World meets Maya

{4} You mind letting me in?

Maya is painting when I first see her through her window. She seems at peace and less tense then she has been the past while. I hesitate a second longer before tapping gently on the glass.

She spins fast around to look at me before her eyes widen and she rushes to open the window, "Lucas, what are you doing here?".
I scramble my long legs in through the window and straighten up looking around. "Oh yes please do come in" her sarcastic tone is light and more playful. I smirk and roll my eyes "oh apologies, you mind letting me in?"

Truth be told I don't know what brought me here. Riley wanted to go to a party with the cheerleaders so she cancelled our date, which I was partly relieved and partly sad about. Relieved, because i'm not really in a great mood to be going out. Sad because she had ditched, she only told me she's going to the party by text, after I'd shown up to her door and seeing she isn't there. I didn't make a fuss though, whatever makes her happy. It's not just Riley that's bothering me though something else is bothering me too.

"Lucas?" Mayas concerned tone snaps me out of my daze. "Is it Riley? is it because she cancelled? If so, you know she's crazy about cheerleaders"

I sigh "I know I didn't make any fuss about it. She used to be crazy about me too y'know" I say this trying to lighten the air. I take my jacket off hooking it on her door before sitting at the end of her bed.

Maya smiles, "Oh yeahhhh that was before you got boring though." She plonks herself down next to me and looks at me in curiously.

"yeah I suppose I have become boring, maybe Texas Lucas should come back" I reply, my mind slightly dazed, i've been feeling more and more like a zombie by day. Like the fighting at home is eating my brains out, that i'm slowly losing any personality trait that I have ever had.

"I was joking ranger rick, you're not boring. You are quick with your comebacks, you're excellent at executing pranks and you make excellent cupcakes" Maya says this pretending to ponder deeply on the thought of cupcakes. "As much as I get excited seeing 'Texas Lucas', that's just one side of you, I mean you can get in trouble and still be a good person. Now, that Texas Lucas only comes out rarely it keeps me in line too or are you forgetting you're the only one that can 'handle me'. So don't beat yourself up sundance, you understand me?"

Im slightly in shock, but I realise how well she knows me, I smile a little, "Yes ma'am and well I suppose i've learned from the atrocious cupcakes from middle school" As I say this, Maya gasps immediately after, "excuse you huckleberry never diss your mother's skills like that again, those cupcakes were a perfect reflection of you, bland and soul-destroying" I know she's joking because she mutters that they were perfect reflection of her too.

I laugh big this time, my zombie heart is starting to beat again now, "No Maya, if you were a baked good, you would be a tiered cake"

"Lemme guess, cause I have so many layers?"

"Oh wow blondie, you know all my pickup lines"

"boy, I invented you"

We go back and forth with silly remarks like this until we are laughing and sitting on the floor. "You'd actually be an angel cake" I look at her and she looks back with question in her eyes "because you're an angel to everyone you know, and you're sweet like sugar"

Everything's silent for a minute

"Thanks Huckleberry" We both stand up and she opens her mouth before closing it again. I'm curious to know what she wants to say so I nudge her but she stumbles, I catch her wrist before she falls back into the paint. A weird but exciting moment rushes as our eyes are locked on my hand on her wrist. I pull her to stand straight and she looks up and finds courage. "Are you here because your mum is fighting with family back home again?"

I look to the floor and rock back and forth on my feet. Looking back up I say "Yeah, they're not very happy with her for not letting me come back. She's scared about all the fighting back there, guns have been pulled out and the fair was even cancelled cause of tensions."

Her eyes soften "I'm sorry Lucas, i'm sure it'll all work out okay? is Pappy Joe staying out of it?"

I can hear the genuine concern and empathy from her voice. "Yeah, but only cause he wants me home to visit. He mentioned you too" I smile remembering the most recent phone call I had with him, he had called her blonde beauty, which gave me flashbacks. He then proceeded to ask me if I'm sure I picked the right girl to which I quickly said farewell and ended the call.

Maya gives me a hug "of course he did, he loves me." She lets go of the hug and gives me a bright smile. Who wouldn't love you.

"Enough about me what are you painting?" I say looking at her paint covered hands and one of Shawn's old t-shirts. She beams once more and leads me over to her easel.

The rest of the evening I spend with Maya showing me her paintings for the summer exhibition. It was fun to watch her paint, she's incredibly talented and she even let me help a little bit. We talked about everything, from the time she caught Shawn staring and crying at a framed photo of him and his best friend to her being mad about her biological dad calling her the wrong name in a birthday letter sent not even on her birthday.

That made me mad I can't help but admit, Maya only deserves the best in the world and I wish I was able to give that to her.

The topics changed from funny to deep and back to funny within seconds. Eventually it was late and we had just finished watching a championship video of bull-riding before Maya said it's best if I go before Shawn comes home from work. I climb out the window and turn back, "I had a really fun time today New York"

She gives me one of her shining smiles "Don't make this the last and only visit Texas, you better come round again. Thanks for everything today, you're a great best friend"

I smile brightly back at her "You're a great best friend too Maya" I walk home with a smile on my face and my head held high. The raised voice of my mother doesn't phase me. As I lay in bed I think about how I can feel my heart beat and my mind reeling.

Oh how good it feels not to be a Zombie.