Mariah watched as Ray struggle through the worksheet she brought him. They'd already been there for a good thirty minutes, and while Ray had never told her if he got in trouble for being late the day before, she didn't want to push it with his parents.

"You should take a break,"

"No, I can do this,"

"I'm sure you can," Mariah said as she reached over to slide the paper away from him, "but you don't have to do it now. Let's just go over what you've already answered."

Ray put his pencil down, leaning his head into one hand. She could tell he wasn't happy with his progress by the way he looked off to the side and didn't seem as engaged as he'd been on the first day. Mariah reviewed the answers he finished, trying to find what was tripping him up the most.

"What'd you do with the basket?" he asked, leaning his head into one hand. His tone was bored, but she got the sense he was just disappointed.

That morning he appeared next to her locker with a large basket of fruit pretending to be flowers. "It's from my mom," he held it out to her.

She opened the tag, "Funny, she spelled Mariah like Emily,"

"About that-"

"You told your mom that Emily Watson is tutoring you, not Mariah Wong,"

Ray didn't answer. Instead, held the basket out again. "Consider it an apology as well as a thank you,"

Mariah leaned against her locker, studying him. He didn't fidget under her gaze like she thought he would, but his warm, pleading smile held firm. "I'll take this, but only because I'm impressed,"

And she was impressed; Ray was proving to be more willing to break the rules than she anticipated. She hadn't even asked him to lie.

"I dispersed it," she said, going back to the worksheet. At almost eight in the morning, she wasn't sure what he expected her to do with a large basket of fruit, but she decided to pass it out to her teachers and random students and then dump the basket when she was done. She did enjoy a mango bite, though.

"It's okay. It was my mom's idea,"

She hadn't apologized, but thought twice of pointing it out. She wasn't sure the amount of teasing the boy could take. "I thought so,"

He left her in silence a little longer, but she could feel his nervous energy erupting off of him. It filled the room and suffocated her. Taking pity, she put the worksheet down. "Do you see this problem," she pointed, "and what you did wrong?"

He studied it for a moment before cursing and covering his face. "You can't subtract with commutative law,"

"Right, but you saw that without having me explain it to you," Mariah patted his arm trying to get him to look at her. When he lowered his hands, she smiled. "That's progress,"

"If you say so,"

"I do," Mariah lowered her hand, hoping he didn't notice that it was there longer than it needed to be.

"So, when does this start to get fun?"

Mariah looked at his worksheet. It had taken him a long while to work through not even half of the problems, and of the ones he finished, only a few had no mistakes. She could see why he was so frustrated. It wasn't like he was slacking; it was just difficult for him.

"It will get fun once everything starts clicking,"

"Right," he laughed, "I've heard of this elusive 'clicking',"

Mariah gave him back the worksheet since they still had some time left before the hour was up. As he went back to work, she looked at him more closely. Despite their limited time together, she admired the strong determination he displayed alongside his kindness. Even in a situation where she was literally pointing out is failings, he laughed.

His black hair fell around his face, framing his high cheekbones. She would say his features were delicate if it wasn't for the sharp angles of his face, and not to mention his arms. She didn't know why she missed it on the first day, but she definitely saw the thick biceps while he was driving. After she went home, that night while she tried to focus on her own homework, she found herself distracted by the memory of the sleeve of his polo, wrapped snuggly around the well-developed muscles.

It wasn't that she was unfamiliar with a boy's body.

She just wasn't expecting it from Ray Kon.

But more than that, it was the strength he concealed in his eyes. She'd watch him go from carefree to focused in moments when they started their sessions. The sudden shift in the energy he put out was startling enough to hold her attention.

