"Hey, Liam," she said, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "Long time no see."

Liam smiled politely. "Hey, Sarah. How's it going?"

"It's going well," Sarah said, her eyes lingering on Liam. "I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out later."

I tried not to roll my eyes as I watched the exchange. It was clear that Sarah was interested in Liam, and I didn't like the way she was flirting with him right in front of me.

Before Liam could reply, Finn chimed in. "Actually, Liam's busy tonight. He's helping Maya with her homework."

I felt a surge of gratitude towards Finn for interrupting Sarah's advances. Liam nodded in agreement. "Yeah, sorry Sarah. Maybe some other time."

Sarah shrugged and walked away, her attention already shifting to someone else in the crowd. I let out a sigh of relief, grateful that Liam didn't seem interested in her advances.

As we continued talking, I couldn't shake the feeling of unease that Sarah's flirtations had stirred up in me. But I pushed those thoughts aside. It was not right for me to think about my stepbrother in that way.

As Sarah walked away, Finn let out a low whistle.
"Wow, Liam. You sure do have some admirers."

I rolled my eyes, feeling a little annoyed at Sarah's blatant flirting. "Yeah, well, she's not my type."

Liam chuckled. "I think Maya's just jealous."

I shook my head. "I'm not jealous. I just don't like when people are so obvious about their intentions."

Aiden nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I know what you mean. It's like they don't even care that you're not interested."

Finn smirked. "Well, you can't blame them. Liam's a catch."

Liam chuckled, then turned the conversation towards Finn. "How's that girl from your chemistry class? The one you were telling me about last week?"

Finn's face lit up. "Oh, she's great. We've been studying together a lot, and I think she's really starting to like me."

Aiden rolled his eyes. "Here we go again. Finn's in love."

Finn shot him a playful glare. "Hey, I can't help it if I'm a hopeless romantic."

Aiden leaned forward, a mischievous glint in his eye. "So, Maya, do you have your eye on anyone special?"

I felt a blush creeping up my neck and shook my head. "No, not really. I've been so busy with school and getting settled in."

Finn grinned. "Come on, Maya. There must be someone who caught your attention."

I shrugged, feeling a little embarrassed at the attention. "I don't know. I haven't really thought about it."

Liam chimed in, trying to take the focus off me. "Well, what about you guys? Any crushes or love interests?"

Aiden chuckled. "Ah, I see what you're trying to do, Liam. You're trying to shift the attention away from Maya."

Finn nodded in agreement. "Yeah, but it's not going to work. We want to hear all about Maya's love life."

I rolled my eyes, feeling a little overwhelmed by their teasing. "There's really nothing to tell. I'm just trying to focus on school right now."

Aiden raised his eyebrows. "Fair enough, but you can't ignore your heart forever. Someday, you'll find that special someone."

"What about you Aiden? Do you have a crush on someone?", I said.

Aiden chuckled at my question. "Well, I'm single at the moment, Maya. But I'm always on the lookout for someone special."

Finn raised an eyebrow. "Really? I thought you were more focused on your studies."

Aiden grinned. "I am, but that doesn't mean I can't have a little fun on the side."

I rolled my eyes playfully. "Typical guy."

Aiden laughed. "Hey, don't knock it until you try it."

We continued chatting, and the conversation turned to other topics. As we talked, I couldn't help but wonder about Aiden's love life. He seemed like such a great guy, and I was surprised that he wasn't already taken.

But I pushed those thoughts aside. I already had trouble adjusting to this new school and didn't want to get involved in anyone's drama, especially when it came to relationships.

After lunch, I had drama and history class. In drama, we started working on our next play, which was going to be a modern adaptation of Romeo and Juliet set in a high school. It was a fun concept, and I was excited to see how it would turn out.

In history class, we were learning about the American Revolution, which was one of my favorite topics. I listened intently as the teacher gave a lecture, taking notes and jotting down questions in the margins of my notebook.

As the school day came to a close, I felt a sense of relief wash over me. It had been a long day, but I had managed to make it through without any more drama.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey sweetie, how was your first day at the new school?" my mom asked as soon as I got home.

"It was okay," I replied with a shrug.

"Did your stepbrothers treat you well?"

I nodded. "Yeah, they were nice. Liam even showed me around the school."

"That's great to hear. Your stepfather wants to talk to you when he gets home from work. He said it's important," my mom said, her tone becoming serious.

My heart started racing as I wondered what my stepfather wanted to talk to me about. "Okay, I'll be ready," I managed to say.

"He wants to talk to you about your nightmares," my mom said softly.

I felt a knot form in my stomach as I remembered the nightmares that had been plaguing me for weeks. "Oh," was all I could manage to say.

"He's really worried about you," my mom continued. "He wants to make sure you're okay and that there's nothing bothering you that you're not telling us."

I swallowed hard, feeling a lump in my throat. "Okay," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Don't worry, honey. We just want to help you," my mom said, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder.