I turned off the alarm for the gazillionth time which didn't stop ringing from 5 to 5:30 a.m that I had been constantly snoozing.

My body was not going to function humanly with three hours of sleep, but my mom wished otherwise.

"Maya get up! Get up and go for a jog." She yelled from downstairs.

"Why do I need to do it? Can't I just sleep in here peacefully?" I growled.

"No. When was the last time you did some physical stretching? Your body needs to exercise." She pointed, still yelling, or maybe the voice was too loud for a Monday morning, I couldn't differentiate. I just wanted to sleep.

"Ugh! I'm up. You know I hate you, right?" I whined.

"I'm okay with that. Now get up and get your cute little butt out here."

I hate mornings!

I forcefully crawled out of my bed and hopped in the bathroom and took a long nice shower to wake myself up. I threw on jogger pants and a hoodie. I clasped my earpiece and headed downstairs.

"Finally!" My mom sighed as I walked down the stairs. "Good morning sweetie!"

"It is not a good morning when you wake me up at 5 am!" I cried grumpily.

"You need to keep yourself fit. And for that, you need to jog since you do not want to exercise."

"But I'm fit and extremely healthy," I retorted, standing up from my chair to reveal to her my perfect curves.

She threw a nasty glance at me, implying that she would not buy and feed any of my nonsense.

"Is this really necessary? Can't I just do some yoga or something?" I suggested.

"No! I'm not letting you do yoga again." She shot me a furious glance as I knew what exactly she was talking about.

"Come on, Mom! That won't happen again." I assured her.

"Nope.” She asserted, popping the ‘p’ and continued, “The last time I sent you to yoga classes, you slept at the first posture they assigned you, and you covered it up by saying that it was too peaceful that it made you sleep!” She reminisced, sending a judgy glare in my direction.

"Could you blame me? The music was too soothing for dawn. They instructed us to relax and I did and it naturally made me sleep." I defended myself.

"And that is exactly why I am not going to let you go to yoga classes. And that is why you need to jog every morning starting today."

God! Kill me now!

I munched on the apple, exciting the main door as Sabrina Carpenter's 'On My Way' blasted through my earpiece.

The cool breeze hit my face as I jogged by my school campus. As much as I hate mornings, there was something soothing about it.

The quietness of roads and the dewdrops falling from the leaves over the green grass, the faint chirping of the birds, and the unhurried rise of the sun from the horizon. There was just something about nature that compelled our minds to peace and tranquility.

My appreciation for nature was cut short when I bumped into a tiny figure and crashed into the ground. The figure landed on the ground as well.

"I'm so sorry." I heard the person exclaim it as soon as he/she got up, extending a hand to pull me up.

I looked up through my lashes to study the person's face. A cute, gorgeous girl, about 5'3 feet, seemingly at the same age as mine, stood in front of me. Her curly brown hair complemented her brown eyes and heart face cut just great.

I took her hand and stood up on my feet.

"I'm really sorry, I didn't see you there." She sheepishly apologized.

"No, it's alright. I wasn't watching where I was going."

"Nevertheless, I'm sorry." She smiled.

She looked unfamiliar as I know almost every family in the locality. I hadn't seen her here before.

"Are you new here?" I asked her.

"Yeah. We just got transferred here from California." She informed me.

"Oh, I see."

"I'm Quinn, by the way." She said, extending her hand.

"I'm Maya," I said, shaking her hand.

"Nice to meet you, Maya."

"Likewise. So... I'll see you around."

"Sure."

I waved to her and took off.

~

I walked up to my locker, stretching my arms before taking out the necessary textbooks.

"Someone seems worked up today." Shawn mocked me as he walked towards me.

"Shut up," I said, stretching my neck.

"What's up?"

"Ugh, don't ask. I was forced to jog early this morning." I pouted as I reminisced about my awful start to the day.

"Oh, you poor thing." He laughed, "But you should keep yourself fit."

"Are you trying to say that I'm fat?" I pouted. "I'm perfectly fit."

"Sure. Whatever you say." He smirked.

"What is that supposed to mean? And you and your stupid smirks! Don't you guys even know how to smile?"

He just rolled his eyes.

"Oh don't you dare roll your eyes at me, Pretty boy."

"Don't call me that, Tinkerbell."

"Don't call me that, Pretty boy."

"Tinkerbell."

"Pretty boy."

"Tinkerbell."

"Pretty boy."

"Tinker-" The bell suddenly rang.

"Huh! I win! Take that loser!" I said, throwing a fist into the air.

"I'll get back to you for this." He snorted, running his hand through his hair.

"I would love to see you try," I said as I walked away from him.

~

I sipped the last ounce of milkshake from my sipper as I aloofly listened to the girls still blabbering about their homecoming dance experience and how their dates were checking out other girls rather than them.

But surprisingly, I wasn't bored to death since Shawn sat beside me for the lunch break and not with his teammates.

