The Hidden Hunter ✔️

Chapter 17: Finding Maya?

  "Farkle, you get a reading?" "No significant difference in facial expression or tone of voice. He has actually not made a decision yet. There may be no scientific way to do this."
  "I have a way." I announced, "And it's good." "Okay, well, what is it?"
  I pulled out two bags of Jelly Beans from behind the counter. Purple for Riley and yellow for Maya. Shawn had done the same thing for Cory when he was deciding between Topanga and Lauren.
  "You're gonna let Jelly Beans decide my future?" Lucas said incredulously. "Oh, who else is supposed to decide your future, you?" Zay remarked.

  "Let's start with personality. Which girl makes you laugh?" I started."Oh, okay, well, Riley's the goofiest person I know. She makes me laugh 50 times a day... But, I also laugh when Maya 'hu-hurrs' me and calls me 'Huckleberry' 50 times a day."
I sighed as Zay put a jelly bean on each scale.

  "Which girl would you rather have a deep conversation with?" "That night in the library with Riley. I could have sat there talking with her forever... But then, there was Maya and that campfire."

  "All right, we need a deciding question." Farkle said, "Something deep and meaningful and reveals your true soul. Which girls makes you feel 'bluoylalaloo?'"

   "Riley?" "Bloylalaloo." "Not even close." "Maya?" "Bloylalaloo." "You have to mean it, for real." Farkle insisted.
  "How do they make you feel? Lucas, think about both of them." I instructed, "Riley and Maya?" "Bloylalaloo!" He shouted in annoyance.

  "Look, I don't believe in coincidence. I believe coincidence is the universe's way of telling you something. And what are the odds that one day on the subway Riley falls into my lap? It's always been Riley. It's always been Riley since day one."
  "So, you're decided." I said. "Yeah. Except..." I sighed, "What?" "It was Maya who pushed her. It was Maya who did that for Riley because that's who Maya is."
  "Good experiment. Except this isn't about Jelly Beans. It's about us, Lucas. All right, this decision could change who we all are together. So, make it a good one, all right?" I told him.

  "Lucas, I know it's impossible to choose between both of them. I mean, I couldn't. But you have to. For the good of all of us. Choose." Farkle commanded.

Riley POV

  "Fix her!" I shouted as I marched with Maya into my house. "I don't need to be fixed." She insisted, but I wasn't going for it. "You know who says that? Somebody who needs to be fixed. Fix her!"

  "What's wrong with her? She's been getting good grades, she's behaving all over the place." My mother said, as if this was normal behavior.

"It's Maya!"

   I turned to her, "You... have not been you. Come back!" "Guys, you've always been there for me. I'm a teenager. No teenager knows who they are." Maya explained. "Maya, I know who you are. Even your art teacher says that this isn't you." "I am me."
"Yeah? What'cha wearing, you?" "You love what I'm wearing." "Of course I love what you're wearing, Maya. I'm wearing it, too."

  "Ever since I can remember, I've always wanted to be you. Because you were always stronger than me, and now you just proved it." 
"How?" She asked confused. "Maya, I only talked about it, but you actually did it. You became me"
  "Riley, just because I'm wearing an outfit similar to yours doesn't make me you. Just because I'm wearing my hair like you today it doesn't make me you! Name me one thing of real significance that you and I share in common that has to do with the inside, that affects us emotionally?" Maya started getting defensive.
  "Maya, you haven't stood on a teacher's desk or been in detention for a long time. You sold your house in Mayaville and you moved to Rileytown." "I must like it." "Go home." I told her.