Crimsonwings92: Hey there! Hi there! Ho there! Wow, I can't believe I have 80 freaking reviews! AH! I'm so excited, you have no idea! I know it's been a long time since my last chapter, but I'm trying, you guys! I really am. Things are coming to a head with this story and the coming drama is going to be…so much fun to write, I can't even tell you, haha. But, for now, have yourselves a semi-fluffy and cute chapter 11 of A Frosty Season.

Acknowledgements: DoctorWhotaliaandtheOlympians, Nellie, XXTakaraXX, and TarundoruSlap. Thank you all for your reviews and for pushing it up to 80! I still can't get over that, ah!

Disclaimer: Rise of the Guardians is owned by Dreamworks with the original creator/author being William Joyce. I don't claim anything, but the storyline.

A Frosty Season

Chapter 11: Kitchen Goods

My name is Keri, I'm so very
Fly oh my, it's a little bit scary
Boys wanna marry, looking at my derrière
And you can stare but if you touch it Imma bury

Pretty as a picture
Sweeter than a swisher
Mad 'cause I'm cuter than the girl that's with you
I don't gotta talk about it baby you can see it
But if you want I'll be happy to repeat it

The beat dropped in the song, the bass taking over and thumping through the speakers, causing the two girls working at the kitchen island to giggle and sing along while dancing to the beat. Little Malcolm clapped his hands out of tune with the song, the child none the wiser for it as he then waved his arms above his head, making Jack, his white haired companion, laugh and tickle his sides. Maya and Emma smiled at each other, the older girl taking up the wooden spoon she had been using and holding it to her mouth, using it as a microphone.

"My name is Keri! I'm so very fly, oh my, it's a little bit scary- take it, Emma!" She held the spoon out to Emma, who took it in her hands and continued.

"Boys wanna marry! Looking at my derriere! You can stare, but if you touch it, Imma bury!"

"Pretty as a picture! Sweeter than a swisher! Mad 'cause I'm cuter than the girl that's with ya!"

"I don't gotta talk about it, baby you can see it! But, if you want, I'll be happy to repeat it!"

Coming together, the two females harmonized, "All eyes on me when I walk in! No question that this girl's a ten! Don't hate me 'cause I'm beautiful! Don't hate me 'cause I'm beautiful! My walk, my talk, the way I drip! It's not my fault, so please don't trip! Don't hate me 'cause I'm beautiful! Don't hate me 'cause I'm beautiful!"

Eventually, the two fell out of harmony with each other as the song continued without them, Emma and Maya falling into fits of laughter as they then returned to the island. It was Thursday afternoon and Maya, along with Malcolm, was at the Frost residence for a weekly visit, figuring it was time for her little cousin to have a bit of a play date with Emma again. Not only that, but she had promised the eleven year old that she would help her bake chocolate chip cookies for the pot luck her class was having on Friday and the kitchen was showing the product of their efforts: bowls and measuring cups and spoons used for mixing the dough covered the surface of the kitchen island and the heat from the oven was drifting above them. Flour dusted the countertops and runaway chocolate chip pieces were scattered here and there; a platter full of chocolate chip cookies sat off to the side, three dozen cookies being the product of the girls' hard work.

Jack, who had been ordered to keep away from the platter of cookies since he had a sweet tooth for them, agreed to play Malcolm's baby sitter, which was the only option he had if he wished to stay in the kitchen at all. As much as Maya was sweet and kind, when she meant business, she meant business and there was no way she was going to let her boyfriend ruin three hours' worth of work for his sweet tooth. Jack didn't have a problem with it, though, because he was getting more than his fill of sweetness by watching his girlfriend bustle around the kitchen with his little sister, whipping together batch after batch of cookies, and dancing to the music that played from his iHome.

That was his favorite part, to be honest; watching that deliciously full, curvy body sway back and forth, her rounded hips swinging from side to side provocatively. The white haired teen had no idea his head was tilting to the side, mesmerized by Maya's movements, until he had to snap it upright when Malcolm, for one reason or another, smacked him in the forehead. Jack gasped and looked towards the child with a scandalized look on his face.

"Hey! Malcolm!" he exclaimed, rubbing his forehead, "You're supposed to let me stare, buddy! That's what bros do! They're supposed to let each other stare!"

