Maya's POV
"Look at that ninth-grade woman! She's putting on makeup. We're going to be ninth-grade women someday!" Riley says as she sees a ninth-grader putting some makeup on
"This thing goes to ninth grade?"
"Why that?" Do I have to really tell her what mascara is?
"Brings out your eyes"
"Why would I wanna take out my eyes?"
"She's not taking out her eyes"
"And I think she is" she points at the girl after she takes out an eyelash curler(Points to Allison)
"It's an eyelash curler. It doesn't even hurt" she replies and Riley takes the curler
"I have eyelashes"
"Watch this" I say to her, this is gonna be fun. Riley clamps it on her eyelashes and starts screaming
"Anybody else would stop" she keeps going until her dad walks by
"Open it"
"Thanks, Daddy"
"Yeah, okay" he goes away and Riley gives the girl the curler back.
"Thanks" she looks at me and frowns
"Wait, aren't you Elliot's girlfriend" Riley smirks, why is she smirking? Did Elliot tell her? Did she see the video? Why didn't he give me a warning?!
"Uh-"
"It's you! Girl! She's Elliot's girlfriend!" I'm soon surrounded by the whole school, I lost Riley and I'm left alone with the whole school.
"Woah, woah, what is happening here?" Shoot, it's Elliot.
"Hey Maya, what's up?"
"So you're together?!" A girl asks us, I've had enough
"Listen, we are-"
"Happily together. We actually celebrate our first month anniversary the day of the dance" everyone aw's at us, what is his problem?
"My long days of heartbreaker are now long gone since I've been with Maya, she's wonderful" he sounds so sincere.
"So now I'm taken ladies"
"Kiss!" He looks at me pleadingly
"Oh no Elliot, I'm not doing it" I turn around to walk away but he stops me by grabbing my arm, making me spin and end in his arms
"You're crazy if you think that-" I can't finish my sentence. His life is gonna end very soon. I don't even pull away because it's too late now. I guess we gotta go all the way in then. I grab the hem of his shirt to pull him closer and kiss back for a couple of seconds before pulling away
"Wow, I didn't imagine Hart could have romantic feelings towards someone" someone says and I blush
"You got your show! You can leave now!" I wait until everyone leaves before slapping Elliot
"What is wrong with you?" he chuckles nervously when he notices my rage
"You seemed to enjoy it"
"Are you out of your mind?! Why did you do it?!"
"Just think about it, all the girls in school will be jelaous and same for the guys, it's a win-win"
"It's not a win-win since I don't want a boy behind me and I don't want a boyfriend, especially you"
"Come on, just for a couple of months"
"I'm not doing it"
"Come on"
"Nope" he rolls his eyes
"Don't make me do it"
"Don't you dare"
"I'm a Matthews, I can talk for hours without stopping"
"I'm not-"
"So the other day I was playing with Auggie and-"
"Shut up! Fine! But just for a short period of time"
"Until Christmas?"
"Deal" we shake hands
"So what are you two exactly?" I finally see Riley
"Where were you?" I ask her
"I got dragged away by a crowd that was anxious to meet my boyfriend's first serious girlfriend, do you know something about it?" she's clearly mad
"I know, I should've told you, but it's not what it seems like. I don't like Elliot"
"Hey!" he says offended and I ignore him
"I will never like him, we kissed because Missy-"
"I know" she interrupts me
"You do?" she nods with a smile
"Yeah, and I really appreciate what you did for him, but you should've told me"
"I don't know how"
"Maybe by using your mouth?" we both chuckle
"I will next time...oh! I just kissed your brother again"
"Yeah, I saw it" she says while cringing
"It was like watching a balloon kissing a cactus. So, what are you guys?"
"We'll fake date until Christmas, then we'll break up"
"Elliot"
"Yeah?"
"If you're gonna be her fake boyfriend then you'll have to stop talking to other girls"
"I will for now"
"Perfect. And treat her right"
"Riley we are not-" I'm interrupted by Farkle who just showed up.
