​I stood near the chalkboard, adjusting my lesson notes, but my mind wasn't on history. Parents’ Day was next week. Every desk in this room would have a parent sitting next to their kid, sharing their progress, showing up. Except Maya’s. ​"Just try one more time, Maya," I had told her earlier. I couldn't bear the thought of her sitting in that back row alone, watching everyone else’s parents show up while hers didn't. I wanted so badly for Katy to step up, just once, and give Maya the moment she deserved. ​Maya had looked at me with that tired, guarded expression she gets whenever her home life comes up. She knew before she even asked. But to give me peace of mind, she promised she'd try. ​Now, the sun had been down for hours, and Maya hadn't come over to see Riley. ​Topanga and I knew the reality. Katy wasn't home, and when she was, she was usually intoxicated—leaving Maya locked out because she’d taken the keys with her again. ​I leaned against the kitchen counter, looking out the window toward the quiet street. Riley was upstairs in her room, blissfully unaware, expecting her best friend to walk through the door any minute. But I knew better. Somewhere out there in the cold, Maya was sitting on a porch step or a fire escape, waiting for a house to become a home. ​My chest tightened. No kid should have to figure out where they're going to sleep because their parent locked them out. ​I grabbed my jacket off the hook by the front door.

​"Cory? Where are you going?" Topanga asked from the living room knowing what he is going to do

​"To find our maya," I said, putting my hand on the doorknob. "She's not staying out there tonight."