Looking at the clock on the wall, she noticed that they'd gone over by five minutes. "Oh,"

He looked up, following her gaze. "Huh,"

Mariah started packing her things in a hurry. "I must have lost track. You keep the worksheet and finish whenever. I'll see you next week,"

"You're not going to miss your bus right?" Ray followed her out the door as she walked quickly out of the library. He tried to match her pace. "I can give you a ride if you miss it,"

"No, that's okay," she said, "I don't want you to get in trouble with your parents,"

"I'm sure they'd understand if a friend needed a ride,"

Mariah turned on him. "Sure, if that friend was Emily Watson,"

Ray opened his mouth to respond, but she knew that he knew she was right. She could see it in his eyes. He could claim he didn't know what she meant all he wanted, but he already admitted to lying to his parents about her. He wouldn't have done that if he didn't see the need to.

"I'll be fine, Ray. Just go home."

Mariah left first, but by the time she reached the stop, the bus was already leaving. Grumbling as she took a seat on the cold concrete, she blamed her shoes even though she knew it wasn't her shoe's fault. It was easier to say she missed the bus because she couldn't run than admit it was because she was staring at her pupil.

"I'd make a horrible teacher," she muttered, pulling out her phone. The group chat she shared with Julia and Mariam had more than sixty messages between the two and their conversations put her in a better mood. Julia was particularly bitter about a certain redhead coming back into town after months away.

Mariah sent her thoughts, reminding Julia that just because he's back doesn't mean she needs to answer his text.

Too late

Jules!

I was left alone

Mariah rolled her eyes, laughing anyway. Her friend's antics never failed to cause problems, but she seemed to get along anyway. Julia was a tough girl with one weakness. Mariah used to envy her, wondering what it would be like to have the attention of one of the neighborhood boys solely on her. When they were younger, Julia would come back with the sordid details, which she and Mariam would consume like dessert before dinner. They'd gorge themselves on her stories.

And while Julia was the first to strike out, Mariam and Mariah weren't far behind.

Well, Mariah was a little further behind than the other two. She had a protective older brother to contend with; one that had the ability to enforce his protection. It was his friends that they mostly hung out with, so she became the untouchable little sister.

But she found a way around him.

Still, watching Julia and Mariam go through their trials with the various boys in their neighborhood, Mariah eventually became thankful for her brother's interference and her focus on school. She couldn't count the times they'd gone over to damage a boy's property (normally a gift from said boy) because of a heartbreak that was resolved three days later.

It seemed like a lot of a hassle just for a broken heart.

Mariah continued to tease the girl about her inability to say no until the bus came. She was starving already and knew her dad would be concerned with her when she walked through the door, already much later than she said she'd be. Biting her lip, she called her brother.

He answered immediately, his voice pitched higher than usual. "What do you want?"

"Nothing's wrong," she said to ease his worry, "I just need to ask you something,"

More relaxed, he was able to joke, "The advice center is only open Wednesdays between three and three-fifteen,"

"Lee,"

"Fine, what's up?"

"So, I've been tutoring this boy at school and I haven't told mom or dad yet, but I think I'm gonna need to because I can't guarantee what time I'm gonna be home, but I don't know how they're going to respond,"

Lee sighed. "What are you worried for? You can't upset them. They only get upset when it's me,"

"But you haven't heard who I'm tutoring,"

"Who?"

"Ray Kon,"

There was silence while Mariah picked at her nails.

"Why does that name sound familiar?"

"Because we've met another Kon before,"

"Huh? Oh-"

"Yep,"

"Isn't she the one who also petitioned to get you removed from school?"

"She did that, too,"

"Why would you agree to tutor her son?"

"Because," Mariah paused, her words felt heavy on her tongue. She couldn't explain why she looked for any excuse to keep tutoring Ray. "Because he needs the help,"

"And his mom is letting you tutor him?"

"She doesn't know. Thinks I'm someone else," Mariah had to scoot over now that the bus was becoming crowded. The guy next to her smiled as he sat down and Mariah got the feeling that her conversation wasn't going to stay private. She leaned away from him and closer to the window.

"Mariah," she could hear the worry back in her brother's voice as he cautioned her, "are you sure this is the best idea? You're so close to being done and gone from that place, just another year. If you piss that woman off, it could all be over and everything you've worked for will be gone."

