Joshaya one shots

The Gala

"No fucking way." Maya growls as she looks at the dress her best friend holds up, or therefore lack of. Riley and Lucas were going out on their anniversary date, but that left Maya without a date for her art exhibit, since Riley wasn't going to go. So of course, Zay stepped up and took her place like he'd been doing for the last five years since Riley and Lucas started officially dating.

Maya felt grateful, but at the same time she felt pitied. Like Zay was doing her a great favor by escorting her to all these "double dates" and events happening in her life. They weren't dating, not even close. But it was easier to say the were than the truth when random people commented while they were out with Riley and Lucas.

"Maya, it's an art exhibit. You got to dress nice." Riley told her as she shook the dress in front of her. It was a little black number. It was sleeveless with little spaghetti straps and tight fitting. Like a second skin. When it got to the waist line it fell down to her ankles but had a slit up the side all the way to her thigh. It was gorgeous, way too gorgeous for her.

"Riley I can't pull that off!" She protested. Riley snorted.

"Uh, yes. Yes you can. Maya you have the body type to pull anything off." She laid the dress down on her bed and turned around to her closet.

"Why am I dressing this nice anyway? It's just Zay." Maya stated as she watched her best friend with a pained expression expression as Riley started throwing shoes behind her.

"You're not dressing for Zay, Maya. You're dressing for you!" She exclaimed. "This is the first time your art is being show cased in an actual exhibit and you should look and feel unstoppable!" Maya dodged a shoe as she glared in Riley's direction.

"I can look and feel unstoppable in my own clothes." She felt uncomfortable when looking at the dress. Riley, finding the shoes she was looking for, got back up off the floor and turned back around.

"Humor me." She stated. "Try the dress and shoes on, and let me do your hair and makeup. If you don't feel incredible with your look, then I'll let you change." Maya sighed. She knew it was pointless to argue with her best friend. So she nodded her head and Riley squealed in delight.
~

It was an incredible opportunity, she was only a freshman here at NYU and the school had already sent her paining in to one of the exhibits in New York to be on display. It was a smaller exhibit. One of the smaller ones that isn't very well known, but it was still something. And Maya felt humbled at the opportunity.

"And done!" Riley exclaimed. "Turn around and look." She pointed to the mirror behind her. Maya turned slowly, and gasped at who she saw in the mirror. It definitely didn't look like her, but Riley was right. She actually did look good. She didn't look like herself at all, yet somehow she felt she was seeing a glimpse of who she could be if she wanted to. More grown up, more put together, like she was moving forward finally.

"Riley-" she said, and her best friend smiled.

"This is the first step to everything you've ever dreamed about." Riley said. "Let yourself enjoy it, Maya. You deserve this." Maya pursed her lips together, then stopped when she remembered the dark red lipstick she had on. She turned back to her best friend and smiled.

"Thank you." Her hair had been curled, falling in waves down her back with one side brushed over the other. Her skin looked like it was more on display than ever, and for once she didn't feel like she was pale. She looked good. She felt good. She felt confident.

"Don't thank me yet. Wait until the night's over with, I garuntee New York isn't going to know what hit them."
~

Half an hour into the exhibit and Maya felt like her face was going to fall off from smiling so hard. She had met such incredible people, people who complimented her on her art, people who wanted to talk to her about some of her other paintings, people who actually asked about possibly buying. Buying! It all felt like a dream. She had never met so many people in one room that had such a common interest in art like she did. People who would willingly stand there and talk about a painting with her. Nobody else had ever done that with her.