It had been almost a week since Shawn opened up his past to me back in the streets. We had been building bridges ever since. He was actually proving to be a good friend. 

His friends and he had been sitting with me during lunch breaks. We would pass chits and talk through it during History classes, which we both found boring to death. He would come home with me after school to complete his homework and the notes at he missed. I sometimes wondered if he kept delaying his work on purpose.

We were gradually becoming really good friends. And of course, his fangirls weren't liking it at all. The high schoolers began to mistake us for dating. Some girls would throw me nasty glances in the hall when we would chit-chat in front of my locker.

To be honest it didn't really matter though. We were happy in our own little world. I was finally starting to feel a little happy. His dad even once visited our house when he stopped by to take the home keys from Shawn. 

Sometimes, Shawn would stay at our house in the guest room when it got late. Never in my wildest dream did I imagine I would ever have a friend who would have a sleepover at my house. But then, there was always a first for everything, right?

The one thing that we had in common, that connected us even more, was our craze for our favorite show "The Vampire Diaries." We would text till 4 a.m. discussing and arguing who was the better Salvatore brother and Mikaelson brother. I was a hardcore team Salvatore, while Shawn was of the team Mikaelson. Regardless, we love the show and it somehow made us feel more connected and intimate.

Shawn would sometimes drop me at school whenever my dad couldn't. As I said, we were becoming pretty great friends.

I chatted with some girls in front of my locker when I saw Shawn striding towards me.

"He-" before I could greet him, he pulled me away from the girls and took me to the janitor's closet.

"What are you doing? Why are we in the Janitor's closet?" I scowled and started walking out but he pulled me back.

I shot him a confused glare.

"You won't believe what happened just now?" He exclaimed.

"What?"

"I just parked my car when..."

*Flashback*

Shawn's P.O.V.

I started walking towards the entrance gate to get to Maya but was stopped by a female voice. 

I turned around and saw Olivia, one of the cheerleaders, approaching me. It felt kind of odd since she never interacted with me much as she was always busy making out with Mason, one of the members of the football team. I knitted my eyebrows as she stopped and stood in front of me.

"How are you this morning, Shawn?" She asked cheerfully. I had no idea what she wanted.

"I'm good," I replied with a small forced smile.

"Oh, that's good. I just came here to warn you, Shawn." 

"What are you talking about?" I asked, trying to figure out where this was going.

"About Maya. I am just here to warn you, Shawn. Get away from her as soon as you can, She is a freak! You don't want to be associated with someone like her." She warned, doing some odd gesturing with her hands that I had no idea what it meant.

"Sorry, what?" I asked with a stunning face. It was definitely out of the blue.

"I care about you so it felt like my job to let you know about this. We were her friends too at some point before we knew how big of a freak she was. We immediately stopped hanging out with her. Right boo?" She said, as Mason walked towards us and threw his hands around her waist.

"About what? What are you talking about?" Mason asked.

"I was just warning Shawn to stop associating with Maya. She doesn't deserve to get attention from us, The Elites, you know." She said, wrapping her arms around his shoulder.

Mason's expression changed and quickly turned into a blank face. I couldn't read what was going through his mind.

"Uh... Yeah." He replied, looking away trying not to get involved more in the conversation.

"Yeah, totally. She's not someone you would like to associate with. So I suggest you get away from her as soon as you can." She advised and walked off.

I heard Mason and Olivia bickering after they walked away a few distances. It somehow looked like an argument. But that wasn't something I should be thinking about right now.

I have to find Maya and ask her about this whole Olivia and Mason thing.

I entered the hall and started searching for Maya and found her talking with some of the girls in front of her locker.

***

Maya's P.O.V

I tried so hard to push back the tears that started forming in the corner of my eyes but I failed. Although it had been years, it still hurt like shit. It still felt like someone had punched very hard in my guts, all over again.

"Are you okay?" Shawn asked with a soft voice, tapping my shoulder delicately.

"Uh... Yeah. I'm fine." I answered, wiping off a tear that trickled down my cheek.

"No, you're not, Maya. Stop pretending like you're fine when you're clearly not." He howled.

I couldn't hold it anymore. I burst into a fit of unstoppable sobs. He didn't say a word. He just stepped forward, placed his left hand and leaned my head over his shoulder, and started caressing my hair, comforting me, and stood there with me the whole time until there were no tears left to shed.

I pulled away from his embrace after a while as I stopped crying. He fetched my bag that was lying on the ground and handed it over.

"You wanna get out of here?" He asked, looking over and making sure the way was clear.

I just nodded.

I didn't realize it until now that we've been here for a while and the first period was almost about to get over. There was no point in getting back into class anyway.
                                    ~

We sat at the top of the bleachers and rested our elbows back and looked up into the sky. White fluffy clouds dotted the azure blue sky as the sun beamed beatifically, casting a golden glow upon the earth. We sat there quietly for a long time, appreciating the tranquility.

"Olivia, Mason, and I were the best of friends back in junior year," I spoke softly.