Mariah knew this was why she called her brother. She needed someone to say what she'd been afraid to even think.

"Yeah, but I'm not going to stop. I just need to know how to tell mom and dad, and since you have the most experience breaking bad news to them, I called you,"

"My advice is not to tell them; never tell them while you're doing the thing!" Lee dramatically emphasized each word. "After you're done, then you ask for forgiveness."

"But they always seem angry when you do that,"

"They're going to be angry either way, at least this way they can't stop you,"

"I guess? Thanks for the advice?"

"Anytime, just promise you'll be careful,"

"As careful as I can," Mariah said, thinking of all that could go wrong.

"And 'Riah? Promise me that you won't fall in love with him,"

Mariah sputtered.

"I'm serious. You two will be spending time together, and you'll be teaching him, and I know people from that side of town seem nice -"

"None of them are nice," Mariah interjected, though her mind immediately brought up images of Ray and his warm smile and bright eyes. She shoved them away, only if to keep Lee from sensing their existence.

"But this kind of thing can create feelings where there shouldn't be. So just be careful around him."

"Okay! there's nothing to worry about, I promise,"

"Good. Now as for mom and dad, don't tell them you're tutoring him. Just say you're in volunteering for a tutoring program. It'll keep them from asking questions, but explain why you're late all the time. And they'll think it's for college, so they'll cut you some slack. Not like you need it,"

"Huh, I'm surprised. That's actually a really smart idea,"

"Are you calling me dumb?"

"Yeah, I am. And the fact that you had to ask proves it,"

She spent the remaining ride texting her friends, before getting off at her stop and dragging herself home. What she really wanted to do was go directly into her basement room and avoid her dad all together, but his disappointment wasn't worth the risk. If she wanted to keep her bedroom, she'd need to play by the rules.

"How was the library?"

Mariah leaned against the door. She felt drained of all energy, and there was still so much to do. "Good,"

"Dinner's ready; my famous chicken!"

"Great,"

"Are you okay? Sure you're not doing too much?" He rested against the counter in the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel.

Mariah tossed her bag to the ground. "Possibly, but isn't this the time to do too much?"

He wasn't fooled by her optimism. "What's going on, Mao?"

Mariah smiled at the affectionate name her father had given her. She bowed under the heaviness of his love. "I was asked to join a study group at school to help students who are struggling,"

He set the towel down on the counter, crossing his arms over his chest. "So, staying at the library is a cover?"

"No, that's where the group is," Mariah said, her voice coated in innocence.

"Mao,"

"I know, I know," she took a seat at the table. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth,"

"We give you a lot of freedom, but it only works if you don't lie to us."

Mariah felt the words on the tip of her tongue. 'Ray Kon' was all she needed to say for the slate to be clean.

"No decent here," she said instead. Her father's eyes softened.

He gave her a kiss on her head. "Work hard, but take care,"

"And be kind," she quoted with him.

For the rest of the week and weekend, Mariah enjoyed getting the rest she needed. Since they were only studying three days a week, she had four days where she could just focus on herself. Every waking second she filled with something. She got up for her morning run, came home and did her work. She had to admit her life was easier without having to spend the extra time with Ray, but she found that she didn't hate the idea nearly as much as she did at the beginning of the week. There was even a point where she wondered what he was doing with his time.

She spent the weekend with Julia and Mariam, keeping them away from the neighborhood, or more accurately, keeping Julia away from an on and off again boyfriend in hopes that they'd stay off this time.

"He just...does something to me,"

Mariam glanced at Mariah in the front seat. "Yeah, he causes you large amounts anger,"

"And every time you get angry, we eat junk food. I swear I've had to work off fifteen pounds total over Tala," Mariah shook her head, "and he's not even my guy,"

"I could really use some nachos right now,"

"Jules!"

