All Chapters of More Than Just Us : Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

Maya knew better than to walk down Hall B. It was loud, always packed, and right by the senior lockers. But the late bell was seconds away, and her usual shortcut was blocked by a cleaning cart. She didn’t have time to hesitate. She ran—fast steps, eyes low, heart racing. She didn’t see the door swing open. Didn’t see the blur of black hoodie and earbuds until it was too late. Crash. Her books hit the floor. Her bag slid sideways. A warm hand caught her arm just before she lost her balance. Zane. Of course it was Zane. “Damn,” he muttered, steadying her. “You okay?” Maya pulled back so quickly she nearly tripped again. “I’m fine,” she said too fast, heat rushing to her cheeks. She bent to gather her books, but he was already crouched beside her, grabbing one of her notebooks. Their hands brushed. She yanked hers back as if his touch burned her. “I’m not stalking you, by the way,” she blurted, eyes wide. Zane raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t say you were.” “You’re think

Saturday crept in like a whispered apology. Sunlight spilled through the blinds, warm and soft, but Maya kept her face buried in the pillow. She didn’t want light. She didn’t want warmth. She wanted silence, stillness—nothingness. The sting of slush on her neck still lingered in her skin, even after three showers and a bottle of detergent. But worse than that was the soundless weight of shame. No words. No comfort. Just the echo of laughter in the hallways, and that damn photo that refused to disappear from her head.Her phone buzzed again. She ignored it. Probably Kennedy. Probably Zane. Both had tried since yesterday—calls, texts, a knock on her door she pretended not to hear. She didn’t want their pity. Pity made her feel small, like she had fallen and needed saving. She didn’t. She had survived worse. This was just school.The second knock came just after noon.At first, she stayed frozen under her blanket, holding her breath like the sound might go away. But it came again. And ag

Maya stood in the center of the school gymnasium, surrounded by mirrors, mats, and too many unfamiliar faces. Her reflection blinked back at her—ponytailed, polished, and painfully out of place.The sharp squeak of sneakers and booming bass of the speakers echoed off the gym walls. The other cheerleaders chatted effortlessly, most of them girls who had been in the squad for years. They tossed their hair, laughed at inside jokes, and eyed Maya like she was a new exhibit in a zoo—something to be studied, maybe tolerated, but never fully accepted.Kennedy stood beside her, all sunshine and energy, stretching with practiced ease. “Just relax,” she whispered, bumping her shoulder lightly against Maya’s. “You’re going to kill it.”Maya forced a smile. Her stomach churned.She didn’t belong here. She never did.The coach clapped her hands. “Alright ladies, warm-up time. Maya, to the front.”Of course.Heat crept up her neck as all eyes turned toward her. She obeyed silently, taking her posit

Maya hadn’t laughed that hard in months.Not the fake kind she gave when someone cracked a joke in class. Not the polite one she used when Kennedy teased her. This laugh was real—loud and unfiltered—as she collapsed on the grass beside Zane behind the bleachers.“You—you actually told Coach Hamilton his mustache looked like a dead squirrel?” she gasped between giggles.Zane grinned, his head tilted back against the bleacher frame, eyes squinting against the sunlight. “I didn’t mean to! It just came out mid-sneeze.”Maya shook her head, wiping tears from her eyes. “You’re insane.”“You’re smiling,” he said softly.She looked at him, heart pausing. “So?”“I like it,” he said, voice quiet now. “You look… lighter.”The way he looked at her—like she wasn’t broken, like she wasn’t just a new girl with baggage—made her chest warm in a way she didn’t know what to do with.Then her phone buzzed.Once.Twice.Then five more times.Maya pulled it out of her bag, brows furrowing. The notification