Caught Inside

Chapter Three

"Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her." – Proverbs 8:10-11

At 6:20 a.m. the next morning, the blaring of Maya's alarm jolted her awake. After reluctantly cracking her eyes open, she groaned and sat up in bed. It took almost a full minute before she realized what was going on.

School.

She immediately flung off her covers, swung her legs over the side of the bed, and placed her feet on the floor. Her room was chilly at this time of day, igniting a few shivers that raced up her arms. Though she was still half-asleep, she padded across to her closet and grabbed the outfit she had picked out the night before. She made her way to the bathroom and took a quick shower, allowing the hot water to wake her up.

After dressing and drying her hair, Maya made sure she had everything she needed in her backpack before heading into the kitchen. She was surprised to see her mom already up and making breakfast.

"'Morning," Mrs. Mallory said with a smile.

"Wow, this smells good." Maya slid into a seat at the table and watched as her mother finished flipping the remaining pancakes. She raised an eyebrow. "You know we can't eat all those, right?"

Mrs. Mallory's eyes twinkled. "Well..."

From the living room came the sound of someone jumping to his feet and shouting, "Surprise!"

Maya whirled around, excitement lighting up her features when she saw it was Jake. "No way!" she cried, rushing over and giving him a hug.

Jake, staggering backwards from the force of their collision, laughed heartily. "Wow, I didn't realize how much you missed me."

Maya pulled away, still grinning. "I'm just glad you're here to help Mom and I eat all these pancakes."

"Now that I can do."

They sat down at the table in the dining room. Mrs. Mallory clearly enjoyed watching the teenagers' interactions as they ate and talked. When she finally glanced down at her wristwatch, she gave a little gasp. "Maya! You guys need to get going."

Jake quickly stood up and helped clear the table. Maya was about to start washing the dishes, but her mother shooed them away. "I'll finish up," she said. "You two hurry and get to school."

They obediently grabbed their backpacks. Jake thanked Mrs. Mallory for letting him stay and eat, and Maya gave her mother a quick hug before hurrying out the door. They slid into Jake's car and set off to Ventura High.

Less than ten minutes later, Jake swung into the senior parking lot and secured a spot. It was almost 7:30, a half hour before school started. A few students were already in class because of a seven a.m. 'zero period.'

Jake turned the key and pulled it out of the ignition. He smiled over at Maya. "You ready?"

She nodded. "Let's get this senior year started!"

They stepped out into the chilly morning air. Maya was glad for her jeans and sweater, but even more so for the rays of sunlight peeking through the clouds overhead. It promised to be slightly warmer than yesterday.

Jake and Maya ran into a few old classmates on their way to the school gym. They didn't stop to chat, however, as Coach Kerr was expecting everyone on the surf team to be in the gym by 7:30. Jake and Maya arrived just in the nick of time and slipped into the back of the bleachers.