Yoo... I should probably start out by saying that favorites and follows do not motivate me to keep writing. Reviews do. :3 Because those actually help me know what I'm doing right and what I'm doing wrong...

...

A new year, a new life. Maya Hart sighed as she looked around the high school hallways. It was quite crowded, there. At least more crowded than what she had grown accustomed to at home, with the online schooling. She had taken that for the rest of seventh grade, and all of eighth grade. Mr. Matthews had stopped paying for her cellphone when he had heard that Maya had stopped going to school, something the teenager was grateful for. Riley and Lucas had practically spammed her phone with messages before the line went dead, asking her where she was and why she wouldn't talk to him.

At the thought of Lucas, Maya reached a hand up and felt her lips, though she wasn't aware of it. She remembered how it had felt when the Texas boy had kissed her. She wanted that again, even though she didn't want it at the same time. It was too confusing. Had he only kissed her to try and get her to go back to school, or had his feelings for her been real enough to encourage him to kiss the blonde girl?

Maya didn't know, nor did she want to know. All she wanted was to get through high school, now, and not run into any of her old friends.

As soon as second period started, though, that desire backfired on her. She watched hopelessly as Riley and Lucas walked into class, talking about their first period class, which they apparently had together. Maya sank down in her seat, trying hard not to be noticed by them, pulling up her hood to help with that. Lucas glanced at her, and his eyes lingered, though he seemed not to recognize the girl trying to hide from him and her former best friend. Shrugging, the Texas ranger took a seat near the front, much to Maya's relief. If he had sat in the back, where she was sitting...

The bell rang, marking the start of the period, and the late kids ran into the room, taking seats at random before the teacher started to call attendance. It went well, at first, though as she got closer and closer to calling Maya's name, the blonde teenager wanted nothing more than to just disappear.

"Lucas Fryer?" Their teacher asked. The boy from Texas raised his hand.

"Present."

The teacher nodded and marked him present on the paper. She called off a couple more names before she got to Maya's.

"Maya Hart?"

Maya's mouth clamped shut as Lucas' head seemed to shoot up at her name. He looked around the room, trying to find her, as did Riley. It took awhile for Maya to let out a meek "Here", trying not to draw the attention of Lucas and Riley. She failed, though. as soon as she spoke up, the two looked right at her, confusion clear on their faces, making Maya shrink down further in her seat.

"Please raise your hand, Miss Hart," the teacher asked.

Maya slowly raised her hand.

The teacher nodded and marked her present, soon after which Maya immediately dropped her hand to pick at the sheet of paper in front of her.

The rest of the attendance was called, a few people absent or running tardy, as was expected on the first day of school for the freshman class, and soon the class was started.

"My name is Misses Faulk," the teacher said. "And I will be teaching the lot of you Biology this year. The seats you are now sitting in are your permanent seats-"

Maya let out a sigh of relief at that.

"-and you may not move or change seats until the end of the first unit, after which I will be assigning you seats. Miss Hart."

Maya blinked at her name. "Yes...?"

"You are required to have a group for this unit. Please move forward to this seat. You will group with Riley, Lucas, and Tristan."

Aw, crap, Maya silently cursed as she gathered her stuff shakily. She moved forward to sit beside a guy with brown hair and green eyes, the one she assumed to be Tristan, a spot across from Riley and diagonal from Lucas.

"Maya," Lucas hissed. "We-ve been worried sick about you. Where have you-"

"Lucas Fryer! No talking while I'm talking."

Lucas turned a deep crimson. "Y-yes ma'am." After he said that, he shot Maya a look saying We will talk after class.

The blonde teenager couldn't help but to swallow thickly as Ms. Faulk turned back to instructing the class. As soon as I can, Maya thought, I'm going to the counselors office, ask them what classes Lucas has, and make sure they change my schedule so I can avoid him at all costs. I don't want to talk to him. I don't want to see him. I don't want to think about him. Oh god. I knew I should have stuck with online schooling... But we didn't have enough money to keep it up...

If there was one thing Maya wasn't looking forward to that day, it was talking to Lucas after trying to avoid him for a full year and a half.