The Little Things | Jared "Donny" Donalson

Butterflies

Kaylee

This morning I woke up to the sound of my door creaking open as Maia walked into my room.  I sit up and rub my eyes as Maia starts talking, "Courtney is about two minutes from being murdered if she doesn't stop singing in the shower. She sounds like a dying cat." "Huh?" "Shh just listen," she says holding up her hand. I sit and listen for a minute and that's when I hear her. Maia was right when she compared it to the sound of a cat dying because that is what Courtney sounded like right now. "Well, I guess there is no better time to get up." "So are you getting up to stop me from killing her or are you going to watch?" "You're not killing her. If you go to jail I don't have a ride home." "Wait you would snitch?" I throw a pillow at her, "You know I wouldn't but the other people in this house would." "Fair point. So what's the plan for today?" "I guess once everyone is ready we can hit the road." Maia nods and is about to say something but my phone vibrating on my bedside table catches her attention, "I was about to ask about him." Sure enough, I looked at my phone screen and Donny had texted me. "What were you going to ask?" "If you were still talking to him, but I already got my answer." I can feel the blush starting to form on my face so I decide to try and turn the tables. "What about Noah?" Maia raises an eyebrow, "What about him?" "Aren't you still talking to him?" Maia laughs, "No why would I? I have no intention of seeing him again." "He was clearly into you Maia." "He wanted to get into my pants. The whole charming bit where a guy does something nice and then makes a girl think that she owes him something in return." "I don't think that was what he was doing. He was just being nice. All the people yesterday were nice to us." Maia can be so stubborn sometimes, so I don't know why I'm even trying. I hear her sigh, "Well anyways he didn't ask for my number so there's another reason why I can't talk to him." I just nod and decide to drop it. Maybe I read too much into their interactions because I could have sworn there was something there. "I'm gonna go start getting ready and pack. I think Courtney is done with her concert," I hear Maia say awkwardly before leaving as I nod. I pick up my phone and unlock it to look at the text Donny had sent and seeing it lowkey gives me butterflies.

Donny 🍌: Good morning!

Me: Good morning 😁

I hit send set my phone and started getting ready. A few minutes later I hear my phone vibrate again. It takes everything in me not to immediately pick it up and respond. I wait until my bag is fully packed and I'm fully ready before I sit on my bed and open it.

Donny 🍌: Are you already headed back to Nashville?

Me: We will be shortly. Waiting on Maia and the others to finish getting ready.

I hit send and he immediately starts typing so I wait for his reply.

Donny 🍌: Nice! So you're still in school right?

Me: Yup, I graduate in May. Then I'll get paid to go to school haha

Donny 🍌: Haha! Very true, so how crazy is your class schedule?

Me: It honestly isn't bad at all I don't have classes on Thursdays or Fridays so I cannot complain. Most of my hours are spent shadowing in a classroom.

Donny 🍌: Wow that's awesome! So does that mean I'll maybe get to see you on one of your long weekends?

Me: That is a definite possibility haha

I sit there texting with him until I hear my door open causing me to look up. Courtney stands in the doorway, "Are we going? Your bitchy roommate is in a mood this morning and I want to go home." I stand up I should have let Maia kill her when she had the chance, but its too late for that now I think so I just force a smile. "Yeah let's go," I grab my suitcase and walk out of my room and out to the car which Maia is just starting to pack. As I walk out she looks up at me, "I was gonna come get your stuff in a few minutes." "The queen is ready to leave so I guess we are all taking too long." "I should make her walk by to Nashville." I laugh and help her load up the car.

