First Day of School (Pt. 2)

--- Maya ---

After a (boring) half-hour of waiting for the doors to open, and another for Ying to show up, Maya put away her notebook full of half-formed ideas and inventions for the future as a familiar black car pulled up before a man in a black suit got out and opened one of the back doors.

(And there is the only rich person I actually like.) Her inner passion admitted, as one Ying Zhang stepped out of the backseat with a book bag in hand.

The Asian teen took a glance around the school courtyard as her driver closed the door behind her and Maya took that as her que to run over to one of her few –(and possibly only)- friends outside of her family.

“Ying!” She called stopping just short of crashing into the other girl.

“Maya.” Ying returned with an amused grin. “It’s good to see you again.”

“You too!” She cheered with a wide smile before excitedly asking, “How was your summer? Do anything interesting?”

(Subtle we are not.)

Ying seemed to freeze for a moment before shaking her head. “My summer was… exciting to say the very least.”

“So, say more!” Maya pressed happily. “Such as where you go every summer.”

“Mm,” Ying seemed to think about it before smiling. “I think not.”

“Ah, come on!” Maya purposefully pouted. “We’ve been best friends for two, three years now, and I still don’t know where you disappear every summer.”

“And you won’t any time soon.” Ying told her. “That’s something you can bet on.”

(I… I feel like she’s making a pun.) Her inner madness admitted with some suspicion.

(Ying? No, way. She’s always been Ms. Serious.) She dismissed easily.

(Perhaps, but she’s been gone two months no telling what’s happened since then.)

Focusing back on Ying she realized the other girl was watching her before tilting her head with a barely audible, “Interesting.”

(Did her eyes just change color?)

(It’s likely just a trick of the light.) Her inner logic reasoned.

“Uh, what is?” She asked, only half listening to the voices in her head.

“Oh, just noticed something is all.” Ying answered in a roundabout way that answered absolutely nothing.

(Which is why I shall ask,) “What did you notice?”

“Something interesting.” Ying dodged again.

“Ying.” She whined earning another smirk from her friend.

“Oh, I’m sure you already know it.” Ying assured her. “Besides if you really felt like talking about it you’d let me know.”

“But how am I supposed to know what you want to talk about if you don’t tell me?!”

“You’ll figure out. You’re a smart girl.” Ying told her with a pat to her head.

(Wait.)

She glanced up, and notice that Ying -who’d always been the same height as her- was now several inches taller than her. “When’d you get so tall?!”

“Oh.” Ying blinked before tilting her head. “I had a… growth spurt of sorts over summer. It perfectly natural.”

“Not three inches in three months!” She argued.

“That would depend on your perspective wouldn’t it?” Ying countered, tilting her head to the opposite side.

Maya frowned before narrowing her eyes. “You aren’t taking growth hormones are you?”

“Pfft, no.” Ying laughed, before pausing to think about something. “Though I have been eating fairly well this summer.”

She felt her eyes narrow even more. “Mmhmm.”

Ying noticed her eyes before rolling her own and giving Maya an amused look. “And how was your summer?”

She frowned before considering all of her inventions, her fight with Decker, her run in with that Deadwoman in the hospital, and then everything that went wrong at the summer festival. “My summer was… exciting to say the least.”

“Really? Do tell.” Ying pushed with interest at having her own words thrown back at her.

“No. You didn’t talk about your summer, so I won’t talk about mine.” Maya told her with crossed arms.

“I suppose that’s fair.” Ying conceded easily enough.

“What? No!” Maya pouted. “You’re supposed to be all interested and tell me about your summer, so I’ll tell you about mine!”

“Mm, I’m good.” Ying shrugged nonchalantly. “Summer’s over so none of that really matters now.”

That had Maya pausing. (Huh, Ying’s usually not this playful about things.)

(She also doesn’t really… let things go either.) Her inner passion reminded her. (Honestly, she seems really laidback compared to usual.)

“Hmm… Hey, Ying?”

“Yes?”

“Is everything alright with your mom?”

The way Ying immediately tensed; Maya was sure she’d stepped on a landmine as the hair on the back of her neck seemed to stand on end. At least until the other girl released a drawn-out sigh.

“Things are the same way they always are.” Ying admitted, though it sounded like she was forcing herself to do that much. “She’s still being… as controlling as ever.”

“Sorry.” Maya apologized as the first bell rang.

“No. No, a friend… a friend told me it was good for me to talk about this kind of thing and he wasn’t exactly wrong.” Ying confessed as they started towards the school entrance.

“A friend?” Maya repeated, before processing something else and smiling. “A ‘he’ kind of friend?”

“Again, no. Kill that thought with lightning and arrows.” Ying told her. “I know how your mind works, so don’t even try to go there.”

“But he’s a mysterious friend who is a boy!” She pointed out. “He sounds like a mysterious boyfr- ow!” She tore her hand away from the metal door handle. “Shocked me.”

Ying pushed the door open with ease. “Must be telling you to stop while you’re ahead.”

“Mm, you’re no fun.”

“Oh, I’m plenty of fun.” Ying argued dryly. “The problem is I won’t have any at my own expense.”

“Right.” She nodded just as dryly. “So, what class do you have first?”

“English, you?”

She pulled out her schedule and checked, before saying, “I have math too.”