when everyone started piling off the buses, maisie couldn't help but notice the dirty stares from their parents. yes, all the kids had learned to love each other, but the parents hadn't quite caught up.

she met eyes with her mom, who was smiling brightly at her. after a few weeks away, she had started to miss her overbearing parents. she had fun at camp, but it was time to get back to the real world. there was no longer a bubble for everyone to live in, and they were only met with their uncomfortable reality.

maisie turned to go get her bags, but smiled when she saw alan had already grabbed them. her luggage was the only pink set, so it wasn't hard for him to locate them. he wanted a final good gesture before she forgot all about him.

"thank you," she smiled as she grabbed the bags from him. she had been holding onto their crossword book, which they had finished on the bus ride over, "and this is for you."

alan looked at her with surprise, wondering why he was being given the book they had both just completed, "your crosswords?"

"our crosswords," she corrected him, placing a hand on his arm, "i want you to keep the book. let it be a reminder of the day that alan bosley got a brain-"

he cut her off with a laugh, quickly pushing her hand off of him, "and here i thought you were tryin' to be sentimental."

maisie shook her head, knowing that would likely never be her intention, "hm, yeah, not really my thing."

truthfully, maisie had wanted to give him the book so that he would think about her. she had never been the best at flirting and this was her great attempt. alan found it to be adorable.

"oh, i know." he replied with a heavy sigh, causing the girl to chuckle.

if he were being honest, it was probably one of the things he liked most about her. she never tried to make things too serious or complicated, which was a breath of fresh air for the boy. in a world where everything around him was taken far too seriously, she could just be the calm before the storm. if he'd ever gotten the guts to tell her that, his life would be significantly better.

part of him wanted to confess to her on the spot. claim her before she got swept off of her feet by some californian or a boy at school who might pique her interest. unfortunately, there was just some barrier he couldn't quite break through. he wasn't ready yet.

maisie looked over at her mom, who was now gesturing for her to come over instantly. the girl sighed, looking back at alan who had followed her eye line.

"guess that's my cue," she said, turning back to the boy with a frown, "i'll see you at school?"

"definitely." the boy replied, wishing she would stay just a little bit longer. he watched her walk away, before shaking out of his trance and going to grab his bags. he quickly stuffed the crossword book into his duffel bag, but made a mental note to put it somewhere special in his room. after all, it wasn't everyday that the object of your affection gives you a present.

maisie walked over to her mom, wrapping her in a hug, "hey, mom."

"maisie," she smiled, squeezing her tighter than one thought possible, "i brought someone along. he missed you a lot."

the girl gave a confused look, not sure who her mom was talking about. she didn't have siblings, so that was a nonstarter. she quickly threw her bags into the trunk as she anticipated her surprise. when she came back around to the front of the car, her mother was holding an all too familiar cat.

she gasped, a huge smile forming on her face, "romeo! hi, buddy."

she grabbed the cat, holding it in her arms. much like a dog, the small kitten began licking her face. it was a strange thing for a cat to do, but the cat had become unusually attached to its owner. she had truly missed romeo while she had been gone, and couldn't have been happier to be reunited. she had adopted him a couple months ago, and it was the single best decision she felt she had ever made.

from across the way, a couple boys had been watching the only female titan. at this point, it was sort of a force of habit. they liked to keep a watchful eye on the chaotic girl, mostly for their own reassurance. they could never quite get a proper read on her.

gerry smirked, clapping both hands onto alan's shoulders, "ever been jealous of a cat before, bosley?"

by now, everyone knew how the cornerback felt. he hadn't exactly been subtle, but the only one who couldn't see that was maisie. this led to a lot of jokes at the expense of the young boy, none of which he minded entirely. if people saw his game, he was just hoping she would catch on as well.

"not til now." alan replied curtly, pushing gerry off of him playfully.

•

maisie had barely made it to her parking spot and out of her car. it was the first day of school and everywhere chaos reigned. there were picketers in the parking lot, in the street, and at the front of the school. it pissed the girl off to no end.

"don't these people have anything better to do?" she griped to amanda, whom she had given a ride to school.

"apparently not." the girl spoke loudly, shooting a glare at the women picketing next to them as they walked.

