Girl Meets Ryan Matthews

42.

"Thanks! Here's 10 bucks!" Auggie handed the money back to her. Amy stood up and tucked the money into her jacket pocket. "And that's how you do that."

Ryan stood up and hugged both his grandparents. "Hey, it's good to see you guys."

"It's good to see you too, Ryan." Alan said, squeezing him after Amy had let go. "Oof," Ryan's face was pressed up against Alan's shoulder.

When he let go Ryan stumbled back a few steps. "You need to eat more, you're so thin!" Amy complained. She grabbed two cookies from the plate she gave Auggie and put them in Ryan's hand.

"Thanks!"

Amy moved on to hug Topanga while Ryan stuffed the first cookie into his mouth.

"I just know you're going to pull off the most fantastic holiday," Amy lied. Topanga awkwardly smiled. "Oh, mom, I heard what you said outside."

"Oh."

Alan leaned over Amy's shoulder. "I explained that to you."

"Ha!" Ryan laughed with a mouthful of cookie. Which he choked on.

"That's what you get!" Auggie laughed. Ryan chased him to the kitchen table with a smile. Alan put his coat up on the rack.

"Ah, wow, look at all these kids. Y'know it wasn't all that long ago that I had kids running around the house." Just then, Josh walked in through the door.

Great timing.

"Yeah, it was just this morning, wasn't it, Dad?" He said, tossing the keys in the air for Alan to catch. "Oh, yeah, you."

"Uncle Josh!" Ryan tackled him with a smile. He gripped him tightly to mess with him like Alan did.

"Ugh! You get your hugging skills from Dad," Josh teased, hugging him normally.

"Joshie!" Auggie came running towards Josh. He walked forward with open arms and picked him up, placing him on his shoulders.

"I love it up here! Hey, Ryan, why don't you ever pick me up like this?" Auggie asked, looking down at Ryan. He shrugged.

"I'm too short, Augs, it'd be no difference to you standing on your own."

"My brotha!" Cory greeted Josh. "My brotha," Josh greeted back.

"How is it that we're brothers?" Cory asked with a teasing smile. "That's because it's a surprise!" Josh yelled that last bit at Alan. Alan sighed, "Stop doing that."

Josh wrapped his arm around Alan's shoulders. "Aw, Dad's so proud of himself, he gets into movies for, like, a quarter." Josh then dropped Auggie face first onto the couch.

Riley hugged Josh and after her so did Maya.

"I'm not your uncle, Maya."

"Even better," She said, her arms still trapping Josh. Ryan rolled his eyes and pushed her off of him.

"It's been a while," Josh said awkwardly. Maya continued to smile at him. Ryan rolled his eyes and walked into the kitchen to help with the table setting.

"It has," Maya replied. Ryan stuck his tongue out behind Maya's back to mock her, but Amy just smacked the back of his head.

"Ow! Grandma!" Ryan pouted as Amy turned around.

"You sure grew up gorgeous," Josh said before finally walking away. He walked toward Ryan. He faced Josh with crossed arms.

"What?" Josh asked. Ryan rolled his eyes. "She's barely 14, Josh."

"Yeah, I know?"

"You're 17, Josh."

"This is established information."

"If you want her to stop being into you, making statements like those will not help you." Josh rolled his eyes, reaching around Ryan to grab a plate of snacks on the counter.

"Time will dissuade her, Ryan. I don't want to be mean."

"Whatever," Ryan rolled his eyes and grabbed a handful of crackers off the plate.

They both walked over to the living room and sat down on two different couches. Josh distracted Alan, Cory, and Auggie with the plate. They were so distracted that they missed Shawn walking in and closing the door, walking to the side of the couch that was closest to the kitchen.

"Gee, Cor, I thought you'd be more excited to see me," Shawn said, sitting on the other side of Auggie.

Cory looked up from the plate of cheese and crackers and gasped loudly and overdramatically.

"YAAAY!" He shouted, wrapping Shawn up in a hug. "I told you he was real!" He yelled to Riley and Maya. Ryan laughed as Auggie wiggled his way out from between them. "I'm okay I'm alive!"

"Hey, Shawn, am I cooler than you, yet?" Josh asked, standing up to hug Shawn. "No, not yet. But I'm getting nervous."

"Shawn!" Ryan yelled, jumping off the seat he was sitting on at Shawn. He laughed and caught Ryan, spinning him. Ryan let go as he was set on the ground, dizzy. "I love doing that!"

As Shawn made his way around the room, Ryan spun one more time and purposefully fell on top of Josh.

"Ugh, you little bug!" Josh shouted with a laugh. He shoved Ryan off of him, the two of them still laughing.

"Why does Shawn like you more than Riley," Maya asked as soon as Ryan was close to them. Ryan stepped back, "Yikes. That's not a question for me to answer."

Ryan tried to step away but Maya stepped in front of him. Ryan raised an eyebrow at her. "You wanna do this?"

"I so do,"

"Bay Window!" Riley shouted, dragging Ryan with her. Ryan sighed and let himself be dragged. Riley put Ryan in the middle of the window and both girls sat on either side of him.

"Is this Bay Window serious, Riley?"

"Of course it is!" Maya said. "Shawn doesn't like Riley! This is a huge issue!"

"I really don't think you know what a huge issue is," Ryan laughed.

"Of course we do! It's this!"

"Riley, what is your problem with Shawn not paying attention to you," Ryan asked. Maya began to talk but Ryan put a hand on her shoulder. "Maya. I asked Riley."

Riley looked down before answering. "Him not liking me makes me feel bad."

Ryan sighed before pulling Riley into a side hug.

"Riley it isn't that Shawn doesn't like you, he has his own issues that effect the way that he treats you, but it's not your fault."

He pushed her away and put both hands on her shoulders, looking her in the eye.

"Riley, even if that's not what's happening, you need to be able to deal with people not liking you, because as we get older and meet more people, not everyone will like you. That's just how people are and it's not your fault."

"But there's nothing unlikable about her!" Maya argued. Ryan turned to face her.

"That's what you think." At Maya's look, he continued, "You think Riley is perfect, but not everyone will. When people don't like her, you can't force them too, that'll only make it worse."

Ryan got up and walked to the door, before closing it he looked back at them. "Just talk to Shawn, there's a reason for what he does. I'm sure you'll get through to him."

With that he walked out to find Auggie and Josh.