A/N: Garsh this story can get kind of hard to write sometimes.

Thank you for all the kind reviews! You guys are so sweet! I really appreciate the reviews and I'm glad you all are enjoying the story! :)

Disclaimer: I don't own GMW or A Walk To Remember.


"Do the variables make a little bit more sense now?" Lucas asked Alex, pointing to the problem in the textbook.

Alex nodded slowly as a long yawn left his lips. A nurse walked over to where they were sitting at one of the plastic kiddie table with a smile.

"Alright, Mr. Friar." She said. "It's about time for this little cat to go have his dinner. Say thank you to Lucas, Alex."

"Thank you, Lucas." The young boy said with a sleepy smile.

"No problem." Lucas said, "See you next week?"

"Yeah."

As Alex left with the nurse, Lucas stood up and stretched languidly, his joints popping and bones cracking satisfyingly after being subjected to sitting in that tiny chair for so very long. He groaned, cracking his neck and flexing his fingers as he gathered his tutoring materials and put them back in his bag.

When he checked his watch, he saw that it was just about a quarter after eight, fifteen minutes after the end of the tutoring program. He'd done his five hours that day, tutoring a bunch of the kids in the hospital for hour long sessions.

He ran a hand through his hair, watching as various nurses were wheeling kids and guiding them back to their rooms for the evening.

"Lucas." Riley said, walking over to him. "Farkle and I are heading out. Can you please find Maya and give her a ride back home?"

"Uh, sure. Do you know where she went?"

Maya had disappeared a while ago without a word. He had found out from one of the nurses that Maya was well known by and very popular with several kids in this wing and that she usually made her rounds to particular kids who could not leave their beds yet, visiting them all and speaking to them to catch up on their lives.

"She's probably in Nadia's room by this time." Riley answered, "She's usually the last room Maya goes to."

"Nadia?"

"Room 512." Riley said. Then she smiled. "Also, thank you for the apology earlier, Lucas. Farkle and I both appreciate them, even if it doesn't seem like it."

She gave him a slight wave before turning around to skip back over to where Farkle was standing at a distance. He was still warily watching Lucas, his eyes narrowed in slight distaste. Riley leaned up and gave Farkle a soft peck to his lips before waving at Lucas again and taking Farkle's hand as they left.

Lucas figured it would be a while before Farkle would ever trust him, but it was a work in progress. And though he hadn't said a word to him the rest of the time, at least he'd accepted the ride to the hospital. That had to mean something in some way.

Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he walked through the hall, smiling at a couple pediatricians and nurses who were walking around with their clipboards. He read off the numbers on the hospital rooms as he passed them.

As he approached the open door of Room 512, he heard the tinkling laughter of a young girl followed by Maya's distinct, slightly deep drawl. He walked in the doorway curiously, his eyes searching for the pint-sized blonde.

Maya was standing in front of the window, painting a bunch of small, adorable animals with a small set of kiddie paints.

"You'll get in trouble if you do that, Maya!" The young girl in the bed—Nadia, Lucas figured—giggled.

"I'm always in trouble with these nurses and doctors anyway. Might as well, right? Plus at least now you have some buddies to talk to at night."

Lucas snorted slightly in amusement, shaking his head in mirth at Maya's antics. Nadia turned her head at the sudden noise, and she stared at him in confusion, her eyes slowly widening as her jaw dropped.

"Whoa…" Nadia said slowly, blinking at Lucas with a bright gleam in her eyes, "Maya, princes don't exist, right?"

"They exist if you want them to." Maya replied, her back still to the door as she put the finishing touches of a fuzzy tail on an angry cat.

"…I think Prince Charming just showed up."

Maya paused in her brush stroke, stiffening the slightest bit before she turned around in slight alarm. When she saw Lucas in the doorway, her face settled into a scowl. But it only made Lucas even more amused.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to find you. It's past eight." Lucas said, memorizing the slightly flustered look on Maya's face. He had a feeling it wasn't something that he would get a chance to see often. "Farkle and Riley left. You need a ride home?"

"I guess…" But Maya still looked embarrassed and flushed.

"Maya, your boyfriend is cute!" Nadia exclaimed, smiling widely, "How come you didn't tell me you had one?!"

"He's not my boyfriend!" Maya snapped her paint set shut and shoved it in her bag, walking over to Lucas and turning him around, trying to push him out of the room. No doubt she was trying to hide the blush that Lucas could see burning on her cheeks. "Get out, Lucas! I'll meet you in the lobby."

"Why?" Lucas spun around with an amused smile, out of the way of her hands. Maya stared up at him in annoyance before turning around resolutely and facing Nadia. He could see the back of her neck was flushed. Maya was so cute. "We can walk down together."

"Maya, introduce me to the prince!" Nadia said, her amber eyes dancing in excitement.

"He's the farthest thing from one."

"Maaaaaayaaaaaaa." she whined, "Please?"

