Fresh Start

T w e n t y - e i g h t ( E n d )

   "You shouldn't be nervous." I tell Maia, smiling at her as I adjust my grip on my suitcase, causing it to almost fall before I catch it just in time. "Please don't be." I add, when she doesn't answer me the first time.

She rolls her eyes pointedly at me, before gripping my hand tighter as we move up in the line. "I'm meeting your family. I'm allowed to be nervous." She argues.

I purse my lips, nodding slightly, "But not overly nervous." I say, making her give me a playfully annoyed look, "They've barely heard about you, so you've got nothing to live up to."

Her mouth opens slightly in shock, before her next words leave her lips coated in sarcasm, "Wow thanks."

"You know what I mean." I reply, pushing her arm slightly as we once again move up further.

"I do." She agrees, sending me a smile that only looks a bit anxious, "Thank you."

"Tickets?" The brunette behind the counter asks, making me reach forward, handing her me and Maia's boarding passes. "Go ahead." She tells us, handing back the tickets and motioning towards the door.

I look around as we enter, seeing many many different people, but as I grip Maia's hand, walking down the row at a slow pace, I realize I really don't care what a bunch of strangers think about me. It's not like I'm gonna see them again, so why the fuck does it matter?

We grab our seats, collapsing into them with a sigh as I look out the window seeing nothing but airport around us. "Excited?" Maia questions, looking at me with an equally as happy grin as the one plastered on my face.

"Very." I state, "I haven't seen my family in a few months, I miss them." It is true. I am excited to see my family, but more than that I'm excited Maia got a few days off school and can come with me so I can finally introduce her to them.

---

As soon as we left the taxi, and started walking towards my home I could tell Maia was freaking out, mostly by how slowly she was making us walk towards the door, buying herself more time. "Maia." I say, stretching the silibils as I tug on her jacket, stopping us on the sidewalk in front of my house.

"Mhm." She hums, looking to me, but something about her gaze told me she wasn't really focused on me, more like she was spiralling and instead just looking at me while her mind flipped out.

I grab her face between my hands, gaining most of her attention that way, and as I rest my forehead against hers, her eyes finally focus on mine. "Don't freak out." I say, "My parents are nice people, they'll like you, I promise."

Her lips tug up in a smile as she rests a hand against one of mine laying on her cheek. "Thank you." She says, her words almost coming out as a whisper.

"Let's just go in and see what happens." I offer, watching as Maia slowly nods her head. "Okay." I mutter, giving her a chaste kiss before linking her hand with mine and pulling her up the steps.

But as we reach the top one, I stop, hearing something down the street, making me look. And as my eyes find what they were looking for my jaw goes slack. At the end of the sidewalk stood a short girl with long curls and bright blue eyes. She stands under a bus sign, presumably waiting for her bus as she gazes down at her phone. Jessica?

"Do you know her?" Maia questions, breaking me from my train of thought.

"Uh yeah, we went to highschool together." if 'went to highschool together' means 'she was my bully and one of the sole reasons Kieron and Kaylee got together' then yes, we went to highschool together.