Night 13: May 3rd of junior year
"I'm sorry Lucas didn't make it to your party. I really tried to get him to come." Riley shouted, leaning closer to Maya. The music was playing loud, and another shitty pop song that Maya hated came on. The blonde looked over at the dance floor - her living room - her eyes searching for her ex-boyfriend. Instead, she found the eyes of her other best friend, and as soon as eye contact was made, he started to make his way to the two girls.
"It's fine," Maya started, looking at Riley. "I wasn't expecting him to show up, anyways."
"Oh, Peaches..." Riley started, putting her hand on her friend's shoulder. Maya sighed. Truth was, she missed Lucas. She would never tell Riley or Farkle, but Lucas had always had a way of making her feel special. Like she mattered.
She hadn't spoken to Lucas since their break-up. In the beginning, he wouldn't even look at her. As time went by, Lucas seemed even more distant and cold. They would have very short conversations, greetings and questions about homework at the most. Lunches were spent with Riley and Farkle trying to get their friends to join the conversation, but nothing could force them to talk to each other.
Farkle finally reached Maya and Riley, his red cup empty in his hand. Maya could tell that Farkle had definitely been drinking for a while, but contrary to Lucas, he could handle his alcohol.
"Ladies." Farkle greeted, a small smile on his face. His arm snaked around Maya's waist and pulled her closer, hugging her. She didn't bother to hug him back.
Her friend stepped away, sighing. Ever since the break-up, things had been so different.
"Maya, maybe you should go to your room, get some rest. Honestly, you look like crap." Farkle stated. Maya rolled her eyes.
"He's right," Riley started. "We can supervise the party. Make sure everything stays in order. You should go get some sleep."
Not feeling like arguing with her friends, Maya handed her red cup to Riley, who put it down on the coffee table. Riley had never been one for alcohol, finding the taste too bitter. She preferred drinking some soda, so whenever Maya had a party, she made sure to have some soda for Riley in her fridge.
The blonde made her way through the many people who were dancing, leaving her two friends behind. She made her way to the hallway and into her room, shutting off the lights immediately.
Since the break-up, Maya didn't feel the same.
All she wanted was to be with Lucas again.
The worst part is it wouldn't have bothered her if they had broken up and remained friends. She loved being friends with Lucas. She also loved being his girlfriend, but their friendship was what truly mattered to her. The fact that he would barely glance at her made her want to rip her own hair out. She was so angry at him for abandoning her completely, but she couldn't blame him. It was her fault for kissing Josh.
Kissing Josh was probably the dumbest thing she had ever done - and that means a lot, especially coming from her. She had done a lot of dumb shit in her life, but that one took the cake.
Maya changed out of her clothes to her pajamas, slipping one of Lucas' shirts that he had left her over her head. It didn't smell like his cologne anymore, but it still comforted her to wear it.
She remembers it was on a Saturday. They had just finished doing her homework, and she asked if he wanted to go eat out as her treat, wanting to pay him back for his tutoring sessions. They had gone to the Nighthawk Diner, since it was opened that late at night. After lunch, the pair had made their way back to Maya's place, Josh insisting on walking her home after her multiple protests. She had finally caved in and he walked into her apartment building with her, wanting to make sure she would get to her apartment safely. Once they were outside her door, Maya had said that she had had fun. Josh smiled down at her, saying he also had fun. The second Maya looked at him, she knew she had stepped into a trap.
He had kissed her against the wall, and she had kissed back.
But she didn't like Josh. Not anymore.
It was Lucas she wanted.
"Maya?"
She jumped. Lost in her thoughts, she hadn't heard the knocks on her window. She pinched her arm, trying to understand if she had heard right. It wasn't Riley's or Farkle's voice. It was Lucas'.
"Lucas?" She asked, moving closer to him. What was he doing here? He had made it pretty clear that he didn't want anything to do with her.
He hesitated before saying anything. "Do you mind if I sleep here tonight?" He asked.
"Of course not... But why?" She asked. The blonde moved even closer, her eyes searching for an answer in Lucas' seafoam eyes. She saw so many things she hadn't seen in a while in his eyes: distress, hurt, worry, and so much more.
"Nightmares." He simply said, taking off his shoes. Maya could tell that Lucas didn't want to speak about it, but she didn't care. She remembered a few years back, when Lucas had snuck into her room because of his night terrors. He had assured her a while after that they had stopped, but they had apparently come back.
Lucas took off his shirt, making his way to her bed. Seeing him act as if everything was the same made her heart beat faster. She watched him lie on her bed, and she hesitated before doing anything. Was she supposed to join him?
She decided against it, pulling out the mattress she kept under her bed for when Farkle or Riley spent the night and didn't feel like sleeping with her in her bed.
"What are you doing?" Lucas asked. Maya pulled out some sheets from her closet.
"Setting up my bed for the night."
"I can sleep on the mattress instead..." He proposed. The blonde shook her head and grabbed a pillow from her bed after finishing prepping the mattress. She lay on the mattress as Lucas sighed, and she couldn't help but wonder how terrifying his nightmare could have been for him to come to her for comfort. She thought he hated her.
Lucas couldn't stop shifting his position in the bed. He was comfortable for a second before he felt like he had to move again.
An hour later of Lucas making noise while shifting, Maya groaned and grabbed his hand. She intertwined her fingers with his and he immediately felt comfort take over him.
"Calm down. You're okay. You're safe." She reassured him.
He repeated her words in his head, taking a deep breath. He didn't let go of Maya's hand, feeling the need to hold her in some way to feel safe. And that was enough for now.
And that was the thirteenth night Lucas knocked on Maya's window.
