I own nothing but the original characters I made for this story. To the guest who asked about Josh; herreally doesn't feature in this story aside from a few mentions. Originally, I planned to have him have a relationship and Maya would find someone new to make him jealous, but I changed it. A thousand times at the very least. Now, this is going to showcase the change for everyone involved.
As for the chapters from other perspectives, there's about six that'll kick off relatively soon. I'm not expecting this to be a forty plus chapter story. Maybe around twenty-two or twenty-three. I've got two sequels planned, and depending on how well they do, I'll decide whether or not I should do one for them in college. Either way, I've got the main plotlines planned out and will be tweaking them. On to the story!
The hustle and bustle of summer break had given way to the early mornings of the school, and nowhere was that more obvious than Abigail Adams High School. New freshmen entered the building, while the next graduating class counted down the days till they finally reached that threshold. Sophomores held back their curses, as to appear sociable, while juniors just resigned themselves to another year of torture.
"You guys feel that? That's the start of the best year of our lives!" Riley exclaimed, while the rest of us, save for Lucas, let out a groan. Farkle and Smackle were both happy to forget the troubles of last year and start school, but hated the early rising. Lucas was too busy smiling at Riley's energetic smile and Zay was off somewhere, probably more fun than school.
Maya, or Vixen as I've dubbed her, seemed preoccupied with her thoughts. Her soft eyes were open, but she was frowning. It was upsetting to me. Not that I'd ever admit it out loud, of course. Got an image to uphold and all that.
"Jason. Who do you have first?" Riley brought us out of our stupor and quickly producing our schedules. We had history together with Riley's dad teaching us. Again. But other than that, we really didn't have a lot of classes together. PE, math, and history.
"We've got English and science together Ace. You're taking French?" Maya commented, adding the last part after reading it fully. Nodding my head yes, her frown grew into a teasing smirk. "Gonna learn how to flirt with the girls in a different language I take it?"
"N-not exactly." As she laughed it off, I found myself forgetting how to breathe. It was as if the angels had descended to cascade me in the beautiful song known as Maya Hunter's laugh. The smile that replaced the laughter was a picturesque sunrise in Heaven. Something so gorgeous that you have to stop and appreciate how it causes your heart to skip a beat or two, while her eyes offer the option to swim in a vast ocean, populated with clear waters and no need to worry about drowning.
"Taking it to impress someone?" Riley asked, not realizing that she hit the nail on the head. I was taking it to impress Maya. Again, not saying that out loud. But I'm sure the guys knew it. They had called me out for liking her, and Lucas, much to my chagrin, felt bad. As if he felt like he was taking away my chance at happiness. Despite my attempts to assuage those concerns. Maya being happy, with or without me, was my first, and only, concern.
"You could say that. Now let's get to class. I'd like to keep the ditching to a minimum this year." Maya grinned, remembering how often I ditched school before becoming a member of the circle. While it was fun, I also got into plenty of trouble due to it. Riley was the one who told me how it was affecting the others, yet it took Lucas getting angry to get it through my thick skull.
Nobody wants to face an angry Texan. They had plenty of ways to draw out the pain and would enjoy doing so. Especially if it was anything like when Farkle and Riley were getting bullied.
We got to class, sitting in our usual spots. Maya and Riley in front, with Farkle and Lucas behind them. Smackle took the seat closest to the door, while Zay sat behind Lucas. I went to the back corner, far enough away from any type of trouble, but also close enough to aid if needed. On the blackboard was a single word: hello.
"The word hello is an introduction to new possibilities. The possibility of finding love in a kindred spirit, or finding a friend in dark times. While it can swing the other way, finding a rival for the person you love or someone who just doesn't care. But, it can also introduce you to the figures who'll shape your life, be it for better or worse. So your assignment today is to write a two page report on the person you're happy you said hello to." Once Mister Matthews finished, we got started on the paper.
I knew exactly who the topic of my paper would be on. Lucas Friar, mister Moral Compass himself. While we may not have always seen eye to eye on things, he helped me better myself. Showed how far compassion can go when given a chance. The way he went out of his way to help out his friends, yet never wanting to take any praise. He was the perfect person to write two pages about.
Admittedly, I'd rather write about Maya, but I'm not exactly fond of the idea that my teacher would find out due to the many pages I'd actually end up writing. That only focus on her smile. I don't think he'd be very happy with that, and Maya's stepdad may hate it.
So to save my own hide, Lucas is the best option. At least until I could figure out the best way to tell Maya how I feel about her. I'm more scared losing her than anything else.
It surprised me when I started to develop feelings for her. Her father abandoned her, and my biological father used my mom as a one night stand. So I've been trying to figure out a way to isolate myself from the group. Just for a couple of days, maybe a week at most. All to figure out if this was just a crush or lust.
The final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day, much to the enjoyment of the students. It meant that they could hang out with their friends and do after school activities. Sports being the most popular option. For me, it meant that I'd get to go home and busy myself with stuff to distract my mind.
"Ace! Where ya headed?" Maya called out, causing me to internalize a frustrated growl. I felt bad about it, but with how much she's changed me over the past couple of years, I didn't want her to see how much I was hurting.
As I went to answer her, she wrapped her arms around my waist, forcing my heart to skip a few beats. Hesitantly returning the hug, I heard Maya give a content sigh as a response. A few seconds later, we separated, much to my disapproval. But it went away as I saw her smile.
"Vixen, I'm heading home to help my sister out." She blushed and looked down, chewing on her bottom lip.
"Would you be able to help me with my math homework after you're done?"
"Yeah. Meet you at Topanga's?"
"Yes. See you soon." She turned and left, leaving me there with a sad look. No matter how much pain I'm going through, I could handle it. Just to make sure she remained happy. That's all I truly wanted from life. If she was happy, then I'd be happy. Alone, as I knew all too well that I didn't deserve to have her in my life.
But she can't know that the day I said "hello" to her for the first time was the day my life truly began.