Becoming Maya

Chapter 1

Maya Dillon turned around to check the classroom clock. 3:25 pm. School let out for the summer in 5 minutes. The very last day of Freshman year. Maya could hardly wait.

She was going to her favorite uncle and aunts barn for a week at the beginning of the summer. Most teenage girls her age would squirm at the thought of feeding, cleaning and caring for farm animals, but Maya wasn't one of them.

She loved animals. She was already planning on becoming a Veterinarian, it was her childhood dream job. The only thing she didn't like about the yearly trip, was the feeling of loneliness she would get. There weren't ever any other teenagers around that area, and besides her uncle and aunt, she was mostly alone the whole trip. Of course, it really was only a week, but she was still one of those people who desired social interaction.

"4 minutes," her boyfriend Aaron Davis purred in her ear. Maya turned around and gave him a small smile. Her friend Becky leaned over to Maya's desk.

"Watcha gonna do this summer, M?"

'M' was a special nickname only Becky had came up with for Maya. Having a short name, there weren't many other options to come up with.

"Oh, the usual," Maya began. "Go to the barn for a week, come back and hang with friends. Not much."

"You know, I'm gonna miss you a lot," Aaron interrupted their conversation. "I know it's only gonna be a week, but that's going to be a long time to go without seeing you."

Becky just smiled at them and walked towards a different group of people, not wanting to be a part of the lover's conversation.

Maya looked at her boyfriend. "Babe, it's only going to be a week. I'm not going to have Wi-Fi, but I can still call, text and FaceTime you from where I'll be. I'll call you every night, okay?"

Aaron looked down. "It's not going to be the same as seeing you," he grumbled.

Just then, the bell rang and Maya scooped up her books. The class filed out of the room one by one. When Maya stepped out into the hallway, the corridor was chaos. There were groups of girls clinging on to each other and crying, groups of boys high-fiving and chest bumping, people throwing things all over, and just complete and utter craziness.

Maya walked to her locker, and as she made her way, multiple people stopped her to say goodbye for the summer or to give her a quick hug.

When she finally reached her locker, Aaron was waiting for her with his backpack already slung across his shoulders. He ran his hands through his chocolate brown hair. "So, what does this mean?" He said, looking down at his black and white vans.

Maya giggled as she put her books away. "What does what mean?"

"This," he said, motioning first to himself and then to Maya. "What's going to happen this summer? I don't want us to grow apart...from being apart. I want this relationship to last. Maya, I love you."

Maya shut her locker and slung her backpack over her shoulders. She turned to Aaron. "And I love you, too! There's no reason to worry, Aaron. We'll be fine."

Aaron gave her a shy smile, but still looked a little worried.

Maya rolled her eyes. "Come on!" She said, grabbing his hand and leading, him to one of the schools exits. "You're supposed to walk me home, remember?"