The little boy simply giggled into his hands and clapped them excitedly over his head. Maya's laughter caught Jack's attention, his blue eyes swerving to meet her hazel-green ones as they stared at him, an amused smirk on her face.

"Uh huh, that's what you get for being perverted in front of my cousin," she reprimanded him, waving the cookie-dough covered spoon in his direction, "Even he knows that's not okay."

"Yeah, Jack! Especially since you're also doing it in front of your eleven year old sister," Emma pointed out with her hands on her little hips and her eyebrow quirked up.

"Can you blame a guy for appreciating perfection?" Jack retorted smoothly, propping his elbow on the table top and placing his chin in the palm of his hand before gazing at his girlfriend with a playfully sexy look, his eyebrows wiggling.

Even though she knew he was just joking, Maya couldn't stop her cheeks from heating up, the young teen turning away from him while muttering, "Darn it, Jack, you make it impossible to scold you."

"That's usually the plan, sweetheart."

Maya only giggle and rolled her eyes, noting how his use of pet names for her had increased the past couple of weeks, not that it was necessarily a bad thing. Jack noticed how bashful she grew after his comment, his grin widening considerably as his heart skipped a beat; Maya's shy smile never ceased to make his heart flutter on account that it was purely adorable. Emma looked between her brother and his girlfriend with a perplexed expression before she sighed loudly and shook her head, gazing up at Maya.

"You fall for that way too easily," she stated, making her teen friend snort with restrained laughter.

"I know. I just can't help it," Maya responded with a flutter of her eyelashes, "But be prepared because one day, you will be in the same predicament where you can't help it either."

"Uh, no she won't," Jack immediately intercepted, sitting up straighter as his eyebrows furrowed seriously, "She's not going to be anywhere near this kind of predicament. We already came to an agreement: no dating until after she's married!"

"This isn't The Proud Family, Jack. That kind of logic doesn't work in the real world," Maya countered.

"After she's married!" Jack emphasized.

"Jack, that doesn't make any sense. How can I marry someone unless I date them first? I won't even know if I like them," Emma reasoned, her words falling on deaf ears.

"After she's married!"

"But-"

"After!"

"That doesn't-"

"AFTER!"

Maya and Emma stared at Jack with narrowed, humorless eyes, the young man staring between them while keeping Malcolm entertained when the child decided to start poking at his face. The two girls merely rolled their eyes and shook their heads, going back to placing the last few mounds of cookie dough on the baking sheet while Maya grinned to herself.

"If you're this paranoid with Emma, I can only imagine what you're going to be like with a daughter of your own," she stated nonchalantly, giggling at the girl beside her before the two of them each took a spoonful of dough in their hands, rolled it a little and then placed it on the pan.

Jack, who had been on a roll with quick retorts, found himself tongue-tied for a moment. A daughter of his own? He hadn't truly thought of that before now…he hadn't truly thought of having children at all until now. Sure, he had voiced before that he wanted a family one day, but he hadn't really reflected on the idea since then. However, now, as he looked at Maya humming a new song while Emma actually sang the words, the little girl gazing up at her companion admirably, he was actually starting to imagine it for once. He saw a small child, a girl child, with caramel colored skin and big blue-green eyes. Her hair would be long…he wanted her hair to be long, and while he would still love that child if her hair were snow white like his, he would prefer if it were dark and curly like her mother's-

Jack stopped immediately again, his face suddenly rivaling a cherry. Like her mother's? Like…Like Maya's? Because that's exactly who he was thinking of; the image of the child would resemble very closely to Maya. Where on Earth was all this coming from?! Jack shook his head, trying to rid himself of such idealism, especially since he was in the presence of said mother of his future childr…

'STOP IT!' the white haired lad berated himself as he clenched his eyes shut.

Luckily for him, his thoughts were finally interrupted when Emma's excited laughter rang through the air, the little brunette girl bouncing on the tips of her toes as she gazed at the small mounds of cookie dough Maya was spreading out on the baking sheet, the last batch to go into the oven.

"I can't believe we made so many cookies! My class is going to love this!" she shouted with glee, throwing her arms in the air and then wrapping them around the older girl's waist, "Thank you so much for helping me, Maya!"

"It was my pleasure, beautiful," Maya replied with a gentle smile, wrapping her arm around Emma's shoulders and holding her close before reaching for an already baked cookie and handing it to the little brunette, "Now you're sure no one in your class is allergic to chocolate chip cookies?"

