treacherous • alan bosley

first day

when everyone started piling off the buses, maisie couldn't help but notice the dirty stares from their parents. yes, all the kids had learned to love each other, but the parents hadn't quite caught up.

she met eyes with her mom, who was smiling brightly at her. after a few weeks away, she had started to miss her overbearing parents. she had fun at camp, but it was time to get back to the real world. there was no longer a bubble for everyone to live in, and they were only met with their uncomfortable reality.

maisie turned to go get her bags, but smiled when she saw alan had already grabbed them. her luggage was the only pink set, so it wasn't hard for him to locate them. he wanted a final good gesture before she forgot all about him.

"thank you," she smiled as she grabbed the bags from him. she had been holding onto their crossword book, which they had finished on the bus ride over, "and this is for you."

alan looked at her with surprise, wondering why he was being given the book they had both just completed, "your crosswords?"

"our crosswords," she corrected him, placing a hand on his arm, "i want you to keep the book. let it be a reminder of the day that alan bosley got a brain-"

he cut her off with a laugh, quickly pushing her hand off of him, "and here i thought you were tryin' to be sentimental."

maisie shook her head, knowing that would likely never be her intention, "hm, yeah, not really my thing."

truthfully, maisie had wanted to give him the book so that he would think about her. she had never been the best at flirting and this was her great attempt. alan found it to be adorable.

"oh, i know." he replied with a heavy sigh, causing the girl to chuckle.

if he were being honest, it was probably one of the things he liked most about her. she never tried to make things too serious or complicated, which was a breath of fresh air for the boy. in a world where everything around him was taken far too seriously, she could just be the calm before the storm. if he'd ever gotten the guts to tell her that, his life would be significantly better.

part of him wanted to confess to her on the spot. claim her before she got swept off of her feet by some californian or a boy at school who might pique her interest. unfortunately, there was just some barrier he couldn't quite break through. he wasn't ready yet.

maisie looked over at her mom, who was now gesturing for her to come over instantly. the girl sighed, looking back at alan who had followed her eye line.

"guess that's my cue," she said, turning back to the boy with a frown, "i'll see you at school?"

"definitely." the boy replied, wishing she would stay just a little bit longer. he watched her walk away, before shaking out of his trance and going to grab his bags. he quickly stuffed the crossword book into his duffel bag, but made a mental note to put it somewhere special in his room. after all, it wasn't everyday that the object of your affection gives you a present.

maisie walked over to her mom, wrapping her in a hug, "hey, mom."

"maisie," she smiled, squeezing her tighter than one thought possible, "i brought someone along. he missed you a lot."

the girl gave a confused look, not sure who her mom was talking about. she didn't have siblings, so that was a nonstarter. she quickly threw her bags into the trunk as she anticipated her surprise. when she came back around to the front of the car, her mother was holding an all too familiar cat.

she gasped, a huge smile forming on her face, "romeo! hi, buddy."

she grabbed the cat, holding it in her arms. much like a dog, the small kitten began licking her face. it was a strange thing for a cat to do, but the cat had become unusually attached to its owner. she had truly missed romeo while she had been gone, and couldn't have been happier to be reunited. she had adopted him a couple months ago, and it was the single best decision she felt she had ever made.