Minkus {•Riarkle•}

Growing Up

"Maya, stop. You're saying too much," Lucas whisper-yelled at her and gripped her forearm.

She snatched her arm back and shook her head, "I don't care!" She turned back to herself who looked at her as if she knew 100% what she was talking  about. "You and Riley were best friends. Doesn't it feel wrong not having her around? Doesn't it hurt?"

"Of course it does. I still consider her my best friend..."

"Then what went wrong that everything had to change?" Maya was determined to know.

Maya Hunter's breath hitched as she took a moment to look around her to the numerous amounts of children's artwork and the families that came to visit and appreciate them. Her jaw clenched, knowing that among the crowd was her best friends and their daughter with her best friends.

"Trust is the key to any successful relationship. Betrayal and mistrust can break a person," Maya sighed heavily. "And I hurt Riley, multiple times. I broke Riley Matthews..."

The looks on the youthful faces of Maya Hart and Lucas Friar were ones that couldn't be described. Maya Hunter's face though was of deep regret and remorse.

"I lost Riley Matthews to Riley Minkus, and even though she's trying to be friends with me again, I don't deserve her..." Maya scoffed a moment after. "No one really sees it but Riley Matthews and Riley Minkus are two completely different people, and honestly I liked her better for who she was than for who she is now."

"Riley isn't a bad person," Maya defended her best friend.

"She's not, and she never had been and never will be, but you kinda miss the old times when you're never there for the new." Maya Hunter shrugged before turning back to the two teenagers and glanced back at her painting before pointing to it then to them. "Don't stop growing up."

With those words, the future version of Maya Hart left the scene, disappearing to do whatever she does now.

Lucas looked over to the blonde next to him and her face was stone cold. "Maya, are you okay?"

"I hate her."

Lucas chortled, "what?"

Maya threw her hands up in the air and turned to face her body towards the guy by her side. "I hate her. I mean, yeah, she's me but I don't like this. I don't like that Riley and I aren't there for each other at a time of need."

"I don't know what to say. This is just what happens."

"Well I refuse!" Maya said. "I refuse to accept a future without Riley."

"You two are still friends. We all are."

"Exactly! We're just friends here, but Riely and I are best friends. This entire thing is completely out of order; Riley hates you, none of us talk to Smackle, Zay leads a school, Riley and I aren't friends—"

"Riley and Farkle are married," Lucas interrupted.

"I don't know what happened that caused all of this to happen, but I'm going to find out and make sure to avoid it at all cost," Maya said determined.

"Maya, this is twenty years ahead of our time. We traveled here to the future to see what is of ourselves and now you want to change it?"