night changes ; brady noon

chapter 17

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The moment Maya stepped into school on Monday morning, she regretted her decision completely. The halls were packed with students going to and from the gym hall, getting ready for the volleyball game. Whenever there was a game, Lacey Township High School had a 'go big or go home' mentality. Volleyball days meant no classes for anyone during the game, so the gym hall was full with every single student, while the classrooms were empty.

The brunette girl spotted Sophie leaning against one of the pillars, waving her with a smile as she made her way over. "Hey Maya, ready to watch the game?" The blonde asked a she checked the time on her watch. Angelo and Brady were both on the team, so the girl wanted to make sure she wasn't late.

"Hey Sophie. Yeah I guess. I've never watched one of the schools games, I tend to just steer away from the gym hall until it's over. Sophie linked her arm with Maya's, giving the girl a reassuring smile.

"Well there's a first time for everything, and you're going to be fine, don't worry."

The two girls walked into the gym hall, being completely enveloped by the noise the second they stepped inside. As they made their way down the stairs to the first benches, Connor spotted them, waving them over. Once they had reached the benches, the principal cleared his throat, pointing at the clipboard in his hand.

The school allowed each player to bring a +1, meaning that they could sit on the front line and get a better view of the game.

"Sophie Keene and Maya Carson." The blonde girl spoke up, as the man in front of them looked down at the clipboard, giving them a nod before letting them through.

Maya looked back at the principal with an expression that read 'what the hell was that all about?', noticing this, Sophie spoke up, "Each player get to invite a person to sit on the front line, Principal Bradford has a list and only lets people through who are on the list. Angelo invited me and Brady invited you."

What the girl didn't know was that Jenna was now walking up to the principal, stating her name with all the pettiness she could muster. "You're not on the list Jenna, please return to the upper benches." The man informed, his voice as monotone as ever.

"There has clearly been a mistake Principal Bradford, you know I'm on the list every year. Brady always invites me."

Connor, Maya and Sophie all turned around to the sound of the cheerleaders voice, the boy rolled his eyes as he shouted, "You know Brady never invited you, you invited yourself in Brady's name." The girl looked towards who had spoken, her eyes scanning the seats before landing on Maya, her eyes widening in disbelief.

"What the hell is she doing there? Is this some kind of joke? Why would Brady ever invite a lonely lowlife like her? No one would ever want to be friends with her, look at her, she isn't even pretty." Laughter and gasps echoed off the walls, the girls words hitting Maya right in the face. She felt like she had been kicked while she was already down, not being able to muster the courage to answer back.

The girl exhaled quietly, trying her best to keep her tears at bay. Sophie and Connor on the other hand, were already up on their feet, the blonde girl striding straight up to Jenna with determination in her step.

"You talk about Maya like that again and you'll never step foot on the cheer team again, got it?" The cheerleader was quick to walk away with her friends in tow, and it didn't take long for the gym hall to flood with noise again, the situation dissipating.

Sophie and Connor went back to the benches, sitting either side of Maya, who was still looking down at her hands in her lap.

"Are you okay M?" The twin questioned, worry in his features.

"I'm fine, I'm used to it." The girl nodded her head, giving him a short smile. She was desperately waiting for the game to begin, so she could drown out her thoughts.

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authors note
who wants to join the jenna hate club?
i know it's super niche but who doesn't love a bit of bully drama 🤷‍♀️
i promise there won't be any more sad Maya (or will there?)
don't forget to vote!