Everything in Riley's life was going back to normal, and it made her happy because everyone is happy where they are in their lives. At least that's what she wants to be happy about. In the end Riley knew that when everything falls into place something else falls apart. That's how life is, it's not a constant string of happy endings. Every once and a while it throws you a curve ball.
Of course on this particular day, she was let out of cheerleading practice early and went looking for her best friend. When she reached the art room she saw Maya's bag on the floor next to her latest painting. It was a mirage of colors the images hidden in the art, just like when she painted a purple cat at the beginning of freshman year. Riley walked into the room to wait for Maya to finish so that they could meet their friends at Topanga's to study.
On the way in she didn't notice that the tarp had been raised off the ground and tripped over it, knocking over the tray of paint that had been left uncovered by Maya's painting. All the paint spilled onto the painting before it fell to the ground. Riley's hands were covered in paint as well as her uniform, but she started freaking out about the fact that Maya's painting had been ruined.
The door on the other side of the room opened revealing her best friend. "Riley what the hell," Maya screamed rushing over to the painting she had been working on.
"I didn't mean to," Riley said but as she started to explain herself, Maya started yelling at her.
"Riley this was supposed to be my entry into the city wide art contest, it was supposed to give me a chance at an exclusive summer program at NYU and you freaking ruined it. You can't let me have anything can you, you have this need to ruin everything I've ever worked for."
"But Maya," Riley tried again but Maya was fuming at her.
"No buts, get the hell out of here," Maya said looking at her ruined at piece. "I don't want to see you right now."
Riley didn't move, she knew that if she left their friendship would be ruined, instead she watched Maya huff around the room in shock. Wondering if Maya was right about her ruining everything, but it hadn't made any sense. Riley would give up everything for Maya, she would give Maya everything in the world. She had already gotten a father because Riley had meddled in her mother's life.
"Maya," Riley said but the blonde took a cup full of black paint and poured it on Riley's head.
"Get the hell out now," Maya said.
Riley got up and started crying trying to get to her best friend. "Ring power, Maya," she said trying to get her best friend's attention, but Maya only glared.
"No," Maya said before grabbing her bag and rushing out of the room.
Riley couldn't do anything but sit there and cry. Another incident in the last few months where no one listened to her side. Only this time it was from the person who had defended her last time. She didn't want to go to the café anymore, all she wanted to do was go home and cry until Maya came over and talked to her. They were best friends and like everything in their lives this will be fixed. Instead she stayed behind and started cleaning the art supplies, and pulling Maya's painting off the ground to see the damage.
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Maya couldn't believe it, Riley had the audacity to ruin something she had been working on for weeks. She needed this chance because she would never get into a good school without help, and Riley ruined it in one minute. She walked into Topanga's without thinking, her feet had lead her there.
"Hey Maya," Farkle said looking up at her. "Where's Riley?"
"How the hell should I know?" Maya said lashing out at the mention of Riley's name.
"Because she was supposed to be with you, she got out early today and went to surprise you," Zay said looking at her.
"She wanted to walk with you, she was really excited about it," Cassie said to her. Maya felt like the Hispanic girl was replacing her, and it made her even more angry.
Maya knew that she really wasn't but in the end she wanted to direct her anger at anyone. Lucas stood up and walked over to her, only to pull her out of the café.
"What the hell Ranger Rick?" she said as they stood outside.
"What happened to Riley?" he said looking directly into her eyes.
"You don't scare me," she said pushing him aside.
"Maya, I've never been too angry with you about anything, but Riley is always trying to make your life 100% better no matter what," he said keeping her in place. "She was excited about seeing you today because you've been so busy lately dating Josh, and painting for that competition."
"So," was all she said to him.
"Even while she's been my girlfriend she has made time for you a priority, and I have understood that. So again, where is she?"
"Fine, she's probably home washing out the paint that she threw onto my painting, and the black paint I threw on her."
"Do you think she did it on purpose? Riley?"
"I don't care, just leave me alone," she said pushing him aside.
Before he left he looked back at her, "I want you to think about something," he said to her. "Would Riley ever do something to hurt you?"
With that he left her alone with her thoughts, and it only pissed her off even more because he was right. She had let her anger get the better of her.
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Lucas knew that whatever had happened was big, because Maya was angry, but he also knew Riley and instead of heading to her house he went back to school. When he found her, she was standing in the middle of the art room cleaning up the mess around her. She was trying to wipe away the tears that had fallen down her cheeks but it only made her smear more paint on her face.
"Riley," Lucas said from the door way. She looked over at him and gave him a sad smile.
"Hi," she said making him frown. He had known that Riley would still be in the art room, she was the first person to try and fix something even if it was an accident.
