Loving Maya

Nerves And Bathroom Breaks

'When I saw you again, my world fell apart and rose up all in the same second.'

***

Mason's POV

"Hey, man, what do you think about this?" Chris gives me a sheepish smile.

I chuckle and nod my head. "It's okay."

He sighs of relief and looks at the t-shirt he's wearing. It's white with a large pink fisted hand in the middle. Underneath it he's wearing a long sleeved blue vest.

Chris and I have been friends for only a couple of months. I met him during the orientation. He's a great guy and the first friend I've had in years.

He told me about this rally organised by our friend, Peyton. Who, I should mention, Chris likes.

I smile to myself when I notice how nervous he looks.

The rally startarted at Peyton's college which isn't far from ours. The marchers are going to come here and we'll continue in the hall.

"Chris! Mason! They're here."

We head outside and sure enough, the marchers are arriving. A van enters the campus first and we quickly spot one of the girls in the back.

"There she is." I playfully nudge Chris' ribs and he scowls.

She's got a megaphone in one hand is waving excitedly at the crowd with the other. Everyone rushes to the parking lot where participants from both colleges come together.

"This is quite a turn out." Chris states with a pleased smile.

"These problems are faced by female students but they affect everyone else. We cannot fight on our own. Whether you are a student or not, if you can help, join us." Peyton speaks into the megaphone and her voice fills the area.

A few students stop and listen to her.

She waves at someone in the crowd, motioning for them to join her. She repeats the action a few times and I assume the person must be reluctant.

"We should go to her." Chris suggests and I nod.

"Everybody, give it up for my girl!" Peyton beams as the boy and girl also with her in the van help the person up.

It's a girl.

She turns to look at the crowd and I swear my heart stops for a second. There's a huge, enthusiastic smile on her face.

"Mason, Mason." Chris tugs at my shirt but my eyes remain glued to her.

Her hair is still the same beautiful chestnut colour but instead of cascading down her back, it stops right when it reaches her shoulders. Her smile is still just as beautiful and sure enough, there's a hair tie around her wrist.

God. It's her.

She's off the truck as quickly as she climbed up. For a second I try to convince myself that it's not her but I can't. That is her.

"Mason, are you okay?" Chris' face shows concern. "You look a bit pale."

"I...uh..I'm okay." I'm still staring at the spot where she was standing just a minute ago.

"We should go and get Peyton and her friends."

"Her friends?"

"Yeah, we should all start getting people into the hall." He explains.

He begins to walk in their direction but I remain in the same spot. He turns around and gives me a look full of worry and confusion.

"Mason, are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, I just need to uh... I'll go and help in the hall; make sure everything is in place."

He doesn't say anything, just nods before turning around and continuing to make his way to the parking lot.

All the people around me start to make me feel claustrophobic. I run into the building and enter the hall where everyone is supposed to be in a few minutes.

What happens if she sees me? What happens when she sees me?

I run out of the hall, ignoring the voice of someone calling after me. I enter the bathroom and grip the edges of the basin. I steady my breath, trying to calm down.

Once I manage to slow down my heartbeat, I splash some water on my face and dry it with a paper towel.

Is this happening? How? Is she Peyton's friend? I've known Peyton for a while now, how has the topic of her friends never come up? Even when we were planning today's event, we never really spoke about her friends.

"Dude, are you okay?" I stop pacing around the small space when someone comes out of one of the stalls. "Are you also hungover? There were some wild parties last night."

He chuckles and shakes his head as he washes his hands. I offer him no reply, I just storm out of the bathroom.

I've wished for this day for so long and now that it's here, I'm freaking out.

What if it's not her?

I run my hand through my hair as I pace around the hallway.

It's her. It's her.

***

Maya's POV

"How're you feeling?" Max asks with a smile.

"Nervous." I reply with a sigh as we enter the large hall.

Many people are already seated and are chatting amongst themselves or on their phones. Max and I are standing at the back, near the large doors.

"You're going to do great." He assures me, giving my hand a gentle squeeze.

"This isn't like speaking to club members or classmates. This is a large crowd." I bring my hand to my mouth and begin to nervously chew on my fingernails.

There's a bigger turnout than I had predicted and while I'm ecstatic and proud, the large number isn't doing any good for my nerves.

"Trust me, everything will be alright. You're passionate about this cause and you want to help. When you speak, people will see that and they'll also want to get involved."

"You think so?" He nods.

"If you need a moment to breathe, take one. You're the third speaker, right?"

"Yeah." I smile, feeling less anxious. "I'll be right back."

I turn around and swiftly walk out of the room. I don't want to miss Peyton and Zoe's speeches.

The three of us, along with other people and some of Peyton's friends from this college, will be going up on stage today. The ones that will be making speeches will start and then performances will follow.

We're all going to be talking about the importance of these events, the issues we face, experiences and trying to explain to people how and why they can and should help.

If this succeeds, Peyton's Women Studies professor said the school board would help us with future events.

The hallways are empty and I sigh. I was hoping someone could point me to a bathroom.

I reach a corner and bump into someone.

"Oh, I'm so-"

The words die on my tongue and my eyes widen. My heartbeat quickens and my breath stops in my throat. I feel my hands slightly tremble and my eyes begin to water.

I'm not going crazy. This is real.

Mason! Yay! 😄

I wanted to update earlier on but I was so stressed about school😭.