Girl Meets Season 4

18. Girl Meets Isaiah

Zay watched the couples as they interacted, feeling like the odd man out he decided to call it a night and go home, saying a quick goodbye to his friends. But instead of going home he kept walking until he realized he had walked all the way for Riley's house to Central Park, nearly fifty blocks. He couldn't help but wonder how his life had gotten so out of hand that he went after someone who was emotionally unavailable. But then he remembered Vanessa, and how badly their relationship went before he started High School. Everything had been fine, his parents even let him spend most of the summer in Texas, but as soon as the school year started in Texas he was alone.

The day before he was set to go back to New York she had broken up with him, she wanted him to be able to go to school without worrying about her. They were thousands of miles apart and long distance relationships never worked. She wanted him to be happy, and not spend so much money on the girl who was so far away. But he had liked her more than she could have imagined and she let him go. Last time he checked she had started dating one of his old friends and he was alone, so his affections had turned to Maya.

As he walked back towards his house, not wanting to waste the money on the subway he thought about how Maya had become that person for him. But he couldn't really think of anything concrete because in the end she was another Vanessa, someone he couldn't really have. He needed to find someone for him, Maya had been the illusion for him, a beautiful blonde who was similar to his old life and had the life of a star, shining and bright. Vanessa had been his first everything, crush, kiss, girlfriend, and maybe even his first love but she wasn't there for him.

When he had gotten home it was close to curfew, but instead of walking inside he sat down on the stoop and watched the cars pass by. Blurs of white and red on the street, going off in different directions just like his life. Maybe he had wanted to be a part of their circle of friends so much he had placed his heart on someone instead of just being their friend.

His mother noticed him sitting there and just sat down next to him, she didn't ask questions she just placed her arm around him and hugged him close. His mother always knew when something was wrong, and always comforted him without questioning anything. He leaned into her warmth and cried in her arms, not because he had lost the chance to be with Maya but because he was afraid that his heart was doomed to never find love.

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Riley couldn't sleep that weekend, she felt terrible for what happened with Zay even though he said he was fine with it all. Throughout the day she felt spacey and couldn't concentrate which earned her extra laps around the gym during cheer practice for not paying attention. By the time she got out she was exhausted and wanted to go to bed but instead she messaged Zay to meet her at the Bay Window. At first he hesitated, and said he shouldn't but she insisted that he meet her there because they needed to talk.

"What do you need?" he said as he climbed in through the window where she was waiting.

"I'm sorry," she said to him. "For everything that happened, for inserting myself into your life and getting between you and Maya."

"Riley, it's okay," he sighed looking down at a pillow he had picked up. "I saw it coming I just wanted my chance with her. I mean we had one date and all, but she was distracted the whole time, and when she did give me a chance it felt... I don't know weird."

"You really liked her didn't you?"

"Yeah, I mean the blonde beauty thing was all me," he said looking at her as if he were confessing his sins. "I knew it got under Lucas' skin because he liked you so much, but I wanted to know more and then when the triangle happened I guess who else could have her. Lucas was perfect but his heart wasn't there and I felt guilty for playing a part in what happened between the three of you."