Non-Native New Yorker

" Are you sure about this?" Katie asked for what seemed like the millionth time that day. Maya let out a heavy sigh. Her mother had been pestering her with that question since they crossed the state line into New York.

"Yes, mother" Maya responded, heaving a box up from her bedroom floor, and onto her bed to unpack.

"It's just that-" Katie began again, but this time she was cut off by her new husband.

" Give it a rest Kat. She's going to be fine." Shawn promised, ruffling Maya's hair as he dropped off another box on the cramped bedroom floor.

"Thank you!" Maya exclaimed exasperated, blowing a strand of her long blonde hair out of her face and looking in the boxes in search of her sheets.

This had been an argument for almost a year now. Ever since Maya had decided that she wanted to go to art school in New York City, her mother had been trying to talk her out of it. It wasn't that Katie was one of those parents that thought that something like art school was impractical or a waste of money, Katie had always encouraged Maya to follow her dreams, no matter what they were. It was the idea that Maya wanted to go to the city. Katie had moved her young daughter out of New York City when Maya was a baby. They'd moved out to a small town in Massachusetts where Katie thought her daughter would be much safer.

While small-town life was safer, it was also much much more boring. Maya craved so much more than 2 stoplights and a movie theatre that always ran a few weeks behind. So when junior year rolled around, and the high school counsellors started laying out pamphlets for dozens of colleges across the country, and Maya had snapped up endless glossy packets with pictures of skyscrapers across their pages. It didn't take much decision to know what Maya wanted to do after high school. She spent all of her free time in the old run-down barn that had come on the land when her mother had bought their farmhouse when Maya was in the second grade. Katie had given Maya free reign in the barn after she got frustrated with Maya monopolizing the dining room table with all of her projects.

Maya felt slightly less guilty about leaving her mother now that Katie was married. Shawn was a photographer that Katie met showing him a cabin at a lake a few miles from their small town. Katie had been a real estate agent since Maya was in elementary school, but this was the first time that she had come home from a showing glowing and babbling on about the nicest guy who was looking at a fishing cabin at the third straight lake. Maya had never known her mother to date, but suddenly Katie was going out every other night and before Maya had time to truly realize what was happening, she was standing next to her mother at the alter as maid of honour. Maya was so used to not having a father around, that it took a while to get used to coming downstairs in the morning to find a grown man sitting at her breakfast table, eating cereal and offering her advice on her college applications. The newness faded fast and Shawn quickly and easily fit into their family. Two became three.

"There are so many nice art schools in Massachusetts!" Katie persisted.

"It's not about that mom," Maya answered again, finally unearthing her sheets and tossing them on the bed, crawling across the mattress so she could tuck in the fitted sheet.

"Is it me?" Katie asked desperately. This was a tactic she hadn't tried yet, and it hit Maya like a dagger to the heart. Her mother was the person that Maya was closest to in the world, and Maya hated to think that her mother thought she wanted to get away from her.

"Mom-" Maya began, but she was saved by Shawn re-entering the tiny bedroom.

"Hey now," He started, wrapping his arms around Katie.

"There is no need to play dirty" Shawn chastised. Shawn had pulled out his phone and had quickly typed out a message.

" Cory texted me, they're going to be here in a few minutes."

Ridley Fine Art college didn't have student housing, so Maya was moving into a tiny two-bedroom apartment that she would be sharing with the daughter of Shawns best friend from childhood.

All that Maya knew about the girl was that her name was Riley and from the sound of it, she was a bit of a wallflower. Riley had decided to get an apartment close to her college campus rather than stay in the dorms because she was afraid it would be too much of a party atmosphere. That fact had made Maya nervous that their apartment might be too much of a study atmosphere.

When the Matthews arrived, it became clear that six people and a ton of boxes were too much for the tiny apartment. So after a quick hello, Maya's group excused themselves with promises of meeting later for dinner.

Maya and her parents walked the short route that would be Maya's walk to school. They lingered in the book store after Maya had picked up all her supplies, and Katie, who could not contain her excitement insisted on buying Maya so much school-sponsored apparel that Maya was bound to look like a walking collegiate advertisement. After the sweatshirt, T-shirt, sweat pants, water bottle, lanyard, and mug all emboldened with the Ridely College name and crest were all loaded in her arms, Maya finally put her foot down.

"Really mom, I don't need a school flag, you're going to max out your master card if you keep this up." Maya joked. Katie just rolled her eyes and pulled Maya into the queue for the checkout.

Dinner that night started out a little awkward for Maya and her new roommate. Shawn had grown up with both of Riley's parents and their little group talked so fast and with such enthusiasm that it was hard to keep up. Katie seemed to fit in just fine among them, laughing at jokes Maya was positive she didn't quite understand but seemed to enjoy anyway. This left Maya and Riley left out. Seated together at one end of the dinner table, Maya had been picking apart a bread roll just to keep herself busy. Eventually, the two found common ground. Something both of them could easily and happily take part in was making fun of their parents.