"I'm pretty positive, though I'm not 100% sure. Even if someone is, they should know better than to eat the cookies and it's not like that's the only food we'll have there," Emma replied, taking the cookie from Maya and nibbling on it, "Someone else is supposed to bring cake and there's going to be fruit and chips and dip and our teacher is ordering pizza!"

"Sounds like it's going to be fun," Maya laughed as she took up another cookie and held it out in her cousin's direction, "Malcolm, come get a cookie!"

The little boy, wasting no time whatsoever, crawled down from his seat beside Jack and scampered across the kitchen tile to his dear cousin who then held the cookie low for him to take. He took the confectionary into his hands and stuck it in his mouth happily, looking up at Maya with a big smile around the cookie that made her laugh.

"Emma, I can handle the last batch of cookies, so why don't you take Malcolm and go play a game or something?" the teen suggested.

The eleven year old nodded and took Malcolm's hand, "Okay! Come on, little buddy. Let's go have some fun!"

"Yay! Fun!" Malcolm repeated, as he tended to do often, and followed along beside his friend as the two of them left the kitchen in search of something else entertaining to do.

This left Maya and Jack as the remaining souls in the kitchen, the young man still on orders to remain in his chair lest he distract the pretty ebony girl so much that the last batch never gets done. Even though he wished he could join her, he knew he only had to wait a few more minutes before she joined him at the table. Maya turned down the music that had been playing and scooped up the last three mounds of cookie dough to place them on the baking pan. Once done, she lifted the pan and carried it over to the oven, opening the door, squinting her eyes when the heat blasted her in the face, and sliding it onto the rack. She flipped the oven door up to close it, set the timer and sighed with her accomplishments, gingerly biting on the tips of her fingers to scrape off the excess dough. When her hazel eyes drifted over in Jack's direction, she paused and felt her heart skip a beat or two when she caught him gazing at her with a heartwarming smile stretched across his face.

She smiled, "Okay…I guess you've been good enough. You kept Malcolm well occupied so that Emma and I could bake. I suppose you deserve a reward."

She plucked two cookies from the platter, one for herself and one for Jack, and then made her way over to the table. A giggle left her lips for as soon as her butt touched the seat, the white haired youth reached over, gripped the edge of the chair with his long fingers, and then pulled his darker lover close to him, so close that the seats crashed into each other and his arm could comfortably drape over the back of Maya's chair. The young female smiled as she broke off a piece of the warm confectionary and brought it up Jack's mouth where said boy wrapped his fingers around her wrist to hold it steady while he closed his lips around the tips of her fingers, taking the piece of baked good into his mouth.

"How does it taste?" Maya asked curiously, crossing her ankles over each other as she took a bite of her own cookie.

Jack spent a moment or two savoring the delicious flavor of the treat, swallowing it down and bending his head to brush his lips over the apple of her cheek, "Delicious…sweet, but I can guarantee you that you're much…much sweeter."

"Jack…" Maya said with another giggle as she turned to face him, only to feel his nose brush against her own before his lips were claiming hers.

She inhaled slowly, letting her fingers inch their way up from his jaw to settle against his cheek, her thumb caressing the pale skin gently as her lips softly played against his own. Jack took possession her lips in a multitude of sweet yet passionate kisses, his tongue lightly, slowly, tracing the line of her supple mouth before diving into its depths for a better taste, the sweetness of the cookie she had been divulging in drawing over his taste buds. His pale hand lifted to card through her dark locks of hair, slender fingers tangling in the soft tresses at the nape of her neck and tugging her closer as Maya's own digits slipped down to his chest where they loosely clutched at the material of his plaid, button-up shirt.

Jack would have loved to stay happily lost in the taste of his sweetheart, craving more of her touch against his skin and her soft lips against his own, but when a certain…er…'stirring' down below the belt started to become more and more noticeable, he deemed it the appropriate time to stop before things got out of hand. He pulled back from her, groaning in disappointment despite the action being one of his own doing, and leaned his forehead against hers. He felt her breath against his lips as she panted slightly, a sign that she had enjoyed it just as much as he had, and smiled proudly.