"Ladies"
"Farkle"
"Well, I gotta go now" Elliot goes away
"School dance. I'm gonna put you both down for Dance Numbers one through all of them. We will alternate. You and me, me and you. When you're not dancing with me, you may not dance with anyone else. So you may sit and wait until you dance with me again"
"Yeah, none of this is happening"
"Well, may I have one dance with each of you?"
"Sure"
"Ha! That's all I wanted. You just got played by Farkle"I hate my life. He goes away and we're approached by Lucas
"Hey guys!" Riley raises her hand
"Lucas!"
"Hand"
"Lucas!" I correct her again
"Grown-up voice"
"Lucas, hello" that's better
"Hey"
"Hey, yeehaw. You going to Tick-Tock Shake Your Body Time, cause, you know, it's not a square dance, so, not gonna be a whole lot of do-si-doing" I need to express my rage somehow, so I do it by teasing him
'Well then, I'm sure I'll have no idea what to do and you can make fun of me"
"You're not playing this right"
"Oh, well that's certainly not my intention. I'll try harder next time"
"I will break you" This is very frustrating for me
"Well, if that's what makes you happy, then. I certainly can't wait for it, ma'am"
I shudder in annoyance and turn away
"You going to the school dance, Lucas?"
"Thought I would. You?" Nope, now my jealousy is kicking in. Okay Maya, keep it cool. No, I can't resist. I make a gagging sound
"You hear me? ''I do it again
"You'll both be there. He'll be the one in a cowboy hat going like this" I start dancing and the bell rings
"You going to class?"
"Thought I would. You?" Those two walk away and I stop dancing, did I just made fun of him so that Riley wouldn't go to the dance with him? Am I really that bad of a friend?
*Matthews' apartment, Riley's POV*
"Mom, can I ask you a question?" I say as soon as I come inside and find mom with Auggie
"You can ask me a question"
"It's a girl thing, Auggie"
"You think I don't know about girls?"
"Okay. I'm at a certain age where-"
"I don't care" he storms off thankfully and I sit on the the couch
"You're at a certain age?"
"You had to know this was going to happen?"
"I know a lot of things are going to happen. Which one is this?"
"Makeup" she sighs in relief, what does she thinks I was gonna say? Kissing? I'll leave that to Maya
"Oh. Good"
"I can have some?"
"No"
"Why not?"
"Well, because makeup leads to other things, that I-" I interrupt her
"We have our first school dance on Friday night.
What's the difference between daytime makeup and nighttime makeup?
"No difference. Because you're not wearing any"
"But, what about when I do?"
"When we decide that you're at the right age to start wearing makeup-"
"Friday?"
"No. You might find that you prefer a more natural look during the day. Some women prefer to go a bit bolder at night. You are not allowed to hang out with those women"
"I wanna paint my face!"
"Wait. The dance is Friday?" she asks in a squeaky voice
"You're doing that thing with your voice"
"But, Friday is the last night for the Coney Island Cyclone"
"But it's our first dance, and Dad takes me to ride the roller coaster a bunch of times, right?"
"Your father thinks of it as a tradition"
"How bad is this?"
"You're father thinks of it as the reason he wakes up in the morning"
"Maybe he won't remember it this year" just as I finish the sentence dad walks in
"Three days 'til Cyclone day!"
"When's my birthday?" mom asks him
"148 days from Cyclone day"
"Good luck to you" I'll need it for sure
"Daddy!" Auggie greets dad and he picks him up
"Auggie! Tell me stuff!"
"Riley wants to wear makeup"
"Hey, little spy" What a traidor
"Don't call him a spy, he is not a spy!"
"I am a spy, you made me a card" he pulls out a card that says 'AUGGIE SPY'
"Alright, he is a spy. And guess what? He's working for me, and he just got promoted" Dad hands him a card that says 'AUGGIE SUPER SPY', Auggie takes the card and throws his hands in the air when he reads it
"Dad"
"Yeah?"
