Staying away from her

Two days. That's how long Noah had been avoiding Maiya. And it wasn't easy. Maiya was persistent, always trying to catch him before class or during lunch. She wasn't the type to give up easily, and Noah had learned that the hard way.

But he had no choice. Henry's warning still rang in his ears.

"Stay away from her,Noah.For your own good."

At first, Noah thought he could manage it without drawing too much attention. He'd slip out of class as soon as the bell rang and eat lunch in the farthest corner of the cafeteria. He even took longer routes between classes to avoid running into her.

But Maiya wasn't stupid.

By the end of the first day, she had already started noticing something was off. She'd waved at him from across the hall, and when he pretended not to see her, she called his name. Loudly. Everyone turned to look, and Noah had panicked, ducking into the nearest classroom without even thinking.

That night, Noah lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. His chest felt tight. He wasn't used to feeling this... bad. Loneliness was normal for him—it was his baseline—but this? This was different. He'd never had a friend before, not a real one, and now he was pushing her away.

---

By the second day, Maiya wasn't just confused—she was irritated.

"Noah!" she called out as he walked past her desk during homeroom.

He froze but didn't turn around.

"Hey! Noah! I'm talking to you!"

"I... uh... I've got to go," he mumbled, hurrying toward the door.

Maiya stared after him, her brows furrowed. She looked at her notebook, where she'd sketched a quick portrait of him the day before. Something wasn't right.

---

Noah's anxiety was getting worse by the hour. He couldn't draw. He couldn't focus. Every time he thought about Maiya, a wave of guilt and frustration washed over him.

During art class, he tried to lose himself in his sketchbook, but even that didn't help. His lines were shaky, the composition messy. He tore out the page and crumpled it, shoving it into his bag.

"Hey, Noah," Maiya said suddenly, standing beside him.

He jumped, nearly knocking over his pencil case.

"I was thinking," she said, leaning against his desk. "Maybe we could—"

"I... I'm busy," he blurted out, not even looking at her.

Maiya blinked, taken aback. "Oh. Uh, okay..."

He could hear the hurt in her voice, but he didn't look up. When she walked away, he felt like a weight had been dropped on his chest.

---

By the end of the second day, Maiya was done trying to be subtle.

During recess, she spotted Noah sitting alone in the cafeteria, hunched over his lunch like he was trying to disappear. Her friends were chatting beside her, but she wasn't paying attention. She couldn't stop staring at him.

"Maiya?" one of her friends asked. "You good?"

"I'll be right back," she said, grabbing her tray and walking toward Noah.

Noah was mid-bite when he heard someone sit down across from him. He looked up and froze.

Maiya was there, her tray in front of her, arms crossed.

"Hi," she said simply, though her tone was anything but casual.

Noah swallowed hard, his appetite vanishing. "H-Hi."

Maiya leaned forward slightly. "How are you feeling?"

He blinked. "W-What?"

"You know, the other day," she said, tilting her head. "You said you weren't feeling well and needed some space."

"Oh. Y-Yeah," he stammered. "I... I did say that."

Maiya's eyes narrowed. "Okay. So... what's going on?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, are you avoiding me?" she asked bluntly.

Noah flinched. "N-No! I'm not avoiding you, I just—"

"Because it really feels like you are," she interrupted. "And if you don't want to be friends, that's fine, but at least have the guts to say it."

"No, that's not it!" Noah said quickly, his voice trembling. "I-I just... I'm not... I mean, it's not you—"

"Then what is it?" Maiya asked, her voice rising. "Seriously, Noah. What's going on? You've been ignoring me, dodging my calls, my texts... I don't get it!"

Noah's mind went blank. The cafeteria had gone quiet again, all eyes on them.

Maiya noticed too, but she didn't back down. Her face flushed with frustration, she leaned closer, her voice dropping just enough for only him to hear.

"You're impossible," she said, her tone sharp. "A lost cause."

The words hit him like a punch to the gut. Before he could respond, she grabbed her tray and stood up.

"Forget I said anything," she muttered, her voice tight with anger and disappointment.

Noah sat there, frozen, as Maiya walked away.

The cafeteria buzzed with whispers, but he couldn't hear them.

All he could hear was her voice, repeating over and over in his head:

"A lost cause."