Maya arrived at the Chandler's at 7 again due to both Mrs. Chandler having to take a night shift, but said Mr. Chandler should be home by 10:30 p.m. at the latest.

Calvin was excited to have Maya over, since his own brother didn't pay attention to him much these days. "Maya! Maya! Maya! Maya!" Calvin jumped up and wrapped his arms around.

"Hey kiddo! You ready for another night of fun?" She asked as she got down to his level.

"Yeah!" He nodded his head excitedly, making her giggle.

She couldn't tell if he was having a sugar rush or if he was bouncing up and down out of pure excitement. Either way, it was a very cute sight to behold. "Alright then. Let's get dinner started and then we'll..." she trailed off at the sight of Nick coming down the stairs. "What are you doing here?" She asked him curiously, taking her jacket off and setting it on the couch.

Nick raised an eyebrow as he passed her by. "I️ live here?" He scoffed. "Did I️ hear you were gonna make dinner? Because I'm starving-"

"It's dino nuggets and they're not for you," she snapped, rolling her eyes. She went into the kitchen to get started on Calvin's dinner, pulling the nuggets out of the freezer before reaching into the pantry for mac and cheese.

"Hey Nicky, do you wanna play Candyland with me?" Calvin asked, making her turn back to look at them with an amused smile.

Nick looked apprehensive at first, but not even he was immune to Calvin's puppy dog eyes. "Sure Cal," he says sarcastically before setting himself down on the floor, sighing deeply as Calvin jumped up and cheered, rushing off to find the board game.

"Oh the torture," Maya playfully mocked him, making him disdainfully roll his eyes.

"I️ knew I️ should've never came down here," he mutters.

"Then why did you?" She asked as she put the nuggets in the oven before getting started on making the Mac and cheese.

"Wanted to make sure you were still coming," he says, making her look up from the stove. "Like I️ said, it would've crushed Cal that you quit just cause I️ was being a dick to you," he reiterates.

Just then, Calvin bounds down the stairs excitedly. "I'm found it!" He exclaims as he throws down the box in front of Nick, making both teens laugh. She finishes making his food and puts it on a plate for him before calling him over to the dinner table.

"You not gonna eat?" Nick asked, to which she shook her head no.

"Not hungry. I️ ate before I️ got here, obviously," she states before moving towards the living room to assemble the board game for Calvin. "You're being...nice," she noticed, eyeing him suspiciously from the floor. "It's weird."

Nick scoffed. "Contrary to popular belief, I️ am pretty capable of being nice," He rebutted, making her giggle.

Once Calvin finished his meal, he came back over to the living to start playing his game of m with Maya and his big brother. They played for a good while before deciding to watch The Fox and The Hound on VHS. Calvin fell asleep on Maya's lap halfway through the movie though, as she suspected him to. So she slowly got up to pick him up to bring him to his room when Nick stood up beside her.

"I'll do it," he said, surprising him. Calvin clung on to him as he carried him up the stairs. Maya lets out a tired sigh as she bent over to pick up her stuff. She wondered if she should leave early, but Mr. Chandler made it clear he didn't trust Nick on his own and she was sure he had his reasons. So instead of leaving, she sat down and decided to finish the cartoon movie anyways. Nick came back down the stairs, surprised to still see her there.

"Not leaving yet?" He asked.

"I'm still on the clock. I gotta babysit you too," she joked, annoying him.

"I️ come back home late once..."

"Whatever. An extra $10 an hour won't hurt," she said as he sat on the couch next to her, leaving a good amount of space between them. "So...what's the deal with your-" she caught herself about to call Mr. Chandler his dad again, which she knows would ultimately piss him off. "With Mr. Chandler?" She decided to go with.

"Harry? He's my stepdad," Nick begrudgingly answers. "And he's Calvin's dad," was all he said. She nodded and continuing looking on towards the tv, awkward silence settling in.

"What about you? What's your story?" Nick asks after a few moments, making her look at him.

"Me and my family moved from Brooklyn, New York Cause my dad got a really good job offer," she explains to him. "Just me, my brother and my parents," she tells him.

Nick sits back against the couch and looks at her, eyeing her from head to toe. "Well that makes sense," he says, making her raise an eyebrow. "You got the whole good girl thing going for you," he points out. "Good family, probably got a protective older brother, never done a bad thing in her life, goes to church..." he mocks. "Thinks she's better than everyone."

Maya looked at him, annoyed. "And for five seconds I️ thought you were an okay person. Thanks for proving me wrong," she snaps at him. Just then, they hear the door knob jiggle as his step-father lets himself in. "Good evening!" She smiles at him while picking up her bag, slinging it around her shoulder. "I️ made Calvin dinner and now he's in bed," she informed him as he made his way towards the fridge for a beer.

He looked between her and Nick suspiciously. "And how was he?" He nods over at Nick, making him roll his eyes disrespectfully.

Maya looks over at him and smiles. "He was actually really helpful all night," she complimented, surprising them both.

"Really?" Mr. Chandler questioned. "Well...that's good to hear," he says as he reaches into his wallet, handing her forty dollars. "Have a goodnight then Amaya," he escorts her to the door.