"ridiculous." maisie muttered, making her way to the front of the school. it posed a challenge, but there were enough police officers to keep everyone safe. at least for now.

when she reached the front steps, she saw a few of her friends talking. emma and gerry were over by the busses, petey and louie were walking in, and sunshine was getting harassed by some boys.

"well," amanda started, giving the girl a playful nudge, "you gonna leave me for all your football buddies now?"

the girl rolled her eyes, sending an elbow her friend's way, "actually, i was thinkin' you might want an introduction?"

amanda grinned and nodded her head furiously. she couldn't believe how much maisie had changed in just a few short weeks, but everything seemed to be working out for her benefit. she wasn't bothered by her friend's sudden change in popularity.

the girl followed in maisie's footsteps eagerly as she approached a couple boys. sunshine, alan, and rev were standing together, discussing the hardships they would inevitably be facing.

"sunshine!" the writer exclaimed, quickly enveloping him in a hug. they had seen each other about a week ago, but she wanted him to feel welcome in a new school. after that little scene she had seen with some of the less progressive boys, she wanted him to know that he was welcome.

"hey, mais," he smiled, before looking over at the girl gawking at him, "who's your friend?"

"this is amanda," maisie smiled. she turned to her friend, who had suddenly become very shy, "amanda, this is alan, sunshine, and rev."

"nice to meet y'all," she replied with a polite smile, "ready for the first day?"

"not quite." alan replied, looking wearily at the mass of critics among them.

it didn't go unnoticed that maisie had only hugged ronnie. on the contrary, it was about the only thing alan could think about. however, he didn't want to be the guy who asks about certain gestures of affections, so he dropped it.

the group walked inside, getting their schedules from the secretaries office. it was maisie's junior year, so she had anticipated it being the hardest one yet.

amanda left to get to her science class early, and sunshine and rev left for english together.

alan leaned his head down near the girl's shoulder, trying to get a good look at her schedule, "what do you got?"

the girl turned, noticing how close his face was to hers. she was worried that end of camp might have meant the end of her time with the boys, but so far it didn't seem like anything had changed. she wanted to keep it that way.

"uh... home economics," she replied with a frown, knowing that was the last elective she would've wanted, "you?"

he held his paper in front of the two of them, "me too."

"oh, how perfect," maisie replied with a slap of his paper to his chest, "we better get going then."

alan nodded and the pair began their journey to class. in the middle of their voyage, maisie was stopped in her tracks. there stood a mass of people, all of whom were reading her newspaper.

"oh, lookie here," a boy smirked, eyeing the girl
up and down, "if it isn't the integration poster child."

"wow, tommy," maisie rolled her eyes, recognizing the boy as one of gerry's friends. she had somewhat anticipated a reaction like that, but was hoping it would be behind her back, "surprised you got through it. i know there are some tough words in there."

the boy scoffed at her, shooting a glare, "i didn't get through it cause it's horse shit. i suggest you print a retraction."

maisie rolled her eyes, wishing she could just walk to class in peace. she wasn't above fighting for what she thought was right, but arguing at eight in the morning was less than ideal. not to mention, tommy didn't seem like the type to have a civilized conversation.

"just leave her alone, man." alan spoke up, tired of seeing his friend antagonized. he hadn't always been the bravest of creatures, but something about maisie made him feel like being different. he couldn't stand to see her in duress.

the boy looked over at alan, a look of disappointment painting his face, "they got to you too, huh? whatever."

deciding that it wasn't worth the aggravation, tommy crumpled up the paper and threw it at maisie's feet, before turning and walking away. the girl sucked her teeth, knowing this was only the beginning. it would take a lot for this town to change, and she knew there was still plenty of work to be done.

"sorry about that, mais." alan clapped his hands onto her shoulders, which he kept stationed there as they continued to walk. it was almost like he was guiding her, and maisie liked how natural it felt.

"i figured just as much," the girl replied, looking around at all the people who were now giving her the stink eye, "people are gonna hate those who are so far intellectually above them. it makes them angry to be faced with what they don't understand."

alan chuckled, shaking his head at the girl's candor. she was right, but maybe a little too young to draw such conclusions.

"alright, pulitzer," alan replied as they approached their classroom, "let's just get through the day, huh?"