Summary: "Wait." Zig came to a halt and turned to face her just as Maya closed the distance between them, cupping the back of his neck and bringing her lips to his.

Disclaimer: Don't own Degrassi. Or Tampax. 'Nuff said.

Author's Note: An alternate ending to "Close to Me" leads to some interesting, if not predictable, consequences. Oh, these wacky teens.

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Little Pieces
Inkling

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"I should've just kissed you."

Zig's confession hung thick in the air, echoing in the back of Maya's mind over and over again – mocking her, tempting her with various "what if" scenarios. What if Zig had kissed her all those months ago? What if she hadn't gone to Paris and gotten involved with Miles? Where would they stand then?

The blonde opened her mouth to respond but nothing came out. All she could do was stand there, gaping like an idiot while Zig's eyes bore into hers, practically staring into her soul. She hated feeling so vulnerable but at the same time, she couldn't bring herself to look away. He was so close; enough that she could smell his cologne or body wash or whatever he was wearing. It tickled her nose, making her more lightheaded than usual. His lips were mere centimeters from hers and suddenly it was like the pageant all over again, only this time no one was there to interrupt and bring her back to reality. Katie was at Stanford and her parents wouldn't be home until morning. It was just them and their feelings and everything they had bottled up (her more so than Zig) since the summer.

"But… rules are rules." Zig's voice snapped her out of her reverie and she watched as a knowing smirk tugged at his lips. "Goodnight, Maya Matlin."

Leaning away from her, he took a step back and headed for the stairs.

Or would have, had Maya let him.

"Wait."

Zig came to a halt and turned to face her just as Maya closed the distance between them, cupping the back of his neck and bringing her lips to his.

oOo

Maya jolted awake to a loud blaring noise emitting from the phone beside her and quickly turned the alarm off. As she sat up, her heart still pounding from both the dream and being jarred so suddenly from her slumber, her head throbbed and the sunlight streaming into her room wasn't making it any better. Rubbing her eyes, she reached for her glasses and put them on, waiting for everything to come into focus and for the grogginess to wear off. Once it did, she slid out of bed, dragging herself to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth.

She wasn't really in the mood for school. She felt like she hadn't gotten any sleep at all but after her suspension she couldn't afford to miss any more class – not if she ever hoped to make it out of the Rubber Room. Finishing her business, she ventured back into her room and over to her closet, shedding her pajamas in the process. After mulling over what to wear (God, when she did she become that girl?) for what seemed like an hour, she grabbed her favorite pair of skinny jeans and slipped into them. Or tried to. A string of curses left her mouth as she tugged at them and finally managed to get them past her butt. Unfortunately, zipping them up all the way was a completely different story.

"Are you kidding me?" She grumbled, sucking in her stomach.

It was no use.

Frustrated, Maya yanked them off (another struggle in and of itself) and opted for the loose pants she'd worn the day before, and matching it up with a cute shirt. It was a little more snug than she remembered, clinging to her chest in a way it didn't used to. Furrowing her brow, Maya walked over to the full-length mirror hanging on her door and examined her reflection. She didn't look any different. Maybe it (and her jeans) had simply shrunk in the wash. Either that or she needed to lay off the Ketchup Chips.

Deciding not to dwell on it, she quickly brushed her hair and applied the necessary makeup – concealer, cover up, blush and a little bit of pink lipstick. Just enough to not look twelve. She smiled when she was done, satisfied with her appearance, and made her way down to the kitchen.

Zig was already dressed and ready, but that didn't surprise her. He was always up before she was. He didn't acknowledge her as she entered the kitchen, too busy shoveling cereal into his mouth.

"Hey," she greeted, grabbing an apple from the fruit basket on the counter and taking a bite out of it.

A grunt was the only response she got. She was about to make a joke about him being a grouch when she noticed the small blue box sitting nearby. She didn't need to check the tag to know who it was from and judging from Zig's current demeanor, he did too. Knowing that there was no point in trying to hide it, she let out a small sigh, remaining silent as she untied the black ribbon and opened it.

It was a ring.

Her eyes widened just a little.

While not an engagement ring, it was still a ring and that definitely meant something.

In all honesty, she wasn't sure how to feel about it.

"I see you two made up." Zig shattered her train of thought, his voice laced with bitterness as he got up to put his bowl in the sink.