"Sorry, Maya," he breathed, chuckling when those beautiful hazel-green eyes gazed up at him dazedly and kiss-swollen lips pecked at his own kindly, "It's not you…well, actually, it kind of is you."

"…What's that supposed to mean?" she asked him once his words actually sank in, her brow furrowing while a feeling of self-consciousness started to grow in her chest and she almost shrank into herself.

Jack realized how bad that sounded and gave a short laugh before tilting her head up to kiss her nose, "That's not what I meant, haha! It's you in a good way. You're…uh…"

Maya raised an eyebrow expectantly at him, noting the way he suddenly trailed off and blushed a sweet rosy color; "I what?" she asked, staring at him.

The lad could feel his blush intensifying as he averted his eyes to the table top, lightly rapping his knuckles on the brown surface, "You're…kind of…turning me on."

There was a pause for only a beat; "…Oh," Maya said, her eyebrows lifting with interest.

"Yeah…"

"So that's why…"

"Uh huh…"

"…Was it every time?"

"Every time after our second kiss, yes."

Maya slowly nodded her head in understanding, a loose black curl falling in the middle of her forehead as she looked about at her surroundings. Then, afterwards, her shoulders shrugged as she gave a short laugh that she caught in her hand. Jack, blushing more freely now, ruffled her hair in retaliation.

"Don't laugh at me, Maya! It's not funny!" he scolded her, none too serious at all.

She gave a cry and popped her head free from his grasp, "I'm not laughing at you! I'm laughing because…well, because that's the best compliment I've gotten thus far! I actually turned a guy on…a hot guy…with the last name 'Frost'. The irony! I fall in love with it every time!"

Jack sighed and shook his head before propping his elbow up on the table again and placing his chin in the palm of his hand, looking off into the distance for only a moment. The small silence was interrupted when he heard his cell phone's ringer go off and he fished around in his pocket for the device before pulling it out and looking down at the screen. At the same time, he saw Maya shifting around a little bit and he glanced over to see her hovering closer to him, her neck stretching out discreetly with her eyes practically glued to his pants.

"Hey! Stop trying to look!" he ordered, his sudden exclamation making her flinch when she was caught then laugh as she shrugged.

"What? I'm curious. Every girl gets curious as to how big her guy is every now and then," she retaliated, averting her eyes to the side slyly as she bit into her cookie, "…Especially after he tells her that she's turning him on."

"Right now is not the appropriate time to have this discussion primarily because there are little ears that could be listening and I don't feel like explaining to my eleven year old sister what is meant by 'how big her guy is'," Jack retorted, grinning when Maya just rolled her eyes and looked away while nibbling on her cookie before he gazed down at his screen again to see who text him, "Oh, it's from Holly."

'Hey, Frost Boy! It's already Thorsday! Did you ask your 'girlfriend' to go bowling with us tomorrow yet? That's assuming that you actually HAVE a girlfriend.'

Jack felt the corner of his lips curl up in bemusement as he replied, 'Did you mean THURSday?'

…'Don't question my methods and don't change the subject. Did you ask her or not!? XD'

The white haired lad sighed deeply as his thumbs flew across the keys on the touch screen, 'Not yet, but I'm about to. I'll text you as soon as I have an answer. DON'T RUSH ME!'

…'Yeah, yeah. Just ask her!'

A small chuckle escaped the handsome boy's mouth before he set his phone down on the table and lifted his head in Maya's direction just as she stood from her seat with the intention of checking the progress of the cookies. Those blue hues of his gazed at the gentle swing of her hips as she walked towards the oven, Jack once again hypnotized by her stride alone and not feeling the least bit apologetic in his staring. He slowly, quietly, gets to his feet and silently moves the chairs back into their place at the table before following Maya's path into the kitchen and over to the stove. There, he caught her bending down at the waist to peak into oven through the glass pane, the oven light switched on to give her a better view.

"Looks like they're almost done," she mumbled to herself, not aware that Jack was behind her, "About another ten minutes or so and they should be ready to come out."

She cut the oven light off and whipped around to return to the table where she had left Jack only to pause on a dime and gasp silently in surprise when she found him standing less than a foot away from her. Taking advantage of her small, disoriented state, Jack gently slid his hands onto her waist and pushed her against the counter, lowering his head to give her lips a soft kiss. She smiled into the kiss, groaning appreciatively and running her hands up his arms to settle on his shoulders, before she was released and then gathered into his arms for a warm hug. To say she was confused would be accurate enough, but she returned the embrace just as warmly and then pulled back when she felt him loosen his hold.

