Maya grunted in frustration, kicking the cooler off the bench. Cherry red liquid began to spill into a puddle on the track. She lifted her arms above her head, and took a step back, attempting to calm her temper.

"Are you okay?" a feminine voice thick with accent, suddenly asked. Startled, Maya spun around. There, walking over from the bleachers, her hands stuffed into the pockets of her jeans, was Carina DeLuca. One of the new students from Italy that just happened to be in Maya's statistics class.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Maya said quickly in response. She started in a hurry towards the locker room until she felt a light touch on her arm. Maya turned again; It was Carina.

"Maya, what's going on?" she asked sweetly. Maya tugged at her ponytail, unsure as to whether she should spill everything that was wrong with her life to a girl she barely knew. But the care in Carina's eyes seemed so genuine, she felt drawn to.

"It's just my dad," she mumbled.

"What about your dad, amica?" If there was one thing that Maya had noticed about Carina it was that she'd never seemed to leave behind her native tongue. She incorporated both English and Italian in her daily speech, and something about it made Maya feel safe. She didn't even know what amica meant, but that didn't matter.

"I came first in today's race, but I didn't beat my personal time so he's making me walk home. It's so stupid. He doesn't want my mom at my meets, because he thinks it distracts me, so I can't just ask her for a ride or something-"

"Okay, Maya, take a breath," Carina interrupted, placing her hand on Maya's arm again, "I don't even really…that's terrible. You were incredibile today."

"I was?"

"You were." Carina smiled.

"Thank you." Maya's voice was soft, not as confident as usual. Carina noticed, and her heart ached. How could someone so talented not realize just how amazing they were? Well, actually, she knew: bad parenting.

"What's your address? I'll take you to your casa." Maya's head dropped, and she kicked at some of the dirt that had carried over onto the track from the lacrosse match that morning.

"I can't ask you to do that."

"You are not asking, stupida. I'm offering." Maya chuckled nervously. She couldn't help but to feel more nervous now than she did before the meet. Something about being in a car alone with Carina DeLuca made her stomach flutter. "Relax, Maya, I am not going to bite. Per favore let me take you home."

"Okay," Maya said timidly, accompanied by a slow nod.

"Great! I have to make one stop on the way if that is okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine." Maya shifted awkwardly as she waited for Carina to show her the way to the car. Before she could realize what was happening, Carina's hand was in her own, and she was slightly pulled forward as Carina began to walk.

"C'mon, tartaruga," Carina said, smiling as she looked back at Maya. Maya was just a little too curious to stop herself this time.

"What does tartaruga mean?" Carina laughed. Maya felt her breathe catch in her throat. Something about Carina's laughter ignited her.

"Oh my, I forget sometimes that if I do not know the English phrase, I often just say it in italiana without even realizing," she explained, "It means slow, or more specifically tortoise, from the tortoise and the hair."

"Did you just call me a slowpoke?" Maya smiled.

"I believe so," Carina teased, smiling back. Maya's face felt hot, and she really hoped that her face hadn't turned bright red. It often did when she blushed. Maybe she could just pass it off as being red from the race. Maya, lost in her thoughts, didn't realize that Carina had stopped until she felt the slight tug.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Maya looked down, a blush overtaking her cheeks once again. This time for a completely different reason. Carina stepped towards her, and tucked her free hand under Maya's chin, lifting it so their eyes met.

"No, no don't do that. Do not discard yourself," she said confidently, "I was just wondering what had you so lost in your testa, your head. You don't have to tell me, of course, but you can if you want to." Maya could barely hear her own thoughts over the beating of her heart. Carina was so close, and something about that made her feel so odd.

"Uh, I wasn't- I'm good," Maya managed to get out. She carefully tried to slip her hand out of Carina's in order to calm herself down. How was she going to make it through an entire car ride if she couldn't even make it through the walk to the car?

"Maya, are you alright? I'm sorry; I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," Carina looked at her with concern in her eyes. Maya shook her head.

"No, it's not… you didn't do anything. It's just been a stressful day I guess." Carina smiled sympathetically.