By their next session, she felt better about the situation. She'd decided that she'd teach Ray as quickly as possible so that she wouldn't be stuck with him for too long. They didn't see each other in the halls during school hours, so when everything was over that'd be it and she could go back to normal. She got to the room late, after a brief discussion with the librarian where Mariah tried to figure out which room Ray was in and the librarian said she couldn't reveal that information because she wasn't on the reservation. As if student privacy was a thing in this case. Instead, Mariah had to walk by all the windows until she saw Ray in a room.

"I wonder why she's being so difficult," Ray replied after she explained why she was so riled. "She's normally pleasant with me,"

"You didn't rearrange the classics sections so that the author's names created a secret message during your first year,"

Ray's jaw dropped, before curving into a small smile. "That was you?"

Mariah winked, placing the day's worksheet on the table. Truthfully, when the librarian didn't recognize her last week, she thought maybe it'd been forgotten, but it had become clear since then that it certainly was not forgotten.

Or forgiven.

Strange, that a grown adult would hold a grudge against a student for more than three years. But who was she to judge?

"What was the message? I've heard so many rumors,"

"Not important. What is important is that we get you a good grade for the test,"

"What test?"

Having successfully distracted the boy, Mariah smiled. She leaned in as though she had a secret to share. "Mrs. Kincaid told me that your class will be given a test at the end of the week and what it will cover,"

Ray's face became drawn as he looked at the worksheet in front of him.

"There's nothing to worry about. I think we can try to build on the progress we've made, but we'll also need to prepare you for that. It'll just be a little more effort,"

"I'm already doing everything I can,"

"Hey, I don't want to hear you complain," Mariah pointed at him, "I think you can do this, so you'll do it,"

They set to work, day after day. Mariah used the markers and the whiteboard to go over step by step. She worked through multiple examples, used illustrations and wild gestures. She was still trying to figure out how Ray learned best, but each day got a little easier. After going over the chapter until she was sure he got it, she would give him the worksheet she'd made up for him personally. That was the most difficult part of her - the waiting for him to finish. She found herself getting anxious to see his progress, to know if she was doing a good job.

She leaned her head against her propped up hands, watching as he diligently worked through each step of the problems. Mindlessly, she twirled a strand of hair that had fallen from her bun at some point during the day. His handwriting was really nice, she noted as she watched his fingers dance around the pencil, rotating it to get a better grip. She liked how pretty his hands were. His nails were neatly trimmed and cleaned, and he had long, slim fingers. Even though he was just sitting, she could see the veins running up his forearm which led to his bicep. She wanted to ask him what he did, because he clearly did something to get arms like that. Weights, maybe? Her brother lifted, but she never noticed his arms.

She appreciated his dark hair, the way it framed his face. He was attractive; there was no denying it. All of the school knew. Through the open buttons at his neck, she could see the line of his collar bone and wondered if, as she suspected it would, his chest would be just as defined as his arms.

"Mariah?"

"Yeah?" Her hair was knotted around her finger. She pulled it free.

Ray laughed. "You zoned out for a moment. Here, I'm done,"

"Sorry, just tired," Mariah looked down, pretending that she was thinking of anything but Ray's chest. She took the sheet from him, checking his answers carefully. "Hmm,"

"What?" Ray rolled his eyes, leaning forward.

"You only missed three answers," Mariah nodded, "and those problems were the hardest ones I put on here."

"Really?"

"Yeah, everything else is perfect,"

"Really?"

"Yeah, Ray, really. You did a great job. Even if you do this on the test, you'll still get a good score,"

Ray's smile dimmed a little.

"That's a good thing," Mariah nudged his shoulder. "Or do I need to explain how grading works?"

"No, it's great. I'm really happy. But one good score isn't going to make my parents happy,"

"Learning takes time,"

"But exams and tests are getting closer by the day, and if I don't do well on those then I can't get into a good college and then - "

"Whoa! Slow down," Mariah waved her hands to stop his rambling. "Yes, those tests are important, but they will not affect your entire life course. You can come back from a bad grade or test score or exam. You might have to work a little harder, or spend more time, but it won't stop you unless you let it,"

"Yeah, I guess,"

"No guessing. I promise you, just do the work. You'll get to where you're going."