He tilted his head to face me, summoning all his attention on me.

"We did everything together here in high school. Olivia was the rebellious one among us, Mason was the wise one who, every time, took care of Olivia's mess and I was the careful and the least outgoing. We were called the perfect trio here. We would sit together side by side in the classes, in the cafeteria, and walk home together. We would have fun and go to parties together. We were basically inseparable.

One afternoon, when we were taking a break and decided to play truth or dare during lunch break in the auditorium, I was asked to tell a secret that nobody knows and so I did. I told them about my BDD. It wasn't easy for me to talk about it but I still did as I trusted them. They were quite shocked at first but then they promised to keep this just within the three of us. They were pretty supportive about it during the initial.

Things started changing when Olivia and Mason decided to try out for the school team and they both got in. Mason was still down to earth and spent time with me whenever he could. But for Olivia, it wasn't enough or the same anymore. She started getting along with other girls in the cheerleading squad and with the guys on the football team. Mason and I were not really happy with that but decided to not say anything about it as long as she was happy. Things began to take a turn for the worse when she made fun of Mason and me in front of the whole school in the cafeteria only to look cool in front of her new ‘friends’. I air quoted on the friends with more emphasis.

“We confronted her about it and she took it all wrong. There was a huge heated argument. The next day I stepped inside the hall, everyone in the high school knew about my BDD. Everyone started whispering and chuckling behind my back and passed nasty comments whenever I passed through. Some students would throw nasty notes inside my locker and paint real bad things on my locker. I decided to confront Olivia about it and she made a huge scene in front of the school and gave an ultimatum to Mason to choose between me and her. And clearly, he chose Olivia since he had a thing for her from the very beginning and she knew it.

To say that the first few days were awful would be an understatement. I didn't feel like going back to school anymore. But eventually, the news got old and the other students were finally off my back. We eventually stopped associating with each other and consequently here we are."

Shawn's expression switched from empathy to blank and then into a rage.

"The nerve-" I cut him in before he could finish the sentence.

"Let it be. There's no point in talking about the bygones. I gradually realized that they weren't worth it. I don't want to gutter my mouth for them." I said.

"Hmm... Wanna get out of here?" He asked directly.

"You mean like... bunk school?" I asked apprehensively.

"Erm... yes? But if you want, we can do it the hard way." He said, sulking his face.

"And what is that?" I asked curiously.

"You'll see." He said while standing, turning to wink at me.
                                    ~

I waited for Shawn outside the school premises as he directed me to. I had no idea what craziness had toasted up in his head this time.

I watched Shawn walking back towards me after a while.

"There you are! What took you so long? What did you do?" I questioned curiously.

"I just took permission from Mr. Johnson to let us go." He answered.

I widened my eyes. "What?"

"I told him that you were not feeling well and wanted to go home. And that is true. So I didn't lie if that's what you're thinking." 

Exactly what I was thinking. 

"No, not at all. Why would I think that?" I asked. "Where are we going?'

"To my house." He informed.

"Your house? Hmm... Surprisingly I've never been there before. How come?" I asked myself.

"I don't know. But you will now. My sister will be so happy to see you."

"Wait what?" My voice suddenly pitched high, my left arm straightened to block his path. "You have a sister?" 

"Yeah. You didn't know?" He asked nonchalantly.

"Umm... No! Because YOU didn't tell me!" I argued.

"You never asked me." He said, trying to keep his face intact, twitching his lips to control his smirk.

"I'm going to kill you, Shawn!" He ran off immediately as soon as my threatening words struck his eardrums and I chased him until we reached his home, following his path.

His house was situated a few blocks away from me. He lives in a magnificent row house, which flaunts a small yet dainty garden at the entrance to his home. Shawn opened the door for me like a gentleman and I eyed him in mockery. 

I walked into a living room which was dimly lit with the vintage wall sconces that hung on the mute-colored walls like earrings. Thick velvet curtains hid the long windows across the walls, just leaving a shy peak of the woods beyond. Two antique couches stood on the opposite sides of each on the hand-woven rug in front of the ashen fireplace, accompanied by rich velvet and bronze wing-chairs that stood as a sidekick. The paintings and faded tapestry panels on the walls seem to blink at a little girl as she entered like they were greeting her. She came running towards Shawn and threw both her tiny hands up and hugged his torso. She seemed that little in front of his well built physique. I didn't know why but it felt wholesome to watch them.

"Shawnie, you're back." She spoke, her twinkling eyes looking up to meet his eyes.

Shawn bent down on his knees and held her arms delicately. "Yes, I am back. Did you finish your breakfast and homework?" He inquired.

She nodded and went back to the room she came running from and brought her notebook and an empty bowl with her.

Shawn nodded after looking at the bowl and then took the notebook from her tiny hands and after analyzing it for a minute, he high-fived her.

She then turned her eyes upon me and started looking at me from head to toe before hiding behind his athletic figure.

"Who is she, Shawnie? Is she here to kidnap me?" She asked with a horrified look on her face.

Damn, she's so adorable!

