XIII

Danielle woke up later than usual, the soft hum of her phone vibrating against the nightstand pulling her from sleep. She groaned, blindly reaching for it, only to see a few unread messages from Lilianna and one from William. She ignored them for now, rolling onto her back and staring at the ceiling.

It was Saturday. No school. No cheer practice. No expectations.

She should have felt relieved, but instead, there was a restless energy buzzing under her skin.

With a sigh, she tossed the covers off and padded into her ensuite bathroom, turning on the shower. The warm water did little to clear her head, but at least it helped her feel more awake.

By the time she was dressed—ripped jeans, a fitted black tank top, and her usual jewelry—she could hear movement downstairs. Her aunt was home.

Danielle made her way down to the kitchen, finding Izzy already sipping on a cup of coffee, flipping through a magazine.

"Morning, kid," Izzy greeted without looking up.

Danielle grabbed a mug from the cabinet and poured herself some coffee before leaning against the counter. "Morning."

Izzy glanced at her, eyebrow raised. "You look deep in thought. That's dangerous."

Danielle smirked slightly but didn't answer right away.

Izzy gave her a knowing look. "Something on your mind?"

Danielle hesitated before shaking her head. "Nothing important."

Izzy didn't push, just hummed before turning back to her magazine.

Danielle sipped her coffee, eyes drifting to her phone again. She had no plans for the day. No real excuse to keep herself busy.

And for some reason, her thoughts kept circling back to a certain blonde.

With an exasperated sigh at herself, she grabbed her keys off the counter and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Izzy called after her.

Danielle hesitated for a second before answering, "Out."

She wasn't sure where she was going yet. But she had a feeling she'd end up exactly where she wanted to avoid.

Before leaving she grabbed her hoodie from the coat hanger at the side. Leaving the house she headed for her car.

Danielle drove aimlessly for a while, her fingers tapping against the leather steering wheel as music played softly through the speakers. She didn't really have a destination in mind, but that restless energy still lingered.

She could have gone to Lilianna's house—she'd been texting all morning, probably wanting to hang out. Or maybe Brooklyn's, since she was always down to do something reckless on a Saturday.

But instead, she found herself pulling up outside Topanga's Café.

She stared at the familiar storefront, her grip tightening around the wheel. She could leave. She should leave.

But she didn't.

With a sigh, she shut off the engine and climbed out, shoving her hands into the pockets of her jacket as she pushed open the door.

The café was quieter than it usually was on school days, just a few people scattered around, sipping their drinks and reading or chatting.

And, of course, at one of the booths near the window, sat Maya and Riley.

Maya was sketching something in her notebook, her blonde hair falling into her face, while Riley was animatedly talking about something, gesturing wildly with her hands.

Danielle could have turned around. Could have pretended she didn't see them and just grabbed a coffee to go.

But instead, she found herself walking toward their table.

Maya noticed her first, her blue eyes flicking up from her sketchpad. There was a brief moment of surprise before she smirked. "Well, well. Look who decided to slum it with us common folk on a Saturday."

Riley turned too, beaming. "Danielle! Hi! What are you doing here?"

Danielle shrugged, sliding her hands into her pockets. "I was in the area."

Maya arched a brow. "Uh-huh. Because you totally spend your Saturdays at a family-friendly coffee shop instead of, I don't know, ruling the school."

Danielle smirked slightly but didn't respond to that. Instead, she nodded toward Maya's notebook. "What are you working on?"

Maya hesitated, like she hadn't expected Danielle to actually engage. Then she flipped the notebook around, revealing a half-finished sketch of a city skyline. It was rough but detailed, the lines sharp and confident.

Danielle studied it for a second before nodding. "Not bad."

Maya scoffed. "Not bad? That's all I get?"

Danielle smirked. "I mean, it's alright. Could use some shading here and there."

Maya gasped dramatically, pressing a hand to her chest. "How dare you critique my masterpiece."

Danielle just shrugged, amused. "Just saying. But hey, if you're happy with mediocre, who am I to judge?"

Riley, watching the exchange, giggled. "You guys are so funny."

Maya rolled her eyes but was clearly fighting a smile. "Yeah, hilarious."

Danielle nodded toward the empty space in the booth. "This seat taken?"

Maya hesitated. Then, after a second, she slid her notebook aside. "Guess not."

Danielle smirked, sliding into the seat. She didn't know why she was here. Didn't know why she kept gravitating toward Maya when avoiding her would be the easier option.

But for now, she didn't really feel like leaving.

Danielle leaned back in the booth, stretching her legs out under the table. She could feel Maya's gaze flick toward her before the blonde turned back to her notebook, idly twirling her pencil between her fingers. Riley, of course, was still smiling, practically radiating excitement.

"I'm so glad you're here!" Riley chirped, resting her elbows on the table. "I think it's really great that we're all getting along."

Danielle raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly. "Getting along?"

Maya snorted, not looking up from her sketch. "Riles, she's just here to mess with me."

Danielle hummed, as if considering. "I mean... yeah, that's part of it."

Maya shot her a look, and Danielle just smirked, unbothered.

Riley, ever the optimist, either ignored or completely missed the tension. "Well, I think it's nice." She picked up her hot chocolate, taking a long sip before setting it down again. "It means we're bonding."

Danielle scoffed, but before she could fire back with something sarcastic, her phone buzzed in her pocket.

She pulled it out, glancing at the screen. Lilianna.

Lil: Where did you disappear to??

Lil: Brooklyn's throwing a thing later. You coming?

Danielle exhaled through her nose, debating for a second before typing out a response.

Me: Maybe.

She put her phone down, only to catch Maya watching her, head tilted slightly.

"What?" Danielle asked.

Maya shrugged, tapping her pencil against the notebook. "Nothing. Just trying to figure you out."

Danielle smirked. "Good luck with that."

Riley perked up again. "Oh! Maybe we should all do something later!"

Maya groaned, tilting her head back. "Riles, no."

"What?" Riley pouted. "Danielle, you're free, right?"

Danielle hesitated, feeling Maya's gaze on her. She thought about Brooklyn's party, the inevitable chaos that would come with it. She should probably go, keep up appearances. But instead, she found herself shrugging.

"Depends," she said lazily. "What exactly are we doing?"

Riley gasped dramatically, clapping her hands together. "Oh! We could have a movie night! Or—ooh! We could go to that little carnival they set up in the park!"

Maya shook her head, already regretting this. "No. Absolutely not."

"Why not?" Riley whined.

"Because I actually value my time."

Danielle watched their back-and-forth, amused. Then she leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. "Carnival, huh?"

Maya groaned again. "Don't encourage her."

Danielle smirked. "I don't know... might be fun."

Maya narrowed her eyes. "Why do I feel like you're just saying that to spite me?"

Danielle gave her a look that was entirely too smug. "Maybe."

Maya rolled her eyes, muttering something under her breath.

Riley, of course, took this as a victory. "It's settled, then! We're going to the carnival tonight!"

Danielle didn't know why she agreed. Maybe she just wanted to mess with Maya. Maybe she liked the way the blonde got all stubborn when she challenged her.

Or maybe, just maybe, she was starting to enjoy spending time with her.

Not that she'd ever admit it.

Maybe the feelings were mutual for Maya. But then again, Lucas...