XXXVIII

After cheer practice, Danielle took her time in the locker room, letting the others filter out before heading to her car. She wasn't in a rush to go home, but she also wasn't looking to linger. The day had already been long enough.

By the time she got outside, the sun was starting to set, casting a warm glow over the school grounds. As she approached her car, she spotted a familiar figure sitting on the hood—Lilianna.

Danielle raised a brow. "You planning on leaving scratches on my car, or is there another reason you're here?"

Lilianna smirked. "Maybe I just enjoy annoying you."

Danielle sighed, unlocking the car. "What do you want, Lili?"

Lilianna slid off the hood, crossing her arms. "You tell me. You've been weird all day."

Danielle paused, then scoffed. "I have not."

Lilianna gave her a knowing look. "Please. You skipped class, you barely ate lunch, and you've been extra snappy."

Danielle opened her car door but didn't get in. Instead, she leaned against it, exhaling. "It's nothing."

"Is it?" Lilianna pressed. "Or does it have something to do with a certain blonde who couldn't take her eyes off you at practice?"

Danielle shot her a glare. "Can you not?"

Lilianna grinned. "Come on, just admit it. You and Maya have some weird tension thing going on."

"There's no 'thing,'" Danielle insisted, but even as she said it, she knew Lilianna wasn't buying it.

Lilianna sighed dramatically. "Fine, whatever you say. But hey, if you need a distraction, Brooklyn and I are going to grab food. You in?"

Danielle hesitated. She wasn't really in the mood to be social, but the alternative was going home and overthinking things.

"...Yeah, fine," she said eventually, shutting her car door. "But I'm picking the place."

Lilianna grinned. "Deal."

With that, they headed off, Danielle pushing everything else to the back of her mind—at least for now.

Later that evening, the trio found themselves at a small diner on the edge of town, one that Danielle frequented more often than she'd care to admit. The familiarity of the place felt like a comfort, but the moment they slid into a booth, Danielle couldn't shake the nagging thoughts of Maya.

As they scanned the menu, Lilianna leaned in, clearly not one to miss an opportunity for teasing. "You're awfully quiet tonight," she observed with a sly grin. "Is Maya's whole 'I-can't-take-my-eyes-off-you' thing really bothering you that much?"

Danielle rolled her eyes, trying to hide the rush of heat that had crept up her neck at Lilianna's words. She opened the menu as if it could shield her from the conversation. "Can we not talk about this right now?"

Brooklyn, ever the neutral party in their back-and-forth, glanced between the two of them. "Look, if there's something going on between you and Maya, it's not the end of the world. We all know you've been friends for years." She paused, setting her menu down. "Or is it not just friendship?"

Danielle's fingers drummed on the edge of the table, but she kept her eyes trained on the menu. "It's complicated," she muttered, but that wasn't entirely true. The truth was, it was messy. And it terrified her.

"Complicated, huh?" Lilianna leaned back, clearly enjoying this. "Sounds like you're scared of something."

"I'm not scared of anything," Danielle shot back, too quickly, her voice a little too sharp.

Brooklyn didn't press, but she offered a reassuring smile. "It's okay if you are, you know. No one's going to judge you. Not me, not Lilianna."

Danielle drove with Lilianna in the passenger seat, the radio playing softly in the background. She chose a quiet diner on the outskirts of town—somewhere that wasn't packed with students from their school. She wasn't in the mood to deal with familiar faces tonight.

When they arrived, Brooklyn was already waiting at a booth near the back, scrolling through her phone. She glanced up when she saw them and smirked. "Took you long enough."

Danielle rolled her eyes as she slid into the seat across from her. "Patience is a virtue, Brook."

Brooklyn snorted. "Not one I have."

Lilianna sat beside Danielle, grabbing a menu. "Alright, let's get this out of the way—do we actually care about eating, or are we just here for the milkshakes and fries?"

Danielle leaned back in the booth, tapping her fingers against the table. "Milkshake and fries sound fine to me."

Brooklyn raised a brow. "Not in the mood for a 'sad, expensive meal' at home tonight?"

Danielle shot her a look. "Don't quote Maya at me."

Lilianna and Brooklyn exchanged glances before smirking at each other.

"Oh, so Maya's words are getting to you now?" Lilianna teased.

Danielle groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I swear to God—"

"Relax, we're just messing with you." Brooklyn grinned. "Mostly."

A waitress came by, taking their orders, and for a little while, the conversation shifted to school, cheer, and meaningless gossip. It was easy, familiar—exactly what Danielle needed after the mess of a day she'd had.

But eventually, Brooklyn leaned forward, resting her arms on the table. "So, you and William?"

Danielle glanced up at her, raising a brow. "What about us?"

"You ended things, right?" Brooklyn asked casually, but there was curiosity in her gaze.

Danielle nodded, stirring her milkshake with the straw. "Yeah. We're still cool, though."

Brooklyn hummed. "You weren't really that into him."

Danielle shrugged. "We had fun. But it wasn't... you know."

Lilianna tilted her head. "Wasn't what?"

Danielle hesitated, then exhaled. "Real."

Brooklyn and Lilianna exchanged another knowing glance.

Brooklyn smirked. "And yet, Maya's the one who gets under your skin."