"Fine." Maya gestured behind her. "This is Lucas Friar. A guy who looks like a prince, but in reality, is the villain. Someone like Gaston or Jafar, Nadia."

"Ouch. That's a little harsh." Lucas said, "I don't think I'm that bad."

"You are." Maya said, still refusing to look at him.

Nadia laughed gleefully. "Well I'm Nadia Atallah. I'm seven and three quarters years old."

"Nice to meet you, Nadia." Lucas smiled.

"You wanna know why I'm in the hospital, Mr. Prince?" Nadia continued, "I have leukemia. I've had it for two years, and I'm pretty sure it's terminal at this point."

Maya's gaze snapped to hers angrily.

"Nadia. Stop that. You're going to beat the cancer, and you're going to get out of here and get to enjoy an actual high school one day and experience prom and homecoming, do you hear me?"

"Alright, Mom."

Maya rolled her eyes. "I'll see you next week?"

"Bye, Maya." Nadia waved at them both with a wide beam on her face. "Bye Prince Charming! Come visit me again soon, please. The doctors are all old farts, and there's no eye candy to look at."

"I'll do just that."

Maya spun him around and forced him out of the room.

"She's sweet."

"Yeah." Maya had a small smile on her face.

They headed back down the hallway to leave, Maya walking briskly as if she couldn't wait to get away from him. But her pace was no match for Lucas' long legs and he easily matched her speed, waiting for her to finally address him.

He didn't get Maya.

She was an absolute enigma.

Sometimes she was friendly and it kind of scared him, and then in a matter of seconds, she was closed off and guarded and treated him like scum. It was hard to tell what she thought of him.

And he kind of wanted to know.

Plus, he wanted to get to know her a little better. If they had to spend so much time together, it made sense to him that he should know a bit more about who Maya Hart was.

"Hey." He finally said when they were heading down in the elevator, and she still hadn't said another word. She was staring at the red digital numbers above the door of the elevator showing the floor. "Do you, uh… do you want to go grab some ice cream or something."

Maya's gaze went to his, and she rose a brow. "Ice cream in this almost cold weather, Huckleberry?"

"Or late night milkshakes. I don't care. I don't really feel like going home yet. You?"

Her lips pursed momentarily as she stared at him, looking like she was trying to figure something out.

"Why do you want to get milkshakes with me?" Maya questioned, stepping off the elevator when it stopped at the lobby. "If you don't want to go home, why don't you hang out with your friends?"

"I don't really feel like hanging out with them right now."

Honestly, he knew if he hit up any of them, the bulk of the activities would be drinking or smoking, and Lucas just wanted to relax. Maya wasn't exactly nice to him most of the time, but she had a calming presence. He didn't know what it was about her, but oddly enough, she was kind of a comforting person. Maybe a little warm if he really stretched. Like really. But he knew he wanted to spend more time with her.

Maya's expression was carefully blank as she contemplated him. He couldn't tell at all what was going through her mind, but it looked like she was considering something important. He could see the gears turning in her head.

"Let's go to Nighthawk Diner." She finally said.

"Okay…"

She started walking towards the doors, heading out to the parking lot. When Lucas stared at her for a moment in slight surprise that she had agreed, Maya glanced at him over her shoulder.

"C'mon Ranger Rick. Before I change my mind."

He hurried to catch up with her.

~.~.~

Lucas had driven past Nighthawk Diner before and knew the place was fashioned kind of like 90s diner with the red booths and the uniformed waitresses. But he'd never actually been in there before. It was pretty nice. Tastefully decorated with some great 90s rock tracks playing in the background.

Thankfully, it hadn't been crowded when they arrived despite it being around the time of dinner, and they'd been able to grab a booth and order their milkshakes. Lucas stared at the intricate tiles of the table, wondering why Maya looked so calculating though. She was watching him carefully, clearly trying to figure something out and truth be told, being under her scrutiny like that was making him particularly nervous. She didn't seem to be judging him, but it was like she was waiting. As if she was waiting for something and Lucas was a little confused as to what that could possibly be.

"So do you come here often?" he asked, trying to get her to move her attention to something else.

"Yeah."

"Oh."

She leaned back against her seat, still eyeing him curiously, and after a few more moments of that silence, Lucas sighed and looked at Maya.

"Okay, so why are you staring me?"

"No particular reason."

Lucas smirked. "Alright then. I'm just going to assume it's because you like the way I look."

"You're average at best, Huckleberry." she said dryly, "Don't get a big head."

Lucas frowned, a bit offended by her statement. He wasn't vain by any means, but it wasn't like he wasn't aware of his appearance. And it wasn't like he wanted Maya drooling over him or anything, but he couldn't lie. Hearing her dismiss him as average stung a bit.

