Of Course I Like You

Everything I Need To Know

[Monday Morning – Lockers]

Maya was looking through her locker for her history textbook and her sketchbook for art class, when she got a text. "Hey beautiful just wanted to say I hope you have an amazing day!" Her cheeks turned a bright shade of pink and she couldn't but smile until she noticed that the text wasn't from Josh, but from Lucas. She slammed her locker and walked over to Lucas. "What do you think you're doing?! We agreed! I'm with Josh! I'm happy, you have no right to do this!" Maya snapped at him. 

"Well hello to you too Hart!" Lucas was confused. Why was she so pissed at him? "What exactly don't I have the right to do?" 

"Don't play dumb!" Maya snapped again.

"NOT PLAYING!" He enunciated. Maya took her phone out of her pocket and showed him his text. "I didn't send you that... I don't even have my phone I left it at Riley's last night when I went over to check on her." 

"Oh." Maya said regretting everything she just said. "I'm going to kill Riley." She giggled awkwardly. "I'm sorry Lucas..." Lucas looked disappointed when Maya called him by his name. "What's wrong?" Maya asked concerned.

"I've missed hearing Huckleberry..." He replied while looking at his shoes. He looked up, "I've missed you." He slowly leaned in but Maya blocked him.

"Woah! Luc-Huckleberry, I can't. We can't! I'm with Josh and you're-"

"In love with you..." In those 4 syllables, Maya could feel her heart speeding up and skipping beats. Her breathing grew deeper and her focus shifted to Lucas' lips. She slowly leaned in closer and closer until-

"NO!" She stopped herself. "We said-"

"We said that if there was still a connection and we still wanted it to be there. Maya there's still a connection. I want it to be there and I know you do to." Lucas explained with pain in his eyes.

"Huckleb- I can't Lucas." She replied breathy. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she ran away leaving Lucas alone. He punched the closest locker to him and dented it. He held on to his throbbing knuckles and slid down to the floor.

➰

[Art Class]

"Alright today's assignment is to just paint! We have been doing a lot of paint this, paint that but today, I just want to see what's going through your head. Go ahead..." Maya opened her sketchbook. "Miss Hart, paint, not sketch." 

"I always sketch before I paint to get everything out of my system and then just let it all go on the canvas when I paint. You know that..." 

"Not this time. Paint only." The teacher walked away as Maya scoffed and rolled her eyes. She thought 'Whatever' to herself. She grabbed a blank canvas and paint. She painted and painted, all period, not even thinking about what she creating; just allowing herself to paint. "Time's up! Good class everyone. Clean up your area." The teacher made his way around the class with a neutral face for most of the artwork until he saw Maya's piece. "This is interesting Miss Hart. Who is this boy you painted?" 

"What?" Maya did a double take, she hadn't even realized she painted anything specific. "Woah..."

"So who is he?" The teacher asked again.

"It doesn't matter," she replied.

"Why?" He asked.

"Because this tells me everything I need to know..."

➰

[Josh's Dorm]

*KNOCK*KNOCK*KNOCK* Josh opened the door. "Hey beautiful!" Maya was holding her painting in her hand with a look of sadness on her face. "What's wrong?" Josh asked her concerned. She showed Josh her painting. 

"We were supposed to paint in class today, just paint, not even think about it and this is what I painted. I didn't even know what it was until the teacher pointed it out." Maya explained. 

"That's a picture of Lucas..." Josh said disappointed. 

"Yeah, we had a fight earlier today and I guess it just clouded my mind. I saw this and I felt so guilty and I had to tell you!" 

"Tell me what?"

"Me and Lucas had a moment. We didn't sleep together or-or kiss or anything but-"

"But you wanted to..." Josh finished her sentence with anger and sadness in his shaky and breathy voice.

"For a second!" She defended. "It doesn't matter though because I want to be with you Josh!"

"Why don't I believe you...?" He slowly walked towards his bed and sat down on the edge of it. Maya closed the door behind them and walked over to sit next to Josh. "Do you still have feelings for him?"

"I don't know. I don't care! I want to be with you. I love you." Maya said it in a way that was as if she was letting go of a breath she had been holding in forever. Josh just looked at her with eyes of love and pain and forgot everything.

His lips formed into a grin of unadulterated love and happiness, "I love you too, Maya!" He leaned in and kissed her. The kiss moved quickly into them laying down on the bed removing items of clothing. Josh stopped it, "Are you sure?"

Maya nodded her head and grinned, "I'm more than sure." She bit her bottom lip and continued to kiss Josh, only taking breaks to remove more clothing. 

➰

[Riley's Apartment]

Lucas dropped by Riley's house to pick up his phone. Riley was watching him pace back and forth as he thought about whether or not he should call Maya. "JESUS! Lucas just call her!"

"I want to but I'm getting a bad feeling..."

"What? Ok! UNIVERSE LISTEN UP! In the next 5 seconds send me a sign or Lucas has to call Maya! 5, 4, 3, 2-" *DING* Riley's phone went off with a text notification from Maya. "You have got to be kidding me!" Riley checked the text and her eyes widened. "Yeah maybe you shouldn't call Maya..." Riley giggled awkwardly.

"Why?" Lucas asked suspiciously. Riley shook her.

"Not telling..." Lucas grabbed Riley phone and checked the text. "No! Lucas don't! It's not a good-"

"She lost her virginity to him...?" 

"Idea." Riley said finishing her sentence. "Lucas, I'm so sorry."

"For what? It's not a big deal. He's her boyfriend. Why should it matter that the girl I'm in love with is in love with someone else? It's not a big deal." Lucas explained. "I should go. My mom's probably worried about me." Lucas ran out.

"Lucas?!" Riley chased after him but he was already gone. "Something you should know about your dad is that he's a lot like your Aunt Maya; tough but soft. But good news Parker-" The baby kicked, "Your dad loves your name." Riley said while rubbing her stomach.