The Fight For Love (Joshaya)

Chapter 27

  The pencil slides against her fingers as she twiddles it in her hand. She stares blankly at her math teacher teaching the lesson for the day. She attempts to take notes, but every number ends up symbolizing a reminder about Josh; it's the strangest thing. Not even knowing where the representation lies since the notes are no different than what they normally are, the confusion edges further on why the thoughts run to him.

  The voice Maya normally refers to as the Riley voice nudges her way into the brain and sounds off a flirtatious comment about Maya's infatuation with her boyfriend. The rebellious part of Maya's brain immediately denies the comment and takes over her thoughts.

  Ring! The class dismissal bell rings and all of the students pack up their backpacks, hurrying out of the classroom for their next classes. Maya remains in no hurry and ends up being the last person to exit the room. Once she eventually walks into the hallway, she goes to use the restroom when she sees Riley putting books away in her locker. She changes course, maneuvering to her best friend.

  Maya greets her best friend by poking her arm in a shoving manner. She says, "Hey. Is school over yet? I'm ready for school to be out."

  "Maya, you still have the whole day ahead of you; that was only the first period."

  "Ugh," she groans. "This is going to be a long day."

  "Yeah, but try to find some joy in it," Riley smiles as she shuts her locker door.

  "What joy could there possibly be in today?"

  "Lots," she said. With more seriousness, Riley places her hands on Maya's shoulders and makes direct eye contact. "Today's going to be a good day. I know you miss your man, but don't miss him too much. He's in school right now, and you're in school right now. Both of you can reflect on the fact that you're doing the same thing at the same time. And as soon as both of you are done with all of your classes, you'll be able to see each other. Don't you think the time spent apart now will make the time that you do spend together worth it?" Not waiting for a response, Riley drops her hands, smiles, and half skips to her next class.

  Left alone to stand in the middle of the hallway, students shuffle past Maya in order to get to their second periods. She can't move even when she hears the warning bell signaling one minute before the tardy bell rang. She doubts Riley realizes the impact the supposed optimistic advice has on her. She can't believe how much she screwed things over with Josh. 

  All of the beliefs Josh ensued upon her own mind seemed to dissipate as she marched out of the school towards the nearest subway station. Maybe her mom was right about being sucked into his beliefs. She had been sucked in and went along with all of his little tricks just to be left broken in the end when he chose friends over her. She knows she has chosen Riley over Josh before, but when she really needed him, he disregarded that and chose his friend.

  Not a clue as to where she wants to end up at this hour, she gets on the subway and lets it take her where it takes her. 

  After riding for a while, an announcement comes over the speaker that informs the passengers which stop will be nearing New York University. That bit of information perks Maya's ears up, and she thinks about whether or not to stop by and try to find Josh. The only reason she wants to talk with him now is to go off at him for completely disregarding her feelings the other night. In her current state of mind, she refuses to allow room in her heart for a love for Josh. 

  She decides upon finding him when the subway stops at the university, and she gets off, entering the premises of the campus. So many students look so much older than she does and seem set getting from place to place, knowing the campus like the back of their hands. Though it may be a bit intimidating, she presses on towards her mission in finding Josh. 

  As she walks the unfamiliar sidewalks, she keeps one guy from passing by her because he appears like he would be friends with Josh. She only assumes this because of his height, the torch emblem on his T-shirt, and the way he walks. She says, "I was wondering if you happened to know Josh Matthews."

  "Doesn't ring a bell, sorry," the guy replied. 

  "That's okay. Thanks anyway!" She smiles and starts to walk again.

  He motions for her to stop, which she does. "Hey, wait. What was your name?"

  "Maya."

  "Nice to meet you, Maya. I'm Zane," he puts out his hand for her to shake. After shaking hands, he continues talking, "So, would you be opposed to something wild?"

  "What...?" Maya gives an inquisitive look.

  "What if I said I wanted to take you out tonight?"

  In the back of her mind, Maya knows she shouldn't say yes by any standards, however, he did ask about doing something wild. Going with a guy she just now met would be pretty wild, especially since she has a boyfriend on the same campus. She responds with, "Sure. I'd love to."

  Not knowing how this would go or where this would lead, Maya becomes very excited at doing something wild. Josh said the first thing that attracted him to her was her boldness; well, this is a bold move she's making. She's going to prove to Josh and herself that she still has that spunk in her. Once again, she lives life on the wild side.