"What was that all about?" she asked him curiously, staring up at him.

Jack shrugged and brushed a lock of her curly black hair behind her ear, "Nothing really…I want to ask you something."

"Okay…" she replied, instinctively planting her palms on the edge of counter and, with Jack's aid, lifted herself on top until she was seated comfortably on the marble surface.

"Now, I know you're kind of uncomfortable with being around a lot of people you don't know…especially the ones that are my friends. You know, after the whole snow ball fight thing back in December when we first met?" he started, Maya shrugging without argument because she knew he was right, "But after school on Monday my friend Holly asked me to go bowling with her and a few others…and she wanted me to invite you."

"Me?" Maya repeated, earning a nod from Jack as her brows furrowed in bewilderment, "…Why?"

"Because I'm always blowing them off to spend my afternoons and weekends with you instead of going out with them," Jack answered before quickly adding, "NOT that I feel forced to be with you every day or anything! Because I don't…feel forced…at all."

Maya chewed on the inside of her cheek, looking up at Jack with a bemused expression on her face as he lightly clutched at her arms, rubbing them gently; "If you don't want to go with me, that's okay. Like I said, I know you don't like big crowds of new faces. To be honest…I kind of don't want to share you with my friends. I mean, I have a hard enough time not telling Jackson to just go home whenever the three of us are together," he chuckled shyly, making Maya do the same out of amusement, "…But at the same time, I definitely want to show you off. I want my friends to see you and to know that you're my girl…and that you're real because they keep accusing me of creating an imaginary girlfriend to make myself feel better about being single and it's not funny anymore!"

The ebony-skinned girl released a heart-felt laugh at Jack's outburst and leaned her forehead against his chest as she laced her fingers through his, "Alright, alright, hahaha…ahem, I'll go bowling with you and your friends. When is it?"

"Tomorrow after school. Are you sure you're okay with it?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I may not like being introduced to a lot of new people at one time, but that doesn't mean I can't handle it."

Jack gazed down at her, seeing the sincerity in her eyes telling him that she was more than willing to do this for him, and smiled as warmth spread throughout his body like the gentle flame of a candle. He unlaced his fingers from Maya's in order to cup her face in his hands, leaning close to peck her forehead before brushing his nose against hers, something he has yet to stop doing ever since he met her. The ebony skinned girl only laughed and shook her head, popping herself free from Jack's grasp just before he placed his hands back on her hips and tugged her forward into him.

"That's my girl…thanks Maya," he said gratefully, excitement actually starting to shimmer in his beautiful blue eyes at the thought of finally introducing his best girl to all of his friends, "If it makes you feel any better, Jackson will be there, too, and he doesn't know very many of my friends either. It'll be his first time meeting them, too."

"Great, we can both be awkward together," she retorted, hearing Jack click his tongue at her sarcasm and giggling as a result before that giggling turned to full laughter when his long fingers started tickling at her sides.

Jack drummed his fingers up and down her sides until she was a laughing mess with a lowered guard, allowing him the opportunity to surprise attack her and take full possession of her lips. Maya felt a few loose chuckles trickle past her lips, the young girl having to pull away a couple times from Jack's kisses in order to catch her breath, but no more than three seconds later he was kissing her again, his fingers sliding up the back of her neck and tangling in the soft tresses of her hair until she finally stopped moving away and resigned herself to Jack's affections. His hands on her waist tugged her just an inch closer to the edge of the counter, the white haired boy fitted comfortably between her thighs before his hands drifted down to hook under her knees and then lift her legs up to loosely wrap around his waist. Maya, with her arms draped around his neck, could feel the tips of her ears heating up at Jack's silent instructions, his touch practically burning through the jean material that covered her lower body, compacting all the hips and curves that made her a woman into one, lovely shape. He had been getting bolder and bolder with his amorous attention towards her, asking for a little more each time they made out: a little more places to caress, a little more skin to kiss, and a little more time to make her feel like she was on cloud nine. Not that she was complaining, but she couldn't help but wonder sometimes if they would be unlucky enough to actually be caught in a compromising situation like the one-

"JACKSON OVERLAND FROST!"

