XXXIV

Danielle tried to push it all aside. She changed into more comfortable clothes, grabbed a book from her nightstand, and settled into bed, determined to focus on anything but Maya.

But it didn't work.

Every time she turned a page, she realized she hadn't actually processed a single word. Every time she tried to distract herself with music or scrolling through her phone, her mind kept circling back.

Maya's messages.

Maya's face when she walked away.

The way it felt like something between them had shifted, even if she didn't know what that meant yet.

She groaned, throwing her book onto the bed and rubbing her hands down her face.

This wasn't her.

She didn't do... whatever this was.

A knock on her door made her sit up.

"Izzy, I swear, if this is you coming to tease me—"

The door cracked open, and sure enough, her aunt stepped inside with a knowing smirk.

"So, do you want to talk about it, or do I just sit here and enjoy the show of you pretending you're not thinking about a certain tiny blonde?"

Danielle narrowed her eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Izzy laughed, crossing her arms as she leaned against the doorframe. "Sure you don't."

Danielle sighed. "It's nothing."

"Uh-huh." Izzy tilted her head. "Then why do you look like you're fighting demons every time I walk past your room?"

Danielle flopped back against her pillows. "Because I am fighting demons. Specifically, one very stubborn, very annoying, very—" She stopped herself before she said pretty and groaned again. "Never mind."

Izzy chuckled. "So, what happened?"

Danielle hesitated. She didn't want to talk about it. But at the same time... maybe she did.

She grabbed a pillow, hugging it to her chest. "I don't know. I think Maya's mad at me. Or something. And I don't know why I care."

Izzy raised a brow. "Because you do care."

Danielle shot her a look. "You're not helping."

"I'm just saying." Izzy walked further into the room, perching on the edge of the bed. "You can pretend all you want, but I know you, Dani. You don't waste energy on people who don't matter to you. So maybe ask yourself why this is still bothering you."

Danielle stared at the ceiling.

She didn't have an answer.

Or maybe she did, and she just wasn't ready to say it out loud yet.

Danielle squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself to stop overthinking. It wasn't like her. She wasn't the kind of person to dwell on things—she made decisions, moved on, and kept her head up. That was how she stayed in control.

But lately, it felt like the control she had worked so hard to maintain was slipping through her fingers.

Her phone buzzed against the nightstand, the sound breaking the quiet.

She hesitated before reaching for it, her heart doing an annoying little skip when she saw the name on the screen.

Maya Hart.

She swallowed, staring at the message preview.

Chirp🐦

You good, Chiron?

Danielle huffed out a breath, shaking her head at the nickname.

You good?

She wasn't sure how to answer that. Instead of overthinking it, she typed back quickly.

Chiron🚗

Obviously. Why?

The three dots appeared immediately.

Chirp🐦

Because you looked like you were having some kind of existential crisis at your locker today.

Danielle rolled her eyes but couldn't fight the small smirk that tugged at her lips.

Chiron🚗

Bold of you to assume I have crises.

Maya's response came just as fast.

Chirp🐦

Bold of you to assume you don't.

Danielle let out a breathy laugh, shaking her head as she set her phone down. She didn't reply right away, and Maya didn't push for one.

Instead, Danielle turned onto her side, staring at the screen in the dim light.

She wasn't sure what this was. This back-and-forth with Maya, the way she got under her skin, the way she made her question things she usually had all figured out.

But for some reason, she didn't hate it.

Danielle stared at the screen for a few more seconds before sighing and picking up her phone again.

Her fingers hovered over the keyboard. She wasn't the type to ask things like this—wasn't the type to care. Or at least, she told herself she wasn't. But something about the way Maya had looked at her earlier, something about the silence that stretched between them, made her stomach twist uncomfortably.

Finally, she typed:

Chiron🚗

Are you mad at me?

She watched the three dots appear almost instantly. Then they disappeared. Then they came back.

Chirp🐦

Why would I be mad?

Danielle frowned at the vague response. That wasn't a yes, but it wasn't exactly a no, either.

Chiron🚗

I don't know, you just seemed off today.

A pause. Then—

Chirp🐦

You seemed off too.

Danielle exhaled sharply, running a hand through her hair. Leave it to Maya to turn the question around on her.

Chiron🚗

So you are mad?

This time, Maya took a little longer to answer.

Chirp🐦

Not mad. Just... I don't know.

Danielle frowned at the cryptic response, staring at the screen like it would suddenly make sense if she just looked hard enough.

Before she could figure out what to say next, another message popped up.

Chirp🐦

It's nothing. Don't worry about it.

Danielle hated that. She hated when people said don't worry about it like it was that easy. Because now, all she could do was worry about it.

Danielle stared at the message for a long moment, her thumb hovering over the keyboard.

"Don't worry about it."

Yeah, right. Like she was just going to let that go.

Her fingers tapped out a response before she could stop herself.

Chiron🚗

Too late.

The read receipt popped up almost immediately, but Maya didn't reply. Danielle exhaled through her nose, running a hand through her hair. She didn't know why this was bothering her so much. It shouldn't. It didn't.

Except it did.

After a few minutes of silence, her phone buzzed again.

Chirp🐦

Get some sleep, rich girl.

Danielle rolled her eyes but found herself smirking anyway.

Chiron🚗

You're avoiding the conversation.

Maya's response came quicker this time.

Chirp🐦

Yep.

Danielle let out a quiet, amused breath, shaking her head. Maya was frustrating. Infuriating. But somehow, that one-word response made her stomach unknot just a little.

Chiron🚗

Fine. Goodnight, princess.

Maya's reply came a second later.

Chirp🐦

Night, Duchess.

Danielle stared at the screen, the teasing nickname making something stir in her chest. She ignored it, locking her phone and tossing it onto the bed beside her.

She needed to sleep.

But as she turned onto her side, staring at the ceiling, she knew it wouldn't come easy.