100 DAYS OF MAYBE

CHAPTER 3: THE COLLEGE TRIP

"DAYS 15-21 - THE COLLEGE TRIP"

PART 1 OF 3

[SCENE 1: DAY 15-16 - MONDAY-TUESDAY - THE PLAN]

DAY 15 - MONDAY

School felt different after Sunday.

Noah and I did our normal thing. Lockers. Calc. Lunch.

But now there was this... thing. Between us.

The question.

_What if on Day 100 I don’t want to stop?_

I hadn’t answered.

At lunch:

"UCLA tour is this weekend," Noah said, pushing food around. "My dad signed me up."

"Cool."

"You should come."

"I can’t. It’s for athletes."

"It’s for anyone. Maya’s coming too."

Maya, who was suddenly very interested in her fries, nodded. "Yeah. I’m coming."

Traitor.

_Noah_: day 15

_Me_: i know

_Noah_: ucla?

_Me_: i’ll think about it

_Noah_: ok

*DAY 16 - TUESDAY*

By Tuesday the whole school knew.

"Are you going to UCLA with Noah?" Chloe asked in the bathroom.

"It’s a college visit," I said.

"Sure it is."

That night:

_Me_: fine. i’ll go

_Noah_: really?

_Me_: as friends

_Noah_: obviously. as friends

_Me_: day 16

_Noah_: 84 to go

*[SCENE 2: DAY 17-18 - THURS-FRI - UCLA + ONE HOTEL ROOM]*

*DAY 17 - THURSDAY*

We drove down with Maya, Jake, and Noah’s dad.

4 hours in the car. Noah and I sat in the back.

He fell asleep halfway and his head ended up on my shoulder.

Neither of us moved it for an hour.

The UCLA tour was a blur. Buildings. Stats. "This could be you."

Noah looked good in the sun. Gray UCLA shirt someone gave him.

"Can you see yourself here?" I asked.

"Maybe," he said. "Can you?"

"Maybe."

*DAY 18 - FRIDAY NIGHT*

The hotel.

One room. Two beds. Except...

"There was a mistake," the lady at the desk said. "We only have one king left."

Maya and Jake got their own room.

Noah’s dad shrugged. "You two can share. You’re just friends, right?"

_Just friends._

Room 214. 9 PM.

One bed. King size. 2 pillows.

"This is fine," Noah said, dropping his bag. "We’re mature."

"Very mature."

We did the dumb thing where we both stared at the bed like it was lava.

"You take the left," I said.

"You take the right."

"I’ll sleep on top of the covers."

"I’ll sleep on the floor."

"Noah."

"Ava."

Finally we both climbed in. Back to back. In the middle. A canyon of space between us.

10:34 PM

_Noah_: you awake?

_Me_: yes

_Noah_: this is weird

_Me_: very weird

_Noah_: 82 to go

_Me_: stop counting

_Noah_: can’t

I fell asleep like that.

---

END OF PART 1 OF 3

"DAYS 15-21 - THE COLLEGE TRIP"

PART 2 OF 3 - AVA'S POV

[SCENE 3: DAY 19 - SATURDAY - "YOU GUYS ARE SO CUTE"]

DAY 19 - SATURDAY MORNING

I woke up first.

Noah was still asleep. On his side. Facing me.

We’d migrated in the night. The canyon between us was gone.

There was maybe 6 inches between our faces.

His hair was in his eyes. He was breathing slow.

I stared. Stupid. For way too long.

Then he moved. His arm brushed mine.

His eyes opened. Gray. Sleepy.

"Morning," he whispered.

"Morning."

Neither of us moved.

For 3 seconds we just... existed.

Then my phone buzzed. Maya: _breakfast?_

We both shot up like we’d been electrocuted.

In the hotel lobby, Maya took one look at us and grinned. "You look... rested."

"We didn’t—" I started.

"We know," Jake said. "You didn’t."

*UCLA CAMPUS TOUR 2.0*

It was different today.

Noah held my campus map when the wind blew.

I held his water bottle when he tied his shoe.

Small things. Stupid things.

At the sculpture garden, a tour guide mom pointed at us.

"You two are so cute together! Are you going to apply as a couple?"

Noah opened his mouth.

"She’s my—"

"Friend," I finished. Too fast.

"Oh!" the mom said. "Sorry!"

Noah didn’t look at me the rest of the tour.

Lunch. Outside.

"Why’d you do that?" Noah asked quietly.

"Do what?"

"Say ‘friend’ like that."

"Like what?"

"Like it was a bad word."

I didn’t have an answer.

_Noah_: day 19

_Me_: i know

_Noah_: are we ok

_Me_: yeah

_Noah_: sure?