"Dad" I hug him
"Hey, super spy, tell me stuff" he asks my little brother
"Riley wants to go to the school dance on, dun dun dun, Cyclone night"
"Oh. Wow. It's the same night? I understand. I understand completely. I'm sorry, you'll have to miss the dance" dang it!Topanga:"Try again"Cory:"I'm sorry, you'll have to miss the dance"he turns towards mom
"No, same thing"Riley:"But it's my first dance, Dad" he clutches his heartCory:
Topanga:"Oh, boy"
"No, no. I'm down with this. Yeah, I said that"
"Dad, when it comes to this stuff, I don't think there's anything you can teach me"
"Goodbye" he lays down on the couch
"You were a great father to me when I was a kid. Don't take this the wrong way, Dad, but there's just some things that Mom can actually teach me, like, what do you know about makeup?"
"I know it's what you're gonna have to do with me" he exits, he looked really sad and disappointed. I kinda feel bad now.
"Mom"
"That went better than I thought!"
*the next day at school Maya's POV*
Mr. Matthews greets every single student when we enter the class except for her daughter, he's mad at her at the moment.
"Well, guys. I've got your test results on Darwin to give back to you, and uh, I'm pleased to see some of you have 'evolved' since the last quiz" well that was a terrible joke, only Farkle laughs
"Thanks, Farkle"
"Well, you were drowning, sir" he gives me the test and I see the result... an F
"Mr. Friar. Nice work"
"Thank you, sir"
"Mr. Farkle" that was probably another A
"A number 700. Huzzah!" I knew it
You" he says before handing the test to Riley
"You okay?" she asks me
"He gave me an F"
"That's nuts, you're a solid D student"
"Mr. Friar, I took particular note of your position that evolution does not preclude the existence of... How did you put it?" we get it, he's smart.
"A guiding hand that has your best interest at heart" I raise my hand
"Yes, Ms. Hart"
"You failed me"
"Why don't we talk about this after class?" I try to contain my tears, I don't wanna cry in front of everyone
"What's there to talk about? You failed me" I stand up
"You think I'm a failure" I hand him back the paper
"There's nothing more for you to teach me"
"Oh, come on, both of you gotta say that?" I walk towards the door
"What, you mean I lost you both? Maya!" I turn around in hope that maybe this was a joke
"You do not walk out of here" never mind. I exit the classroom and walk to my closet where I start picking up everything to put it in my backpack. I'm done with all of this
"Redecorating your locker?" I hear Riley say
"Nope" I take a doll body and puts it below my chin
"cleaning it out! You want one? Because it's the last one you're gonna get" I give her the last cotton candy stick
"Maya, it's just one F"
"It's not about the paper, Riley. Your dad failed me"
"Yeah, I know, and, I'm not going on the Cyclone, I failed him. Can we just call it even?
"Nope, we can just call it I'm leaving"
"Maya, I know you. You'll make a big deal about of this, pretend to leave school forever, and you'll be back by gym class" Am I really that predictable?
"No. This time I mean it"
"Alright Maya, I'll see you tomorrow"
"No, you won't" I start walking away
"You'll pick me up at seven!"
"I won't be there"
Elliot's POV
Riley told me what happened with Maya and I kinda worried about her? Is she fine? Should I talk to her? Was it also because of me? Did I put too much pressure on her? Right when school finishes I go to her apartment to visit her. I need to talk to her. I go inside the old building and knock on her door
"Who is it?" Asks her voice
"Elliot"
"Go away"
"Come on"
"What do you want?"
"Can we talk?" she opens the door
"We don't have to talk about anything"
"Okay, we don't have to talk, but can I come in?"
"Why?" I roll my eyes in annoyance and come in
"Stop being so paranoid"
"I didn't tell you to come in"
"And nobody told you to drop out of school"
"I do what I want"
"What will your mom say?"
"You know that she's too busy working"
"She works to gain money to spend on your education, don't throw all of her efforts away Maya" she looks down
"You okay?"
"I'm fine"
"Was it also because of me? Is this my fault? Listen, we don't have to fake date if you-"
"Calm down Elliot, it's not because of you. I actually liked the idea of us fake dating" she whispers the last part, making me smile
"Really?"
"Yeah. It kinda made me feel like I was officially a Matthews" I look at her in the eyes, not having a stable family probably makes her feel she doesn't belong everywhere but she's part of us.
