dear peaches, | rilaya oneshots

the half of it

Zay Babineaux sent you 20$

Maya Hart glanced at the notification on her phone passively before shoving the device into her coat pocket and climbing onto her bike.

Zay had just paid her for writing his essay on themes of love and hope in the book The Remains of the Day.

It started off as a small thing for the 18 year old to make money on the side but word spread quickly and before she knew it, Maya had students lining up to pay her to write for them. The blonde didn't mind the whole cheating aspect, and besides, with a single mother operating their local train station for a living, she could really use the extra cash.

"Hey!... HEY!"

The deep voice echoed from behind her but Maya didn't bother turning around to see who it belonged too. It's not like they were trying to get her attention anyways, why would they?

She was used to being the wallflower, fading into the background and only talking when spoken to. For years, Maya couldn't wait to get out of this small town, leave it all behind and start fresh somewhere else. But that dream died quickly when she realized how fragile her mother would be without her.

Suddenly, Maya felt someone grab her, causing her to lose balance and tumble onto the ground. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" The girl was hot with anger, spinning around to yell at the person that tripped her.

Her eyes focused on the culprit while she waited for a response. Lucas Friar. Some jock on the football team. He wore a guilty expression on his face and for a moment, Maya almost felt bad for blowing up on him like that.

"Sorry. I'm sorry." He scrambled to pick her bike up and offered a hand to pull her up.

Maya dusted the dirt of her favourite pair of mom jeans and huffed in response. "What do you want, Huckleberry?"

The taller boy stared blankly back at her as if he had forgotten what he knocked her bike over for.

"I- uh I need your help."

He fiddled with his fingers nervously and Maya quirked an eyebrow at him, waiting for what he had to say. "Will you help me write a love letter to Riley Matthews?"

Her eyes widened in response. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Maya had seen Riley around at school. Of course she had.

Riley was the sweet, popular girl that everybody loved. She would be lying to herself if she said she hadn't briefly crushed on her like everyone else had. But this was a small town and people talked. Maya was foolish to even let the thought cross her mind. Not to mention, Riley's father is the town's local pastor. There's no way she would even have an ounce of interest for a girl like Maya who didn't believe in God, let alone a girl.

Maya shook her head quickly, dismissing the idea all at once. "What?! No. Are you insane? I only do school assignments. Don't try to get me involved in your pathetic love life. Write it yourself."

"I've tried! I'm not very good with words, but I know you are. I saw the essay you wrote for Zay on the topic of love, Maya, the way you write, it's-...," His voices trailed off, looking for the right word. "-it's special."

Maya wasn't sure if she could handle this emotionally. The thought of writing love letters to the girl she has feelings for seemed far too intimate and exposing, even if she would be hiding behind someone else's words. Maya's gaze lowered to the ground. Her voice was much softer now than it was a few minutes before.