Danielle groaned, dropping her head onto the table. "I hate you both."

Lilianna laughed. "No, you don't."

Danielle sighed but didn't argue. Maybe she really didn't.

Lilianna and Brooklyn eventually dropped the teasing—thankfully. The rest of the night was easy, filled with stories and laughter, and by the time they left the diner, Danielle almost felt like herself again. Almost.

She dropped Lilianna off first, then Brooklyn, before finally heading home. The house was quiet when she stepped inside, the dim lighting giving away that Izzy had probably already gone to bed.

Danielle kicked off her shoes and made her way upstairs, exhaustion settling into her bones. She changed into an oversized shirt and slid into bed, but sleep didn't come easily.

Her mind kept circling back to earlier that day—cheer practice, the stares from Riley and Maya, the way Maya had looked at her when she was with William.

Maya.

Danielle exhaled sharply, rubbing a hand over her face.

Why did it always come back to her?

She shut her eyes, willing her thoughts to quiet. Eventually, after what felt like forever, sleep finally pulled her under.

⸻

The next morning, Danielle woke up to the sound of her alarm blaring. She groaned, blindly reaching for her phone to shut it off.

Mondays. Fantastic.

She dragged herself out of bed, stretching before heading to her bathroom to shower. By the time she was dressed—her usual perfectly put-together look back in place—she felt more like herself.

Breakfast was quick, just coffee and toast, and then she was out the door.

Pulling into the school parking lot, she spotted Lilianna and Brooklyn waiting near the entrance. She got out of the car, slinging her bag over her shoulder as she approached them.

Brooklyn grinned. "Look who actually showed up on time for once."

Danielle rolled her eyes. "Shocking, I know."

As they walked inside, her gaze flickered toward the hallway where she knew Riley and Maya usually were. She didn't look too long—she wasn't going to give them that satisfaction.

She had control. She had confidence.

And she was going to keep it that way.

Danielle kept her posture perfect, her head high as she strolled through the hallways with Lilianna and Brooklyn. The morning chatter of students barely registered as she focused on maintaining her usual air of confidence.

She had a routine—an image to uphold. She wasn't about to let anything, or anyone, throw her off.

Still, she caught sight of Maya out of the corner of her eye, standing with Riley and the rest of their group. For a brief moment, their eyes met.

Maya tilted her head slightly, as if debating whether to say something. But Danielle was already looking away before she could.

"Hey, are we still skipping last period?" Lilianna asked, nudging Danielle's arm.

Danielle smirked. "Depends. You planning on running your mouth all afternoon?"

Brooklyn laughed. "She definitely is."

Lilianna gasped in mock offense. "Excuse me, I am a delight."

Danielle shook her head, leading them toward their lockers.

Everything was fine. This was normal.

At least, that's what she kept telling herself.

---

The first few classes passed in a blur. History with Mr. Matthews was uneventful.

Lunchtime rolled around, and Danielle found herself at her usual table with Lilianna, Brooklyn, and a few other seniors. She hadn't even sat down before she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket.

She pulled it out, glancing at the screen.

Chirp🐦

So, are you just going to ignore me forever or...?

Danielle stared at the message for a second longer than she meant to.

Brooklyn raised an eyebrow. "Who's that?"

"No one," Danielle replied smoothly, locking her phone and shoving it back in her pocket.

Lilianna smirked. "Ohhh, it's her, isn't it?"

"Mind your business," Danielle muttered, stabbing at her salad with more force than necessary.

Lilianna and Brooklyn exchanged a look, but thankfully, they let it go.

Danielle exhaled, shaking off whatever weird feeling was creeping up her spine.

She was in control. She had confidence.

Maya Hart was not going to mess that up.

The rest of lunch passed without incident, though Danielle could feel her phone burning a hole in her pocket the entire time. She didn't check it again, not wanting to give Lilianna or Brooklyn any more ammunition to tease her with.

After lunch, she went through the motions of her classes, keeping her mind occupied with anything other than Maya. But, of course, life didn't work that easily.

Cheer practice was after school, and Danielle was already stretching when she noticed a small group lingering near the bleachers. It wasn't unusual for people to watch the cheer team—she was used to the attention—but this wasn't just anyone.

Maya, Riley, Lucas, Zay, Farkle, and Smackle were all sitting there, chatting amongst themselves. Danielle immediately zeroed in on Maya, who had her arms crossed, looking just as stubborn as ever. Thankfully Riley had her natural hair visible again.

"Don't look now, but I think your little... situation is here to watch," Brooklyn muttered, pulling her foot back in a quad stretch.

Danielle rolled her eyes. "I don't care."

Lilianna smirked. "Uh-huh. That's why you looked right at her, huh?"

"Shut up and focus," Danielle shot back, pulling her hair into a tighter ponytail.

Lilianna and Brooklyn snickered, but they didn't push it further.

Danielle turned back to the squad, her expression hardening as she clapped her hands together. "Alright, listen up! We're going full-out today, no lazy jumps, no sloppy landings. I want energy."

The team got into formation as the music started, and Danielle focused on leading them through the routine. She didn't have time to think about Maya watching her, or how she could feel those blue eyes following her every move.

She didn't have time to care.

Except... maybe she did.