"You're already a Matthews, you're part of the family, you've always been" she smiles in response
"I gotta go now, you know how mom gets when I don't come home in time" she chuckles
"Yeah" she walks me to the door
"Thanks for coming and making me feel better"
"I would do anything for you" I stare into her ocean eyes and then glace at her lips. I have to. There's something inside of me that pushes me. I can't resist any longer and kiss her. I missed this feeling. Her lips are so soft and move in perfect sync with mine. Kissing her is awesome, I've never felt like this with nobody else. I could do this for hours but I need to get back home. I pull away
"Bye" she smiles
"Bye"
As soon as I get back home I see dad watching a video on his laptop
"Okay, buddy?" I ask him
"I lost the two most important girls in my life"
"How ya doing?" mom asks him with sarcasm
"I still got that one"
"I'm hanging on"
"But I'll always be here for you, Dad" I sit down next to him
"Me, Auggie and you, together forever"
"Thank you, Elliot. But you know that's really not the way it works, right?"
"I know" mom sits next to us
"Aww, my two sad little men" I whisper to her
"I'm not really sad, I'm just doing it for him"
"I know"
"You got this?" I ask her
"I got" I sigh in relief and go to my room. I have lots to think about
*the next day in Riley's room, Maya's POV*
"You made your point, okay? You didn't come to school today, and your teacher is really upset with you."
"He's not my teacher anymore. I now attend a prestigious online academy" I reply to her
"Welcome to the Frank Mantucci on da computer school, where youse get out of it what you put into it. And what you need to put into it is 400 dollars. Gimme" the guy of the website says
"You paid that?" What? Of course not!
"Free trial. I took the test to see if I qualify for the free trial"
"Maya, it's a scam, they take anybody"
"Congatulations!"
"I got in!" this is the proof that I'm smart
"You are the first person to ever fail the Frank Mantucci on da computer school. How'd you do dat?"
"How'd you do dat?" Riley repeats in an attempt to mimic him
"We asked: 'Name?' You didn't put nuttin'"
"Well, at least you were smart enough not to give them your name"
"It's not that I'm smart enough"
"Then what is it?" I sigh
"Maybe sometimes, I'm not so proud of who I am" Ms. Matthews comes in
"How's it going in here?"
"Mom, tell Maya to come back to school. Regular school"
"Hmm, so, you don't like this, huh?"
"Of course not! Maya always comes to school with me. She always picks me up at seven. I look forward to it"
"Like a tradition"
"Yeah! Oh. You know, even though you're a mother, that was creepy good" she says after realizing that the same thing is happening between her and her father
"So, Maya doesn't show up like she's supposed to and how does that make you feel?"
"Oh"
"Honey, you have to go to him. He feels bad. You have to go to your father"
"I feel bad. Will he come to me?" I ask
"No. He's your teacher. He doesn't have to"
"But he will" I frown
"What?"
"He doesn't have to, but he will"
"Why?"
"Because he's always there" at that point mr. Matthews enters and holds his hand out to me, taking me to the kitchen where I see Elliot sitting on the table. I find mylsef sitting down along with the others.
"Read it" mr. Matthews says to me after handing me my paper
"I don't wanna do this, Mr. Matthews" I stand up
"Sit down" Elliot orders me, surprising everyone.
"You can't tell me what-"
"I just did" I do as he tells me to and notice that everyone looks confused
"Thanks" he sits next to me and takes my hand, just like Riley.
"Go ahead" I read my first answer
"Darwin animal studies were thought to be when the travels he took on the boat with the Beatles"
"Are you kidding me?" Riley asks in disbelief
"Do they have to be here?" I point at both Riley and Elliot
"What were you trying to do?"
"I tried to write it like I was smart"
"You are smart" my best friend replies
"What did you mean to say?"
"Darwin studied animals"
"What kind?"
"I don't know"
"She does know" I swear Elliot needs to shut up
"I don't know, you think I don't know what I don't know?"
"I think you know more than you don't know, but you don't know that!"
"You know what?"
"What did Darwin study?" Riley asks me
"Birds"
"There you go"
"Really? I got that one wrong"
"You wanna be smart, Maya? Say what you mean. I understood that perfectly, and you're correct"
"That's all I had to say?"