He pulled her into his arms and hugged her, the moment she was wrapped up in his warmth she started crying. "I messed up did I," she said before her body started heaving from the sobs that broke out from her mouth. It only made him hold her closer, he knew that this was an accident, it was the only way that Riley would have done anything to Maya.
"Can you tell me what happened?" he said when she had finally calmed down.
"I came to get Maya," she sniffled a bit as she said it. "The tarp thing was bunched up and I didn't notice... so I ended up tripping on it and I knocked over the paint trying to grab onto something to break my fall."
"Are you hurt anywhere?" he said feeling like it was a reflex because she always fell, not so much since they got to high school but he still worried.
"I might have a cut on my knee because the paint stings there," she said. "And possibly a bruise on my arm... I can't really tell."
"Come on," he said pulling away, his clothes stained in paint. "Let's get you home and cleaned up."
"Let's clean up first, I want Maya to have a clean work area when she gets back."
"Okay," he said helping her.
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Maya stood outside the room listening to them, she had thought about what Lucas had said before he left, and she let her anger get the best of her. She wanted this chance so badly that she was blinded by finishing, so when she saw what had happened she had just let her anger take over.
"Feel like apologizing yet?" Mr. Matthews said from behind her, making her jump. "I was here when you started yelling at Riley, and well knowing Riley it was an accident and you just freaked out."
"How do you know me so well?" she said turning to the man who had been her only father figure until Shawn came along.
"Well you and Shawn are alike, you get angry and storm off, only to come back to find a way to fix everything."
"You have a story to go with that?"
"I have several but the one that I remember the most isn't mine to tell, but I'll tell you anyway," he said pulling her over to the bench in the main hallway. "After I got married, Shawn was trying to find his mother, only to find out the woman who he thought was his mother, well she wasn't, and the one who gave birth to him didn't want anything to do with him. He was distraught and well made a horrible decision to get completely drunk, he pushed me away, he pushed everyone away, even after my parents told him that they would adopt him. They really care about him."
"I know the feeling," she sighed, feeling like she had been so blinded over something so ridiculous.
"Well we only ever lash out at those we love the most, because the ones who deserve it aren't around. Maya I saw the painting, everything you put into it has to do with the stuff your father missed out on, so of course your real anger is directed towards him and not Riley."
"So... um... what did Shawn do after well you know?"
"Well he talked to his dad, well he went to his grave and talked to him, of course I was there for him like I have always been," he sighed remembering the memory of that day. "When he came back, he told my parents he didn't want to be adopted, he wanted to become closer to the only family he had, his brother. But he asked my dad to yell at him like he yelled at his own kids because he never got that growing up."
"So my anger is for my real father," she sighed thinking about how good her life had been in the last two years and yet the man who had abandoned her as a child still played a role in her life. "Even with Shawn around m biological father is still there in the back of my mind."
"Remember how I made you all do that forgiveness project?"
"Yeah," she said looking down at her hands.
"Maybe you and Shawn can do it together this time, he needs to forgive his mother, in the same way you need to forgive your father, you don't have to actually talk to them but you have to forgive them in your heart."
She nodded thinking about what he was saying and for once, she knew that she needed to get over what had happened in the past. Her life had become a million times better since she met Riley. She got up and walked over to the art room.
"Thanks, Uncle Cory," she said smiling before walking into the room and seeing Riley and Lucas standing there waiting for her. Maya ran up to Riley and hugged her tight. "I'm sorry," was all she said.
"For what, I'm the one who tripped and messed up your painting," Riley said. "I should be the one to say sorry."
"No," Maya stopped her. "I needed this to happen because I need to take a better look at the happy times, and not the sad ones. So you have given me a clean slate."
Riley looked up noticing her father smiling in the doorway before looking back into Maya's blue eyes. "I think you should pick bright colors, and paint about the love you get from your friends."
Maya nodded, she told Riley and Lucas about what she had been feeling while painting, she told them about her conversation with Riley's father. Riley understood, and the two of them laughed and hugged, saying their apologies to one another.
That night Maya took out a piece of paper and wrote to her father, telling him that although she couldn't see him because it brought pain, she wanted to let go of what they once had and be happy with the life her mother and her adoptive father had given her. She told him that maybe one day they could meet again, but only after they write to one another, and properly talk without biting each other's heads off. Real letters, not emails, no phone calls. For now this was the only way she was comfortable talking to him. She told her mother and Shawn about it and told Shawn that they both need to move forward from the past. Shawn agreed with her, but he told her that he had already sowed those demons, it was now Maya's turn to deal with hers. She mailed the letter the next day, hoping that he would read it and write back.
She received a letter from him a week later, and that's how she began to repair her relationship with her biological father.