…Well, damn.

"Mom!?"

"M-Miss Mimi!..."

"Jack, you remove yourself from in between her legs right this INSTANT, young man!"

"Miss Mimi, this isn't what it looks like! We weren't doing anything…naughty…"

"It's alright, Maya. I know you would never instigate the position you're in now, though my animal of a son is a different story, apparently."

"Mom, c'mon! You know I would never do that here. Not in your kitchen, anyway."

"Oh, so you would do it in the kitchen as long as it's not my kitchen! Is that what you're saying?!"

"Well…kind of, yeah, I would do it one day, but-"

"I've heard enough! Maya, dear, I think it's time for you to take Malcolm and go home before my son decides to try and make me a grandmother at forty-three."

"MOM!"

"Are you okay with walking home?"

"Oh yeah, I'm definitely okay with that. Later, Frostbite! Malcolm, it's time to go!"

"See ya, Green Eyes! I'll text you about tomorrow."

"The only way you can worry about tomorrow is if you survive TODAY! You're in trouble now, young man! I'm going to make sure your father hears about this! In my kitchen! Of ALL places!"

&#&#&#&#&#&#&

"Hahahahahaha!"

"…It is not that funny."

"Hahahahahahahahaha!"

"…Tony…"

"Ahahahahahaha!"

"TONY!"

"AAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Maya clicked her tongue irritably and slumped back in her chair sulkily as her best friend laughed uncontrollably at her tale of being caught by Jack's mother making out with her son while perched on the kitchen counter. Anthony found it so hilarious that he dropped his head onto his arm and pounded his fist on the surface of his desk while howling in laughter, small hiccups leaving his mouth when he started losing more air than he was taking in.

"Heeheehee, I'm-I'm sorry, Maya, hahahaha! I'm sorry, I don't mean to laugh, haha! It's just, haaaahahaha…it's just that's the funniest…the funniest thing…I've heard…all day ahahahaha!" Anthony tried to apologize and get himself together before he fell out again, his face red from laughter and his Jersey accent making more of an appearance than usual.

It was 11 PM where Maya was in Michigan, meaning it was 8 PM where Anthony was, the perfect time for the two to Skype each other since everyone was pretty much in bed on Maya's end and Anthony had retired to his room to relax before turning in himself. The minute after they said their greetings to each other, Maya told Anthony, first, about the outing she was going on with Jack and his friends, and then second, what happened with Jack's mom when she walked in on them in the kitchen. Anthony, of course, wouldn't be the best friend that he is if he didn't first laugh at Maya's pain before actually commenting on it. Maya, clad in a pair of light green and yellow pajama pants and a green camisole, sat curled up in her chair at her desk in front of her laptop, her elbow propped up on the desk with her fist supporting her head as she waited for Anthony to get his bearings together. He eventually did, after ten minutes, and slowly sat up while taking deep gulps of air.

"Aha…aha…whoo! Wow…that was a good one. I need that, man…oh, that does a body good. Oh, man…whoo, my stomach hurts," Anthony voiced randomly as he, too, propped his elbow up on the surface of his desk before dragging his hand down his face to wipe away the laugh tears that had appeared in the corners of his eyes, "Oh, thanks for that, besty…I really needed a good laugh."

"It was not that funny, To-ny."

"It's all a matter of opinion, Ma-ya!"

She rolled her eyes at his childish retort, one that was no more childish than hers was, and shook her head, ruffling the curls at the back of her head absently before sighing, "It's nice to hear that your accent has disappeared again. It sounded kind of weird coming from your mouth."

"Yeah, I never realize how obnoxious it sounds until after Vinny leaves. Ain't that somethin'?" he replied, running a rather average sized hand through his now loose, wavy black locks that curled behind his ears, the tresses no longer held captive by gallons of hair gel.

"And you're back to looking handsome, too. I'm so happy."

"Awe, Maya, you make me blush."

The mentioned girl's lips turned up gently at the corners as her best friend held his hands over his face dramatically and batted his eyelashes, his actions causing her to laugh in amusement and shake her head; "So, how are you feeling about this bowling thing you're going to tomorrow?" Anthony asked after a moment's pause, his eyes gazing at Maya as she sat back in her seat, with one leg curled under her and the other propped up and pulled into her chest while she gathered her hair up in her hands and held the mass of curls on top of her head, "Isn't meeting a big group of new faces all at once one of your social anxieties?"

