Chapter One – My New Beginning Pt. One

Maya Matlin had always hated moving, and today was no different, despite the circumstances. Though most teenagers found the rush of moving exciting and exhilarating, Maya found it irritating and exhausting. When she was eleven, her grandmother and grandfather had moved from their house to a nursing home, and she and Katie had been tasked with moving everything from their kitchen to their new house. And, no matter how much shit Maya seemed to move, everything continued to pile up. It had irritated Maya to no end, but she had gotten over it once the job was done

The blonde-haired girl looked around the loft space she'd be living in for the next few years and sighed. It was much too large for a girl of her size. And she hardly had any furniture, meaning it would just be an empty space for a while. The room smelled thickly of hardwood and must, which she knew was connected to the many movers who'd come in to put her bed, couch, mini TV, and food in its respective place. Wisps of dew seemed to fall through the air as the sun shone down on the fickle girl.

Why hadn't she chosen to experience the full college life and gotten a dorm, where two people shared a room? Where two people could do the cleaning, and everything moved in perfect harmony. Maybe she could get a dorm room before they were all filled. And this dreadful experience would all end. She hadn't paid rent yet anyway.

Before Maya could ponder this thought any further, three raps sounded on the door; Rap, rap, rap. They startled the girl, so much that she jumped and twitched. This solicitious behavior was anything but Maya-like, and it kind of worried the girl. Instead of dawning on that for too long, she focused on the next that continued on her door. After a moment of deliberation, she got up from her seat on the couch, tightened her hand around the cool gold doorknob and opened the door.

Two girls stood before her with matching Debbie Crocker cake products smiles on their lips and food in hands. The girl on the right had curly auburn hair that fell to her shoulders with a sheen shine that screamed regalness. Her fair complexion and grey eyes only added to her envious beauty. She was short in stature and skinny, about Maya's size, but pretty nonetheless. Her outfit was one of a true girly-girl, ankle high moccasins, skinny jeans, and a tunic; Tori would've adored it. The girl to her left had blonde hair similar to Maya's, only straight and lacking in frizziness. It was pulled into a messy bun with wisps of long hair that hadn't made it into the ponytail falling down to her shoulders. Her eyes were as blue as Maya's, and she had a similar complexion too. Her outfit wasn't girly like the girl next to her was - instead, she wore white shorts barely reaching beyond her thighs, and a black tank top with black converse. Maya barely got insecure (especially around girls much like herself) but this girl oozed lazy confidence, and looked good while doing it. She could also see her smile was forced, and held no genuine emotion.

"Hi, we're your neighbors! I'm Payton," Payton excitedly said, her smile never faltering. There was an awkward silence and Payton nudged the taller girl next to her and she grunted. "I'm Sydney." Maya looked at the odd girls warily, not quite knowing what to think of them, or how to read them. The hyper pixie and the don't-give-a-hoot attitude was the best she could think of.

"Oh, uh… hi, I'm Maya Matlin, nice to meet you." Maya said, adding an anxious smile.

"It's nice to meet you! We brought over brownies and lasagna in case you couldn't cook, or needed something to eat." Payton excitedly said placing what seemed like lasagna in Maya's noodle arms. Sydney followed the example, setting the foiled brownies on top of the lasagna.

Maya's arms noticeably sagged at the new weight on them, and she gasped. "Wow, thank you, like, so much. I don't really have a stove or anything yet, so this is a really nice gesture." The enticing aroma from the lasagna was like a drug to Maya, as she resisted taking it all in at once. "Oh, um, you can come in if you want." She opened the door wider and tightened her grip on the lasagna platter, walking into the kitchen space and placing it on the island.

Behind her, the door closed and a current of cool air nearly winded her. "Wow, this place really is drab." Payton said, looking around the open space. Maya, too interested in her food to defend her new home, nodded in agreement.

"I just moved in, so it's not gonna look like it walked out of a home décor magazine for a while. How long have you guys been here?" She asked, unfoiling the brownies.

"A few months actually. We moved here at the beginning of summer break to get accustomed to the city and our college lives. We've known one another since we were ten, and we've stuck it out together for eight years, so it's only natural we live together." Sydney finally spoke, and Maya nodded, never looking up from her plate of lasagna.

"Oh –- so what college are guys going to?" Maya asked, curious to find out if she could find one friend at this new school, someone else who was just as worried as she was.

"I'm going to NYU to study theatre." Payton said proudly, a wide smile on her face. "I'm so excited. NYU has always been my dream college!" Maya nodded. Katie's friend by association, Eli, had gone to college there. He and Katie hardly kept touch, but Maya had spoken to him a few times.

"I'm going to Juilliard to study dance." Sydney said, appearing to be less than excited. Maya wondered if she was always like this— emotionless and bored, that is.

"I'm going to Juilliard too! But I'm gonna be studying music, not dance," Maya replied, and Payton clapped her hands together. "Yay! At least the two of you know somebody to come to if you're being messed with or something."

"Yeah, sure, that does sound awesome." Sydney unenthusiastically replied. Maya nodded, feeling her elated mood damper drastically.

"Well, um, it was really nice meeting you all, but I haven't had time to wash up and get things in order, so, do you think we could talk later, or so? I hope it doesn't sound too pushy of me, but I'm kind of tired." Maya asked nervously. Cleaning wasn't even apart of the itinerary, but these girls weren't doing much for her anxiety, and Sydney was giving off seriously bad vibes.

"Sure, of course, we understand." Sydney replied, almost eagerly. Maya nodded as they walked out and she followed.

"Make sure to call us if you're having any difficulty with the apartment, we know this place inside and out." Payton said, and Maya nodded, chirping, "Bye," as she closed the door.

R&R