Ray laid his head down on the table. "Thanks, Mariah," she heard the muffled words whispered.

"No problem. I have a lot of experience with study induced panic,"

"Oh, yeah?"

"Absolutely. Math is the only subject I'm actually good at. Everything else I need to really study for, so it involves a lot of all-nighters and doubting that I'm going to pass. Trust me, everything you're going through, I've gone through,"

"But you're the top of your class,"

"No one gets to the top without trying, Ray,"

"Wait," Ray lifted his head with his eyes wide, "does that mean all the time you spend here with me, you would be studying on your own?"

Mariah couldn't believe what she was hearing. "That's what I've been saying! I have to make sure it's worth my time, because I should be focusing on my own stuff,"

"I could help you," Ray offered, leaning forward eagerly. "I'm really good in all my other classes. I barely have to try in everything but math."

"Thanks," Mariah could see the sincerity in his offer and it warmed her. He really was a good person. "But no. I'm better on my own."

"Well, if you need any help, just ask me,"

Mariah smiled as they gathered their things. He chatted about Tyson waiting for him outside for a ride home. Ray thought he should just catch a ride with Hilary, but Tyson said he hated her driving.

"They sure do fight a lot for friends," Mariah said as she followed him out of the library, "I've never seen anything like it,"

"They bicker like siblings, but they're two of the most loyal people I know."

"Do you think that maybe why they don't go their own ways?" Mariah laughed. From her spot, she could see into the student parking lot and see Tyson sitting next to Ray's car - the only car left. He stood, waiting for Ray, but not approaching.

Ray's smile was broad. "You know, you might be on to something,"

Mariah was surprised by her desire to stay a talk some more. Over the past few days, their conversations had gotten off the subject of math and into her personal topics. She told him about driving around with Mariam and Julia (he was very interested in them and said he found their dynamic funny), how her dad was making plans to repair the creaky front porch (he was so impressed in her dad's DIY skills), and the new release she was waiting for from her favorite band (she was counting down the days; he promised to give them a try).

It was easy to talk with Ray. He didn't spend too much dwelling on problems, but he didn't ignore them either. She expected him to be a blind optimist. Instead, he took a surprisingly realistic view of life. He did, however, have a tendency to cover over problems with a do-good attitude that at times made her want to shake him. In fact, the open display of stress in the study room was the first time she'd seen him crack.

"I've got to get going," Mariah nodded toward the bus stop.

He seemed hesitant to let her go. "Have a safe night," he said instead. He waited until she disappeared around the corner and Mariah wondered what caused him to watch her. She'd taken the bus to school for three years and even before that. Even though it was getting darker earlier, she knew what she was doing.

Though, as she got on the bus and took an open seat, she fought against the feeling of being pleased with his concern. His eyes crinkled with worry when she told him how long her ride was and how sometimes the bus was held up because of various reasons - traffic, mechanical issues, sometimes even people fighting on the bus - each item she listed, his brow drew deeper. She had to assure him that those times were rare and most of the time the bus was uneventful.

"You should come with me sometime," she joked, laughing at his startled expression.

It was one of her mom's days off, so she and Mariah's dad were in the kitchen when she walked through the door, laughing and sharing spoonfuls of food.

"Mariah, nice of you to come home,"

"I had the study group, Mom,"

"She's doing a good thing," her father assured his wife, hugging her from behind as she stirred soup in a pot. The smell had Mariah's stomach awakening.

"All I that I agreed to let you go to this school on the basis that it will get you into a better school, but that won't happen if you can't do your own work,"

Her mom was worried and Mariah understood. She'd been exhausted the last two weeks, staying up later to make sure her grades stayed up, waking up to go for her runs. Julia said she didn't know how Mariah was able to get up so early to go for a run before going to that school, and then come back to do homework. How could she explain that running was the only thing keeping her sane? That she could put all her frustration and exhaustion into her legs and let it push her?

