Author's Note: I really appreciate the feedback that this story is getting! Sorry for the long wait, but it's here now!

A/N: Hey everybody! Thank you so much for the feedback and support that you are sending in! It is so great to see it all :D Sorry that the update took forever (I take complete responsibility for that). I hope that you guys find that this chapter was worth the wait. So, without further ado, read, review, enjoy!

Thanks to missindegrassi, Mutational, degrassigirl101, ForeverFan13, CosmicRain, TheOceanCrumb, k. , and LNCrow for reviewing! Also thanks to the people that followed and favorited!

May we present! Chapter three! Enjoy!


Evan After Death

Avoiding Her Problems

Maya.

Wake up, Maya.

The alarm clock awoke Maya from her slumber. She slammed her hand down on the object before slowly opening her eyes and sitting up. Another dream had plagued her mind. Cam was in it, and he was calling her. She was following the sound of his voice, and had thought she almost reached him when she was awakened.

Damn you alarm clock!

She crawled out of bed and stretched, shaking her head so she would wake up more. She walked towards the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror, she looked like a mess. Dark circles were covering her eyes, her hair was sticking up at all ends, and she looked pale as a ghost. Maya sighed before walking back to her room. She really didn't feel like going to school today.

Maybe she could skip today, then she wouldn't have to deal with more sympathy that she didn't want.

"Maya, are you awake? It's time to get ready for school!" Katie's voiced called from downstairs. Maya quickly thought up a plan to get out of leaving and quickly went to the bathroom to retrieve a hot water bottle. She filled it with hot water and hoped that Katie wasn't coming up the stairs right now. Once it was full, she raced back to her room and jumped back into bed, placing the hot water bottle on her head so it seemed like she had a fever.

After a few minutes, she pulled the bottle away and felt her forehead. It was warm enough. She quietly got up and placed the object under her bed, far enough so Katie wouldn't see it. Sure enough, her sister's voiced called to her again.

"Maya, come on! Rise and shine!" She heard her coming up the stairs and quickly pulled the covers over her body and pretended to be asleep.

"Maya, come on it's seven forty five." She knocked on her door and walked in. "Maya?" Maya felt Katie shake her a little, she turned over and moaned before shoving the blankets over her head.

"What? I want to sleep."

"Come on sunshine, you're going to be late for school."

"Katie, please stop shouting." Maya faked, trying to hide her smile.

"I'm not shouting, are you okay?" She walked over and ripped the warmth from Maya again, feeling her forehead. "Yikes! You feel warm. Let me get the thermometer." She walked away and into the bathroom. Maya sighed, her plan had worked. She was about to receive her ticket to get out of school.

Katie came back and placed the thermometer in her mouth, Maya leaned back and closed her eyes. A sudden thought came to her, what if the thermometer didn't pick up the heat from her head? Katie's smart, she would know about her plan and make her go.

Suddenly, Katie's phone rang. She walked out and went to retrieve her phone. This bought Maya a little bit of time, she quietly snuck to the bathroom and ran the thermometer under hot water until it read a hundred and one. She then went back and waited for her sister.

"Sorry My, that was Marisol. She's going to give us a ride today." She pulled the thermometer out of her mouth and sighed. "Well I guess I'm going alone, you're not going today. I'll call mom and tell her you're sick."

"I'm sorry." Maya leaned back in her bed, while Katie fixed the blankets and tucked her back in.

"No, don't worry about it. You can't help it when you get sick. Feel better, okay?" Katie kissed the top of her sister's head and then left her room. Maya did a silent cheer and rolled back over to catch up on some much needed sleep.

Despite yet another unsettling dream she had about Cam, Maya was able to awake sometime later, feeling fully refreshed although she was probably only asleep for a couple of hours. She rubbed her eyes before sitting up and stretching, wondering what she could do with her hours of freedom. She would definitely be able to practice some of her instruments and write some music, maybe even just take a day to be completely lazy and just watch some television.

Deciding that she would do that, Maya put on her glasses before sliding out of bed; she moved out of her room and to the kitchen, wanting to satisfy her stomach's hunger. After pouring herself some cereal, she journeyed to the living room in hopes that watching a rerun or pointless soap opera would distract her from the thoughts of Cam and her dreams.

She soon found that this was not going to happen. She sat down on the couch and turned on the television . . . and the first thing she saw on the screen was a hockey game. Her stomach did a painful flip and her heart turned to stone. She began to shake, her thoughts immediately turning to her favorite hockey player . . . the only one she actually cared about. Maya was trembling so much that the milk in the cereal was starting to jump onto the floor and couch . . . the couch that they cuddled on together during their last hours together.

"Damn it," she grumbled as she put her bowl to the side, trying to keep her tears at bay. She could not believe that a simple couch could bring back memories for her . . . then again it was where they exchanged their last kiss . . . their last embrace . . . their last everything . . .

She stood up, leaving the TV on and her bowl full. She rushed from the living room to her bedroom, hurriedly changing into some jeans, a shirt, and a jacket. She did not bother with much else; all she focused on was getting out of the house. There were too many memories here, whether they came from Cam's presence or if it just reminded her of the funny texts or sweet calls he made her.

Within minutes she was walking down the street, ear buds in her ears. The clouds were hanging low and there was a cold breeze, but Maya did not pay mind to it once she zipped up her jacket. Keeping her hands in her pockets and the hood covering her head, she walked down the street. She kept her head down, observing the pattern of the concrete and her shoes when they came into her vision. She only spoke when she accidentally ran into someone; she muttered a brief "sorry" and went on her way.

Maya was taking this walk, hoping that it would take her mind off Cam . . . but being alone attracts thoughts, especially the ones no one wants to have. No matter how many steps she took or how many buildings she saw, he was still the first and only thing on her mind. She did not care about anything else; Cam was all that was in her mind and all the memories were haunting her. She felt low and miserable; she felt as though she was simply a soul that inhabited her body and that some great force was moving her like a marionette since she was incapable of moving herself.

She was on edge the whole time she walked, but one incident brought her crashing down. She was walking and weeping within, looking at her feet. Needing to look at something new, she turned her head up . . . and she found herself looking through the window of Little Miss Steaks. Her breath got caught in her throat as she stepped closer to it; she began to breathe so heavily that her breath fogged up the window.

Maya instantly thought of the time she and Cam took the stage for karaoke, smiling and having the time of their lives. Everything was right then; he may have had hockey on his mind and he was probably feeling out of place, but singing together made that disappear. They were in harmony . . . peace . . . bliss . . .

Sniffling, Maya rubbed her eyes under her glasses. She released a sob before turning away from the window, wishing that she would have just stayed at home and remained in the domain that was her bed. She took a breath before lowering her hands and looking up.

She gasped at who was standing a few feet in front of her, but she could see him through the tears. She recognized the hoodie . . . she recognized the brown hair . . . she recognized the face . . . she recognized the eyes . . .

"Cam."