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MAYA

T he rumors were rife on Monday morning and by lunch break it seemed official—#Olivannah was no more. Savannah and Oliver had broken up again.

Where once this news would’ve filled my heart with supreme joy, on the contrary, I had no feelings. I was blank, emotionless, because Oliver Blackwell did not even know my name. Years of wistful yearning and unrequited love pulverised in an instant when he called me Mia. He may well have stomped on my heart and let it bleed dry, such was my disappointment.

Yes, if I hadn’t been on the cheer team for two years or he hadn’t been my neighbor for twelve years, I might have forgiven the slip up. But the reality was that I was an unmemorable blip on Oliver Blackwell’s radar and it was time for me to come to my senses and enter the real world. So if Simon or Tarik ever gave me a second chance, I wouldn’t be so stupid and decline a date. I’d accept and enjoy myself and overlook Simon’s corduroy jacket that he wore every single day of the week and Tarik’s mullet hairstyle with the short bangs because it just proved that I was petty and shallow. Simon was one of the smartest kids in algebra and Tarik was an amazing guitar player and they were probably cool guys if I took the time to know them.

Oliver was nowhere to be seen in the cafeteria, but Savannah was hosting a small army of followers, looking forlorn and heartbroken.

My best friend, Sammy was unimpressed and rolled her eyes. “It’s probably just to gain more likes. You watch, by tomorrow hashtag Olivannah will be back on again.”

“Did you see anything at the game?” Paige leaned over the table in a hush. “Apparently Oliver nearly punched the rival quarterback.”

I started to shake my head, but Evie jumped in. “No, he didn’t, and it was the wide receiver. Toby heard that Savannah was flirting with one of the Lions players and Oliver lost his cool over it. But there were no fist fights.”

I devoured this information. Evie’s brother Toby was a senior like Oliver, so likely knew all the inside gossip. Of course, this was not the version the cheer squad had been told. We supported each other like sisters, and in our eyes Savannah could do no wrong. We’d been led to believe that Oliver had dumped Savannah completely out of the blue, but now it seemed she definitely did not deserve Oliver. She was insane to be flirting with other boys and not be devoted to Oliver. I know I would have given my undying...

I stopped myself, remembering that Oliver Blackwell didn’t even know my name. He had no idea who I was. I could not and should not offer him my undying loyalty. I was about as memorable as a book with no plot.

I smiled at Simon as I passed by him in algebra but he didn’t even glance up when I purposely knocked his desk. And I sought eye contact with Tarik in English class but he was engrossed in conversation with Brenna. It was like a cruel kind of payback for turning down the boys in the first place, like the universe was telling me I’d missed the romance boat.

With no cheer squad practice after school, I moped at my locker, hopeful someone might want to go to the cafe. Otherwise I’d have to hang around in the school library and wait for Mom. With Mom being Head of English, she had a department meeting which meant at least an hour to kill. Sammy, Evie, Paige and Rose all had rides or plans, so I had no choice but to study in the library. At least I could get my homework done.

The library was busier than usual, probably due to the rain. To get a table to myself, I was forced to sit back in the reference section amidst the non-fiction books. I opened up my laptop, tucking my phone deep into my backpack. I didn’t want to get distracted by the #Olivannah drama.

I proceeded to work on my homework and was making good progress when I was alerted to a buzz of voices coming closer. Annoyed at losing my solitude, I pulled out my phone to see if Mom had messaged me; she hadn’t. Dropping my backpack down on the floor, the empty chair next to me was suddenly occupied by a tall figure rushing in.

“Hey.”

I blinked rapidly, comprehension slow as my brain registered that Oliver Blackwell had plonked himself on the seat.

“Hey, Maya,” he said breathlessly, “how’s it going?”

He said my name right!

That was the only thought stirring in my mind, the only important thing in the history of the world—that Oliver knew my name! Stunned, I sat mute, not answering his question, basking in this momentous occasion.

“Hey, thanks for the support at the game,” Oliver said.

My heartbeat was deafening, pounding in my ears like thunder, not quite believing what was happening. Oliver Blackwell was having a conversation with me! Well, that wasn’t entirely true because I’d yet to utter a single word, or even a syllable, meaning he was engaged in a monologue. What a time for my brain and voice to desert me!

“Can I ask a favor?” Oliver had turned to me, his warm brown eyes so close that I was seeing flecks of gold and yellow, and though his face had possessed my dreams for most of my life, only now did I notice how defined the cupid’s bow of his upper lip was. And how rosy they were. Were boys’ lips usually so pink and rosy?

The library was becoming noisier, and I was all too aware that in my dumbfounded state I’d yet to answer Oliver.

“Just go with it...” Oliver’s head dipped even closer to mine, “please?”

And before I knew what was happening, Oliver pressed his lips against mine. Yes, in what I could only describe as a literally breathtaking moment, I was being kissed by Oliver Blackwell.

Now, I may have been in shock, but that did not stop me from enjoying the totally spontaneous moment. Oh no, all my senses sprung to life and I savored every delicious second of Oliver Blackwell’s kiss, intentional or not. I responded to the softness of his mouth, the minty gum taste and the rich warm scent that I found myself immersed in, knowing that any second now the fairytale was about to end.

