Riley's POV
I wake up to the sound of Maya talking to someone, presumably on the phone.
I sit up and blink the drowsiness away and see her sitting by the edge of the bed on her phone.
"For the last time we'll be at Zay's today you can bombard me with your questions then"
There's a pause before she starts talking again.
"Oh yeah Riley slept over last night"
Another pause.
"No Farkle nothing happened—I don't care if you don't believe me I'm not arguing with you until this afternoon so sadly, you'll have to wait" she says, ending the call and plugging her phone into a charger.
"Farkle already on your case about me?" I ask.
She grins as she notices that I'm awake.
"Apparently he's just dying to know all the details of my love life" she says.
"Are you actually going to go through with telling everyone today? You really don't have to unless you're ready for it peaches I don't want to pressure you"
"No I'm sure I want to. Farkle deserves it for helping me but you'll still have my back right? I can't admit something this big alone"
"Of course, I always will" I say and lean over to kiss her cheek.
A knock on the door startles both of us, Shawn leans in the doorframe an apologetic look on his face after seeing us both flinch.
"Oh hey Riley I didn't realize you stayed over, I was just going to tell Maya that breakfast was ready but you're obviously welcome to join" he says happily.
"Thanks Shawn but I might pass this time around, I've got to get home before my parents become concerned over my sudden disappearance last night"
"Wait they don't know you're here?" Maya interrupts.
"I forgot my phone at home. I never called them to say I was staying over. I wasn't thinking about it in the moment, my thoughts were kinda consumed by something else" I explain.
I see a shy smile flash across Maya's face in my peripheral vision.
"You'd better call them kid, I wouldn't want to incur the wrath of Topanga if I were you" he says.
"Yeah but they at least know I came over here and that I'd be in good care so I think I'll take my chances and just catch a bus before it gets too late and they truly start to worry" I shrug.
"Oh don't worry I'll drive you, I have to go grab something from the store near there anyway" he offers graciously.
"Are you sure?"
He nods and gestures for me to come with him.
I thank him and take the offer because the faster I get home the less time there is for them to call me out on being gone for. I run my hand through my hair a few times to untangle it but I don't really care if Shawn sees me with my hair slightly messy from sleep. It's nothing he hasn't seen before, considering how often he's at my house. I decide to change when I get back to my own home if it's only him who's going to see me on the way there.
"I'll see you this afternoon then I guess" Maya says as I get up.
"See you then" I give her a quick hug before walking out into the hallway.
As I head towards the kitchen where Katy is setting the table I can hear Shawn's conversation with Maya behind me.
"Go get breakfast before it gets cold while I take Riley alright. Wait why do you look all happy you're never this happy in the morning. Did you do something? What happened?" he says.
"Nothing you can prove" she replies before racing past me to the kitchen.
Shawn walks out of the room after her, grabbing his car keys from a hook. He tells Katy that he's taking me home and narrows his eyes at Maya who's drinking a glass of orange juice and ignoring him. She winks at me when he turns around and I smile to myself, following Shawn out to his car.
~~~
Maya's POV
When I knock on the front door of Zay's house the last person I'm expecting to open it is Smackle. Especially because she's usually the one who gets here last due to how far away she lives.
"Oh good you're alive, Farkle wasn't trying to trick me" she says.
"Can't a girl take a break from being in contact to people without everyone automatically assuming death?"
"Not really, Lucas suggested we all gather together and mourn you over some pancakes" she laughs and gives me a hug.
I roll my eyes and return it happily, following her into the living room.
Farkle, Lucas, and Zay all have their gazes firmly set on the tv, playing a video game. Farkle has a blanket hanging off his shoulders loosely, and for good reason.
"Turn the air conditioning down holy shit do you want to freeze Zay" I say, rubbing my arms and starting to take off my shoes.
This gets their attention and Zay jumps up from the floor rushing over to hug me.
"Where have you been? I've been so lonely without someone to send gifs back and forth in the chat with to bother Lucas" he grins.
"All of you need to calm down I didn't fall off the face of the earth or anything. Also is Riley here yet?" I ask.
"Don't worry your girlfriend is in the kitchen" Farkle teases.
Riley enters the room with a can of soda that she tosses to Lucas before looking at me. I'm already looking at her. She gives me a 'are we going to tell him' look.
"What was that look?" Lucas asks aloud.
"Nothing" we both say.
"Luke they always look at each other like that you should know this" Farkle says.
"You're right, but this one seems different" Smackle adds.
I glance at Riley next to me and she gives me a slow nod, urging me to just let it out.
"Alright fine, Riley and I kissed. Is that the answer you were looking for?" I say.
"And I asked her to be my girlfriend" Riley continues before anyone can react yet.
I intertwine my hand with Riley's and meet Farkle's eyes. He smiles approvingly.
However, the first one to speak is Zay who so eloquently yells "Finally! My ship has sailed this is a glorious day!"
He does a victory lap around the couch as Riley laughs at him. Lucas, Farkle, and Smackle all congratulate us both, talking over one another and hugging us individually.
"Listen I know we've never been that close and well, now I guess I see why. But Maya I do want you to know that I'm happy for you two and I'm sorry for ever getting in the way without knowing. I knew there was something special between you two I just didn't know if either of you would really act on it" Lucas says and gives me a genuine smile.
"Thank you Lucas, it means a lot. I know you liked her and there's nothing wrong with that, I'm sorry for ever being mean to you out of jealously. You're a good guy, I honestly don't know why you don't have a girlfriend right now with that stupid pretty boy face of yours" I tell him.
He grins and pats me on the shoulder as Farkle starts to tell me how proud of me he is and how happy he is for both of us. However, his sentimental little speech is interrupted by Zay who has stopped running.
"Okay, two questions. One: so for sure you're not straight? I mean that in the nicest way possible by the way" he says.
"I'm in love with a girl but yeah sure Zay I'm completely straight" I say sarcastically and roll my eyes at him.
"Well that answers you. Riley?"
"Bisexual. I'm bisexual" she says.
I kiss her cheek softly, knowing how big of a deal it is for her to say it. Everyone has seemed to already know for me so my own coming out isn't that nerve wracking. She squeezes my hand gently as all of our friends look on supportively.
"Well I'm really proud of both of you for having the courage to tell us that, you didn't have to answer it. You know we all love you just the same and all that" he smiles sincerely.
"Thank you" Riley says, matching his smile.
"Alright wait second question: who kissed who?"
"I kissed her" I say happily.
"Oh hell yes it's payday boys and girls! Lucas and Smackle give us the money I told you Maya would kiss her first"
"Why has everyone made a bet on me?" I groan.
"Wait you made a bet?" Riley asks, clearly amused.
"Yes we bet them that Maya would be the one to initiate the first kiss the summer after freshman year and now they both owe us five bucks" Farkle replies.
Lucas and Smackle both hand over their money. Lucas complaining about how it wasn't fair since he wasn't over Riley at all when they made the bet and Zay flaunting the bill in his face anyway.
"Can you believe they noticed something was up enough to bet on this?" Riley laughs.
"Actually, yes" I say, thinking back to Felix and Carla with a shake of my head. However, I just smile at her amusement and kiss her simply because I can.
"Hey no PDA some of us are single" Zay complains as the boys go back to their game.
"Can't relate" Farkle smiles and kisses Smackle quickly as he sits back on the floor and picks up a game controller.
"I'll have you know that a buzzfeed quiz once told me that I'm very charismatic and a great catch" Zay says.
"I can't believe they would lie to you like that" Lucas smirks and tosses me a controller as I sit down on the couch next to a glaring Zay.
After a while of playing Zay decides to go to the kitchen in search of food, handing his controller to Smackle for the time being.
I'm distracted by the game objective and don't notice Riley's absence until she jumps down on me from the top of the couch. I fall off the couch and she bursts out laughing, satisfied with scaring me for no reason.
Lucas and Smackle spare a glance at me but then focus their attention on the game once more. Riley is still laughing to herself. I scramble back onto the couch until I'm sitting on top of her and pin her hands above her head. That shuts her up.
"Haven't you learned not to test me Matthews?" I grin mischievously, knowing she'll be the only one who understands what I'm referring to.
She doesn't even have the time to react before Zay reappears with a pack of cookies in hand saying, "well I guess we know who tops."
Riley's face turns bright red and she pushes me off lightly.
Lucas is a sputtering mess in the beanbag chair in the corner from choking on his soda.
"Zay! You can't just say that!" Riley says defensively.
He just shrugs and gives her a crooked smile, taking a bite of a cookie.
I get up off the ground for the second time as he takes the controller back from Smackle. Riley gives me a quick peck on the lips as an apology. I wink at her which only makes her cheeks redder and now it's my turn to start laughing.
"Zay! look what you've done! Lucas is going to get killed because he isn't paying attention and I obviously already lost Maya. Does no one here care about surviving?" Farkle exclaims.
He sighs in exasperation realizing half of us aren't even paying attention. I take this as an opportunity to climb back onto the couch and lay in Riley's lap.
"Give him some credit Lucas can make a comeback" she says, probably trying to avoid admitting that Zay wasn't wrong.
"Yeah Huckleberry has great reflexes from his sheep riding days" I join in jokingly.
Lucas squints at me in annoyance, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
"He shocked himself when he plugged the lamp in before you got here" Zay says wryly.
This earns him an empty soda can to the head.
"Why would you tell them that!" Lucas says.