She couldn't give it up, even for a few hours of sleep.

"I'll adjust, Mom. But this is good, too. College will be harder and this is just preparing me for that,"

"I don't like seeing you come in as the sun sets,"

"It's not even that late, and I've stayed out later with the girls before,"

"But that was when Lee was here to watch you,"

"Mom, I don't need a babysitter. In fact, it was me watching Lee most of the time. Do you know how much trouble he would have gotten in if it weren't for me there to talk him out of his stupid ideas,"

She was trying to keep her tone even. She barely argued with her parents, and there was a part of her that didn't know why she was bothering to fight. If her parents said no, all she'd need to do was go back to Mrs. Kincaid and tell her.

But again, she thought of Ray and his smile when he realized he'd gotten the majority of the questions right. In only two weeks, he was doing so much better. And that was because of her help. If she left, would he do as well?

"Okay, everyone," her father patted her mother's shoulders to soothe her, "I say we give her another week or two, and then see how she's doing. We can check her grades online. And Mariah, if you're grades start slipping, you can't do the group anymore. Your mom is right. We've made sacrifices so that you can go to that school, and if this additional activity gets in the way of that, then you have to stop. That goes for any activity, not just this,"

Mariah nodded and waited for her mom to agree. Happy with the result, her father poured out three bowls of the soup and they sat in the living room. Mariah knew she should be getting to her studying, but she didn't want to stress them out more by making it seem worse than it was. She was getting a handle on it. At times.

When she was sure that dinner was over and that she'd spent enough time pretending that there wasn't something else she needed to do, she went down to her bedroom, unpacking her bag and supplies so that she could get started. Organizing the notebooks, she paused, noting that there was more than she was used to. She shuffled through them, finding one that she'd immediately recognized but was so scared of what it meant.

"Oh, no," she whispered as she flipped through the pages. The familiar handwriting covered the pages, numbers and letters and formulas. "Oh no!"

Mariah cursed. Repeatedly. She must have grabbed it by accident when she was gathering her things from the table. She tried to think of her options.

She could give it back in the morning. But he needed it to study and prepare for the test. And his class was in the morning. That didn't give him a lot of time.

She could call, but she didn't have his number. She had Mathilda's number, and she might be able to get his number for her, but that would mean that the whole school would end up knowing that Mariah Wong needed Ray Kon's number for some reason.

She could decide she didn't care. She'd studied with him all week and he had his textbooks, so he should be okay. But Mariah knew how important personal notes were, especially when you were nervous.

Her options dwindled until there was one. She tried not to think about it, but it was the obvious solution.

She picked up her phone and texted Mariam to call her immediately.

"I was just thinking of you - saw a dump truck,"

"I'm a garbage fire, got it, but I need something,"

"What?"

"A ride,"

Fortunately for Mariah, Mariam didn't need convincing to go for a drive. She was ready and willing to leave her house at any time for any reason. It was the reason Mariam saved up every penny she found and made to buy a crappy car, but it was her second home. The girls too, once their parents trusted Mariam enough to let them go.

Mariah snuck by her living room window, wearing all black, hoping her mother wouldn't see her as she left. She told Mariam not to park in front of the house and when she was down the street to text her. Her friend seemed excited and annoyed by the request.

"So what's with the clandestine movements," Mariam asked as she drove off.

"Turn your headlights on, stupid,"

"Well, how was I supposed to know? You tell me not to pull up to your house like that's a normal thing," Mariam turned on to the main street of her neighborhood. "Where am I going anyway,"

"Do you remember two years ago when we went to that one house and Lee and the guys trashed the front yard and vandalized the truck,"

"Yeah?"

"We're going to that house,"

Mariam pulled off on to the shoulder, putting the hazard lights on. "What? Explain,"

"I need to give the guy that lives there this notebook," Mariah held it up, pulling it from inside her jacket. It was red and Ray had drawn the yin-yang symbol in the top corner, a detail she'd only noticed while she was staring at it trying to figure out what to do.

