The gang(2)

Maiya steps into the room, muttering under her breath about Liam's messy house. She stops abruptly when she sees Noah sitting at the edge of the bed. Her mouth falls open.

"Noah?" she says, blinking in disbelief.

Noah freezes. His heart starts pounding as their eyes meet. "Uh… hi," he says awkwardly.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Maiya asks, her voice sharp with confusion.

Noah stammers, "I, uh… stayed here last night."

Maiya's eyebrows shoot up. "Stayed here? Why? And… wait a minute. You've been missing for days! Why haven't you been at school? Noah, I've been calling and texting you nonstop!"

Noah shifts uncomfortably. "I… I'm sorry," he mutters. "I didn't mean to—"

"Didn't mean to what? Ghost me?" Maiya snaps. "Do you know how worried I was? You just disappeared without a word, and now I find you here? Seriously, Noah, what's going on?"

Before Noah can answer, the front door swings open, and Liam's voice fills the apartment.

"Maiya! What the hell are you doing in my house again?" he calls out, exasperated. "I told you to stop breaking into my place, you psycho!"

A moment later, Liam strides into the room, his usual grin plastered across his face. He stops when he sees Maiya and Noah together, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"What the fuck?" Liam says, looking between them. "Why are you two staring at each other like someone just confessed to murder?"

Maiya spins around, pointing an accusing finger at him. "Liam, care to explain why Noah is here?"

Liam looks at Noah, then back at Maiya, his expression bemused. "Wait a second. You two know each other?"

"Yes," Maiya snaps. "Now answer my question. Why is Noah here?"

Liam groans dramatically, rubbing his temples. "Jesus Christ, Maiya. How about you stop barging into my house like it's yours before you start playing detective, huh?" He looks at Noah and nods toward Maiya. "She always like this, isn't she?"

Noah doesn't respond, still too stunned by Maiya's sudden appearance.

"Liam," Maiya says firmly, "what's going on?"

Liam sighs, clearly annoyed. "Alright, alright. Come on, Sherlock. Let's talk outside." He turns to Noah. "Stay put, kid. Don't do anything dumb while we're gone."

---

**Outside the room**

"Alright, spill," Maiya says, crossing her arms. "What's going on with Noah?"

Liam leans against the wall, his hands stuffed into his hoodie pockets. "Kid's having a rough time," he says simply. "Found him at the park last night. Thought he was there to sketch or something, but nope. He was standing near the edge of the lake, ready to jump."

Maiya's eyes widen in shock. "What?"

"Yeah." Liam shrugs like it's no big deal, but there's a flicker of concern in his eyes. "Said he's got family problems. Didn't go into detail, but it's bad enough that drowning himself seemed like the answer. So, I dragged his sorry ass here."

Maiya's hands fall to her sides as she processes this. "I… I didn't know. I mean, I was mad at him for ignoring me, but I never thought…" She trails off, guilt written all over her face.

"Yeah, well, now you know," Liam says bluntly. "But don't go making a big deal out of it. The last thing he needs is you hovering over him like a worried mom. Just act normal."

Maiya nods hesitantly. "Okay. Got it."

---

**Back in the room**

Liam and Maiya walk back into the room, both trying to appear casual. Noah looks up at them nervously, unsure of what to expect.

"Alright, you little shit," Liam says with a grin. "You didn't tell me you and Maiya were already best buds. Small world, huh?"

Noah shrugs awkwardly. "Yeah, I guess."

Maiya steps closer, her tone softer than before. "Noah," she says gently. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you were going through so much. And I shouldn't have yelled at you earlier. That wasn't fair."

Before Noah can respond, Liam cuts in. "Yeah, yeah, Maiya's super sorry and all that," he says, waving a hand. "And if you don't forgive her, just let me know. I'll throw her out the window for you. Won't even charge you for it."

Maiya glares at him. "Liam, you're an idiot."

"Thanks, I know," Liam says, grinning. He turns to Noah. "Anyway, you wanna come with us?"

Noah frowns. "Go where?"

Liam's grin widens mischievously. "Oh, you know. To the hood. Gotta introduce you to the gang, bruv."

Maiya rolls her eyes. "Stop calling it 'the hood.' You sound ridiculous."

"You're just jealous you're not cool like me," Liam retorts. "Anyway, what do you say, Noah? You in?"

Noah hesitates for a moment before nodding. "Sure. Why not?"