"Because it was hilarious" he responds and throws the can back into Lucas' lap.
"No soda on the carpet. You know how much Zay's mom hates when you get the carpet dirty" Farkle threatens.
"She wouldn't mind if it was for good reason" Lucas says.
"She probably still would" Smackle replies.
"Whatever can you please just catch up Lucas because Zay is going to get him and I both killed by wasting his ammo on the ground out of boredom" Farkle sighs.
"Chill out there's no one around" Zay protests.
"This game is stupid why can't you play something like gta 5" Riley says, half distracted by playing with the ends of my hair.
"I agree can we play that instead?" Zay asks.
"Yeah please can we? that game allows you to do literally whatever you want it's chaotic and amazing" I say.
"Of course you'd agree with Riley" Farkle says.
"Oh don't sit there and tell me you don't like watching her crash multiple cars every time she plays" I reply.
"I don't" he says, taking one of Zay's cookies from the pack.
"You're lying, everyone does. She thought she could escape the police by hiding in the lake at a golf course" Lucas says.
"Okay yes we get it I'm not good at following the objectives but at least I still have a good time" Riley says and crosses her arms.
"Watch it Friar that's my girlfriend you're ridiculing" I say, propping myself up to see him properly.
He rolls his eyes but Riley smiles and leans down to kiss me for a few seconds and that's all I care about.
"I still don't want to play anything else until we finish this game" Farkle complains.
The pointless debate is cut short as Zay's mom gets home and starts to scold her son for having cookies open on the floor. We all greet her, Smackle laughing at Zay's look of shame as he puts the cookies back in the kitchen.
"Zay did you ever go out and get the groceries I told you to this morning" she asks as she sets her purse down on the kitchen counter.
"I knew there was something I was forgetting" he sighs.
"Well go in your room and find the shopping list and the money I gave you this morning. If any of you want to stay for dinner you can as always if as long as he actually buys what I told him to" she says.
"Who wants to accompany me on the trip to the store?" Zay asks.
None of us volunteer.
"Oh come on you'll get some of my mom's cooking after it and I won't force you to listen to my music"
"Some of you should take him up on that offer, it's not often that he'll let someone else control the music" his mother smiles as she leaves to go upstairs and he rolls his eyes.
"Grocery shopping is like an underrated form of intimacy you guys should join me it's fun" Zay remarks.
"I've had enough intimacy for one day" Farkle teases, looking over at Riley and I.
"You have a girlfriend too" I point out.
"Yeah but I'm not on top of her at all times like you two" he replies.
"All of you need to be quiet let's just go with Zay it could be entertaining. I for one enjoy Mrs. Babineaux's cooking so I'm fine with going shopping" Lucas cuts us off, getting up and tossing Zay's keys to him from their place next to the tv.
"No way in hell am I letting Zay drive me anywhere, just because he recently got his license doesn't mean he actually knows what he's doing" I say.
"I'm the one who has the license and since my dad is on a business trip I can take his car. Plus walking takes longer so are you guys in or not?" he asks, ignoring me.
I warily agree to go along since everyone else begins to jump on board and I'm not about to stay here alone. Zay rushes to get the list and money, announcing his success to his mother loudly before all of us follow him out the door.
The car ride consists of a large amount of Smackle and I being constantly on edge about Zay's driving ability and Farkle snapping at Zay to focus on the road instead of the number of dogs he can count passing by on the sidewalk. Riley and Lucas picked the music and are singing ridiculously.
It's not much better when we arrive at the actual store since Zay wants to split up to find the items faster and things only become more chaotic.
I find myself in the middle of the produce section next to Lucas, who Zay had given the list to.
Zay is off to my left in the kitchenware aisle ruining the displays of pots and pans trying to recreate the kitchen sequence from High School Musical 2. Keyword: trying.
Farkle is sneakily snapchatting people's reactions to Riley who is standing by the front entrance offering samples of some cheese and crackers that she opened to strangers.
Smackle is acting like she's actually fooling people posing as a mannequin in the summer beach chair display.
"Fools, I'm surrounded by fools" I say.
Lucas laughs next to me with a nod of agreement.
"You watch them I'm going to be productive and find the things we're supposed to be buying" he says with an amused shake of his head.
I let him go and look around one last time before smirking and heading to Zay's aisle to tell him that if he's going to be that disruptive he might as well get the beat right.
———
a/n: damn this chapter is so long but I figured I'd write a little more because I'm going to be starting school again in a few days and wow junior year is gonna be a struggle to find time to write in yikes. I actually had been planning a chapter of purely all of them hanging out together and being ridiculous for a while because it was necessary. Also although I didn't update as often as I would've liked I'm glad I was sharing this story with you all this summer since this truly has been one of the best summers ever for me. I never know how to end these lmao I hope this was as fun to read as it was to write.