"What was the name of his boat?"
"The Beatles."
"The Beagle, it's a tiny difference, but an important one. Because if you know it, Maya, you don't fail"
"I want to not fail"
What kind of birds did he study?
"I don't know"
"You do" Riley is right, I do know
"Finches"
"And what else?"
"Finches and mockingbirds"
"Yes"
"How did you two know she knew?"
"I know she listens to you"
"And I know she's smart" Elliot adds
"I listen to you"
"Then you won't fail. And then neither will I"
"How about some turkey sandwiches?" Topanga asks us
"Darwin didn't study turkeys. He studied finches and mockingbirds. His boat was the Beagle"
"And for extra credit?"
"Galapagos. The islands he studied were the Galapagos"
"Because she listens to me. Hey, Maya. Watch this" He corrects the F to an A
"You're giving me an A?"
"No, I'm giving you a C+. But I want you to see how easily an F can become an A"
"Nothing to be ashamed of anymore, Maya" I have to open up
"My dad doesn't live with-" I'm interrupted by Riley
"It's okay"
"He's got this new family" now her mom joins
"Maya, you don't have to-"
"I do have to. I have to be able to talk to you. If you give me an F, if you decide I'm not worth working on-"
"Maya, take a look around you. We're all here for you. Does this look like we think you're not worth working on?"
"I just don't wanna fail, Mr. Matthews. Thank you"
"I don't wanna go to the dance. The dance doesn't matter to me at all. I want to go on the Cyclone with you more than anything in the world!"
"You're going to the dance"
"Hooray" I slightly laugh, typical Riley
"I'm going to chaperone" she raises her hand
"What's that mean?"
"Hand" I correct her
"What's that mean?"
"Grown-up voice"
"Lucas, hello" oh, no...
*at the school's dance*
"You're a really good dancer, Elliot"
"Thanks, so are you"
"Look, everyone's copying us"
"That's what happens when you're the school's hottest couple" I laugh
"You're exaggerating"
"I'm not. On one hand we have Elliot Matthews, the cute boy with lots of charisma, the school's popular guy and on the other hand we have Maya Hart, dark and mysterious girl with the most beautiful eyes anyone will ever see, shy, rebellious, the angel of darkness" I blush.
"I' m bored of this slow dance, let's pace things up" I frown
"What do you mean?" He smirks
"I mean..." he starts doing some salsa steps until we end up in a casque in front of Riley and Lucas. He's wearing the cowboy hatMaya:"The hat's just for me, isn't it? You actually put thought into our little game, don't you?" I ask with a smirkLucas:"I actually do" he puts a rose in my mouth, making me shudder. Elliot takes it from me and we go away
"You can't flirt with other boys while you're with me Maya" he says in annoyance
"That wasn't flirting" he puts the rose on the table
"Then don't play that 'little game' with Lucas, I know you like him but try to contain yourself"
"I don't like him" Lie. I just have a crush on him ,that's it.
"Whatever, you want something to drink?" I nod
"Yeah"
"Fine" he goes away and the music stops and Mr. Matthews takes the micMaya:
Cory:"Well, guys, it looks like the night is winding down. We hope you all enjoyed the dance. But before we go, I notice some fathers have arrived to pick up their daughters. I wonder if we might have one last dance. A father-daughter dance"That's my favorite kind of dance, you know why? Because I don't have a dad so I won't have to dance. Mr. Matthews approaches Riley but she steps out so that he's facing me, is this for real?
"May I please have this dance?" I take his hand and we start dancing, Riles joins as well after a while Riley:"Looks like maybe we have a new tradition"
"That's okay. Traditions are supposed to evolve. Just like daughters. Sometimes daughters just need a guiding hand that has your best interest at heart"
"There's still a whole lot I need you to teach me, dad"
"Thank you, Riley"
"There's still a whole lot I need you to teach me, too"
"Hey, he's my father"
"Whatever you say"
"You do know that you're my father, right?"
"Yeah, I'm your father. Thank you, Riley"
"How's that for makeup?"
"Perfect"