"Well, I better hurry up and get you home then." The thought of going home and facing her dad made Maya's stomach churn. There was no way she was going to get any dinner tonight besides a dry salad. Not when her dad had a lesson to teach her.

"Carina?" she said timidly.

"Yeah, Maya?" They'd reached the parking lot, and Carina turned to face Maya as she pulled her keys out of her sweatshirt pocket.

"Could we? Well… could we do something before you take me home?" Carina's smiled widened.

"Sí, of course," she nodded. Carina unlocked the car, and slipped into the driver's seat. Maya hesitated for a little, looking at the car. It couldn't have been cheap, and she was still worried about the state of her stomach. But she couldn't tell Carina that she was so scared of her father that she was worried that she might throw up, so she sucked it up and got in. Carina was scrolling through the radio channels. Finally, she seemed to arrive on one she liked. It was playing what appeared to be Italian ballads. They made Maya feel kind of nice; she wasn't even thinking about her stomach anymore.

"We've got to stop by the primary school really quick. I have got to drop something off for Andrea, my fratellino. After that we can get some cibo, something to eat?" Maya's stomach couldn't help but grumble at the thought of food. She never ate that much before meets, and she wasn't going to get any tonight, which made her very tempted to say yes.

"I'm not sure. My dad will be really mad if I stray from my training diet. Is there anywhere inexpensive we can go where I could get just a salad or something?" Carina looked at her for a second. Maya almost thought she may have seen some pity, but she chose to ignore it.

"Maya, it is totally up to you. I just think maybe it could help to stray from your normal routine just a little. No pressione though. Also don't even worry about price. I've got this one." Maya could feel tears gathering in her eyes, and she bit down hard on her lip to keep them from falling. She didn't even know why she was crying. All that Carina had suggested was that she take one day off from her diet, which she'd already wanted to do anyways. But that wasn't the reason. The reason was that Carina barely knew Maya, and not only had she listened to Maya's problems, she'd also offered her a ride home, and to provide her with a meal. No one, not even her parents, had ever genuinely cared like that.

"I guess a burger could be really nice," Maya conceded. Carina had noticed the tears build up in Maya's eyes, but she wasn't going to say anything about it. She knew how hard it could be to undo damage caused by childhood trauma.

"Forget hamburgers, Maya. I am going to show you one of the best meals you've ever had. True authentic Italiano food." Maya laughed. She should have known.

"Okay. That sounds amazing," she finally felt herself begin to relax. This wasn't quite so nerve-racking anymore. Maya had barely spoken to Carina before this. To be honest, she'd been a bit intimidated by Carina's confidence and her beauty, but the more she talked to her, the less those seemed to be the defining things about her.

"Would you like to come in and meet Andrea?" Carina asked as they reached the elementary school. Maya wasn't sure if she felt quite that comfortable yet. She felt herself start to panic again.

"Breathe, Maya, it's okay. I am just pulling your shoe. I'll be right back, okay?"

"Leg."

"Huh?"

"You're pulling my leg."

"Oh. Right." Carina smiled. Maya smiled back. Maya knew she was red now. She just hoped she could get her skin tone back to normal before Carina got back. She'd never felt like this around anyone before. Maya had known for a little while that she was into both girls and boys. However, she had yet to really admit it to herself. Now she had to.

"Hey, bella," Carina said, touching Maya's shoulder as she slid back into the driver's seat. Maya's breathe caught in her throat again. That was an Italian word she did understand: one that meant pretty or beautiful. Carina DeLuca had just called her beautiful.

"Hi." Maya tried to hide the excitement from her face. She'd almost completely forgotten about her father in that moment. That was until she felt her phone start to buzz in the pocket of her warmups. She pulled it out. Sure enough, Dad, was splayed out across the screen with a picture of him fishing on one of his many trips with old college buddies. Maya slid to ignore the call and forcefully stuck the phone back in her pocket.

"Your padre?" Carina asked.

"Yeah."