“How would he? If you were the one unable to keep your paws off Mike.” Shawn would comment every now and then after hearing some of their conversations, whispering in my ears.

I huffed, laughing under my breath.

This was precisely the reason I didn't feel bored. Shawn kept commentating each time any girl whined about their dates and I was trying my absolute best to hold my laughter the whole time.

To put it simply, we were bitching.

Shawn was surprisingly a pretty good observer. He observed almost everyone in the hall during the dance when he ran away to avoid Veronica.

"I'm warning you for the last time, Shawn shut up or else I'm gonna explode and look like a freak in front of the whole cafeteria," I warned him, whispering, trying my utmost best not to laugh.

"Don't worry about that, I'll laugh with you too. Let's look like a freak together." He giggled.

"Okay enough!" I stood up from the chair in an instant, my voice a little too high for my liking. Everyone at the table shot me a startled glance. "I'm done... eating. I ate enough. Uh... You guys carry on." I quickly cooked up an excuse sheepishly, throwing an ‘I'll get back to you for this’ glare to Shawn, and took off.

He followed me after a while when I stepped out of the cafeteria, after throwing all the wastes.

"Which class do you have now?" He asked, walking along with me.

"Physics. What about you?"

"Chemistry." He answered by forming a smirk.

I ignored him.

I guess I'll just have to get used to this.

"You're not really a nice friend, you know."

I turned to him, knitting my eyebrows. The audacity!

"And why is that so?"

"Because..." He paused, walking three steps forward, and stood in front of me, "Friends tell each other about everything. They know about each other, their secrets, and their fears. And I don't know a thing about you." He paused, "How do I know if you really consider me as your friend, Maya?"

"I don't necessarily need to tell you about my secrets just to prove my friendship to you." I scoffed.

"You know I didn't mean it like that. I-" Before he can continue, I cut him off.

"Whatever it is, I don't wanna hear. You'll be late for your class." I told and took off.

~

"Maya..." Shawn called as we stepped out of the last class we had together.

He tried to talk to me during class but I simply ignored him.

"I'm sorry, okay?" He apologized, trying to catch his breath after catching up to me.

I simply glared at him as a response.

"I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry if I upset you." He apologized.

"I can't really be mad at people for a long time so you're forgiven. But make sure you don't say anything that stupid again." I notified.

"Got it." He replied, saluting me.

"So you're heading home, right? I'll come with you. I need some help in Math." He said.

I shook my head.

"What? You're not going straight home? Am I that influential?" He gloated, patting his shoulder.

"Don't flatter yourself. You're the last person I'll be influenced by."

"I am officially offended." He pouted, "Where exactly are you going?" He asked.

"See for yourself."

~

Shawn followed me as I wandered around the familiar street. It's been a while since I've last been here.

"You brought me here to roam around the streets?" He asked with a perplexed face.

"Hey, I did not force you to come with me. You offered yourself. And secondly, no we're not here just to roam around." I answered vaguely.

"What is this place?" He asked, looking around, "It's nothing I've ever seen before."

I couldn't have agreed more. This place was very diverse from other places in the city. The antique shops with a touch of vintage gave it a completely unique outlook.

"This place is one of the finest and underrated streets in the city," I said, my eyes twinkling brightly.

"I came here first when we recently shifted to this city and wanted some vintage touch for our house. My dad somehow was able to find this place and the first time I stepped in here, I was intrigued. I've been coming here ever since."

"That sounds great. And you're right. This place has some real badass vibes."

I nodded my head in agreement.

We were walking through the street when Shawn completely froze for a moment. Before I could process anything in my head, Shawn walked up to a strange man, leaving me completely off guard. The shabby stranger was probably in his mid-forties, hair disheveled, wearing an old brown long blazer with a cigarette that rested between his fingers.

"Sir, I suggest you not smoke here." I heard Shawn saying it to the strange guy, pointing to the no-smoking board.

"I can do whatever I want, kid. Don't mess with me." The stranger roared standing up from the bench.

"Oh, you do not want to mess with me. You either stop smoking and get the fuck out of here or else-" Before he could continue, the stranger cut him in, stepping forward to him "Or else what, kiddo? Beat me to death?" A creepy devilish grin slowly carved across his face.

"Or else I'm gonna call 9-1-1 and inform the cops that you were smoking in a prohibited area." I stepped in reflexively.

His face turned pale on the mention of cops and he began to sweat like a pig.

"You're gonna regret this. Both of you." He barked before swiftly running off.

"Are you okay?" I asked him as soon as the strange guy disappeared into the thin air.

His face illuminated more heat than light. He was clearly raged beyond his extent.

"Yeah. I'm fine." He said as soon as he faced me, softening his expression and trying to compose himself.

"What was that?" I asked as we resumed walking.

"Nothing. I just can't bear people smoking." He said and turned his face away to look in another direction.

"Okay." I submitted, trying not to push his buttons.