"Kind of, yeah." She murmured, pushing the box away. It had been a couple of days since she and Miles had reconciled and she hadn't quite worked up the courage to tell the dark-haired teen before her, afraid of how he'd react.

Zig barked out a laugh, leaning back against the counter.

"Really?" He said disbelievingly. "After what we –"

"It was a mistake!" Maya cut him off.

"A mistake?" Zig's voice cracked and she could tell that he wasn't just angry, but genuinely hurt by her claim. He rounded on her, eyes blazing and nostrils flaring, slamming his hands down on the counter and making her jump. "First the pageant, now this? Why is it always a mistake with me, Maya? Huh? Why am I always a mistake?" He shook his head. "No… no. You wanted it just as much as I did, Maya! You kissed me, remember? You begged for it! For me! Me!" Pulling back, she could see his eyes brimming with angry tears that he refused to let fall, and felt her throat constrict. "Damn it, Maya… I'd give anything to…"

He trailed off, his jaw clenching as he fought to regain his composure.

"Zig –" She started, reaching for his hand but he recoiled.

"You know what? Just forget it. I'm done with this bullshit." He muttered, grabbing his backpack and storming out of the house, slamming the door behind him.

Maya closed her eyes and took a deep breath, hating herself more and more by the second. She had finally made up with her boyfriend after three weeks, but had hurt Zig in the process. She just wanted to keep both of them safe but apparently she couldn't have Miles in her life without Zig hating her or vice-versa. Why did everything have to be so complicated? Why couldn't they just get along? Why couldn't… Maya shook her head. There was no point trying to make sense of the situation. All she could do was hope for the best.

As she went to take another bite out of her apple, a wave of nausea washed over her. She barely made it to the garbage in time, throwing the lid open and retching violently until there was nothing left in her stomach.

oOo

"Looks good on you."

"Huh?" Maya lifted her forehead from the cool metal of her locker just as her boyfriend was approaching. Resting his weight against the locker beside hers, he crossed his arms and nodded toward the silver band around her finger. "Oh, right. Yeah. Thank you." She said.

She wished she sounded a little more enthusiastic but she didn't have the strength to feign it, especially not after what had happened at breakfast. She gave him a wry smile when he cocked his head to the side in confusion.

"It's really pretty, Miles. I love it." She assured him, leaning up to give him a peck on the lips.

"I figured you would." Miles replied, looking relieved. "I know you don't really like it when I buy you stuff out of the blue but I just… I had to."

Maya nodded in understanding, glancing down to admire the heart-shaped sapphire. It must have cost a fortune, but she knew that to Miles, money was no object.

"Walk you to lunch?" He extended his arm in a gentlemanly fashion.

Maya's smile grew and after shouldering her backpack, she looped her own through his.

"Lead the way."

The cafeteria was more crowded than usual, but given the recent drop in temperature, it didn't surprise her. Chewy and Tristan were already seated at their table although the latter was clearly too busy texting to pay attention to the former – much to Chewy's obvious annoyance. As Miles left her side to go buy something, Maya plopped down next to her textaholic best friend.

"Ooh, nice bling." Tristan remarked, finally glancing up from his phone and gesturing to her ring.

Maya grimaced, turning the band with her thumb. "Yeah."

Tristan sighed dramatically.

"I wish I had a dashingly handsome boyfriend who showered me with expensive gifts."

"Trust me, it's not all it's cracked up to be." Zoe chimed in, appearing on Maya's other side and placing her tray of food down before turning her attention to the blonde, looking slightly irritated. "You don't happen to have a tampon or something on you right now, do you?"

"Gross. Ever hear of too much information? Nobody wants to hear about your lady problems, Zoe."

"Hold on." Maya ignored the face Chewy was making, unzipping her bag and rummaging through an assortment of binders, textbooks, loose papers and change to find what she was looking for.

Her hand paused as it grazed the box of Tampax.

"Wait, what day is it?" She asked the brunette.

Zoe shrugged, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "I don't know. The thirtieth, I think. Why?"

Maya shook her head.

"Nothing. Brain fart." She lied, handing the former actress what she wanted.

Zoe snatched it from her and gave her a tight smile – one that said that while she still didn't like Maya (the feeling was mutual) she was reluctantly grateful. Maya didn't react, too lost in her own head.

"I'll be back in a sec. No one better touch my food." She announced, shooting Chewy a warning look before marching out of the cafeteria.

It didn't make any sense.

She always got her period before Zoe.

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Dun. Dun. Dunnnnn.