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah." Carina internally sighed. She could tell that Maya was one frustrating girl, but it was worth it. Maya could shut her out as much as she wanted to, but Carina been wanting to take her out for weeks, and nothing was going to get in the way. Carina took one hand off of the wheel to place her hand on Maya's knee for a brief moment before bringing it back to the wheel. Maya looked at her, the pain evident in her eyes.

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

"Because I like you."

"What do you mean?"
"I mean I would like this meal to be a date if you would as well," Carina blushed, "I am also being nice because you never know what is going on in another person's life, so you should always be nice." Maya froze in her seat. Had Carina just asked her out on a date, and blushed while doing so? Or had she just imagined it like everything else good in her life?

"I- um. Yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes I would also like this meal to be a date," Maya blurted out before she could stop herself.

"You would?"

"I would." Carina smiled widely at Maya, and stroked her cheek before turning back to the road ahead of her. Maya could barely register what had just happened. Carina DeLuca really had just asked her out on a date, and she'd said yes.

Later they were sitting outside at Spinasse in downtown Seattle. Carina was talking away, her menu lay untouched at the edge of the table. Maya was intently listening to Carina while scanning her own menu. She'd never had this much freedom in what she was allowed to eat, and she had no idea what to do with it. Carina reached across the table and intertwined her hand with Maya's, which was lying absently by her empty napkin ring. Maya jerked up, fully focused on Carina now.

"Have you decided what you would like?" Carina asked.

"I'm sorry. There's just so many options. I'm going to be completely honest I've never had this much freedom before, and I don't really know what I want. It all looks so good," Maya said quickly. Carina squeezed her hand.

"Oh, Maya, that's okay. I am not sure if a suggestion is what you're looking for, but I would try the Fettuccine Alfredo. It's absolutely delizioso." Before Maya could thank Carina for her suggestion, her phone started to buzz again. She already knew it was her father without checking, and she felt her mood start to drop, her anger start to bubble up. This isn't how she wanted this date to go. He didn't get to ruin this for her too. Maya pulled the phone out of her pocket, and slid the button to turn it off without even bothering to check the messages from Lane.

"I am here, bella. Just focus on me," Carina said sweetly, her hand dropping to Maya's thigh under the table, lightly squeezing. Maya sighed at the additional contact. Somehow everything with her dad didn't seem quite as bad with Carina by her side.

They ate their food, and Carina was right. It was the best food that Maya had ever tasted. She'd even gotten another serving of Fettuccine Alfredo to go. This one she insisted on paying for herself. If her dad asked, it was her money. However, as it became time to get dropped off, Maya felt the panic rise in her throat again. She couldn't face him. Not yet.

"Hey, Maya, can you look at me for a second?" Carina asked. They were sitting in the car in the parking lot of the restaurant. Carina knew the beginnings of a panic attack when she saw them, and she didn't want to leave until she was sure that Maya was going to be okay. Maya reluctantly turned to face her date. "May I?" Carina asked, lifting her hands up to cup Maya' s cheeks.

"Yeah," Maya nodded. Carina brushed away a few tears that fell from Maya's eyes. She leaned forward and kissed Maya's cheek.

"I know we just officially met, bella, but I know that you are going to be importante to me for a long, long time, and you already are. If you tell me right now that you can't go home tonight, I won't ask a single domanda, or uh question. I'll just bring you back to my casa, and we can go from there." The tears started to fall stronger and faster. Carina continued to brush them away, not a single ounce of judgement in her eyes. This made Maya feel better about the fact that she was currently sobbing in front of a virtual stranger.

"Would it be okay if I stayed with you?" Maya managed to choke out in between sobs.

"Sí. Bene. I am glad you are coming with me." Maya's sobs slowed. Carina continued to hold her face, not saying anything, not moving, just brushing back and forth across Maya's cheeks. Eventually, she fell silent.

"Are you sure you're going to want a second date after this one?" Maya chuckled awkwardly, sniffling, "I've proven myself to be quite high maintenance." Carina glared at her, playfully hitting her shoulder.

"I most certainly do want a second date, Ms. Bishop. I want a lot more than just two."