We reached the familiar shop which was my sole reason to come here often in the first place.

"Hey, Mrs. Evans!" I chirped brightly as soon as I saw her coming out of the cellar.

"Maya!" She exclaimed in joy. She ran towards me and threw her hands around my shoulder to embrace me into her sweet hug. She pulled out and exclaimed, "Oh my God! You seem to have grown up since I've last seen you!"

"Haha, no Mrs. Evans. I'm still the same. I'm sorry I didn't visit you earlier. I was so caught up with my school." I apologized.

"No no, that's perfectly fine. I know how much the school pressurizes you, little kids, with loads of homework and assignments." She said before turning her attention to Shawn, who was, for I didn't know how long, watching us with a cute pearly smile.

Mrs. Evans looked back at me, amazed, demanding for some kind of explanation.

"This is Shawn, Mrs. Evans." I introduced him, "He transferred here a few weeks ago."

Shawn extended his arms but Mrs. Evans pulled him into her embrace to hug him. He immediately hugged her back.

"Is he the reason you didn't come here sooner?" She asked with a bright smile and a hint of smile etched across her wrinkly face.

"Kind of, yes. I was assigned to help him with his studies and stuff." I informed her before she got the wrong idea.

"Oh, that's really nice of you, Maya. Where are you from Shawn?"

" I am from Brooklyn. We had to transfer here due to some incidents." He informed.

"Oh, I see. You must really miss your hometown. How are you liking it so far?"

"It's great here. Very different from back there. But yes, I do miss Brooklyn sometimes and my friends too."

"Don't worry. At least you have Maya here. I can see you're a really special friend to her."

"We just became friends. I am nowhere near to be called Maya's ‘special’ friend." He informed playfully.

"Trust me, dear... You are."

Umm... do they not realize I'm still standing here?

"I can say that you are a special friend to her because you are the first and only person she brought here. She likes to keep this place to herself and not bring anyone, not even her parents with her here. If she brought you here by herself, trust me when I tell you this, you are an important person to her." She said with a content smile.

We just gazed at each other for some time. What she said was actually making a little sense. I never brought anyone here with me. I liked to come here alone to loosen up my mind. I didn't even realize it until she pointed it out just now.

And that made me think about it more.

I just met him. I barely knew him for a few weeks. How can someone become important in such a short span of time? He couldn't. I refused to believe otherwise.

We sipped Mrs. Evans's world-famous coffee and talked about anything and everything. We waved her goodbye after a while and started walking out.

"She's a really sweet lady. She gives that lovely motherly vibes." Shawn exclaimed with a cheerful smile.

"She is. She is so sweet. I love her the most after my parents." I enlightened him.

"You are a nice person, Maya." He said, "People like you are very rare to find."

"Oh, I'm anything but a nice person." I laughed hysterically, blowing it off.

"Don't belittle yourself that much, Maya."

"By the way, I gave you a little peek at my life. Now it's your turn. Tell me something about yourself." I said, trying to dodge the topic.

"What do you want to know about?" He asked.

"Why did you transfer here?" I asked without giving any rational thought.

He kept quiet for a few moments.

"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it. I am sorry, I sensed it in there that it is a sensitive topic for you. I shouldn't have tried to pry. I am sorry, I-"

"I was very close to my mom.” He began, cutting me in.

“My dad was always busy with his work so it was always me and her. She was my world. I loved her the most in this world. But everything changed after she died. My dad loved her dearly and didn't take the news very well. He drowned himself in his work more and more and barely came home.” His expressions turned sour. I figured he didn't have a peaceful bond with his father anymore.

“ It wasn't easy for me either. My mom hated the bad boy kind of kids so I changed myself accordingly and tried to become one. I was reckless and I cared about nothing. I got tattoos as well. Call me crazy, but I did all of it hoping that my mom would come down one day and slap me and shout at me for doing everything she hated. But she never did. I  know I was foolish to hope so, but a twelve old year boy wanted nothing more than his mother. That changed me for the worse and I stopped caring about everything. Eventually, the shock became so toxic for all of us that we decided to move and start a new life after somewhere else after three years and here we are." He said softly, tears trickling down his cheek.

I wasn't sure what came over me but I entangled my hand into his as soon he finished talking, a tear trickling down my cheek as well.

We stood still for a while without exchanging a word, looking deep into each other's eyes.

"I'll be here for you, Shawn," I said as soon as I cleared my throat to speak.

"You promise?" He said in his most vulnerable state.

"I promise," I assured with a smile, my action mirroring his and looked heavenly as the tears twinkled with the glimmering stars that slid down his skin.

Hey guys, thank you so so much for reading. I reached over 1k reads!!! You guys are the absolute best! *victory dancing*
I hope you liked this chapter. I had to properly start their friendship so I had to make this chapter a bit longer. Did you guys like it too? Cause I loved the start of their friendship.
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