Maya needed air. Needed to get out of that locker room with its stale tension and resentful stares. She pushed through the door, nearly colliding with Agent Torres.
"You okay?" Torres asked.
"Fine. Just need a minute."
Maya walked fast, heading for the exit. Behind her, she heard footsteps. Heavy, familiar.
"Maya, wait."
Ethan. Of course.
She kept walking.
"Maya, please. Just talk to me for a second."
She spun around, and he nearly ran into her. "Talk to you? About what? About how you just stood there while they voted me off? About how you gave up without even trying?"
Ethan's face flickered with hurt. "I didn't give up."
"Really? Because 'I'm respecting their decision' sounds a lot like giving up to me." Maya's voice rose. People in the hallway were starting to stare but she didn't care. "Mateo was fighting for me. Actually fighting. And you just stood there."
"Because forcing them wouldn't help. They needed to make their own choice."