"Ouch. That's…"

He tapered off as a waitress holding their stuff walked over to them with a smile on her face. A waitress he recognized as Katy. The same Katy that had been dressed provocatively and vomiting chunks. Without the outlandish makeup, she looked a lot younger, her complexion much more bright and cheery. The transformation and difference between the two was so crazy that he had to take a quick glance at her nametag to make sure that it was indeed Katy Hart. And it was.

Katy stopped by their table and set their milkshakes in front of them along with a plate of fries that Lucas didn't remember either of them ordering.

She winked at Lucas when he stared up at her in confusion.

"It's all on me. As thanks."

Then Katy leaned over and kissed Maya's forehead gently.

"Is he your new friend, baby girl?"

"Haven't decided." Maya muttered, picking up a fry and dipping it in her milkshake before popping it in her mouth.

"Alright. Let me know if y'all two need anything else."

Lucas stared after Katy as she walked away, almost completely baffled. He could have sworn from what she had been saying the night before that she was with a client. Wouldn't that make her a hooker? But here she was a waitress. When he brought his gaze back to Maya, she was carefully gauging his reaction, chewing nonchalantly on a fry as she waited for him to return his attention to her.

"That's your mother." He said simply, not really sure what to say.

Maya nodded, swallowing her fry before grabbing another one. "She's a waitress here too."

"Right."

Lucas didn't really know quite what to say and took a sip of his milkshake, suddenly feeling the air grow a little awkward between them. He didn't know how to describe it. It wasn't that he felt uncomfortable. It was just that he wasn't sure how to address or bring up the obvious discrepancy in what he knew.

"Do you know why I told you to bring me here?" Maya finally said, fixing Lucas with a poignant look.

"Not really."

She didn't respond for a while, quietly munching on the fries, each time dipping them inside of her milkshake. Lucas waited patiently for her to elaborate on why she had brought up that point in the first place but she kept silent.

He sighed and leaned back in his chair, thinking Maya wasn't planning on answering any longer.

"…Because I think I trust you."

He almost didn't catch what she said, it had been so quiet. But his mind was determining whether it was 'I trust you' or 'I have a crush on you' and he figured it was not the latter.

"Trust me?" he asked, almost incredulously, taking a sip of his milkshake.

"No one at school knows my mother is a waitress here. I intend to keep it that way so she doesn't get harassed. And you saw her after her side job, wasted and at her absolute worst. You haven't said anything to anyone about where I live as far as I can tell."

Lucas nodded. "What's her—"

"She's a call girl, Lucas." Maya spat. "A hooker. A prostitute. I'm sure you already know since your friends can't seem to get enough of that joke."

"I'm—"

"What? Sorry?" Maya bristled, her body stiff and eyes automatically guarded. "Stop it. What the hell does your sorry mean to me?"

"First of all, stop cutting me off." Lucas said crossly, "Second, I wasn't going to say I'm sorry. Stop being so defensive. I was going to tell you I'm not my friends. And that I don't poke fun at people's lives because they are not jokes."

Maya looked back down at her milkshake, spinning the straw around slowly.

"Oh." She glanced up at Lucas. "Sorry. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions."

"Understandable, considering you don't like me. You expect the worst." Lucas said with a slight roll of his eyes, "If you don't mind me asking, why is her side job as a call girl? Aren't there a number of other jobs she could take instead?"

Maya stared at him silently for several long moments, no particular expression on her face. Yet Lucas could easily see the apprehension in her eyes. A deep melancholy, so engraved in her eyes that he wondered if she'd lived her whole life with it. And there was something like fear in the midst of all that. He stiffened, realizing that whatever Maya was keeping a secret, was affecting her life negatively. And he couldn't help but grow a little scared as to what that could possibly be.

"You're a strange guy, Lucas. I can't figure you out. You act like an asshole, your friends are assholes, but I know deep down you're not one." Maya said softly, "You could be a really great guy. But I don't know if I want to let you into my life."

There was a slight shine to Maya's eyes. A slight shine that told Lucas Maya was conflicted. She was frightened. Of what, he wasn't certain, but he knew that she was terrified. And though he was finding that he honestly wanted to know what was behind that fear, he knew that she wasn't ready to tell him, nor was she comfortable. And he had to respect that wish of hers.

"How about this. Baby steps." Lucas said, "You let me into your life little by little how you see fit and as time goes on, you can determine if you think I'm worth keeping in your life. In turn, I'll let you into mine. Equivalent exchange. That way, you're getting something out of letting me learn more about you and it will be like payment as opposed to me forcing my way into your life. Fair?"

"…Yeah."

Lucas lifted up his milkshake glass, tilting it slightly with a smirk on his face.

"To baby steps?"

Maya tried to bite her lower lip to keep the smile from her face, but he could see it plain as day.

"You're such a dork. But," She picked up her glass and held it up with a nod. "To baby steps."

"I think we just made an important step to becoming friends."

Maya rolled her eyes, but clinked her glass against his.

"I still don't like you."

Lucas grinned.

"I know."