No Love Songs For Shay

One Last Single

Chapter 1

One Last Single

"Hello?"

"SHAYSHAYSHAYSHAYSHAYSHAHSHAHSHAYSHAYSHAY--"

Shay McAnnley almost drops her phone on the ground.

"Maya, calm down. What's up?"

"BRENDAN KIESER JUST ASKED ME OUT I AM FREAKING OUT GET OVER HERE NOW!"

"Oh my gosh Maya! Okay, I'll be over in a second. It's like 5am 'yano."

"BUT THIS IS IMPORTANT COME RIGHT NOW!"

"Yeah yeah. See you in a minute."

Shay hangs up the phone and sighs heavily. Well, there goes her last single friend.

Shay had been the 'single' friend for as long as she could remember. She had never had a boyfriend in her 16 years. All her friends, pretty, popular, sweet, intelligent, had always been before her. Shay could only help but feel upset that the only other 'single' friend just got asked out.

Now she was truly alone.

Emily was the first of the bunch, kissing Nick Sanders behind the bleachers at lunch in 7th grade. Rikki, a little more modest, had a steady boyfriend for two years in grade 8 and 9. Issy got all the guys, but never stayed with one. Now Maya, the last single in their group was asked out and Shay, as usual, was left in the dust.

There was no reason for people not to like Shay, in fact, she knew they did. Long wavy hair, big hazel eyes and a radiant smile left people in awe. But somehow, she was the last single.

With a heavy sigh, Shay threw on her sweatshirt and ran across the street to Maya's house. They had been friends for years, when Shay moved in across the street in 6th grade. Never parted since.

She knocked once before Maya threw open the door and pulled Shay inside and up the stairs to her room. Bright pink and covered in fairy lights, Shay had to blink a few times to get used to the brightness. On her computer, Maya had set up a video stream. Shay walked over, confused.

"Why is this so exciting? I mean, it's great and all, but don't you think you're over reacting?"

"Not till you see this," she says quickly, clicking the space bar on her laptop.

A video of Brendan, Maya's long time crush pops onto the screen, and he's holding a guitar.

"Maya, I've liked you since grade 8 when you killed that wasp for everyone in the classroom. It sounds silly, but that day I knew you were something special. I've waited long enough to tell you how I feel," Brendan says to the camera shakily.

And then, he starts singing.

"Maya, You entrance me,

With your ginger hair and green eyes you posses me,

And all the things anyone's said don't matter anymore,

Because all I ask is that you give me a chance to love you...."

The song goes on like that for a minute and a half. "Wow," Shay thinks to herself, watching her best friend swoon, "he's actually pretty good. The song is terrible. But he's good."

Maya's face is lit up brighter than the lights on her walls.

When the song finally ends, Brendan asks Maya to the spring dance. She's already replied in the comments: "YES YES A MILLION TIMES YES!!!"

With a sigh and a gleam in her eye, she looks at Shay.

"So?"

"That was adorable. I'm so happy for you Maya."

Maya hugs Shay, hard.

"We'll get you a boyfriend Shay-Shay. Don't worry."

Shay sighs heavily but smiles through a distraught conscience.

"Guess that's it then," Shay says to herself.