"paige, wait." maya called after her, "paige! let me explain." she caught up, grabbing ahold of her wrist. "let go." she seethed, "maya, let go," "no." maya stubbornly responded. "maya, let me go- you're hurting me." paige insists, her voice beginning to quiver. riley momentarily runs into the bakery but halts at the entrance when she saw the sight in front of her unfold. she gulps, observing worriedly.
"oh, my god- uncle josh, i can't believe i'm saying this, but what the hell was that for?!" riley shrieked at him once he appeared beside her.
paige eventually got out of maya's grip, of course maya let go a bit, albeit unwillingly. she really wanted to talk this out, but paige wanted otherwise. she glared at josh then pushed passed the two of them with her head hung low.
"oh, i'm so mad at you!" maya ran up to josh and smacked him, "you don't know how to read the goddamn room?! clearly i'm not at all interested and clearly not available."
"how was i supposed to know at first glance? you and riley hug all the time!"
"hey, don't you yell at me!" maya was furious. "maya, go after her." riley encouraged. "i'm gonna let her cool off. she wouldn't want to see me now anyway." maya sighs, burying her face in her hands.
"you obviously saw that it wasn't just a hug." maya huffs, "when you first got here yesterday, i pushed you away and walked away, told you no. does that mean nothing to you? you tried to kiss me. and i told you i didn't want any of that. then you walk in on us, without knocking? it was riley's room."
"i didn't know you and her were together, okay? besides, you had crush on me for years and i didn't know you were-"
maya scoffs, "yeah. because i don't know you well enough, and you don't know me well enough."
"what you did, was definitely wrong." topanga finally saw a chance to speak up in this whole situation. katy was there too, watching the whole thing happen.
"you're okay with this?" josh scoffs.
"maybe you've forgotten who you're talking to. i was the weird hippie kid- i'm very open-minded. that aside, of course i'm okay with it because i know them, and they work. and they're happy," topanga forced a smile, her eyes were giving a totally different message, "even if i wasn't, i wouldn't be telling them. i would educate myself before i go around assuming things and upsetting people."
"you know what? just- ugh." maya got up, frustrated and she runs out of the place, riley immediately ran after her.
.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ ✩ *̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .
riley finds maya at the bay window, crying. "i tried looking for her. i don't know where she is."
"i'll get the gang to help look for her and i'll try to contact her too. is her mom home?"
"no, her mom's working a shift at the grove bistro."
"lucas texted back- he's getting dinner at grove bistro. she wasn't there."
"farkle and smackle are trying the park."
"i went there too! she wasn't there. what if something happened to her?"
"maya, breathe." riley coaxed, "our friends are looking for her. and i'm gonna help you."
"help me, with what? i just want to turn back time and wish that freaking josh didn't walk in on us and ask me out like a dumbo."
"oh, he...walked in on you two." riley understood her anger better now.
"i'm sorry, we shouldn't be doing that in your room. we were kissing and he opened the door, just as i was about to do something...else."
"it's perfectly normal to be intimate in a relationship. i let you guys just be in my room. but he should've knocked at the very least." riley said, "but hey, as i've told uncle shawn the other time, my family doesn't knock. they're pigs."
"i come in through your bedroom window." maya scoffs, "what am i?"
"you're special. my best friend." riley smiled.
"girls, it's me." topanga's voice could be heard on the other side of the door. "come in, mom." "so, paige answered my call after probably 12 tries." topanga started, "she's fine."
"where is she?" maya sniffles.
"she's in brooklyn. with a family friend."
"she went all the way to brooklyn?" riley asks, "thank goodness she's okay. did she say anything else?"
"she actually,..didn't say anything. she put the friend on the phone- the friend told me everything."
"i wanna go find her. where is she, exactly? i wanna talk everything out with her." maya asks again.
"maya, it's past 9. it's getting l-"
"topa- mrs. matthews, i don't care what time it is. i need to talk to her- i won't be able to sleep at all if we don't settle this."
"okay, i will drive you there." topanga agrees, "riley, can i trust you to stay here with auggie?"
"sure. but where's dad?" riley asks.
"he's with shawn." topanga tells her, "doing their own thing. after they could not find paige."
"oh." riley replied, "i hope everything goes okay, maya." riley gives them both a hug before they left.
.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ ✩ *̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .
"maya, do you wanna talk about it?"
