Disclaimer I do not own Girl Meets World.

Chapter 5: Stayed the Day

OPEN UP!

Her words. The loudest of her scream, repeated itself over and over in her head. Ringing endlessly in her ear. Here she sat, on a small cot in the nurse's office, awaiting her fate. She felt lonely, despite the other lingering presence that sat within an arm's length away.

"Maya..."

"Shut up" she replied. Along with he, she caught herself off guard. After her command, Lucas kept his silence and no words were exchanged. Her unclear, hazy memory could not grasp the past, and she didn't want to ask what happened. But she needed to know. The door opened and in stepped Mr. Matthews, along with the principal. Their faces were serious, grim, unwelcoming to Maya's eyes. She caught Mr. Mathews' glance at the principal, which quickly got him to leave. Lucas looked from the teacher to his friend, feeling awkward in the place he was put in.

"Lucas, go wait outside" Mr. Matthews directed. Lucas sent one last glance Maya's way and left before she could say anything else.

"Mr. Matthews-"
"I called your mother," Mr. Matthews began. He looked at her long enough to see her forming words, disappear as her lips closed. "I couldn't talk to her for long, but she has given you permission to go home."

"Maya do you want to go home?"

She looked up towards him, but quickly she looked back down.

"No. I'm fine staying here" Maya replied. His eyes questioned her, unsureness mixed with soothing brown. Maya took in a shaky breath and added, "I'll be okay. There's only a two more periods to go anyway" Maya tried a small smile. Smiling a smile of his own, Mr. Matthews helped her off the cot. She waved to him before slowly making her way to her next class. As the door of the nurse's room came to a close, overhead the bell rang signalling the start of class.

The doors opened, students pouring out from everywhere. Maya felt lost in the midst of the crowd of swarming teens and kids. She pushed her way pass many, and after an agonizing long while, made it out of the sea. She grabbed an open seat on the nearby benches and her eyes started to search among the crowd. Seconds turned to minutes, minutes that added up. The number of students leaving and pouring out lessened, and she became the few lingering the grounds on a Friday afternoon. Scanning the area one more time, Maya decided that she must have missed him.

With a sigh, Maya got up to leave. As she turned away, she stopped herself, catching something in the corner of her eye. Maya turned back to face the school doors, opening. Lucas' profile was soon seen, his backpack swinging on one of his shoulders. As his eyes looked out at the leaf covered side walk, his eyes landed on her.

Her breathing stopped. The air clawing its way out of her lungs before she had even taken in a breath to fill them. As their eyes locked, she felt something, although the distance between them. Her eyes followed him, as he walked down the stairs and headed to her, closer with every step.

She continued to stare when he was standing in front of her, nervous rubbing the back of his neck.

"Are you, okay?"

Maya directed her eyes towards him, hoping that he understood her with just the way her green eyes showed.

"Maya?"

"I'm okay" Maya replied softly, tearing her eyes from him. Clearing her throat she continued, "I was just thinking, maybe we could do some more research on the project?" Lucas looked at her, and he thought a little before he answered.

"Okay, let's go to the library"

-x-

Small piles of magazines and thick books surrounded the two. Taking out their notebooks, they each jotted down notes as they read, exchanges words once in a while. Maya found herself looking at the book more so then reading it. Words from page to page, became repetitive. Her eyes skimmed the pages, while the pencil in her hand never wrote anything down. Meanwhile, across from her, Lucas' head was buried deep with in a book about Earth's gravity.

He takes forever to read one page...

Maya took that into note, as she saw his focused eyes move with each word he read. A small smile crept upon her lips as she saw so. Looking at him a little longer, she saw the way his hair was combed to the right. How his brow furrowed, when he concentrated.

Her startled eyes looked up to his face as he closed the book loudly, ending it. Her eyes came to his face, just as his came to hers.

"You have anything?" Lucas asked, glancing towards the open notebook by her books.
"Um..m.." Maya stuttered, eyes glancing back and forth from the book to her barely filled notebook.

Lucas got out of his chair, and came to stand behind her, looking down from above. She didn't need to look at his face to know the unsure look she was getting. Closing her eyes, Maya spoke up softly.

"I couldn't find anything to write down..."
"That's o-" the beeping of his watch cut him short, ending his reassurance.

"I've got to go" Lucas told her, walking back to his seat to get his coat, back pack and some books. Maya couldn't find anything to say, although she wished he stayed longer. All she could do, was accept it and pack her things just like he did. At least together, they walked out of the library.

Walking along the street, a chilly breeze swept through the air, blowing away a few leaves that loosely clung to the branches of the trees. Maya rubbed her arms up and down, having forgotten her sweater in school. She continued walking on, taking notice of Lucas' stopped steps after she had taken more then a few steps in front of him.

Or it could have been the fact that she grabbed his wrist.

"You're cold"

She struggled slightly in his grasp, but he pulled her towards a nearby store. Her feet were forced to follow the direction they were pulled in. They jogged towards the front of the store, where when standing in front of the window, Maya could feel the heat of the inside trying to escape. It warmed her up, as his hand held on to her wrist. But just as the thought came, it faded, as his hand let go of hers.

"Here do this" he directed. Lucas then put his hands in front of each other, almost like he was about to clap, but he rubbed them together breathing heat into them as they parted. Maya stared at him oddly, confused on why he had to show her so slowly.

"Do you know how to do it?" Lucas asked.
"Of course I know" Maya replied and did as she saw.

For a while the two stood like that, feeling the warmth of the pizzeria touch their backs.

"Hey Lucas" Maya began.
"Yeah"
"Thanks."
"For what?"
"Just for..."

Once again, silence was broken by an all too familiar sound. Lucas' curious eyes turned to look at the watch on his hand and turn off the alarm.

"For?"

"What is that alarm even for?" Maya suddenly asked. Bothered greatly she was by the timing the alarm had.
"Um..um"
"Lucas" Maya said strongly, no longer leaning on the window of the store. He let out a sigh besides her before he spoke.

"You and I..."
A trailed off sentence, with a big wide gap.
"You hate me, don't you Maya?" Lucas asked, green eyes boring into her.
"What..what do you mean?" she said. Her voice was beginning hard to control.

"Hate...Hate is pretty strong. What I mean is...You don't..never liked me. Right?"
Maya kept her silence.
"...This alarm rings every two hours. I time myself so you don't have to spend so much time with me."
"But I like hanging out with you" Maya blurted out.

Lucas looked at her wide eyed in shock.
"I..um.."
"You like hanging out with me?" Lucas asked, controlled shock with every word.

Just get it over with.

Taking in a comforting breath, Maya looked at Lucas. It was only for a second that they held each others' gaze.

"Lucas...I..actually don't hate you"

"I like you" Maya said, voice shaking. Her eyes looked up to his face, where Lucas looked back a small smile on his face. She caught the soft 'oh' come out of his mouth. "Like, like you" she continued, verifying with her tone of voice different.

"I'm glad, you like me" He said, the same tone used for 'like'. Looking into his eyes, she was happy to see that he understood her idea.

"And I'm..I'm sorry" Maya added.
"Sorry?"
"Sorry about snapping at you earlier. It was just-"
"Its okay Maya" Lucas reassured, a smile spreading across his face. His reassuring eyes looked over her with an added nod.

He caught her by surprise with a hug that came out of nowhere.

A smile spread across her face, as she returned his surprise.

The End.
I hope every one found that enjoyable, and Happy Ending Happiness. :D
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And for now, I bid you farewell, and hope to see all of you soon. :) Much Love, PBL.