The Cracks Beneath the Surface

Maya didn't remember leaving the house.

She didn't remember grabbing her bag, pulling on the oversized hoodie, or walking out the door.

All she remembered was the shouting.

Her father's voice had been like a blade, cutting through the walls, slicing through her already fragile nerves. It had started like it always did—a cold, biting remark. Something sharp enough to make her mother flinch but not enough to make her fight back. Not this time.

But then the words had escalated, and so had the rage.

Maya had seen it coming before it even happened. The way his hands curled into fists, the way her mother's voice broke when she pleaded, the way Maya herself had frozen in place, too used to this scene, too familiar with the suffocating dread in her chest.

So she ran.

Because she knew what would happen if she stayed.

And now she was here.

The library doors shut behind her with a soft click, locking out the world she had just escaped from. The silence inside was suffocating, almost unbearable.

Maya didn't belong in silence.

She belonged in noise, in control, in the glittering lights of parties where she laughed too loudly and smiled too brightly.

But right now, she couldn't pretend.

Her fingers curled around the coffee cup in her hands, the warmth grounding her, keeping her from slipping too far into her own thoughts. She walked in a daze, barely noticing the weight of Eddie's stare as she sat down across from him.

Eddie didn't speak.

He just watched.

Maya Carter was never quiet.

Never this still, never this… small.

Something was wrong.

Eddie could see it in the way she avoided his gaze, in the way her sleeves swallowed her hands as if she were trying to disappear inside the fabric. She looked nothing like the girl he usually saw at school—the one who walked the halls like she owned them, the one who could destroy someone with a single look.

This version of her was different.

Raw.

Exposed.

"Maya."

She flinched at the sound of his voice.

Her head snapped up, her golden brown hair slightly disheveled, her eyes darker than usual. For a brief second, there was something there—something that made Eddie's stomach tighten. A vulnerability he had never seen before.

And then—

The coffee slipped.

The cup tilted forward, and in an instant, dark liquid flooded across the table, soaking Eddie's notes.

Maya gasped. "Oh my God—"

Eddie jerked back, but the damage was already done. His meticulously written notes were now a ruined, soggy mess.

Maya's hands flew to her bag, pulling out napkins in a frantic attempt to clean up the mess. "I—I didn't mean to—" Her voice wavered, her hands trembling slightly as she dabbed at the papers.

Eddie should have been annoyed.

He should have been frustrated that hours of work had just been destroyed.

But he wasn't.

Not when Maya looked like she was about to fall apart.

"Maya."

She ignored him, still trying to fix the mess, her breathing uneven. "I—I'll redo them—I swear—"

"It's fine."

Her head snapped up. "What?"

"I said it's fine."

She blinked at him, like she didn't understand the words.

Like she had been expecting something else.

Like she had been expecting anger.

Eddie sighed, running a hand through his hair. "They're just notes. I can rewrite them."

Maya stared at him, her fingers still clutching a napkin. She didn't move.

He frowned. "Maya."

She swallowed hard, dropping the napkin onto the table. Her hands were still shaking.

And Eddie saw it.

The way she flinched when he had first said her name. The way she had panicked over something as simple as spilled coffee. The way she kept pulling her sleeves over her hands, like she was trying to hide.

His chest tightened.

Something had happened.

He didn't know what. But he knew it wasn't good.

Maya took a slow breath, forcing a smirk onto her lips. "Guess I owe you new notes."

Her voice was light, teasing. Fake.

Eddie didn't buy it.

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. His green eyes locked onto hers. "Maya."

The smirk faltered.

"Are you okay?"

Silence.

For a second, he thought she might actually answer. That she might drop the act and tell him the truth.

But then, she rolled her eyes, leaning back in her seat. "Relax, Thompson. It's just been a long day."

Eddie didn't look away. "You're not dressed like yourself."

Maya raised an eyebrow. "Wow. You saying I look bad?"

He ignored the deflection. "No makeup. Hoodie. You barely even brushed your hair."

She scoffed. "Maybe I just felt like dressing down today."

Eddie studied her.

She was lying.

But she was good at it.

Too good.

She leaned forward slightly, her golden brown hair falling over her shoulders. "What's with the interrogation?"

Eddie shrugged. "Just curious."

"Curious about me?"

"You're acting different."

Maya's lips twitched. "You're observant."

"It's hard not to notice when the school's biggest diva suddenly shows up looking like she just rolled out of bed."

Maya hummed, twirling the empty coffee cup between her fingers. "Maybe I just got tired of trying today."

Something about the way she said it made Eddie's stomach twist.

He knew he shouldn't push.

He knew Maya Carter wasn't the type of girl to spill her secrets easily.

But something about the way she had walked in, looking so lost, made him want to break through her walls.

"You ever need to talk…" he said, his voice quieter now, careful. "I'm not exactly a great listener, but I'm here."

Maya tilted her head. "You? Willing to listen to me?"

Eddie shrugged. "Stranger things have happened."

For a second, Maya just stared at him.

And then—

She smiled.

It wasn't her usual smirk, the one she used when she was teasing or flirting. It was softer. Smaller. Real.

"Noted," she murmured.

And for the first time that day, the weight in her chest felt just a little lighter.