Lucas woke up with a jolt. He had slept against the wall between his room and Maya's. No. He looked at his alarm clock. No, no. He'd let her down. An enormous wave of guilt drowned his insides. You're an idiot, Friar.
He got dressed as quickly as he could and went to Maya's door. It was still closed. He knocked. She opened the door: dressed, hair done, makeup done. "Good morning," she said brightly.
He looked closer. There were dark circles under her eyes, which she had attempted to conceal with foundation. "Good morning," he said back, giving her a quick hug. "You look beautiful. How are you?"
"Hungry," she said.
"I'll fix us breakfast. Mom's probably already at her meeting, and Dad's at work." They walked down the stairs together at a respectable distance. "What do you want to do this morning?"
"Go to class," she said.
"Alright."
She looked at him quizzically. "That's it?"
"What's it?" he asked nonchalantly.
"I get to go to class?"
"If that's what you want."
"What's the catch, Sundance?"
"No catch, dust mite."
Lucas handed her two bowls and two spoons, then went to the refrigerator and got the milk. They set it all down on the kitchen table, then Lucas got out the cereal and poured it for them. Maya ate hers with milk, and he didn't. "What are you going to do today?" Maya asked.
"I'm going to school too."
"But you don't have classes today," Maya said.
"You do," he said.
"Oh. There's the trick."
He put a hand to his heart in mock offense. "How dare you accuse me of tricking you. You've insulted my honor. Die." He jabbed her gently with the handle of his spoon.
"Lucas, why can't I go to class by myself?"
He sighed, putting his spoon down. "I get the feeling you're trying to get away from me. Don't you like spending time with me?"
"Of course, but I…"
"Then shut up," he said, smiling.
Her professors greeted Maya sympathetically at school that morning. She fended them off graciously, answering to all of them that she was doing well. They all believed her. How would they know whether she was really alright or not? They didn't know her. They were simply going through the motions.
She didn't pay attention during either of her classes. During the first class, she could see Lucas outside, reading the textbook that he had brought with him. He'd look up eventually, and he'd reassure her with a smile, and she'd wonder how this cruel world could let someone grow up as good as him. During the second class he wasn't in her line of sight, and she felt slightly panicked. But this was good. She'd allowed herself to depend on him too much in the last few days. Which was totally fine. But she'd need to be emotionally prepared for when she'd have to leave him.
Her heart rate slowed down when she saw him again, waiting outside the classroom for her. "Hey," he said.
"Hey," she answered.