XXXVII

Danielle sat on the cold stairwell, her back against the wall, notebook balanced on her knee as she absentmindedly tapped her pen against the page.

She had skipped first lesson not being able to do with the blue, honestly the colour hurt her eyes. The bright blue fake hair, the silly outfit. It wasn't her style at all. She might've been able to handle it if one of her friends were in the class but not alone.

She shook the thought away, focusing instead on the words she had already scribbled down. It wasn't anything specific, just fragments of thoughts, things she couldn't say out loud.

"I let people decide who I am before I even get the chance to figure it out myself."

"Being untouchable isn't the same as being unreachable."

"I don't know if I want to be known or if I just don't want to be forgotten."

She exhaled, running a hand through her hair.

Footsteps echoed down the hall, and Danielle tensed, quickly shutting her notebook as she looked up.

She wasn't in the mood to be found.

The footsteps grew louder, and Danielle braced herself, already preparing some half-hearted excuse if it was a teacher.

But it wasn't.

Maya Hart stood at the top of the stairwell, arms crossed, head tilted slightly like she had been expecting to find her here.

Danielle let out a slow breath, leaning back against the wall. "You stalking me, princess?"

Maya rolled her eyes but didn't bite back like she usually would. Instead, she hesitated, shifting on her feet before finally stepping down, sitting on the step across from her.

"You weren't in class," Maya said simply.

Danielle raised an eyebrow. "Didn't realize you kept track of my schedule."

Maya gave her a pointed look. "It was a shared class."

Right.

Danielle glanced down at her notebook, fingers drumming against the cover. "Yeah, well, I wasn't in the mood to sit through it."

Maya hummed, as if she understood, before glancing at the notebook in Danielle's hands. "What were you writing?"

Danielle hesitated, gripping it a little tighter. "Nothing."

Maya smirked. "That's a lie."

Danielle narrowed her eyes, but Maya just kept looking at her, waiting.

After a moment, Danielle sighed, flipping the notebook open to a blank page before tearing it out and handing it to Maya. "Here. That's what I was writing."

Maya frowned, looking down at the empty paper before shaking her head. "Cute. Real poetic."

Danielle smirked. "I try."

Maya watched her for a second, her teasing expression softening just slightly. "You don't have to tell me."

Something about the way she said it made Danielle's stomach twist. Because Maya wasn't just letting it go—she was saying she wouldn't push, that she wasn't going to demand answers like everyone else always did.

Danielle swallowed, glancing away. "I know."

For a moment, they sat there in silence, the stairwell empty, the world outside the two of them fading into the background.

And then Maya shifted, breaking the quiet. "So," she said, leaning her arms against her knees. "William?"

Danielle blinked, caught off guard by the sudden change in topic. "What about him?"

Maya raised an eyebrow. "You guys still a thing?"

Danielle scoffed, shaking her head. "No. That's over."

Maya studied her for a second, like she was trying to figure out if she was lying.

"And you're okay with that?" she asked.

Danielle shrugged. "It was bound to end eventually. No point dragging something out when I knew it wasn't real."

Maya nodded slowly, but something flickered in her eyes—something Danielle couldn't quite place.

"Good," Maya said finally, standing up and dusting off her jeans. "Come on. The bell is about to go for second lesson."

---

Danielle slid into her usual seat in Cory Matthews' history class, dropping her notebook onto the desk with a quiet sigh. At least she had Lilianna and Brooklyn with her now—people she actually wanted to be around. William was there too, but things between them were different now, a little distant, like they were both adjusting to not being together anymore.

Brooklyn leaned over as soon as Danielle sat down, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "So, how's life post-William?" she whispered.

Danielle rolled her eyes. "Same as life with William, except now I don't have to pretend I care about football stats."

Lilianna smirked. "Please, you never cared about football stats."

Danielle smirked right back. "Exactly."

William, sitting a few seats away, glanced over at them but didn't say anything. He didn't look mad, just... neutral. Good. They had agreed to stay friends, and so far, he was sticking to it.

Cory Matthews walked into the classroom, clapping his hands together. "Alright, everyone! Today, we're talking about turning points in history—moments that changed everything."

Danielle let her head fall back against her chair, already bracing for another one of his overly enthusiastic lectures.

Brooklyn nudged her. "Bet you five bucks he brings up the American Revolution in the next five minutes."

Danielle smirked. "I'm not taking that bet. We both know it'll happen."

Sure enough, Cory launched into a speech about historical moments, and within three minutes, the American Revolution was on the board.

Brooklyn groaned. "You owe me five bucks."

Danielle just chuckled, shaking her head.

At least this class wouldn't be completely unbearable.

As Cory continued his lecture, Danielle let her mind drift, absently tapping her pen against her notebook. History wasn't exactly her favorite subject, but at least with Lilianna and Brooklyn there, it wasn't completely unbearable.