"i already told riley what happened. but you might've already gotten the idea of what happened from the whole thing at the bakery."
"if you don't want to talk about it anymore, we won't."
"i was having an intimate moment with paige and he just walked in on us and blatantly asked me out. like, what for? he literally saw us and then, he asked."
"seriously?" topanga was horrified, "i'm really sorry that happened."
"yeah, i-" maya was interrupted by her phone ringing, "hello?"
"baby girl, are you okay?"
"fine. just- i'm going to look for paige and talk to her. mrs. matthews is taking me."
"alright, i hope everything goes alright. i'll see you later?"
"yeah. see you, mom." she sighs, hanging up.
"did she give you the address or something?"
"the friend did. i actually know the friend."
"oh. wait- what?"
after about half an hour, they pull up at this apartment building. "seventh floor. apartment d." topanga skimmed the list at the entrance, pressing a button, "rosa?"
"yep. i'm gonna buzz you in."
.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ ✩ *̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .
"thanks for making sure she's okay." maya said.
"no problem." rosa answered flatly, "we'll leave you two alone."
"i'm sorry." they both said together as paige turned to face maya.
"i overreacted." paige continues. "overreacted? no. definitely not. you were shocked that he did what he did."
"i know you didn't do anything. i know you rejected him and pushed him away. i just- i let my fears get the best of me."
"i'm sorry he did that. i promise i will never let anything like that get in the way of us anymore."
"i shouldn't have just run off like that. i trust you, with my life, maya. i just- i'm sorry. i'm sorry a moment was ruined."
"i get it. shit happens and we react instead of responding. you had every right to feel the way you did instead of bottling up your emotions." maya replied, "stop apologising. it's okay. let's move forward from that?"
paige agreed with a nod, "yeah. of course we can."
"thank you."
"hey, how're you feeling now? are you still in a lot of pain?"
"it's gone down a bit for awhile. really unpredictable though."
"oh, i gotchu anyway." maya assured, "you wanna go home?"
"yep."
they exited the room to see both adults engaged in a conversation. but they soon noticed the girls were there. "ready to go?" topanga asks.
"yep." paige and maya answered in unison, "we are."
"paige." rosa pulls her in for a hug, topanga was shocked because she knew her client-slash-acquaintance was not one to show any affection at all. "you'll be fine."
"thanks, rosa."
"anytime, kiddo."
next, they leave rosa's apartment and topanga drops them off for the night. maya snakes an arm around her waist like she usually does, to her relief paige didn't push her away.
"so, rosa?"
"she was my babysitter."
"she babysat?"
"yeah." paige nodded, "i know she doesn't seem very friendly, but i've known her for most of my life. so, she's pretty chill."
"no, i like her." maya chuckles, "must be fun for her when people don't expect her to be a babysitter."
and then...
josh. standing outside maya's door.
"oh, he's gonna get it."
"i got this." paige approached him first.
"hey, josh? maybe you didn't get it. but now, i'm telling you- get the hell away from me and maya."
"i just wanna apologise."
"not necessary. bye."
maya intertwines their hands together as paige unlocks her door. "can i spend the nigh-" maya's voice trails off at the look on jodie's face, "never mind." she abruptly lets go of paige's hand.
"why'd you run off like that?" jodie sounded as if she was beyond pissed and not kept in the loop.
"mrs. matthews told you. i'm sure of that." paige snapped.
"watch that tone, paige."
"forget it. it wasn't even my fault and you're mad at me? pissed? what else did i do this time?"
"i don't like that you're-"
"that i'm what? that i'm with maya? that i'm not straight? or not the perfect daughter you've always wanted?" paige's fists were clenched, her breathing was heavy as she got ready to back away and leave the apartment.
"you see those things behind me? i found them in your room. those aren't yours- what're those clothes? why are you dressing like that? who bought you these things?!"
"i appreciate you taking care of me, but you can't just dig through things in my room. some clothes were given to me by maya because she doesn't want them anymore or don't fit her that well anymore. those 'things'? my friends got me gifts because my birthday was three days ago! you didn't even say 'happy birthday' to me. i get that you're working your shifts, but you didn't even look at me that day."
.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ ✩ *̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .
published: sunday, 8 may 2022
.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ ✩ *̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙
EDITED: Thursday, 19 May 2022
2nd edit: Wednesday, 20 July 2022
Last edited: Monday, 20 March 2023