"Who doesn't have that social anxiety?" Maya countered, quirking an eyebrow and smirking in mild amusement, "…and yes, it is, but I won't really be the only new face there, so to say. Jack's cousin, Jackson, is going to be there, too."

"That's just weird! Two Jacksons, but one goes by Jack so that's what makes them different. I can't get over that!" Anthony voiced, leaning back in his chair, "I mean, who was born first?"

"Well, according to Jack, they're two months apart with his birthday in early September and Jackson's birthday in mid-November."

"Oh, so Jackson's mom just said 'why be creative when I can just copy my sister-in-law and name my son Jackson, too'?"

"I really can't tell you how that process went, hahaha!"

Anthony merely rolled his eyes and picked up his cell phone, absently checking it for any messages before setting it back down and then leaning forward slightly in his chair, readjusting himself, "So you and Jackson are going to meet Jack's group of friends together. Is that really any better than if you were meeting them alone? Because from what I heard you say about Jackson, he's kind of a creep."

"Did I say he was a creep?" Maya questioned, looking a little baffled and wondering if she did, unintentionally, call the dark haired, golden eyed boy such a name, "I can't remember."

Anthony shook his head, "No, you didn't outright call him a creep. It was just the way you described him: kind of dark, really quiet, and tends to stare at you a lot. That's enough creep factor in my book, if you ask me."

"Oh, he's harmless," Maya retorted, waving his words away, "I know all of that sounds like multiple creep factors, but he's just an introvert. He likes to keep to himself and prefers to observe people instead of interacting with them. I will admit that it's hard to figure out what he's thinking most of the time, but he's been actually opening up to me more lately. He's not that bad of a guy."

"Hmmm…"

"…What?"

Maya's brow furrowed as she grinned, perplexed by the look Anthony was giving her, a really deep and thoughtful look that sparked her interest; "Just be careful around him, okay?" Anthony said, running his hand through his hair.

"Okay…why?" she questioned.

He shrugged, "I don't know…it's just a feeling I'm getting. Just promise me you'll be careful, yeah? I don't want anything happening to my besty when I'm not there. Hearing about what your aunt did to you was hard enough on me…made me feel like a failure of a best friend."

"Stop it, Tony, you know you're no failure," Maya immediately cut in, making Anthony smile gently, "You've always been there for me through it all; even now, during the trial and everything, you're still here, making me laugh and reminding me that I have support everywhere."

"How is the trial going, by the way?" the male inquired, dark eyes flashing with worry.

Maya sighed deeply and let her head fall against the back of her seat, taking a moment to get her sudden irritation at the thought of the trial under control before lifting her head back up to gaze at the computer screen, "It's…going. Auntie Ariana's lawyer actually got her a 14 day grace period to pull her crap together and to actually look like something close to a real mother and that period ends next week when we go back to court. Man, I was so pissed! You should've seen her last week when she showed up to the court room. She looked like a drug addict, you know? I just…I wouldn't be able to handle it if Malcolm had to go back with her. She'll probably end up selling him for crack money! I can't take it!"

"Hey, hey, besty…calm yourself…calm down…" Anthony soothed her through the web cam, holding his hand out to give her a fixed point to stare at while she took deep breaths, "It's going to be okay…alright? There's no judge sane enough to look at that woman and think she's a fit mother, not after all that she's done. Just keep doing what you're doing, okay? Keep making Malcolm happy; I think once the judge sees how he's adjusted to a stable life style with a stable home, a mother and father figure along with an older sibling figure, he won't think twice about giving you guys full custody…it's going to work out, Maya, just have faith."

The young girl smiled as she leaned forward and placed her elbow on her desk and then planted her chin in the palm of her hand, her fingers curling over her lips like a cage, "Okay…I believe you, Tony…thanks for making me feel better."

"Hey, that's what best friends are for, right?" the boy retorted, making a funny face that made Maya laugh warmly, "But hey, I got a question for you before you try to log off on me."

"Yeah?"

"Um…have you ever thought about…what will happen between you and Jack when the trials over and you have to come back to California?"