_Me_: 81 to go

*[SCENE 4: DAY 20 - SUNDAY - THE BEACH NIGHT]*

*DAY 20 - SUNDAY*

We didn’t drive straight home.

Noah’s dad said: "Beach. 2 hours. Then we leave."

Santa Monica. 6 PM. Sunset.

Just Noah and me. Maya and Jake went to get food.

We walked on the sand. Bare feet.

The sky was pink and orange and stupidly pretty.

"About this morning," Noah said.

"You don’t have to—"

"I do. I liked it. Waking up next to you."

I stopped walking.

"Noah."

"I know. 81 days. I’m not asking for anything."

"Then what are you asking?"

"I’m asking if you felt it too."

The waves were loud.

"Yes," I whispered. "I felt it."

He nodded. Looked at the ocean.

"Okay. Good. That’s good."

We sat.

He didn’t take my hand.

I didn’t take his.

But our shoulders touched. And neither of us moved away.

Maya and Jake came back with tacos. The moment broke.

On the drive home, Noah slept again. Head on my shoulder again.

I didn’t move for 4 hours.

My arm went numb. I didn’t care.

*11:30 PM - Back in Ridgewood*

_Noah_: home

_Me_: home

_Noah_: day 20

_Me_: i know

_Noah_: 80 to go

_Me_: noah

_Noah_: yeah?

_Me_: thank you for today

_Noah_: thank you for coming

I fell asleep with my phone in my hand.

---

END OF PART 2 OF 3

"DAYS 15-21 - THE COLLEGE TRIP"

PART 3 OF 3 - AVA'S POV

[SCENE 5: DAY 21 - MONDAY - NOAH GETS SICK]

DAY 21 - MONDAY

I woke up to 3 missed texts.

_Noah 6:12 AM_: don’t feel good

_Noah 6:30 AM_: fever

_Noah 6:45 AM_: can’t come to school

My stomach dropped.

_Me 6:47 AM_: what’s your temp?

_Noah_: 101.2

_Me_: i’m coming over

I was at his house in 15 minutes.

Mrs. Bennett opened the door. "Ava, honey. He’s in his room. He barely slept."

Upstairs. His room.

Dark. Blinds closed. He was buried under two blankets.

Hair a mess. Cheeks red.

"You look terrible," I said.

"Thanks," he croaked. "You look... here."

I sat on the edge of his bed. Rule #1. No touching.

Screw it. I put my hand on his forehead.

"Hot."

"I know."

His dad brought in soup. I stayed.

All day.

I took his temp every hour. Made him drink water. Changed the cold towel on his head.

At one point he grabbed my wrist in his sleep.

"Don’t go," he mumbled.

"I’m not going anywhere."

By 5 PM his fever broke.

He was exhausted but awake.

"Why’d you stay?" he asked.

"Because you would’ve stayed for me."

"Yeah I would have."

Silence.

The room smelled like soup and medicine.

"Ava."

"Yeah?"

"If on Day 100 I say I want to keep going... will you say yes?"

My heart.

"Day 21, Noah. Don’t do this to me."

"I’m not doing anything. I’m just asking."

I looked at him. Sick. Vulnerable. Honest.

"I don’t know," I whispered. "But I’m scared of the answer being no."

He closed his eyes. Smiled a little.

"Me too."

I stayed until his mom kicked me out at 8.

"Go home, sweetie. We’ve got it."

*[SCENE 6: NIGHT 21 - TEXTS + CHAPTER CLOSE]*

*10:14 PM*

_Noah_: home yet?

_Me_: just got in

_Noah_: thank you

_Me_: for what

_Noah_: for today. for soup. for not leaving

_Me_: stop

_Noah_: what

_Me_: being nice to me

_Noah_: can’t help it

_Me_: 79 to go

_Noah_: i know

_Noah_: ava?

_Me_: yeah

_Noah_: i’m glad it was you who came

_Me_: me too

*11:59 PM*

_Noah_: day 21

_Me_: day 21

_Noah_: 79 to go

_Me_: we can do this

_Noah_: we can

I put my phone down and stared at my ceiling.

Day 15-16: The plan.

Day 17-18: One hotel room.

Day 19: "You guys are so cute."

Day 20: The beach. Shoulders touching.

Day 21: Taking care of him. Him asking me to stay.

79 days left.

And "maybe" was starting to feel a lot like "I already don’t know how to go back to before you."

I opened my journal:

_Day 21. I took care of him today. I liked it. That’s the problem. I liked being the person he called. I liked being the person he needed. 79 days. What happens when I’m not?_

Then I crossed it out.

Because on Day 100, we had to know.

Even if knowing broke us.

---

END OF CHAPTER 3