By the end of the dinner, Maya was feeling slightly more confident about her living situation. If she was able to laugh with this Riley girl, surely she would be able to cohabitate with her. After dinner, and few tears from their mothers, Maya and Riley were left alone in their apartment for the first time. Their minuscule common living space was only enough to accommodate a squishy couch and a tiny table and chair. Their kitchen looked more like a closet and the bathroom that they were going to be sharing would allow for you to pee, shower, and wash your hands all at the same time.

Maya's room wasn't all that bad. It had two decent sized dome windows that lead out onto a fire escape. A double bed was squished into one corner against one of the windows and a decent drawing desk against another wall. Maya had just enough space to set up an easel and a skinny set of drawers for her supplies. She didn't have all that much clothing so it all fit easily into the tiny closet. All of her books were another issue. She stacked up a pile by her bed to act as a wobbly bedside table and a few more onto the window sile. The rest she had to stuff under her bed. Maybe she would be able to install a few shelves at some point. She'd tacked up a single drawing that she'd done. It felt a little narcissistic to hang up her own work, but that one line drawing was something that Maya was honestly proud of. It was also one piece of art that she had never posted to her Instagram. Maya had a mild following on the page where she posted her art, only a few thousand people, and she hated how much that tiny bit of validation made her feel good. Art wasn't about being popular, but it still gave Maya a little surge of glee to know that someone besides her mother and her high school art teacher thought that she was any good.

There was a soft knock on her bedroom door.

"Maya?" Riley's soft voice called, cracking open the door and peering around it.

" I'm making tea. Did you want any?" Maya looked at Riley's innocent and eager face and felt her heart melt. Maya let a warm smile spread across her face.

"Sure" She answered, walking out into the tiny living room to join her new friend.

They sat on their tiny couch together for a few hours, their conversation flowing a lot easier than Maya ever thought that they would. Eventually, Riley's eyes began to droop and she wished Maya a good night as she slipped off to her bedroom and shut the door softly behind her. It was a little after 11:30 and Maya wasn't even remotely tired. Back at home she worked in her barn/ art studio hours into the night, and only slept for a few hours when she physically couldn't keep her eyes open anymore.

It was late August and the apartment was hot and stuffy. Maya hadn't been able to turn down the kind offer of tea from Riley and had gulped down the hot drink. Maya wanted to go outside but the thought of her mother finding out that she'd gone outside at night by herself on her very first night in New York City, she would have probably had an aneurism. So Maya resigned herself back to her bedroom. A bright smile spread across her face when she caught sight of her window and remembered the access she had to a fire escape.

Maya scrambled over her bed and yanked up the window. The air outside wasn't that much cooler than the air in her room, but Maya was happy for the relief none the less. Maya leaned against the railing and stared out over the city that she could hardly believe was now her home.

Suddenly the grate above her shook and Maya jumped in surprise. Her head snapped up and she saw what was the cause of the movement. A tall lanky brown-haired boy had climbed out onto the fire escape above her. Sensing she was standing there, the boy glanced down at her. Maya felt suddenly self-conscious.

"Oh um, sorry," Maya said instinctually as if this was his fire escape and she was intruding. God, she felt so stupid. She was about to duck back in her window and vow never to climb out it again when the boy above her spoke.

"Hey, you're Maya right?"

Maya paused for a second, taken aback by hearing her name out of this guy's lips. The boy had walked around to sit at the top of the stairs that lead down to Maya's landing of the escape. Now that Maya wasn't looking up at him through thick stripes of metal she could see what this guy really looked like. Shit. He was cute. His brown hair and large blue eyes made something in Maya's stomach flip.

" I thought no one knew their neighbours in new york?" Maya began cautiously, instinctively running her fingers through her too long blonde hair. The guy's face cracked into an amused smile. Maya's stomach gave another pang. He really was cute.

"Generally no" He conceded.

"But this special circumstance. I'm Riley's uncle." He explained. Maya crinkled her nose. The boy laughed.

"I've seen that look before. I was whoops baby. Cory is 18 years older than me."

"That would explain it." Maya allowed.

"My living upstairs was one of the conditions of my sister in law letting Riley move out. If a unit hadn't opened up in this building I'm pretty sure that Topanga would have physically restrained Riley in the house. " The boy half-joked. Maya smirked.

" So you're what? A baby sitter?" Maya poked. The words were out of Maya's mouth before she realized what she was doing. She was most definitely flirting. She wasn't used to that. She wasn't really a flirter by trade. The guy smiled wider at her.

" I guess you could call it that." The guy allowed.

" Am I under surveillance too?" Maya teased, now that she had started she couldn't help herself. The guy smirked back.

"It's a blanket policy so" His eyes gleamed at her. He got back to his feet and walked down a few steps in her direction.

"I've been extremely rude thus far. I'm Josh" He introduced himself, extending his arm to her. Maya walked up a step and took his hand. She couldn't remember the last time she had shaken a hand. Maybe the year before at her Ridely interview?

The guy, Josh's, hand was warm in hers.

" Maya" She introduced herself before she remembered that he knew her name.

"But I guess that you already knew that." Maya amended, letting Josh's hand fall from her own.

"I'll see you around then." Maya offered, turning to climb back through her window.

" I'll see you around" Josh answered, a sideways smile on his face as he turned to climb back towards his own apartment.