"Haha no Chloe, she's not. She is a good friend." He informed.

Chloe slowly stepped aside, still her whole tiny hand holding his index finger, assuming she was still doubtful that I was not a kidnapper. "Is she your girlfriend, Shawnie?" She asked, a cute smile curving along her lips.

Shawn looked at me for a second before answering, "No. She's just a good friend."

Chloe now walked up to me and I sat on my knees and looked into her eyes. Her electric blue eyes did wonders on her face, perfectly complementing her brown medium curly hair and heart face cut. She looked like a real angel! She must have got her eyes from her mom since Shawn and his dad shared the same grey eyes. 

"Are you Shawnie's girlfriend?" She asked me again, clearly not satisfied with Shawn's reply, placing her hand on my face and caressing my cheeks.

"No baby. I'm not his girlfriend. I'm kind of his sister." I fabricated, looking up at, now, the frowned figure that stood in front of me.

His face turned pale at the mention of it. His expression was priceless.

"No!" They both said in unison. I looked at Shawn first and then at Chloe.

"You cannot be his sister. Only I get to be his sister." She pouted.

"Yes, only Chloe can be my sister." Shawn agreed almost immediately.

I couldn't help but laugh. "Okay. I will not be his sister. I will just settle for friends. But just for you." I told Chloe.

She put on the brightest smile after hearing it.

"Shawnie, help me bake cookies." She turned to him, making a puppy face.

"Ahh, how many cookies do you eat in a week?" He whined, "We already baked it three times this week."

"Please." She focused her puppy face more prominently.

"Ugh, fine! But this will be the last time this week. You are not getting any more after this." 

"Yay!" She squealed and ran towards the kitchen, ignoring the last sentence.

Shawn started kneading the dough and Chloe and I prepared the frosting.

"Do you want to see my dolls, Maya?" She asked, a tint of frosting resting on her nose.

"Sure," I replied while wiping it off.

She headed upstairs instantly.

"She is adorable!" I told Shawn.

"She is." He replied with a smile, still focussed on kneading the dough.

"She seems very protective of you," I said playfully.

"I am very protective of her." He replied in a soft voice.

I was unsure what to say as I felt that his sister might be a sensitive topic to him.

I looked around the walls near the hall and saw a family photo frame hanging.

"Is she your Mom? She was beautiful." I mumbled to myself, loud enough that he heard it.

"Yes. She was the most beautiful woman I've ever seen." He said with a low voice.

Silence filled the room. I didn't know what to say next so I started sprinkling rainbow sprinkles in the frosting, just like Chloe asked. But Shawn cracked the silence soon, leaving me numb on my seat.

"My mom was diagnosed with Adenocarcinoma soon after Chloe was born. By the time we learned about it, she was already in her third stage. One day, on Chloe's third birthday, while cake cutting she collapsed on the floor, unable to breathe. We immediately pulled out the car and headed towards the hospital. But damn the traffic was heavy that night. She was struggling to breathe. We lowered the car windows so that she could find ample space to breathe. Little did we notice that there was a fucking moron on a motorcycle who was smoking heavily which only worsened her situation. By the time we reached the hospital, it was too late. She was taken off life support the next day."

I watched him in awe, not noticing how the tears escaped down the entire time he talked. That explained why he reacted that way back in the street when he saw that stranger.

"Our family was never the same again. Dad engrossed himself in his work, Chloe was left with her permanent babysitter and I... was busy changing myself." He paused for a while, locking his eyes with mine, "I keep delaying my work just so I can spend more time in your house because I see how happy your family is. What you have and I don't anymore. It keeps me close to the feeling I had while she was still alive. I am still not ready to let that go. Taking it as slow as I can gives me a reason to keep coming to your house so that I could still hold onto that." 

I stood up and hugged him from the back real tightly. I felt a tear falling and settling on my wrist.

Nobody deserves to go through any of it.

"You do not need to find reasons to be at my house, Shawn. You can come and stay whenever and however long you want. You're always welcomed there. And I promise, from now on, I'll visit your house more than you can, and spend time with you and Chloe." 

He put the frosting on my nose and cheek as a response.

I looked up at him through my lashes and cried, "Oh, you're so dead!" pushing his face into the bowl full of frosting. 

He looked up at me with the frosting spread all over his face and didn't look any better than a polar bear.

"Maya Matthews!" He yelled and grabbed the bowl for revenge but Chloe walked in shortly after.

"You guys are playing without me?" She pouted.

We exchanged glances at each other and burst into a fit of laughter and made a mess of the kitchen thereafter.

Hey guys! Hope you're all doing well. I'm really getting sick of this quarantine tbh(ㄒoㄒ)
Dropdown your votes and comments if you liked this chapter.
Ahh, I really wanted to add one more scene but this chapter already got too long. Oh well, I'll have to add that in the next chapter.(-_-)
Did you guys love Chloe too? Cause I'm in love with that cute little thing♡
I'll see you guys soon.
Stay tuned♡.
~Love ya ( ˘ ³˘)♥~