She was halfway through doodling in the margins of her notes when Brooklyn leaned over and whispered, "You gonna tell me why you were missing first lesson?"

Danielle flicked her eyes to her. "Had other things to do. Plus how do you know..?

Lilianna smirked. "Other things, huh? Or a certain someone? Also don't change the subject."

Danielle rolled her eyes. "If you're talking about Maya, don't."

Brooklyn grinned. "Oh, she's absolutely talking about Maya."

"I was writing." Danielle closed her notebook a little too firmly, as if that proved her point. "Alone."

Lilianna hummed. "Right, right. Totally not avoiding the classrooms because you'd have to see Maya sitting with her old friends."

Danielle shot her a glare. "I swear—"

"Ladies," Cory interrupted, raising a brow at them. "If whatever you're discussing is more interesting than the Treaty of Versailles, feel free to share it with the class."

Brooklyn grinned. "Oh, trust me, sir. You don't wanna know."

Cory sighed but let it go, turning back to the board. Danielle sighed too, leaning back in her chair.

Lilianna leaned closer. "You know, if you'd just admit you care, we wouldn't have to do this."

Danielle didn't dignify that with a response. Instead, she just picked up her pen and focused back on the lesson—ignoring the way her stomach twisted at Lilianna's words.

After History, Danielle was more than ready to let off some steam. Cheer practice was the perfect distraction—fast-paced, physically demanding, and filled with people who didn't ask her questions she didn't want to answer.

She walked onto the field with Lilianna and Brooklyn, adjusting her ponytail as the rest of the squad gathered. The football team was already there, running drills on the other side of the field. Danielle barely spared them a glance, even when she caught William looking her way.

Cheer practice was already in full swing when Danielle arrived.

"Finally," Brooklyn smirked. "Thought you were gonna ditch us for your notebook again."

Danielle rolled her eyes but smirked back. "Please. This is the only place I get to make people listen to me without question."

Lilianna snorted. "That, and you love being the center of attention."

"Obviously," Danielle shot back, already moving to join the warm-ups.

The session ran smoothly for the most part. Danielle took charge, as always, running through routines, correcting formations, and pushing the team to be sharper.

But her focus wavered once or twice—specifically when her mind drifted to the conversation she'd had with Maya earlier.

She shook the thought away and clapped her hands. "Alright, one more time from the top! No slacking!"

As the squad reset their positions, Danielle caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Near the entrance of the gym, a familiar group had gathered—Riley, Maya, and the rest of their friends.

She exhaled sharply, rolling her shoulders back. Of course, they were watching.

Brooklyn nudged her with a smirk. "Looks like you've got an audience."

"Great," Danielle muttered, keeping her expression neutral.

Lilianna grinned. "Maybe someone in particular came to see you, Captain."

Danielle shot her a look but didn't take the bait. Instead, she turned back to the squad. "Alright, focus up! Just because we have spectators doesn't mean we slack off."

She didn't glance at the bleachers again, but she could feel Maya's gaze on her. It was almost distracting—almost.

The whistle blew, signaling the next routine, and Danielle forced herself to push everything else aside.

She stepped forward, leading the squad through the motions with practiced ease. Every move was sharp, every step precise. This was her domain, and out there—under the gym lights, in front of a watching crowd—she was in complete control.

Still, she could feel it. The weight of certain eyes on her.

When the routine ended, the squad disbanded for a water break. Danielle took a long sip from her bottle, wiping the sweat from her forehead, before finally allowing herself a glance toward the bleachers.

Sure enough, Maya was watching her.

Danielle raised a brow, smirking slightly. "Enjoying the show, princess?"

Maya leaned forward, elbows on her knees. "I'll admit, you don't suck."

Danielle huffed a small laugh, tossing her water bottle into her bag. "High praise coming from you."

Before Maya could respond, Riley clapped her hands together excitedly. "That was amazing, Danielle! Your team is so in sync."

Danielle shrugged, but there was a hint of pride in her voice. "We work hard." She pushed her negative feelings away at the thought of Lucas being in her safe space.

She didn't really have a reason to not like the other people in their group. Just him.

Brooklyn and Lilianna joined her then, both of them clocking the interaction immediately. Brooklyn leaned in, whispering just loud enough for Danielle to hear, "She was definitely watching you the whole time."

Danielle rolled her eyes, but her smirk lingered. "Shut up."

Lilianna grinned. "You love us."

Danielle just shook her head, turning her focus back to practice. She wasn't about to let Maya Hart—or anyone else—get in her head right now.

---

A/N

Honestly with this Maya gif it's from when the creative art departments were going bye bye I could see Danielle giving the school money icl if she knew her then

Anywho I'm just gonna spam write because I can't sleep! So enjoy...?