Nick watches from the couch as his stepdad disgustingly eyes her up and down when she wasn't looking, the hand that was on the small of her back, escorting her out steadily lowering, pissing him off. His step dad then turns around to face him. "She's pretty for a black girl isn't she?" Harry commented, aggravating Nick even further. "She's skinner than most but pretty face no doubt," he continues. "But I️ bet you've noticed that already."

"I'm going to bed," Nick says abruptly, shoulder checking his stepfather his he passed him, making Harry aggressively shove Nick back. When Nick retaliates, Harry slams Nick into the wall, elbow on his throat, cutting off his air supply.

Maya was picking up her bike when she realized she forgot something, but she wasn't sure what. She looked around until she realized she forgot her jacket on the couch. She dropped her bike and turned around to knock on their door when she heard some heavy noises come from inside. She rushed over to the window and gasped in shock at the scene in front of her.

"Tell me the truth, are you fucking our babysitter?" He demanded to know.

"No!" He choked out, shaking his head.

"If I️ find out you're lying..." he threatens. He then let's go, making Nick gasp for air. "Now go to sleep. You got school tomorrow," he orders. Nick nods and turns to go upstairs when something out the window catches his eyes. He squints and looks out the window, only to see Maya rush off, scared.

Fuck.

Maya picks up her bike and rushes down the street, completely scared and confused on what she just witnessed. Her parents never put their hands on her, they didn't have to. Just expressing their disappointment and pushing her and Chris by taking their things away was enough to set them straight.

She arrived at home, where her parents were waiting for her. "Hey honey, how'd it go?" Her mother asked as soon as she came in.

"What?" She sounded distracted. "Oh. It went fine. I'm tired, I'm gonna go to bed. Goodnight!" She quickly said, rushing up the stairs.

Her parents looked at each other confused. "What's wrong with her?" Her mother asked.

"I️ don't know, she's your child," her dad joked, earning a smack from her mom. He laughed as they continued watching late night tv.

* * * *

Monica and Maya walked side by side when they caught sight of Nick by her locker, surprising them both.

"What does he want?" Monica asked her quietly.

"Let's find out," Maya sighed as they walked up to him. "Can I️ help you?" She asked him.

"I️ meed to talk to you," he sounded urgent. He then looked at Monica, "alone."

Monica smacked her lips at him and turned to look at her. "I'll see you later," she tells her before glaring at him once more. He then grabs her by the arm and pulls her outside.

"Wait! Nick, wait!" She protested, but he just ignored her and tugged her along, catching everyone's attention. No doubt, this was gonna reach her brother later. "Nick, where are we going?"

"Somewhere to talk," was all he said as they reached the student parking lot.

"I️ can't skip school!" She tells him, now trying to fight against him. "Hey! If this about-"

"Get in the car Maya," he ordered, making her gasp in disbelief.

"I'm gonna miss class-"

"Get in the car!" He slammed his fist against the hood, making her jump. Seeing how serious he was, she stopped arguing and slid into the passenger side of the car. He got into the driver's side and started the car, peeling out of the parking lot.

Maya sat in the car, feeling incredibly uncomfortable. Nick was driving like a maniac, speeding and making turns that were too fast, she had no idea how he didn't crash his car yet. Soon, he brings them to an empty playground, considering everyone was still at school, and got out once he parked. He leans against the driver side door as he pulls out a cigarette and a lighter, needing something to calm him down. She slowly gets out the car, shutting the door behind her.

Nick's back was completely turned away from her and she was starting to question what she was really doing here when he spoke. "How much did you see?" He asked calmly, still not looking at her.

"Enough," Maya answered simply.

"You tell anyone?" He looked up at her now as she kept his distance. She quickly shook her head no. "Not even that cute friend of yours or your jock brother?"

"No," she said quietly. "It's none of my business," she says.

"Exactly," Nick snapped. "And if I️ find out you're repeating this to anyone I'll-"

"Nick," she stopped him, getting a bit closer now, "I️ won't tell anyone, I️ promise," she tells him.

He eyes her a bit before nodding, throwing his cigarette on the ground and stepping on it. "Okay," He believes her.

"But, don't you think you should tell someone?" She suggested.

Nick just looked at her. "Are you fucking kidding me?" He spat, making her wince. "You think I️ haven't thought of that before?" He asks her. "Let me play this out for you, cause there's no way you could possibly understand from your happy little bubble you live in," he criticized. "I️ tell the cops, and then what? Harry gets taken to jail. All of a sudden, my mom has a bunch of legal bills on top of regular bills to pay. Calvin loses his dad. My mom struggles and we get evicted. Then what? CPS comes in when they find out two kids are living out on the streets. Cal and I️? Foster care. Possibly separated," he explains. "Sure, I️ have a year left, and probably don't even have to deal with that. But Calvin? He's five, Maya, he'll be in there for-fucking-ever," he seethes.

Maya stood there, speechless. "Nick..."

"I️ don't need your pity or your sympathy or your stupid advice, okay? I️ just need you to keep your mouth shut," his words sounded harsh, but there was also a desperate plea in between. "Please."

"You can trust me," she tells him, making him visibly relax, but that didn't mean his guard wasn't down.

"You're wrong," he says, "You can't trust anyone in this world."

_______________________________

Thanksss for reading 🥰

And I️ know this relationship is looking extremely toxic. That was the point. Shit ain't gon be shweet all the time.