"I'm sorry, but that seems incredibly unimportant,"

"It's not," she pleaded, "it's that guy that I've been tutoring. This is his and he needs it for a test tomorrow."

Mariam sighed, turning the lights off and merging back with traffic. "I have a lot of questions,"

"I know,"

Traffic leaving the innercity was horrible and Mariah knew that if she had to take the bus, she'd never have made it. Once they got closer, Mariah had to give turn by turn directions. She knew that she only remembered because she was hyperaware of the Kon house, always aware of where it was in proximity to her.

They finally drove by the house, turning the headlights off. She had Mariam drop her off and then told her to drive around for about ten minutes. She could tell Mariam disapproved, even though she had explained everything, and that what she was doing was safe and harmless.

For the most part.

The Kon house was large, at least compared to Mariah's home. All of the lights on the porch were on and bright, leaving few shadows. She snuck around the side where she knew Ray's bedroom was. She could see a dim light on in the room but didn't know how she'd get his attention without alerting those who were downstairs. Seeing the flowerbed that lined the house, she picked up a few pebbles and twigs she could find. She threw a bunch up, hoping the rattling would get his attention.

"Yes," she whispered when she saw a shadow move in the room. His confused face appeared at the window and then even more confused when he saw her.

He opened the window. "Mariah? What are you doing?"

"Surprise math!"

"What?"

"No, that was a joke. Sorry, I'm nervous,"

"Mariah,"

"I have your notebook!"

"Shh, my parents,"

"Right." She was messing up all of the place. How much time had past? Was Mariam back yet?

She looked up at him again. She could feel the weight of the notebook in her sweater, but it didn't have anything on the weight on her shoulders from the fear of his parents finding her in their yard and then her parents finding out that she'd used the basement door to leave to go meet Ray.

But then he smiled again. "It's nice to see you again so soon," he said.

"Don't flirt with me now, Kon,"

"Why are you here?"

Having calmed and found her footing with him again, she pulled out the red notebook. "I think this belongs to you,"

"Yeah,"

He didn't say anything more and then Mariah was unsure of to say. They watched each other, waiting.

"So, um," Mariah started after a few moments, "do you want me to toss it up? Or are you gonna -"

"Oh, right," He started looking around, "I don't think tossing it is a good idea,"

"Probably not," Mariah replied. He continued looking for something in his room. "What, are you gonna climb down on your bedsheets? Just come get them,"

"Yeah, hold on,"

Mariah waited. He disappeared from the window and she shifted her weight, readying herself to run if the need arose. She hoped Mariam was close.

Suddenly, he came around from the back, dressed in basketball shorts. Mariah had to scramble to gather her thoughts, but spared a moment to appreciate that her assumptions about his chest were correct.

"Um, what did you think was happening out here?"

"Huh? Oh, I needed to tell my parents something and playing ball with Tyson was the only thing I could think of. I forgot to grab a shirt," he smiled sheepishly, folding his arms over his chest. "Sorry,"

"No problem. Here's your notebook,"

"How'd this happen?"

Mariah shrugged. Now that he had the notebook, she was eager to get back home. "I must have grabbed in this afternoon,"

"How'd you get here?"

"Mariam drove me,"

"And how'd you know where I lived?"

Mariah sputtered. Now more than ever, she wanted to leave. Mariam she could tell, but she didn't have the time to explain to Ray. And the way he was looking at her, without judgment, as though he were just curious about how she ended up in front of him.

"I, um" she started, trying to come up with an excuse.

Floodlights came on, bathing the side of the house in light. Mariah shielded her eyes and Ray swore under his breath.

"Rei? What's going on out here?"

"Nothing, Mom,"

"Who's your friend? Is that Hilary?"

Ray mouthed 'sorry' and stepped out of the way so that Mariah had a direct view of the woman standing on the porch, arms folded. She could see the woman's neutral expression harden into one of hostility and Mariah instantly regretted everything.

Edited/Re-written 06/07/2020

Thank you for reading.