Piece by Piece

He never walks away

Piece by Piece

He never walks away

"He never walks away/He never asks for money

He takes care of me/He loves me"

Maya Hart woke up with a big smile on her face. Yes, she never had been one for tradition and – except for Christmas – holidays and celebrations didn't mean much to her. Usually the blonde wouldn't have cared that today was her 14th birthday, but this year something had changed. Over the last few weeks she had learned that maybe – just maybe – hope really wasn't for suckers. Her mom Katy and her had gotten along better than ever – they both made sure they were able to spend time together even with Katy's crazy work schedule – and Maya had found a new friend in Shawn Hunter. She still spent a lot of time with Riley and her family as well as another member of the Matthews family that had been visiting the Big Apple a lot more than usual – one Joshua Gabriel Matthews. So yes, her 14th birthday was actually something the blonde was looking forward to.

The day got even better when, just the girl was getting dressed, her phone started ringing. Brush still in hand, Maya answered the call without looking at the screen.

"Yeah?" she asked a bit distracted while trying to get the tangles out of her blonde waves.

"Well good morning to you too, birthday girl," a familiar voice laughed and Maya almost dropped her phone out of shock. She took the phone away from her ear and, sure enough, she wasn't imagining things.

"Josh?" she asked tentatively.

"The one and only." She could hear the grin in his voice. "Happy 14th, Maya!"

"Thank you." A big smile spread across the blonde's face. "How do you know today's my birthday?"

"Oh, it was all part of a highly illegal, top secret master plan I came up with. It involved months of planning and the conduct was indeed very risky," Josh explained with a serious tone. "You know, I'd tell you but then I'd have to kill you. And I'd rather not do that."

"Riley told you," Maya concluded while trying to keep from giggling, thrilled by his playful banter.

"Pretty much," Josh admitted. Both teenagers laughed out loud.

"Thanks again, Josh. It means a lot to me that you called." Maya's heart welled up.

"My pleasure," Josh said. "Anyway, I don't want to keep you from all the other well-wishers. Have an amazing day, Maya. See you soon."

"Thanks, Josh." Maya smiled happily. "See you soon." The blonde hung up and finished getting ready with a huge grin on her face. So far it seemed like her 14th birthday really would be an amazing day.

At least it did until she entered the kitchen a little while later in search of her mother. Katy, however, was nowhere to be found. Instead all that was left was a small note on the counter: Hey baby girl. Had to leave early for work today. Have a nice day, I'll see you tonight. Love, Mom xo. Maya flipped the note over multiple times. She searched the counter and the rest of the kitchen but nothing else could be found. Well, that was just peachy. Finally things were going great in the girl's life and now that: her own mother had forgotten her birthday.

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A little while later the blonde climbed through her best friend's window and was greeted with the sight of Riley holding a huge present. "Happy 14, Maya!" Riley exclaimed as Maya started to rip open the present. "How's 14? Tell me what it's like to be 14, but don't leave anything out."