition at Lee's Palace."
"That's a bar. You're thirteen, aren't you?"
"Well, it's not like I'm going to drink." Maya hadn't even considered the possibility of not being old enough to enter the bar. If that was the case, then that meant she wouldn't be able to audition. Maya felt her shoulders sag. She needed this.
"Hey," Maya looked up to see Adam staring at her confusedly. "Are you okay? Looks like you just went to a dark place."
"Not really." Maya shrugged and reached out to touch her cello. She jumped when she heard the car door slam. She looked up to see that Adam had exited the van and was leaning back in the open window. She couldn't hear what Adam was saying but she saw Drew nod and then give her a small smile.
Adam drummed his fingers against the side of the car and turned around to head in Maya's direction. He sat next to her on the bench and Drew raised a hand to wave to the two of them. Maya and Adam returned the wave and Drew pulled away from the curb and headed down the street. Maya watched the tail lights disappear before she turned around to meet Adam's concerned stare.
"Hey," she whispered, feeling sort of awkward.
"Maya," Adam's voice was gentle. "What's wrong?"
Maya shrugged and bit her lip. She felt that awful lump form in her throat and she knew she was about to cry. She really didn't want to cry in front of Adam, but the way he was looking at her was making it difficult not to.
"You can tell me, you know," Adam urged. "If you don't want to talk," he continued, "That's fine. But I'd rather sit with you until I know that the bus picked you up. I'll stay quiet and let you think if that's what you want."
Maya looked up at him and he gave her a warm smile. She took a deep breath before she spoke. "I don't feel challenged anymore," Maya heard her voice crack and she swallowed hard. "Grade nine band is a joke and the only thing Ms. Oh could come up with to challenge me was to stick me at a table and have me study musical theory. So today I was looking through the paper and I found an ad for an audition at Lee's Palace. I looked up the band and they're legit. I snuck out of the house and now here I am. Here we are," She gestured between them. "I didn't think about the fact that it was a bar…" Maya's voice trailed off.
"And you might not be able to get in," Adam finished for her and Maya nodded.
"I need this, Adam," She whined. "Unlike Katie, I'm not involved in a million other activities. Music is everything to me and I feel like it's slipping away. Plus, after everything that's happened with my sister, I feel like I need to do something that my parents can be proud of." Maya's voice shook and even though she tried so hard, she wasn't able to stop the tear that slipped slowly down her cheek.
"Hey," Adam scooted closer to her and wrapped his arm around her. He rubbed his hand up and down her arm in an attempt to soothe her. "Your parents are proud of you, Maya. I know they are. You get good grades, you stay out of trouble, and you've been really helpful with Katie. You're a good person and you don't need to sneak out of the house and risk getting in trouble to prove that." Adam pulled back so he could fully see Maya. He saw that more tears were sliding down her cheeks and he lightly brushed them away. "Please don't cry. Everything will be okay."
"How do you know?" Maya questioned as she swiped at her cheeks and just below her eyes.
Adam smiled at her. "Because I've had my fair share of bad times but I'm still here. You just have to be patient and wait. You never know someone could stumble upon you in the middle of the night while you're sitting at a bus stop and tell you that even though he's rusty, he would love to play with you sometime."
Maya stared at him and Adam laughed as comprehension dawned on her.
"You could have started with that information, Adam!" She laughed and nudged him with her shoulder.
Adam held up his hands, palms out. "Hey, I said I was rusty so I didn't want to get your hopes up or anything."
"I can handle that. I bet you're at least better than half of the grade nine band kids. I'm in whenever you feel up to playing."
"Great!" Adam stood up from the bench and extended his hand to her. Maya stared at it and then looked up at him. "I told Drew I would walk you home."
"You were so sure you were going to be able to change my mind, huh?"
"You bet! I've been told that I can be quite the voice of reason when I want to be."
Maya smiled and placed her hand in his. "Funny, people say the same thing about me." He pulled her up from the bench and was surprised when Maya squeezed his hand.
"Thanks for everything, Adam. You're the best." Before she had a chance to talk herself out of it, Maya stretched up on her toes and pressed a quick kiss to Adam's cheek. When she pulled back, cheeks ablaze, she was glad to see that Adam looked pleased.
Adam ran his thumb along the back of her hand. "You're welcome, Matlin." He didn't make a move to drop her hand and Maya wasn't complaining. "Can I carry your cello?"
"No self-respecting musician lets anybody else touch their instrument." As soon as she said those words, she slapped her free hand across her mouth. "That sounded dirty, didn't it?"
Adam laughed and soon Maya joined him in his laughter. "A little bit, but that's okay. Alright, well since you won't let me touch your instrument," Adam winked. "Grab it and let's get going. Maybe I can get you back home without your parents noticing." He let go of her hand and Maya couldn't help but feel disappointed.
She picked up her instrument and managed to get it situated in one arm which meant that as they started walking, her hand was swinging close to Adam's. Adam's fingers brushed lightly against hers a few times and she could see him glance at her out of the corner of her eye. Maya grinned and went for it. She grabbed his hand and was pleased when Adam looked down at what she had done then up at her with a smile that mirrored the one she was currently sporting. They continued walking in comfortable silence and Maya would smile every time Adam's thumb would brush across the back of her hand.
Once they reached the back door, she propped her instrument against the door and turned back to face Adam.
"Thank you so much for sitting and talking to me tonight. I really needed to hear everything you had to say."
"Anytime. I know you would have done the same thing for me."
Maya smiled. "Oh, before I forget! Can I see your phone for a second?" Adam raised an eyebrow. "So I can give you my number so you can call me about playing with you sometime?"
"Right!" He dug in his pocket, pulled out his phone, and handed it to her. She typed in her name, dialed her number, and then handed it back.
"Call me about the band or any time you need to talk. I owe you one." She unlocked the door and then turned back to Adam. She placed a hand on his shoulder and once again stretched up to place a kiss on his cheek. "Thanks again, Adam." Without waiting to see his reaction, she picked up her cello and entered the house. She turned to shut the door and she saw Adam grinning at her. He raised his hand to wave and then headed down the sidewalk.
Maya shut the door and pressed her back against it. This night hadn't gone like she planned, but she couldn't be mad about it. She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and pulled it out to see a text from a number she didn't recognize.
Testing, testing. I am officially reporting for band duty. Signed Adam Torres, the music loving, late night talking, and hopefully future confidant to the cello playing Matlin sister. Over and out.