&#&#&#&#&#&#&

It was almost midnight…and Jackson still couldn't fall asleep. He was lying face up on his full-sized mattress, his gray sweats and black shirt practically camouflaging him against the dark colors of his comforter as he stared at the ceiling with his sharp golden eyes. Tomorrow was Friday…the day of the bowling outing with Jack, his friends…and Maya. Much to his chagrin, his heart did a tiny little flip at just the thought of the girl's name; he didn't even really want to imagine her face then, already anticipating what the mental image would do to him if he did. He didn't want to think about that long, curly raven hair…or that pretty, unforgettable face. He didn't want to think about her full, pink lips or that cute, pert little nose that sat on her face like a button. He didn't want to think about that dark, chocolaty skin or her sensual, curvy body…or her big, beautiful brown-green eyes glazed over with pleasure as he hovered above her and-

"Dammit!" Jackson suddenly bit out to himself, sitting up quickly and breathing deeply in order to tame the beast that was starting to rise from its slumber below the waist of his pants.

He hadn't meant to let his thoughts get that far; the last thing he wanted to do right then was imagine anything naughty that involved his cousin's girlfriend, especially since said girlfriend was now always haunting his dreams with her bright eyes and sweet, kind smile. Oh, how he would love to see those precious eyes cloud over with lust and hear soft mewls of pleasure fall past her lips. How he would love to feel those lips against his skin, those teeth biting into his shoulder as he gave her the best night of her life.

"Goddammit! Knock it off! Stop thinking about her!" he berated himself, pounding his fists on the sides of his head.

He inhaled deeply, his eyes closed, as he leaned back against his headboard, small beads of perspiration appearing along the hairline of his forehead due to the exertions of his forced control. This was starting to get out of hand; Jackson no longer knew if what he felt for Maya was just pure lust…or something much deeper. He didn't think about girls this much if all he wanted them for was their body and he wasn't going to deny that while sex was originally the first thought in his mind when he looked at Maya, he also wanted to see how broken Jack would be if his 'sweet and faithful' girlfriend was no longer as faithful as he thought when seduced by the right person. However, now it felt like he was the one being seduced and by a girl that had no idea on how to be seductive no less. It felt like she was drawing him in with her warmth and kindness, with her secrets and truths. It felt like…she was calling to him…and he didn't want to break away. Jackson sighed deeply, letting one leg lay flat on the bed while the other bent itself at the knee, the young teen trying to calm his raging hormones that were stirring out of control. Again. The peace was disturbed, though, when his cellphone released a series of rings that alerted him of a text message that came through, the youth already having a sneaking suspicion about who it was contacting him this late at night. Reaching for the phone, Jackson lifted the device up to his face and went to his messages; his suspicions confirmed when he saw that he had a text from his dear cousin, Jack.

'Hey, cuz! I know it's late, but I just wanted to remind you that you're going bowling with us tomorrow! Maya actually agreed to go and I figured you both could be awkward and new together to make her feel better. No skipping out on this! I told her you would be there, so she's expecting you. Wouldn't want to disappoint our favorite girl, would you? Lol.'

Jackson stared at the message for a long time, frowning simply because it was Jack that had messaged him at midnight, before he sent him a simple 'whatever, good night' and then tossed his phone back onto the bed by his side. Jack didn't need to remind the golden eyed teen to be there at the bowling alley tomorrow; if there was even a sliver of a chance of Maya being there, he would have gone with no questions asked. He sighed again and shook his head, frustrated when his body started to become hot again with all these thoughts of the midnight beauty. This time, he knew there was no controlling it or forcing it to let it go…he would just have to let it do its thing.

So he leaned over, turned off the lamp beside his bed and slipped underneath his covers. In the darkness of the night, with no one but his ceiling as a witness, he let his mind fully imagine the innocently sensual beauty that was Maya, her name spilling from his lips in that deep, tingly voice as he fisted and pumped and stroked himself to nirvana. That would have to do. Even though he desperately craved for the real thing, just her image in his mind's eye for that night…would have to do.

End Chapter

Crimsonwings92: …Whoo…a little spicy there, huh? Hehe, I loved it though. XD I'm still trying to decide whether or not I want there to be an actual sex scene. If you guys would like to give me your opinions on it, then I would be happy to hear them, though I can't promise I will follow your suggestions, haha. So, there you have it! Don't forget to review and see you in the next chapter. Ciao!