Once we are on the road I am in charge of music since the others are asleep in the backseat. I am currently blanking on songs to play so I might have told Donny that while texting with him and he sent me some songs to play. The songs he sent over were Thinkin' Bout Me by Morgan Wallen, Boys of Faith by Zach Bryan and There Was This Girl by Riley Green. I started playing the songs and when Maia heard "Boys of Faith" start playing she looked over at me. "Okay I knew you listened to Zach Bryan, but I figured you only listened to his bigger stuff this song just came out." I felt my cheeks start to heat up, "Yeah I'm a big Zach Bryan fan." "Now I know you are lying. Wait did Donny send you these songs." "Yeah, but it's not a big deal. I just told him I was lacking song ideas." Maia laughs slightly as she shakes her head, "Sure." "What is that supposed to mean?" "Nothing Kaylee, just like you texting him." "Please don't start being that way?" "What are you talking about?" "You know exactly what I mean." "Clearly I don't," her grip on the steering wheel has tightened a bit I can tell by how her knuckles are starting to turn white. "Clearly you are still mad about you know who." Maia doesn't reply in fact she doesn't say anything for the remaining two-hour drive home. She drops off the other girls and then we drive back to the apartment. The silence at that point was killing me, so I decided to test the water. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Maia looks over at me and she doesn't look happy. However, after a moment she begins to speak, "You know how I knew Carter was cheating on me, but I didn't know who with?" "Yeah?" "It was Natalie. This morning after I left your room. She text me. She didn't say how long they had been together but basically told me that they started talking. Within 20 minutes she had posted pictures of them together on social media." I watch as Maia's jaw clenches then she opens her door to get out. Natalie is one of our teammates and until recently one of  Maia's best friends. They have been friends as long as I have known Maia well until recently when they have been seemingly distant. However, I don't even think Maia noticed the distance between them until now. Natalie had stoped going out with us like she used to, but I just assumed it was because a misalignment with their schedules. However anytime she did come around it had been the same old Natalie that I have always known and cared for. Maia keeps really busy with her jobs at the Sounds so I assuming that was the reason not that Natalie had been playing house with Maia's then boyfriend and now ex boyfriend.
I get out and meet her at the back by her trunk before she can open it and I hug her. "I'm sorry." Maia tries to keep it together but as she starts to speak her voice breaks, "I hate that he still affects me. I hate that he did everything he did and everyone thinks I'm the bad guy for breaking up with him." The tears that had formed in her eyes start making their way down her cheeks. I reach over and wipe them with my hand, "Hey you are  Maia Kathryn Brooks! You are too good for him. Natalie is a total downgrade and one day he'll realize that, but by then you'll be married to a super hot and rich football player or doctor!" Maia laughs, "What about a doctor who is also a football player?" "Ohhh I didn't know you liked Laurent Duvernay-Tardif." This comment made Maia laugh again and I knew she needed this more than a lecture right now. There are two things I learned very quickly about Maia when I met her during my freshman year through soccer. One is that she is an extremely talented soccer player. However,  the second thing I learned is she is extremely critical of herself. I blame her mom for that mostly, but also Carter her now ex because he would constantly gaslight her. When they got together the Summer before the start of her senior year it was clear she supported him a lot more than he supported her. In the fall during her senior soccer season, he didn't come to a single game, but in the Spring you better bet she was at almost all of his games even though he sat on the bench 70% of the time. So let's just say when I found out she was going to break up with him I was happy until I found out it was because he was cheating on her. She'll find the right one one day it's just going to take some time. The next one is going to be approved by me whether she likes it or not.
I am brought out of my thoughts by the sound of Maia opening the trunk. She pulls both our suitcases out and sets them on the ground before closing the trunk. She starts heading inside our apartment building and I follow. We head up two flights of stairs before we reach our apartment #219. Maia pulls out her keys and unlocks the door. Stepping inside it is so nice to be home even though part of me wishes I was still in Alabama, but it's not the rodeo at this moment that I'm missing. I head my my room and put my suitcase in the corner to unpack later. I sit on my bed pull my phone out of my pocket and unlock it. I open the messages app and start typing then hit send.

Me: Officially, made it home to Nashville!

Within seconds Donny replies and I smile at my phone screen before replying again.

Donny 🍌: Awesome! So when do I get to see you again?

Me: Hmmm..idk you tell me 😉