Yep, Oliver was going to pull away realizing he’d confused me with Savannah, though considering she was blonde and my hair was plain and ordinary brown, that was a bit of a stretch. But a sudden madness hit me—maybe Oliver was in the process of losing his eyesight, going blind, meaning he was kissing me mistakenly...yet that wouldn’t explain him calling me by my name.

A sharp gasp from beyond sounded like someone was on the brink of taking their dying breath and Oliver’s attention was momentarily diverted, his lips pausing against mine, but it was the menacing cough that made him release his lips in an unhurried, almost reluctant manner.

With my senses reeling from the magnificent chaos, I did however recognize that the person with throat problems was, of course, Savannah. My cheer squad captain.

“Ollieeeeeee,” she breathed with a dramatic squeal.

I was too scared to look up—at either Oliver or Savannah or the girls who stood behind her.

“What. On. Earth?” Savannah hissed each word with the toxicity of a black mamba’s bite. That is, deadly. Meaning I was the one about to take my last breath. Strangely, I focused on my open notebook on the table, the last thing I’d written: y = mx + b

Was that going to be my last memory, the last thing I remembered, a math equation?

“We’re over, Sav.” There was a crisp, authoritative tone to Oliver’s voice, commanding yet not arrogant. “I’m moving on. You need to, too. Though I think you already did.”

A tingle radiated down my spine and I realized that Oliver’s hand rested on my shoulder, strands of my hair caught between his fingers. I daren’t move, the flutters beneath my skin causing my heart rate to increase substantially.

Savannah snorted. “Sure. Moving on. Good luck with that,” she said with a scathing laugh, her laser-focused glare burning deep into my retinas. I was sure I was going to see a light explosion but my head was suddenly tilted so that I was staring into the perfection that was Oliver Blackwell’s face.

“Yeah, thanks,” he quipped back at Savannah. “See ya round.”

And with a thumb sliding down my cheekbone, he gently steadied my chin and his lips smothered mine again. I was no more prepared for it than the first time, but I quickly relaxed, keen to repeat the experience. With the sound of an outraged exhale and fading footsteps, I expected Oliver to pull away but as his fingers feathered my hair, every cell in my body melted against him, my wildest dreams coming true.

What had I done to deserve this? Was it because I’d stacked my breakfast bowl in the dishwasher this morning before Mom had asked me to? Was it because I’d shared my bag of Oreos with Paige? Whatever, luck was on my side and I would cherish the moment before Oliver Blackwell came to his senses.

Because it was obvious that he would, sooner rather than later. He’d realize I was Maya Shelton, junior, and not some other Maya that he’d accidentally confused me for.

Even though Savannah had clearly left, Oliver took his time in releasing his lips, followed by his arm, leaving us as two separate entities again. I missed his touch terribly, sad that the warm fuzzy feeling, the best moments of my life would now be a fading memory.

Oliver smiled as he straightened in his own chair, shifting back a little.

“Sorry about that,” he said.

My eyebrows lifted, unsure of how to respond. He was sorry? Why? Because he’d kissed me, or that I’d kissed him back?

When I didn’t answer, Oliver’s eyes narrowed in concern. “Are you okay? Honest, I didn’t mean to just jump in like that, but—”

“But Savannah was coming and you wanted to make her jealous?” The words spouted from my mouth because no matter that I’d been in some fantasy realm mere minutes ago, my brain still functioned and common sense prevailed.

“Not jealous...over,” Oliver admitted with a sheepish grin. “But here’s the favor I was about to ask.”

My brow furrowed in suspicion as I envisioned he’d want a photo of the two of us for a social media post, just to reiterate to Savannah that he’d moved on. Because that’s what he’d said to her: I’m moving on.

“Fake date me?”

I rubbed my ears, sure I had misheard. It made absolutely no sense. Oliver Blackwell was the quarterback and could date any girl he wanted—for real. “Fake date you?” My voice rose like I was auditioning for a soprano role.

“Yeah.” Oliver slumped back against the chair. “I can’t deal with Sav anymore. Just say you’ll date me. Please. It’ll keep her off of my back.”

My heart rate picked up again, beating frantically as I tried to grasp what this meant. “Why me?” I rasped out with a croaky throat.

“Why not?” he said with a smirk.

Okay, now my heart went into manic palpitations and I could only stutter, “Y...y...you...you don’t even know me.”

“Relax,” Oliver said, taking my hand in his and squeezing it lightly. “We’ll get to know one another then.”

I swallowed tightly, airways restricting, lungs fighting for oxygen.

“What’s your number?” he asked as he let go of my hand and pulled his phone from his jacket pocket.

Presuming he wouldn’t know how to spell my name, I said, “M A Y A,” in slow, precise disbelief.

Oliver pushed back his chair and stood like it was mission accomplished. “Okay, thanks M A Y A,” he joked. “You’ll hear from me soon.”

I tried to say, “Okay,” but no sound came out, just a choked sigh. My mind was now a chaotic mess, everything happening too fast, and I couldn’t understand what I’d agreed to, how I was involved in some scheme to show Savannah Adlam she was now obsolete.

Right as I was sure he was going to bolt away, he stopped and bent down, dropping a kiss on my forehead. If I wasn’t already sitting, I would have fallen over.

“You still have my Owls flag, right?” he asked with a wink.

I stared back, eyes large and wide, shocked that Oliver Blackwell did indeed remember me.