Always Deny, Never Admit

College Kids Are Weird

* (Extra Long Chapter Special)

Crunch.

That was the first noise Maya heard as her heavy winter boots crushed the autumn leaves along the forest trail.

Her hair was tied into a neat braid that ran down her back.

She had a tight grip on the straps of her backpack, as if it would fall off of her back if she happened to let go. The sun was bright today and it's rays peeked through the changing leaves, occasionally blinding her.

A few steps ahead she could see her best friend, practically as much of a ray of sunshine as the ones blurring her vision.

Riley was skipping happily, humming a tune that Maya didn't recognize.

Behind her Maya could see Farkle, reading a book on the classification of rare insects while walking slowly at the same time.

Lucas was to her left, dodging Smackle every once in a while as Zay attempted to protect him.

Last, but not least, Josh was standing to her right. A few feet away from her, he didn't say much as they walked. She thought it might've been her fault, until she realized that his face looked lost in thought, like hers often did.

Maya didn't bother him, and she didn't start a conversation. Instead she looked ahead and kept walking, listening to the sound of Riley's humming and crisp crunch of the leaves beneath her feet.

Her train of thought was lost when she unintentionally bumped into Riley who had stopped walking.

She took a step back to see why her bubbly best friend stopped.

"Peaches, it's so pretty!" Maya heard Riley exclaim, her mouth gaping like a child.

Maya looked up to see a a gorgeous wooden cabin ahead of them, with dark wood and two chairs on a wrap around porch.

The windows were large and let plenty of sunlight in.

"Wow." Maya breathed out, loosening her grip on the straps of her backpack.

The group inched their way closer to the cabin, everyone in awe of it's size.

"I did not know my friend was loaded." Maya heard Josh laugh out, as he knocked on the door.

Josh had invited the gang to come to a cabin that his friend owned, and Maya jumped at the opportunity. Of course, she didn't show it, but she wanted to go so badly.

The door swung open, revealing a young man in jeans and a solid t-shirt that looked too big for him. His sandy blonde hair was short and his wire rimmed glasses didn't quite fit his round face.

"Josh!" The young man said, shaking Josh's hand roughly.

"Tyler, good to see you." Josh said, flashing a grin as everyone slowly piled inside.

Patterned carpets were spread along the floor and gorgeous hardwood was placed everywhere. A set of spiral stairs were visible in the corner that must've led up to the bedrooms.

Maya slipped off her boots, letting her feet breathe for the first time in four hours.

"Welcome high schoolers, and Josh." Tyler said gesturing out to the cabin. A tall redhead walked down from the stairs and into the living room where they stood.

"Hey teenagers!" She teased, flipping one side of her hair behind her shoulder. Her nose was long and narrow and her lips were round and tightly pressed together in a sort of smile.

"I'm Hannah, Tyler's girlfriend." Hannah explained, giving Tyler a kiss on the mouth that lasted a little too long for comfort.

It wasn't until Josh cleared his throat that they pulled away, breathless and embarrassed. They smiled apologetically at everyone.

Maya laughed awkwardly as Riley looked at the ground.

It was gonna be a long weekend.